A smoothly written religious fantasy enlivened by fiery antagonists.
Human kingdoms foment war as rival deities consolidate power in this fantasy novella.
Seventeen-year-old Rune Kallio lives in the northern kingdom of Kansanai. One day, she washes clothes by the river, singing songs to Jokaiu, the river god. Rune’s deepest desire is that during the Pairing Ceremony, Jokaiu will match her with Jyri Glycen, her beloved. But Adda, the teen’s 14-year-old sister, has a dream that the world will catch fire only for Rune to save it as “princess of the heavens.” Further, the dream nymphs whisper to Adda that Aivan, the mythological god representing “the One Truth,” will sponsor Rune’s ascent. Meanwhile, in the southern kingdom of Etalentin, 17-year-old Rolf Larsen heads to the local temple to pray to Vesai, one of the Vihishki gods. As he prays, he hears Aivan say that Vesai is a “false god” and that “I am not in the temple. I speak to you now through your heart.” Later, a village Elder sends Rolf to the court of King Petri with a message. When Master Alviss, the king’s adviser, learns that Rolf knows limited magic, he determines that the teen, if properly trained, will be the key to defending against the designs of Queen Isilda in the north. But Lord Paholai, a spirit who is Aivan’s opponent, plans to wield greed and power to sway Rune and Rolf to his plans. In this well-crafted series opener, Green offers a spiritual fantasy that hopes to illustrate the starkness of good versus evil. Yet many of the vivid scenes will remind history buffs of ancient Rome during Christianity’s rise, as when a man called Kirkus says, “I challenge your Vihishki gods against my One Truth,” and demands the temples’ destruction despite the solace they bring to many people. During his training, Rolf is indoctrinated by the phrase “Love is nothing. Power is everything.” It’s noteworthy that the intriguing protagonists are young enough to be swayed by such extreme viewpoints. Many important narrative choices are made once characters “Pray to Aivan for guidance.” Queen Isilda, learning that her clout is at risk, becomes the player with the most agency and provides the spark for the sequel.
A smoothly written religious fantasy enlivened by fiery antagonists.Pub Date: July 26, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-64960-136-0
Page Count: 124
Publisher: Emerald House Group, Inc.
Review Posted Online: Aug. 5, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.
On the orders of her mother, a woman goes to dragon-riding school.
Even though her mother is a general in Navarre’s army, 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail was raised by her father to follow his path as a scribe. After his death, though, Violet's mother shocks her by forcing her to enter the elite and deadly dragon rider academy at Basgiath War College. Most students die at the War College: during training sessions, at the hands of their classmates, or by the very dragons they hope to one day be paired with. From Day One, Violet is targeted by her classmates, some because they hate her mother, others because they think she’s too physically frail to succeed. She must survive a daily gauntlet of physical challenges and the deadly attacks of classmates, which she does with the help of secret knowledge handed down by her two older siblings, who'd been students there before her. Violet is at the mercy of the plot rather than being in charge of it, hurtling through one obstacle after another. As a result, the story is action-packed and fast-paced, but Violet is a strange mix of pure competence and total passivity, always managing to come out on the winning side. The book is categorized as romantasy, with Violet pulled between the comforting love she feels from her childhood best friend, Dain Aetos, and the incendiary attraction she feels for family enemy Xaden Riorson. However, the way Dain constantly undermines Violet's abilities and his lack of character development make this an unconvincing storyline. The plots and subplots aren’t well-integrated, with the first half purely focused on Violet’s training, followed by a brief detour for romance, and then a final focus on outside threats.
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374042
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
Devoted series fans will appreciate the added pieces to this expansive narrative puzzle.
After 500 years, the Grief of Ages is a distant memory—until dragons hellbent on destruction begin to wake again.
In this relatively brief prequel to the epic The Priory of the Orange Tree (2019), the kingdoms of Virtudom have experienced centuries of relative peace. Marosa Vetalda, the Princess of Yscalin, spends her days behind castle walls under the gaze of her overprotective father, awaiting the date when she’ll be wed to Aubrecht of Mentendon, her ticket to freedom. While the book’s main focus is initially on the political threads weaving the Western kingdoms together, the frailty of best-laid plans is exposed when evidence of the reemergence of draconic beings reaches castle ears. These tales often come from the cullers who make their living slaying these creatures, and who are often blamed for intentionally waking them for profit. No one alive remembers the Grief of Ages, so no one’s prepared when Fýredel, the great High Western dragon, surfaces from the volcanic mountain that towers ominously over Yscalin’s capital city of Cárscaro. What follows is the backstory of how the devoted Yscali kingdom comes to shift allegiance to Fýredel and his master, the Nameless One, a main catalyst to events in The Priory. Overall, this book reads more like history lesson than fantasy adventure, but the sheer terror that befalls the Yscali people as they face Fýredel’s pure evil is both powerful and relevant. Marosa’s plight further solidifies her as a hero worth remembering; her strength and defiance shine through as hope for the future she’s dreamed of slowly flickers out.
Devoted series fans will appreciate the added pieces to this expansive narrative puzzle.Pub Date: Sept. 16, 2025
ISBN: 9781639736010
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
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