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davidgreenwriter's review
4.0
A rollicking fun adventure.
On his Goodreads page, the author describes this book, the start of the Fate of Wizardoms, as like the MCU of fantasy reading and I couldn't think of a better analogy.
Filled with tropes we fantasy fans love, Kohanek takes time twisting and tweaking them to suit his world. The action is thick and fast, as is the humour. Comedy is always subjective, particularly in fantasy, but I'm happy to say it worked for me on the whole. Every now and then, some dialogue exchanges fell a little flat or felt forced, but that's to be expected - those lines I could see others loving.
A refreshing and fast-paced read, I've already got books two and three ready to go on my Kindle.
On his Goodreads page, the author describes this book, the start of the Fate of Wizardoms, as like the MCU of fantasy reading and I couldn't think of a better analogy.
Filled with tropes we fantasy fans love, Kohanek takes time twisting and tweaking them to suit his world. The action is thick and fast, as is the humour. Comedy is always subjective, particularly in fantasy, but I'm happy to say it worked for me on the whole. Every now and then, some dialogue exchanges fell a little flat or felt forced, but that's to be expected - those lines I could see others loving.
A refreshing and fast-paced read, I've already got books two and three ready to go on my Kindle.
bookish_satty's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This really was a pleasant surprise to be honest. I went into it with low expectations but by the end I really fell in love with the characters especially Rhoa and Jace. Will definitely continue this series. In my opinion the prologue as well as the final battle chapters were the best. Loved the scenes describing magical battles.
eudaimoniac's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
jacks623's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
moi_av's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
debbieh2109's review against another edition
5.0
A great beinning of a series with Jace( Jerrell) Landish, and Rhoa both wanting to retrieve an amulet for two different reasons. Narine now a wizadress and also her brother thinks she will be a threat to throne. Lives have to change in order to stay safe. Great characters and lots of adventure and intense moments will keep you reading to the end.
constant2m's review
5.0
I won a free copy of the audiobook and was excited to get to finally meet the characters I've heard so much about. I was not disappointed.
It was a very creative cast: Jace, a thief/assassin/opportunist who had taken a contract to steal a magical artifact and kill a wizard lord; Rhoa, an acrobat set on avenging the unjust deaths of her parents; Rawk, a dwarf and stone carver; and Narine, princess and wizardess who was somehow kinder than her high-class status dictates. And of course Salvon, storyteller extraordinaire, wise man, and friend to children. Read as a standalone, this is a story of revenge, but hints throughout point to a deeper plot which I'm sure will be explored in the rest of the series.
The worldbuilding was very cool. Regions are controlled by wizard lords whose powers are enhanced by the gods they serve. These powers extend their lives so they often rule more than a century and give them the ability to heal their bodies if they are poisoned or wounded, which makes them quite difficult to kill. The gods show up physically every six months to receive their sacrifice (human sacrifice). And the people are required to participate in a ritual twice every day, offering "Devotion" to the wizard lords. This devotion somehow enhances their power or health. I pictured the Ori from Stargate when I was reading it.
I really enjoyed this book. It was easy to follow despite being told from the perspective of multiple characters. All of the characters were fascinating, not your typical fantasy cast but also not without its tropes. Rhoa's backstory was explored the most in this book, but I look forward to getting to know the other characters better in the rest of the series. I also appreciated how the author balanced the levity of the topics. Despite hardships and failures and loss, each of the characters found something that drove them to persevere. It will be interesting to see what they are able to accomplish together in this series. There were a few twists that caught me off guard. I'm particularly curious about how long Jace will be able to keep his secrets and how Salvon became involved in the first place - it seems like more than luck, but we will see.
Overall, this was an excellent beginning to a series that has definitely hooked me. I highly recommend it to older teenagers and adults who love a good adventure into unknown lands.
It was a very creative cast: Jace, a thief/assassin/opportunist who had taken a contract to steal a magical artifact and kill a wizard lord; Rhoa, an acrobat set on avenging the unjust deaths of her parents; Rawk, a dwarf and stone carver; and Narine, princess and wizardess who was somehow kinder than her high-class status dictates. And of course Salvon, storyteller extraordinaire, wise man, and friend to children. Read as a standalone, this is a story of revenge, but hints throughout point to a deeper plot which I'm sure will be explored in the rest of the series.
