Scan barcode
katfromthelilycafe's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
One Sentence Summary: When Santha comes to possess a mysterious key, fae begin to hunt her and those she loves, giving her little choice but to flee, and follow where the key leads.
Overall
Beckoning of the Gate is the first book in a series set in a world where the gate between the human and fae worlds has been closed, stranding fae on this side. It crosses a hero’s journey with a quest story that starts with a young woman finding a key and becoming stuck with it. Slowly, the key seems to take over, turning Santha into its tool, but also taking her across the world. It was fascinating to see the world and get to the know the history behind it. This world is also populated by interesting, diverse characters and their personalities were deep and unique. I wasn’t a big fan of Santha, but everyone else around her was fantastic, and I loved how wide open the world was. Despite a predictable story with few twists and turns, there’s still a lot to appreciate about this book and it provides a good launching point for the rest of the series.
Extended Thoughts
After a mysterious death implicates Santha and ruins her reputation, she has a falling out with her mother, leading her to stay at the local school under the care of one of the teachers, leading to speculation about her relationship with him. Santha, though, holds her head high, even continuing to go about her chores at her family’s farm. It’s while she’s caring for her beloved goats that she encounters fae who would do her harm, leading her to stumble upon a key that won’t let her go.
Santha has no choice: in order to protect the very people who have shunned her, she must leave. Her teacher sends her off, after having prepared her the best he could, with a canine companion that was magically brought to life. Theirs is a tenuous relationship at best, but they travel well together, running into danger and even a brief stint at love. But the key is pulling Santha somewhere, and, as she learns more about the history of the past relationship between humans and fae, she comes to understand what might be asked of her.
Beckoning of the Gate sounded like it could either be portal fantasy or high fantasy to me, so I was intrigued enough to want to read it and find out for myself. I liked the world. It was sweeping and interesting even if it appeared to be modeled after the stereotypical medieval European world. But there’s a lot of history and lore strewn around and getting to the heart of it all was very interesting. This, though, felt very much like a hero’s journey crossed with a quest story as it follows Santha and her journey, but she’s also headed somewhere. It was fun to walk beside her as she traveled, but there was also something about Santha herself I wasn’t a huge fan of, so, while I enjoyed this, I didn’t exactly love it.
At the beginning of the story, Santha has been dealt a tough hand. She’s of marriageable age, but had a traumatic experience before the events of this story that has led to the presumption that she murdered a man, which has tainted her relationship with her mother, forcing her to leave her family home and seek shelter with an older, male teacher at the school. Needless to say, her reputation is very poor, indeed. But Santha carried on with her life, which I could admire. She starts off as a typical young adult, though I did tire of just how often her anger flared up, to the point where I sometimes felt like intervening with anger management strategies, or even just reminding her to mind her elders, though perhaps I’m just from too different of a culture for that to really stick here. Anyways, she changes once the key has its hold on her. It’s subtle, and I liked that she fought it at first. But it definitely turns her, so it became a lot harder to pick who she is a character apart from who she is under the influence of the key. She became rather cold and uncaring about the sacrifices made around her, her quest becoming the all-consuming thing. I enjoyed reading about her transformation, but then I really don’t know who or what she became, so I left the book having no idea who she was.
The other characters around her, though, tended to be much more interesting. There’s a lot of history tied up with some of them as some serve the fae princes and one servant in particular I found to be fascinating. Her love interest, too, was lovely. He seemed like such a happy fellow, even when trouble befell him and I just got this twinkling feeling whenever he looked at Santha. Santha comes across so many interesting humans and fae on her journey and I loved that they all had their own personalities and drives, so it made the world feel rich and full. I did end up finding myself missing the people from her village at one point, and I hope there’s a return to them one day. Santha spends much of the first half there, so I felt like I really got to know them only to be torn away as Santha willingly departs. But my favorite character was Biahnd, Santha’s magical canine companion. Theirs is a thorny relationship from day one, until a point comes where they have to let each other in. Watching them learn and grow together was really a lot of fun, and I really came to care for that dog.
Despite the familiarity of the world, it was still a lot of fun to explore it. There are various terrains, which also were fantastic in that they served as obstacles instead of mere places Santha traveled through. I loved that it grew colder the further north she went, and that her journey took her high and low. The fun part of quest stories is getting to really explore the world, and Beckoning of the Gate really delivered that. It breathed fresh air into something that’s been over done, dropping in diversity and fae who have come to be stuck on this side of a closed gateway. It makes for trouble and danger even while normal people work hard to go about their normal lives. There’s a lot of history to this world, and it was great to get into that and see how it impacted not just the fae, but humans as well, which helps get at the heart of what Santha’s quest is really leading her to.
