Review: Ashes of the Sun (Burningblade and Silvereye #1) by Django Wexler

Rating: 9.5/10

Synopsis:

Long ago, a magical war destroyed an empire, and a new one was built in its ashes. But still the old grudges simmer, and two siblings will fight on opposite sides to save their world, in the start of Django Wexler’s new epic fantasy trilogy

Gyre hasn’t seen his beloved sister since their parents sold her to the mysterious Twilight Order. Now, twelve years after her disappearance, Gyre’s sole focus is revenge, and he’s willing to risk anything and anyone to claim enough power to destroy the Order.

Chasing rumors of a fabled city protecting a powerful artifact, Gyre comes face-to-face with his lost sister. But she isn’t who she once was. Trained to be a warrior, Maya wields magic for the Twilight Order’s cause. Standing on opposite sides of a looming civil war, the two siblings will learn that not even the ties of blood will keep them from splitting the world in two.

Review:

Thank you to Head of Zeus and Lauren for providing me a physical copy

Ashes of the Sun is one of those novels you need to pick up and read. It has a fantastic book cover which I believe illustrates the magnitude of this novel. Star Wars influences are written all over this book, and you’ll find many such examples: Two opposing factions fighting each other? The Twilight Order being kind of reminiscent of the Empire in Star Wars. I however found another connection: Children being snatched by the Twilight Order also has a historical connection: The Janissaries, the elite shock troops, and bodyguards of the Ottoman Empire were young Christian Boys from the Balkans and then to serve in the Ottoman Army. This I found very similar to be in the approach for Maya’s arc.

And guess who’s fighting against this very order? Maya’s brother, Gyre. He’s like your typical roguish Han Solo style character added in with a dash of Aragon and a sprinkle of Porthos and Aramis. Very noble, very honorable, but eventually he finds himself embroiled in a conflict that is bigger beyond simply resisting the Twilight Order. Gyre’s a likable character, but I believe he falls too easily in love sometimes. He is smart and resilient, however. Maya on the other hand is resourceful and intelligent. Her relationship with Beq is developed well enough, though I would have wanted to see more scenes of their relationship evolving. It is very well developed.

There are many unsung heroes in this novel, Yara, Varo, and Tanax. All three characters you will come to have liked them, disliked them, and then feel for them. Varo’s an interesting character that loves to narrate stories. He’s the life of the party in this book. Tanax is an honorable character that if you put him in a historical context, he would die serving that empire, army, or organization till his last breath. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t privy to changing his thoughts. The writing is excellent, and there’s a lot of Roman influences in this novel which was a refreshing change! The worldbuilding is exquisite, and there are many times you wonder whether you’ve stumbled into an open world RPG video game! I enjoyed this novel.

It is well worth your time, and a fascinating cover to go alongside it! Pick this up now!