Synopsis
- The hero.
- The seer.
- The child.
- The condemned.
After surviving two bloody purges that nearly exterminated both the Grey Clan and Orsenmuray City, the elf and harlequin survivors struggle to bring the tent city of Almjarhad to life. Surrounded by the ocean and desert, these inhospitable lands are slowly being developed with the aid of their magic.
As the culprit of their misfortune, the condemned elf Lord Jamarnid is forced to rely on his son Jarahad to rule the city due to ending up disabled before his frantic escape. Bitter about his situation because he wanted to be executed, Jamarnid distrusts the true intentions of the seer Talgel.
Unwanted by the Elf Kingdom and his harlequin great-grandfather Hurrujat, Jarahad struggles to accept his fate. As the interim ruler of Almjarhad, Jarahad wishes to complete his sword initiation to protect his people… and gain Talgel’s unrequited love.
Talgel is a woman of perpetual mystery with dubious morals. Upon awakening magic that grants her the ability to predict the future with absolute certainty, Talgel lost her eyesight. She now wears a masquerade mask to hide her true feelings.
Embroiled in this story is a young hybrid elf named Tioja, who doesn’t understand his role in the greater scheme of things.
Four characters are about to have their fates manipulated, and their willpower tested. All for the sake of a demon inhabiting Talgel’s body that will use them for its own nefarious purposes.
Review
I received this to judge for the Indie Ink Awards for two different kinds of rep, disability and Latinx. I already owned the kindle version.
This has one hell of an opening. Jamarnid was sleeping with a harlequin. Well, he thought she was human, which was still a crime, but this one’s even worse. She became pregnant, which is treason, and he was sentenced to death. The entire opening is a whirlwind of lore, action, and torture. He is willing to die for his crimes, but not everyone may agree. It’s fast and strong and you feel it even though you’re still learning characters.
Otherwise though, I do wish that it was labeled as the prologue, rather than chapter one, as it’s really the only chapter that truly takes place in the past. It kind of made the rest of it harder to follow, as the pace never quite speeds up that much again.
This is a multiple POV fantasy that features different races and ages. Full blood elves, harlequins, half bloods, and humans (mostly just mentioned). I liked the way the harlequins were described. The description of their wings really made me think of the pix from Carnival Row (although the similarities pretty much stop there).
After the opening, the exiled members have fallen victim to two different purges from the full blood elves. Those that survived made their own city, Almjarhad, where all they want is to live self sufficiently. The POVs, as the blurb states, showcase the hero, the seer, the child, and the condemned, and with that of course, peace is never that simple. I really enjoyed each character and how the author had them operate with each other, especially when they appeared in each others chapters.
There is a very cool and well written sword fight in this, but other than that, this did want for action in my opinion. With the large and intense opening, I guess I expected something to come and outdo that, and there isn’t anything. Although, I will say that this is only book one and it does end with practically everything in a cliffhanger. So I assume the build to action is what follows.
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