Beckoning of the Gate, while delivering some fun and interesting elements, was also a bit too much on the obvious and predictable side for me. Or maybe I’ve just read too much fantasy. A lot of it struck me as stereotypical and I could see where it was going a mile away. There wasn’t anything that took me by surprise, but it was all the details that kept things interesting for me even if I was growing more and more frustrated with Santha. As a hero’s journey, I liked that it took Santha away from something familiar and clearly beloved even if the people she’d known all her life were more willing to believe terrible things of her. She grew and changed, but I’m not always sure if it was for the better. The format for a hero’s journey was glaringly obvious, which I wasn’t a fan of, but I grew more intrigued as it morphed into more of a quest story, seemingly starting to shuck off that hero’s journey cloak. I love quests as they always have an end point, either good or bad, and always explore interesting worlds. I really enjoyed this when it opened up the world and started introducing so many fascinating characters.
Beckoning of the Gate is really an interesting fantasy in that it’s full of colorful characters and sweeps across a fascinating world. While the plot was glaringly obvious and far more predictable than I prefer, it was wonderful to feel immersed in this world and start to wonder what might happen in the next book and exactly where all of this is leading. It was just disappointing I wasn’t surprised by anything in this book. Well, except for Santha’s characterization. I was surprised by how cold and uncaring she became the further she went from home. I felt like she held me at a distance and really didn’t want to let me get to know her, which was frustrating because I adore character-driven books. Still, this has a lot of great elements and potential for a much wider story and world.
Thank you to the author for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
bookish_slagathor's review against another edition
The story is great and so is the writing, but the characters are terribly written and around 55-60% the author introduces an incredibly bad romance that I just couldn’t digest anymore.
Also the author uses SA as a plot device/character development method which is handled pretty badly IMO.
Also the author uses SA as a plot device/character development method which is handled pretty badly IMO.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
azrah786's review against another edition
4.0
**I was provided with a digital copy of the book through the author in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, blood, injury, sexual assault/rape (off page), abandonment, animal death, death of parent
--
A great debut, Beckoning of the Gate has the cadence of a classic fantasy adventure.
We follow Santha, a young girl who inadvertently becomes the Keeper of an ancient key that she stumbles upon in the forest behind her house. Drawn in by the key’s power are many creatures of legend that Santha believed to be nothing but stories, their growing presence a great danger to the people of her town. The key itself steers Santha to some unknown destination, unlocking a chance for her to get away from the gossip that has shunned her from society. Thus Santha sets off on an journey to safeguard those around her but to also uncover the key’s true purpose.
Over the last few years I’ve fallen out of love with stories that involve fae and I jumped into this book not realising they were a significant element to it but you know what this book may have somewhat redeemed fae for me.
Benjamin J. Ryan is without a doubt a great storyteller. The worldbuilding in this book is brilliant, the writing immediately giving a vivid sense of the atmosphere.
The mythology, which you become more accustomed to the more you read was fascinating and there was some absolutely fantastic scenes where the unnerving, eeriness of the fae really came across. There’s a particular part of the story near the beginning with the protagonist and her mother that I still can’t stop thinking about.
I didn’t find myself able to exactly connect to Santha (or any of the characters in particular) but her development through the book was really well written. There were also some good character relationships though I feel like the one that stood out the most was the bond with Biahnd, her animal companion.
You have to push through a bit of a slow beginning but when the quest at the heart of the book kicks in I found my self really enjoying this adventurous, coming of age tale all the way through to the end.
I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the author’s future work!
Final Rating – 4/5 Stars
CW: violence, blood, injury, sexual assault/rape (off page), abandonment, animal death, death of parent
--
A great debut, Beckoning of the Gate has the cadence of a classic fantasy adventure.
We follow Santha, a young girl who inadvertently becomes the Keeper of an ancient key that she stumbles upon in the forest behind her house. Drawn in by the key’s power are many creatures of legend that Santha believed to be nothing but stories, their growing presence a great danger to the people of her town. The key itself steers Santha to some unknown destination, unlocking a chance for her to get away from the gossip that has shunned her from society. Thus Santha sets off on an journey to safeguard those around her but to also uncover the key’s true purpose.
