Synopsis
The Palace of the Dawn will soon be stormed. The most ruthless man of all time is one step away from assailing on Iovbridge and dethroning Sophie Delamere. The Queen of Knightdorn is now alone, with neither allies nor an army capable of rebuffing the enemy which is approaching her city. Everything appears to be over, until a mysterious young man, Elliot, makes his appearance.
Entangled in a web of lies and politics, Elliot will try to draw Walter away from Iovbridge and face him in the stronghold of Wirskworth. He will attempt to rekindle relations and revive the old alliance between the Queen of Knightdorn and Syrella Endor, the Governor of Wirskworth. Elliot’s mission will take every fibre of his will and if he fails, so shall the kingdom.
Game Of Thrones meets Greek mythology in this explosive epic fantasy story, packed with war, medieval lore, magic, loyalty and bravery. The first book in the series, The Dance of Light, will take you on an epic journey to a fantasy world of men and mythical creatures which will keep you spellbound till the very end.
Review
The Return of the Knights is the first novel in an epic Greek inspired fantasy series, packed with high-stakes action, heroes, mythical creatures, epic battles and political intrigue. There’s enough there to keep you on your toes and have you tapping your fingers in anticipation for a sequel.
The Return of the Knights drops the reader straight into the midst of the action (just the way I like it), in an ongoing war and on the precipice of the end of Knightdorn. Walter leads a seemingly unstoppable army and has his eyes set on the Queen and throne. Unfortunately for Queen Sophie, her allies are in shortcoming and she hasn’t much to defend her kingdom. Hope seems lost. That is until Elliot, a mysterious boy, arrives, with a plan to defeat Walter and his army. Hard to imagine anyone trusting some random boy and his plans, that is until he shows to be a complete badass and potentially one of the last people to have ever been trained by a Knight. There’s a classic trope in there somewhere, but one I always love reading. Events quickly spiral into visceral violence and the kingdom stands on a constant knives edge, while Elliot does everything in his power to save it. Along the way, it becomes clear that Elliot is not all that he seems, as he uncovers secrets from his past.
Character wise I ended up liking a lot of the side characters more than Elliot. Normally I do prefer the boy to hero type, but I feel like Elliot still has some growing to do but could potentially grow a lot more on me in the sequels. His history and family secrets do hugely intrigue me. It was actually Selwyn and Eleanor that ended up being my favourites. Selwyn felt, in so many ways, an integral part of the book, managing to use his wits to sway people much more powerful than him, while also being a man of fearsome loyalty and likeability. Eleanor on the other hand starts out on a bit more of a quiet note, but ended up playing a role in pivotal moments throughout the book. Her back story also interested me a lot and I’m really looking forward to what’s in store for her in the coming books. I really enjoyed her character development and I have an inkling that this will continue strongly in the sequels.
The world-building in this novel stood in many ways. Gregory Kontaxis has clearly thought out his story and planned out every detail of his world. I love the mythological aspects, alongside the deep history and politics surrounding the world. I have a strong feeling this world will reveal some amazing secrets in the coming books. I will say at times, that the world-building was a lot to take in. Due to the deep world Gregory has created, it felt like I had to keep up with at times too many names, histories and places.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and most definitely highly recommend it, especially if you’re a fan of Greek mythology, mixed in with some Game of Thrones level political intrigue. Alongside this it showcased a strong cast of characters, visceral action and a deep fantasy world that will leave you wanting more.
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