The worldbuilding was very cool. Regions are controlled by wizard lords whose powers are enhanced by the gods they serve. These powers extend their lives so they often rule more than a century and give them the ability to heal their bodies if they are poisoned or wounded, which makes them quite difficult to kill. The gods show up physically every six months to receive their sacrifice (human sacrifice). And the people are required to participate in a ritual twice every day, offering "Devotion" to the wizard lords. This devotion somehow enhances their power or health. I pictured the Ori from Stargate when I was reading it.
I really enjoyed this book. It was easy to follow despite being told from the perspective of multiple characters. All of the characters were fascinating, not your typical fantasy cast but also not without its tropes. Rhoa's backstory was explored the most in this book, but I look forward to getting to know the other characters better in the rest of the series. I also appreciated how the author balanced the levity of the topics. Despite hardships and failures and loss, each of the characters found something that drove them to persevere. It will be interesting to see what they are able to accomplish together in this series. There were a few twists that caught me off guard. I'm particularly curious about how long Jace will be able to keep his secrets and how Salvon became involved in the first place - it seems like more than luck, but we will see.
Overall, this was an excellent beginning to a series that has definitely hooked me. I highly recommend it to older teenagers and adults who love a good adventure into unknown lands.
nikkiethereader's review
4.0
A clever thief is bested by a training magician. They were after the same amulet and the same goal. They needed to use it to bring somebody of high power down. Somebody who has been corrupt for a long time and was bringing everything down. They eventually decide to work together to increase the chances of their mission succeeding.
I really did enjoy this book. There were parts of it that I got a little lost and overwhelmed in. It was a lot of information to take in all at once. Part of me wants to go back and actually read the book the next time around to see if that does any good. Other than the overwhelming feeling, I really did enjoy the story. It was compact with adventure and suspense. Two of my favorite categories when it comes to stories like this!
I don't remember any of the characters' names. I feel bad about this, but I am horrible with names. I didn't really feel a connection to any of these characters. I empathized with them, but it wasn't easy to fully understand the things they were going through. I don't think this is an issue with the writing. I think this is an issue with my personal life experiences. Other people might find a connection with the characters that I could not. They were some fierce and determined characters. I can tell you that.
This book was narrated by Travis Baldree. I'm not sure if I've ever listened to anything he's narrated before. I can say that I plan to listen to other books he's narrated. I also hope that he narrates the rest of this series. He did a pretty amazing job with this one. I felt like I was in the world with them living the story with them.
I really did enjoy the story very much. I didn't love it, but it was pretty amazing. It was full of adventure and magic. It was also filled with violence and doom. As per any adventure story. I am looking forward to getting my hands on the rest of this series. I'm also looking forward to going back and rereading it for a better grasp and context of the story.
I really did enjoy this book. There were parts of it that I got a little lost and overwhelmed in. It was a lot of information to take in all at once. Part of me wants to go back and actually read the book the next time around to see if that does any good. Other than the overwhelming feeling, I really did enjoy the story. It was compact with adventure and suspense. Two of my favorite categories when it comes to stories like this!
I don't remember any of the characters' names. I feel bad about this, but I am horrible with names. I didn't really feel a connection to any of these characters. I empathized with them, but it wasn't easy to fully understand the things they were going through. I don't think this is an issue with the writing. I think this is an issue with my personal life experiences. Other people might find a connection with the characters that I could not. They were some fierce and determined characters. I can tell you that.
This book was narrated by Travis Baldree. I'm not sure if I've ever listened to anything he's narrated before. I can say that I plan to listen to other books he's narrated. I also hope that he narrates the rest of this series. He did a pretty amazing job with this one. I felt like I was in the world with them living the story with them.
I really did enjoy the story very much. I didn't love it, but it was pretty amazing. It was full of adventure and magic. It was also filled with violence and doom. As per any adventure story. I am looking forward to getting my hands on the rest of this series. I'm also looking forward to going back and rereading it for a better grasp and context of the story.
inked_up_bookshelf's review
4.0
A great audiobook, I love the narrator. The story itself is interesting but there is a lot more background and world building then action and adventure. I still really enjoyed the story to continue onto the next book/audio on the series.
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