Over the last few years I’ve fallen out of love with stories that involve fae and I jumped into this book not realising they were a significant element to it but you know what this book may have somewhat redeemed fae for me.
Benjamin J. Ryan is without a doubt a great storyteller. The worldbuilding in this book is brilliant, the writing immediately giving a vivid sense of the atmosphere.
The mythology, which you become more accustomed to the more you read was fascinating and there was some absolutely fantastic scenes where the unnerving, eeriness of the fae really came across. There’s a particular part of the story near the beginning with the protagonist and her mother that I still can’t stop thinking about.
I didn’t find myself able to exactly connect to Santha (or any of the characters in particular) but her development through the book was really well written. There were also some good character relationships though I feel like the one that stood out the most was the bond with Biahnd, her animal companion.
You have to push through a bit of a slow beginning but when the quest at the heart of the book kicks in I found my self really enjoying this adventurous, coming of age tale all the way through to the end.
I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the author’s future work!
Final Rating – 4/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Abandonment, Animal death, and Blood
dominish_books's review
4.0
I had a pretty good time with this. It’s a well written story and there are lots of weird and wonderful things found within – mostly under the banner of wights. There are various different types of wight and various different rules around them, so there’s a good bit of worldbuilding that’s gone into it.
The characters were decent – not the best, perhaps, but I still got on with them absolutely fine. The overall story was also pretty good, and for those who like an animal companion, there’s an interesting one here. It’s a dog with a fluffy tail, rather than the fox I think it looks like on the cover, but it was a good addition and added an extra layer to the story as well.
I haven’t heard anything about a second book in this series, but I would say this first book is quite well contained as a standalone. There are threads left at the end that you can expect to follow to continue the story, but I would probably expect this to be the type of story to move on a bit, rather than continuing with the same characters. That remains to be seen however.
The characters were decent – not the best, perhaps, but I still got on with them absolutely fine. The overall story was also pretty good, and for those who like an animal companion, there’s an interesting one here. It’s a dog with a fluffy tail, rather than the fox I think it looks like on the cover, but it was a good addition and added an extra layer to the story as well.
I haven’t heard anything about a second book in this series, but I would say this first book is quite well contained as a standalone. There are threads left at the end that you can expect to follow to continue the story, but I would probably expect this to be the type of story to move on a bit, rather than continuing with the same characters. That remains to be seen however.
yourfriend_josereads's review
4.0
Thank you to Benjamin Ryan for sending me a copy of Beckoning of The Gate!
The story follows Santha, a young woman who has been ostracized by everyone around her, including her family. She’s taken in by Dandon, who acts as a Giles to Santha’s Buffy. Santha is thrown into a centuries old war between humans and fae after finding a magical key that puts the lives of those around her in danger- and despite her town spreading awful rumors about her, Santha is determined to save them from death. While this story is an adventure from start to finish, what stood out to me the most was the relationships that Santha built along the way. We get to see Santha’s growth from being the town’s outcast, to the “chosen one” (think Bilbo Baggins and the ring) and everything in between.
While some fantasy novels feel overwhelming with their world building, Beckoning of The Gate does a great job of structuring the story in a way that’s easy to follow and understand. I loved that we got to learn alongside Santha! It kept the story fresh and made me feel like a part of the story.
The story follows Santha, a young woman who has been ostracized by everyone around her, including her family. She’s taken in by Dandon, who acts as a Giles to Santha’s Buffy. Santha is thrown into a centuries old war between humans and fae after finding a magical key that puts the lives of those around her in danger- and despite her town spreading awful rumors about her, Santha is determined to save them from death. While this story is an adventure from start to finish, what stood out to me the most was the relationships that Santha built along the way. We get to see Santha’s growth from being the town’s outcast, to the “chosen one” (think Bilbo Baggins and the ring) and everything in between.
While some fantasy novels feel overwhelming with their world building, Beckoning of The Gate does a great job of structuring the story in a way that’s easy to follow and understand. I loved that we got to learn alongside Santha! It kept the story fresh and made me feel like a part of the story.
limegreenpuppies's review
3.0
I’m giving this a 3.5/5.
The things I liked:
•the world building was good
•I liked that I was able to be in the world.
•I also liked the concept of the quest storyline.
•being a fan of other fairy books, I really enjoyed seeing the fairy as the enemy instead of, as the good guys.
•loved the ending, ending with the letter.
