Publisher: Self-published
Age Group: Adult
Pages: 334
Format: Kindle
Source: Author - For review
Kiyarran just wanted to become a Protector of the Realm, a member of an elite order of fighters. Strange and powerful magical abilities awaken inside him once his wish comes true. The Priesthood that secretly controls the realm see his skill as a threat, and Kiyarran begins to learn that little about life as a Protector is what he thought it would be. To top it off, Kiyarran is falling in love with Princess Issiyanna, his friend of many years.
Issiyanna faces and arranged marriage, but she has been dreaming of another man, her one true love. Now her long gone mother is calling to her, promising she will return and take Issiyanna to meet the man from her dreams.
The world is split in half by a barrier called the Veil. A terrible sacrifice was made to put it in place and now, as the 1000th Anniversary of the Veil draws near, a second sacrifice is called for to keep it in place.
Both Kiyarran and Issiyanna are needed for the Anniversary. Even though they only just learned of the Veil and neither know the role they must play …
This book
caught me by surprise. I didn’t know what to expect when I started reading
this, as this is one of the first self-published books I’ve ever read. But I
liked the cover and the description I got about the book, so I thought: why
not? And boy, am I glad I took this opportunity!
The
characters are easy to relate to and very diverse. The worldbuilding is
fabulous and although it contained a few of the classic Fantasy elements, these
were used very well and created a wonderful new world that was richly described
and came to life through the author’s words. I really liked the idea of the
Veil that separates the two worlds and the role it plays in the book. It’s
original and imaginative. The notion of the Life Force has been used before,
but that didn’t bother me, I liked the use of it here and the way it was
described.
The writing
style is very fluent and makes the reading experience extremely pleasant. I
read this book in mere hours, I just couldn’t put it down. Every time I did put
it down, I kept thinking about what would happen next to Issa en Kae, so
naturally I had to pick it up again and read a bit more.
The Head
Priest has the same cunning and ambitions as Waleran Bigod in “Pillars of the
Earth” and the relationship between Issa and Kae made me think of the
electricity crackling between Raisa and Han in the Seven Realms books. Those
are two of my favourites and the fact that this book reminded me of certain
aspects of them, means this novel is GOOD! I always like a book where I have
to think twice about the characters and their true intentions. The conflict
between good and evil, between several people or as an internal struggle always
fascinates me.
The only
real negative thing I can say about this one is about the first few pages. The Prologue
was very confusing. We’re dumped into the middle of a ritual that has been a
critical turning point in the history of this new world, without much
explanation. All I have to say about this is: don’t stop reading because of
this, because you’ll miss out on an extraordinary story! Throughout the story
the meaning of those first few pages will become more and more clear and will
play an important role.
Conclusion:
really, really good! I can’t wait to read the second book and dive back into
this fascinating world! 4,5 dragons!
Rating:
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