Synopsis
When the gods shaped the continent into five kingdoms to be ruled by their progeny, they did not account for the greed of men. When they created the Order from their god-blessed followers to mediate between realms, they neglected to plan against the hoarding of power. War between the royalists and the godly was inevitable.
Five centuries later, the borders between kingdoms are impenetrable. No branded-born Marked can cross them without burning to ash, except the Order’s Stewards. But a damaging new war has been prophesied, one that haunts the Order, one that will come to pass if Carved traitors roam free and brandless-born Flawed are left alive.
It starts with one girl that survives the impossible. Kaianne, the Carved. It takes shape through one prince with ambition. Andreiyes, the Marked. It hinges on one grieving man who is ready to give up hope. Rau, the Steward. Three people bound by fate – whether they like it or not.
Review
I didn’t know what to expect going into this debut novel. There were familiar elements in the blurb and the opening chapters, where the protagonist, Kaianne, is a twelve-year-old girl in a noble family expecting to be married off but wishing she was allowed to do things that her male siblings were. Yet something about the writing grabbed me and the authorial voice was fluid and the story were intriguing enough to pull me through the opening. Shortly into the book, Kaianne’s world is upended when her infant brother is born Flawed – without the mark that everyone in her nation has – and as a result, her entire family is murdered in a shocking series of events that had me immediately invested.
Kaianne is saved by the prince Andreiyes who removes her mark to save her from certain death. She ends up in exile, fighting to survive, and ultimately joins forces with a group of Carved – individuals who deliberately or involuntarily damaged the marks that they wore. Her character grows up fast and there’s a time jump across the book that’s handled really well as we see her mature into a complex individual. The other two viewpoint characters are Andreiyes, the prince who saved Kaianne’s life but who soon finds himself at odds with the system behind the power structures in play, and Rau, one of the centuries-old Stewards with magical powers who force the royals to do their bidding – including killing Flawed and their entire families.
The character development is astonishing, and the author managed to genuinely surprise me a few times. Rau’s story in particular didn’t go in the direction I expected, in a good way. Kaianne was my personal favourite and I loved seeing her come into her own over the course of the story. There’s also a slow-burn romance subplot that actually felt natural and not out of place, without sacrificing any aspects of the plot or character development.
The characters are the definite standout of this novel, but the world is interesting too and it’s clear the author has put a lot of thought into developing the complex politics and factions within the central nation. As a result, the world feels lived-in and it was easy to immerse myself in the story. The plot is full of intrigue and kept me guessing, and the emotional engagement and tension was off the charts – more than once, I ended up on the edge of my seat, desperate to keep reading.
I can’t say enough good things about this book. This is a confidently written debut by an author with real talent and I didn’t hesitate to pick up the sequel immediately.
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