Synopsis
We are the stories we tell ourselves…even the lies.
The Thief, a great spirit, and her descendants have abused their ability to steal magic for centuries. When Kaylo starts to hear the song of other people’s magic, he must learn to hide from his people as well as the invaders. A gift or a curse, Kaylo may be able to save his people from the Gousht Empire that claimed their land with this stolen magic.
Eighteen years later, Kaylo still prays to the spirits, but not out of loyalty or love. He knows better than to rely on those selfish bastards for anything. While hiding in the forest from his foolish acts of rebellion, he encounters a girl, Tayen, being pursued by two soldiers of the empire. Against his better judgment, he risks facing the consequences of his past to intervene.
When Tayen attempts to run off seeking vengeance for her family, he offers to train her to wield her magic and a blade. If he can’t convince her to relinquish her need for vengeance and stave off the demons of his past, he’s going to get them both killed.
Review
Below is my original review. As it was written right after finishing, and is from when I was most connected with the book, I have not changed anything, just shared it here. As I am new to FanFiAddict, I want to ensure I am doing my due diligence and getting more favorite reads of the year the coverage they deserve. I’m sure nothing below is new to anyone, but James is such a voice for the indie community, that he deserves one more person shouting it!
I loved the cover, so I signed right up for the ARC team and I was happy to be approved. Liked it so much I purchased a copy too!
Let me start with saying, WOW, that is how you write an ending! The climax is just so incredibly epic and beautiful and dark at the same time. Threads that were weaved throughout the entire story coming together to make a beautiful little sweater of gut-punching, heartbreaking action and tension. I am blown away.
An epic debut with heavy emotion, heart, power, and gravity. Written in part as a study of colonialism, this fantasy brings a completely new world with incredible characters, magic, and histories.
The main character, Kaylo, is a jaded loner. He has been through the ringer, and connecting with others is not his thing. When Tayen crosses his path, he’s faced with a choice—let her be captured, or worse, killed. He makes his choice, and the novel has its momentum. With a story like this, for me at least, it reminded me heavily of The Last of Us. As with TLOU, both characters bounce off each other, bickering and fighting, before finding caring. It’s such a good dynamic, and the author brings some new things to the plate with it. The side characters are just as important and fully imagined as well though, it’s just super solid.
The magic system is brought to the world’s inhabitants through the Great Spirits, or worshipped godlike presences. The gifts bestowed to the people allow them to call upon these spirits, altering the world around them in various ways. It was refreshing that this didn’t have limits attached for the users, but it was simply understood that it isn’t limitless either.
The writing is fantastic, and I loved that the teacher told the story of his life as a way to give her lessons as opposed to the regular fantasy teaching scenes. It also gave the story two timelines which were both great.
I’ll be thinking about this one for a while. Bring on book two asap (and he did!)
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