Synopsis
The Halls of Venn are the seat of both knowledge and power in the great continent of Luna Ruinam. Renia, a scribe with a tragic past, spends her days expertly copying books that do little to satiate her desire for knowledge.
When a fateful commission lands on her desk, she finds herself tasked with transcribing a book coveted by assassins from the southern continent. Its theft throws the scribing halls into chaos and threatens to destroy the fragile peace that exists between their nations.
Haunted by dreams of her past, Renia must learn to master her impulses and awaken her long dormant magical abilities if she is to prevent war.
Fate, it would seem, is eager to grant her wishes. Yet she must risk everything to pursue it, and pay the bloody price it demands.
Review
Renia is laden with silken prose that slip into the mind’s eye with such ease you will not realise you are reading.
My favourite fantasy stories begin zoomed in, small in aperture and focused on small threads of a larger world. As the tantalising aperture widens to encompass a great, more entangled world, I find great pleasure in my imagination being pulled along in that development.
Renia’s pacing and world unveiling is so expertly balanced that the entire experience has you continually sliding from your seat. Never too slow and never too fast, there is a comfort and a surety in Forshaw’s writing that builds trust and allows the reader to let go of the reigns and enjoy!
Each point of view is expertly crafted, allowing the language, description and atmosphere to curl up inside you, leaving its permanent mark on your own vividly painted world. Each view becomes so entwined in this story that there is a natural rhythmic memory that becomes intuitive as each section changes.
Characters and concepts leap from the page between their own lines, animated by words unsaid. A successful foray into the ‘show not tell’ wasteland of this fascinating and, dare I say, original world. Not only do Renia’s characters react, form relationships, love/hate, laugh and despise, they also carry genuine opinions, often opinions that clash with their stance on a given topic… incredible!
People in this book have an uncanny knack of hinting at trope, but then bursting out with genuine life and zeal beyond expectations. With a golden thread that thrums with emotion throughout, Renia threatens your soul while forcing you to turn each page. A steadily growing cast of nuanced characters makes this journey so pleasurable despite the often sobering emotional gut punches. Each voice and viewpoint has a beautiful clarity that makes the mind’s eye’s job effortless. Forshaw somehow makes each character feel real and vulnerable in their own way, and cool as f**ck at the same time!
From dusty mountains of neglected books to childlike wonder and awe derived from a fallen moon, Forshaw invites you to touch, taste and experience it all. This book excels at modifying its approach for each scenario or inner monologue, practically jibing the author of this incredible debut for his untamed schizophrenia!
The pacing and rhythmic head hopping plays such a wonderful part in driving the dramatic and multifaceted plot. You will see the threads, maybe even dare to imagine where they may lead, but will lose your place and be forced to surrender to the characters and their Living, breathing and often flawed decision making.
I feel blessed to have witnessed the unfurling of so many fascinating lives, characters that truly lived through the timeline of Renia’s plot. The story feels both an intro and a conclusion to a massive story and is sure to bear prolific fruit and I, for sure, will be happy to indulge in each offering.
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