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A review by nightxade
The Broken Road by T. Frohock
5.0
One of my biggest complaints in fantasy and science fiction is the way far too many authors can't seem to let go of the sexism that plagues our reality. What I love about Frohock's writing is that she gives me a world I want to see: a world of diverse characters who aren't judged by the things that I have to deal with on a day to day basis.
Not that the characters in The Broken Road don't deal with prejudice and hate. The aristocracy have little love for the "groties," the physically challenged lowborn that they lord over. Our protagonist, Prince Travys, suffers his own challenges, being born mute--which makes life difficult for him as a Chanteuse, the magic users who hold the threads of their world together.
Unique forms of magic always appeal to me. The Chanteuse use their voices to weave their magic, ranging from a few words, to beautiful, haunting melodies that I can almost hear as I read. The magic is unique, as is the way Travys' overcomes his disability by drawing sound from his environment.
As the story unfolds, we learn that Travys' mother, the Queen, intends him to marry his twin brother's lover and rule as king. But there is more to this than politics and sibling rivalry. The lowborn have resurrected the dead god, and a strange, corrupted magic is seeping into cracks between the world of Lehbet and Heled on the other side, which Travys is forced to travel to when his brother betrays him.
This is where the story gets *really* interesting, as Frohock smoothly blends her worlds of fantasy, horror and.... flamethrowers.
Everything's better with fire...
www.BiblioSanctum.com
Not that the characters in The Broken Road don't deal with prejudice and hate. The aristocracy have little love for the "groties," the physically challenged lowborn that they lord over. Our protagonist, Prince Travys, suffers his own challenges, being born mute--which makes life difficult for him as a Chanteuse, the magic users who hold the threads of their world together.
Unique forms of magic always appeal to me. The Chanteuse use their voices to weave their magic, ranging from a few words, to beautiful, haunting melodies that I can almost hear as I read. The magic is unique, as is the way Travys' overcomes his disability by drawing sound from his environment.
As the story unfolds, we learn that Travys' mother, the Queen, intends him to marry his twin brother's lover and rule as king. But there is more to this than politics and sibling rivalry. The lowborn have resurrected the dead god, and a strange, corrupted magic is seeping into cracks between the world of Lehbet and Heled on the other side, which Travys is forced to travel to when his brother betrays him.
This is where the story gets *really* interesting, as Frohock smoothly blends her worlds of fantasy, horror and.... flamethrowers.
Everything's better with fire...
www.BiblioSanctum.com