This loose tangling of fantasy and mystery should entertain fans of both genres.
Strange killings change the lives of two determined men in this fantasy series opener.
It is 1648 in the kingdom of Lethanor, and Killian and Helena Morosse have been murdered. Their adult son, the physician Silas, finds them in their bedroom with necks punctured and blood pooled on the floor. Knowing that the deaths of his well-heeled merchant parents will shock the city of Moros, Silas travels immediately to the home of his dear friend Inquisitor Dunewell. Though Dunewell isn’t a brilliant sleuth who might use “mentalism” to solve the case, he is a tenacious investigator and a long-lived, physically impressive “Great Man.” At Killian and Helena’s funeral, most of the kingdom’s high-ranking people pay their respects. But conspicuously absent is Lady Evalynne, a Great Woman of legendary feats. Yet her adviser, the mage Uriel-Ka, assures Silas that Evalynne will find the killer. Meanwhile, Dunewell encounters the lovely Erin of House Theald. The elfin woman whispers an enchantment over the inquisitor that allows her to linger in his mind. She also suggests a vampire may be the culprit he’s after. While investigating the murder case, Dunewell learns of House Morosse’s possibly suspicious business dealings with Lord High Inquisitor Gyllorn. One of the principal suspects in this financial matter—Silas himself—remains in Dunewell’s confidence throughout. Hanson’s tale seeks to infuse high fantasy with elements of a detective novel. The grisly murders are detailed in lines like this one, focusing on Silas: “When he closed his eyes, he could still feel” the blood, “the jelly of it, between his toes.” Hints of a grand war rumble in the background as readers learn of the wider world in which Prince Ralston battles a sorcerer named Daeriv. Also intriguing are the Great Men, like Sir Brutis, who is nearly 200 years old. Overall, Hanson fleshes out the fantasy setting at the expense of the pacing and structure that might create a truly gripping mystery. Multiple instances of a chapter told from both Silas’ and Dunewell’s perspectives are more disorienting than revelatory. But the narrative’s final explanation adds a twist to the two protagonists’ relationship and propels readers toward the next installment.
This loose tangling of fantasy and mystery should entertain fans of both genres.Pub Date: July 15, 2022
ISBN: 9798839744226
Page Count: 229
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
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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