Genre: Epic Fantasy • Political Fantasy • High Fantasy
Tropes: Reluctant King, Sibling Rivalry, Political Intrigue, Betrayal, Succession Crisis, Magic, Religious Conflict, War & Conquest, Morally Gray Characters, Bittersweet Ending
Spice Level: None
Format: ARC / eBook
Series: Possible Series Starter
After the fall of the Assigner and the battle with the Tratkeans where his father falls in battle Prince Adacos is crowned King of Eracians. It was a title always thought would go to his sister, Szerfalia, but with her disobeying his father to circumvent the official heir naming he changed the laws shortly before his untimely death. Adacos never wanted to become King, but with this new power he wants only to convert the Tratkean pagans to the Eracian religion and help them achieve peace in their afterlives free from the Void. Szerfalia and her new fiancée, Taralos, have other plans. Believing the crown should have been theirs, for various reasons, they will stop at nothing to see the usurper dethroned.
I
received a complimentary ARC of this book from the author.
This is
an exciting and fast paced fantasy book filled with magic, betrayal, political
ambition, and a lot of religion mixed in. We know I’m not a fan of religion,
but while the characters in this book were much like Christians trying to force
their religion down another providence’s throats, I am happy to report that it
failed as spectacularly as it always does. There is a reason “live and let live”
is the best way to be when it comes to religion. So, with that in mind, I don’t
count this as a detractor. Also, while it was a large part of the book, it was
usually happening in the background with minor instances of it coming to the
fore.
The
writing is great and easy to understand in every aspect except for the
occasional time transitions. It isn’t a big thing and does not detract from the
story. Something is going on in one time and when that scene ends the author
wants to jump into the future, past the slow bits in the story of relative
peace, and to the next plot point. Efficient, but the segway was sometimes
confusing. Sometimes it would take until halfway through the first 10 paragraphs
to know how much time had passed and that we were no longer at the previous
event.
There is a lot to love in this story. I loved how Adacos’s
actions slowly snuck up on him till he realized everywhere that he had gone
wrong. The author does an amazing job of keeping just enough things going on
that the story feels action-packed without being busy. The ending was
bitter-sweet but left open where that the story could continue on and it seems
like it will. I do wish we found out a bit more about Taralos’ family at the
end since I genuinely don’t know what happened there. I am trying to keep that
point vague, because I don’t want to give away the ending to a very good fantasy
read.
I was a
bit surprised that although there are Beast-men and magic in this world it is
still largely similar to our own. Sure, the characters rode Elk into battle and
for traveling instead of horses, but it surprised me that we weren’t riding
some fantastical beast. This made the book have a more real-world aspect while
still remaining firmly in the fantasy sect. I would absolutely read more by
this author in the future and hope for the best for the future of Eracia.
⭐ You'll Love This Book If You
Enjoy:
- Epic
fantasy with political intrigue
- Reluctant
rulers and succession crises
- Sibling
rivalries and family betrayal
- Magic
woven into realistic worlds
- Religious
conflict and moral dilemmas
- Character-driven
fantasy
- War
and kingdom-building
- Multiple
intertwining plotlines
- Bittersweet
endings
- Fantasy
worlds with room for future stories
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