Summary:

The old war between the dragons and elves has long been over, and Deerium has entered a new age. The humans have taken hold and the last fragment of days gone by, known as the Takahrn, have been made slaves.
Gahlaia, the Takahrn’s rightful leader, is given a chance to save her people. Borhiim, a man with a confusing past, must choose between his new life and the one left behind. Tirehn, the soon-to-be king, seeks to find his father’s murderer. All the while, the Eternal moves them together to discover the reality of their world, and the one who’s been pulling all the strings.

Review:

I am a bit embarrassed to say that I have started reading this book towards the end of February and only just finished a few days ago but unfortunately exams have been keeping me busy and there was not much time to read. Anyway, since I finally did find the time to finish the book, here are my thoughts:

First of all, I would like to congratulate the author for publishing his debut novel! (Even though two months have passed since…)

Now, onto the actual review…

A really strong point of the novel was definitely its world-building. Although the book is only about 400 pages long, a lot of the world’s history and culture is touched upon and it shines through how much thought the author has put into creating the story’s setting. However, the world-building was never overwhelming. Explanations were given every now and then, enough to understand what was going on and to get an idea of the world’s richness in history and culture but not to an extent where it gets difficult to follow along. Due to the novel being relatively short, we only get to scratch the surface of the world but since the book is the first in a series I am sure that the sequels will go into more depth and I am curious to see what else the world has to offer. For me, the world was a perfect balance between creative ideas which brought the world to life on the one side, and not being over the top and cause confusion on the other side. The names were not overly complicated, the basic concept of the world was easy to understand, yet the hints at the kindgom’s past and its culture created a unique atmosphere and prevented the world from seeming bland.

I really liked that the story was written from multiple POVs since it allows the reader to explore what is happening in different parts of the country and understand the motivations of different characters. Each character has their distinct personality and there was no perspective I found boring (although of course I do have my favourites…). Usually, the POV changes a few times within each chapter, however it is always clear when such a change takes place and which character’s story is currently narrated. The frequent changes in perspective definitely helped to keep things interesting and prevented the story from dragging.

Overall, the story was fast-paced and many things happened within those 400 pages. There were quite a few revelations and twists I didn’t see coming (although, once again, I am terrible at picking up on foreshadowing…). There were few scenes of calm in between, especially towards the end where the conflict reached its peak. There was a lot of fighting, plotting, sacrifices being made and truths uncovered. Everyone was trying to bring victory to their cause, some striving for an ideal, others defending their people or wanting revenge. All the while, the novel didn’t shy away from letting plans fail and showing the brutality of war and the losses associated with it.

The ending definitely raised some questions and demonstrated that what happened within this novel is only the beginning. I can’t wait to see how the story unfolds in the sequels.

My main point of criticism is that the story moved too fast for my taste. While the fast pacing prevented the story from dragging, I found it hard to connect to the characters as a result and my enjoyment of a novel depends very much on this connection. While I appreciate the way the characters and the world were crafted, I think that being able to spend more time with them, getting to know both them and the world they are living in better, would have been able to make a difference here. A twist that reveals a new truth about something the reader has taken for granted hits a lot harder… in order for this to happen I need time to get used to a certain “truth” before it gets turned on its head and with the fast pacing and the many twists this didn’t happen for me.

The same goes for the characters. In order for me to care about their fate, they need to come alive to me first. This usually happens in the calm scenes in between or through backstory where we get to see different sides of the character, the way they interact with others and which events from the past shaped them. Even though there were mentions of the character’s backstories sprinkled throughout the novel, those were often very vague and didn’t have much of an effect on me. I understand that partly this is necessary to keep an aura of mystery around the characters and at times also because the characters themselves don’t remember certain aspects but I think being more specific at times would have made the characters more tangible.

Overall, I did enjoy the reading experience and I think the story has a lot of potential to be explored in the sequels. I am definitely curious to see how the story continues.

If you are searching for a fast-paced high fantasy novel, definitely give this one a try!

Things to consider before reading:

The novel deals with the topics of war and slavery in a fantasy world and includes depictions of violence, both in battle and outside of it. Sometimes, those depictions are graphic, so in case you are not comfortable reading about this, this might not be the right book for you. Other than that, I cannot recall any specific triggers but in case you have any triggers I recommend you to check with another source to be certain.

Disclaimer: This should serve solely as a guide when deciding whether or not to read this book. I cannot guarantee that this list is complete. If you are triggered by something or want to avoid certain topics, please make sure to double check.

Feel free to share your opinion on the book in the comments. I would love to hear what you think about it and whether you liked it!

Please remember to keep the comments spoiler-free or add a Spoiler Alert beforehand so everyone has the opportunity to enjoy the reading experience without already knowing everything that happens.