What I didn’t like:
•the characters, for me, they just didn’t click well. I did not feel personally invested in these characters, like I usually do in books. I didn’t think the relationship building was good. Something was just missing.
•some parts, especially in the beginning, was slow.
•I got lost in a couple of spots, and didn’t understand somethings in the book.
•I wished there was more of santha overcoming her trauma. I felt, it was rushed. She didn’t want anything to do with people and then out of no where, she’s mentioning people her family, even when there was limited communication between them.
The things I liked:
•the world building was good
•I liked that I was able to be in the world.
•I also liked the concept of the quest storyline.
•being a fan of other fairy books, I really enjoyed seeing the fairy as the enemy instead of, as the good guys.
•loved the ending, ending with the letter.
What I didn’t like:
•the characters, for me, they just didn’t click well. I did not feel personally invested in these characters, like I usually do in books. I didn’t think the relationship building was good. Something was just missing.
•some parts, especially in the beginning, was slow.
•I got lost in a couple of spots, and didn’t understand somethings in the book.
•I wished there was more of santha overcoming her trauma. I felt, it was rushed. She didn’t want anything to do with people and then out of no where, she’s mentioning people her family, even when there was limited communication between them.
visubooks's review against another edition
5.0
Santha's home is now a place filled with gossip of scandal and accusations of murder directed at her. She feels suffocated and defenseless and hopes for a way out. When she finds an old key in the forest she brings to life its power and is brought into a magic-filled world from her childhood tales. But will she survive this journey she is now on and stop this darkness and danger that grows?
This was an amazing book! I loved the world-building in this story, you really get transported into this amazing world. Santha's character really develops throughout this book seeing her grow and conquer her fear and become her own person. I loved the journey we go through in this book and how the suspense is built all the way till the end of the story.
We meet so many amazing characters and get to experience so much of this world bringing it to life. The love story was well-developed and did not overshadow the plot which I loved. The ending was heartbreakingly bittersweet and I loved it! :) It was just the perfect way to end this amazing story and I loved the fact that you are left with hope in the end after all the challenges this book takes the reader through.
This was a great book that I definitely recommend reading. I will most definitely continue reading this series and this author's work. I absolutely loved it! I definitely recommend this if you are looking for a new fantasy book or if you are just starting out in the genre!
This was an amazing book! I loved the world-building in this story, you really get transported into this amazing world. Santha's character really develops throughout this book seeing her grow and conquer her fear and become her own person. I loved the journey we go through in this book and how the suspense is built all the way till the end of the story.
We meet so many amazing characters and get to experience so much of this world bringing it to life. The love story was well-developed and did not overshadow the plot which I loved. The ending was heartbreakingly bittersweet and I loved it! :) It was just the perfect way to end this amazing story and I loved the fact that you are left with hope in the end after all the challenges this book takes the reader through.
This was a great book that I definitely recommend reading. I will most definitely continue reading this series and this author's work. I absolutely loved it! I definitely recommend this if you are looking for a new fantasy book or if you are just starting out in the genre!
sreddous's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.25
Overall this is really cool! The plot is interesting and is always high-stakes. This has a cool magic system in a rich fantasy world. I like the way the key is used and talked about -- I like how it does keep being a ‘beacon’ so that we know the danger is always simmering.
The action scenes are good too! This is pretty, descriptive writing. There's some really really beautiful sentences and nice prose here.
I think overall what could make some of the emotional stuff and some of the tension more efficient is if we had a little bit of a slower pace with some of the dialogue. Throughout the book I found myself thinking, "That's a lot! How did it affect you?" when we quickly had to move on with plot stuff after a heavy conversation. Especially in the beginning, I think all the dialogue/interactions are way too fast when talking to the parents. Being generic to avoid spoilers, there’s clearly a complicated family relationship that we get little buildup with before then some huge emotional revelations that are SUPER hard-hitting happen, and then people seem apologetic… and then we immediately get back into the violent stuff and that’s all over. It’s a bit tone-whiplashing and it's a lot so early on in the story, I wish we had more buildup to the relationship with the mom/how it affected Santha.
Similarly, I think some super cool plot/magic stuff, especially when talking to Dandon, is dealt with in too much dialogue. Near-ish the middle when we meet the Brownie, I think his behavior and his reaction to the key is really interesting – but then right after, in the more hard-hitting scenes with Dandon near the middle, somehow the less-important stuff might be too draggy and the MORE-important stuff feels moved on from too easily/quickly. I think this story overall has the potential to have a big emotional impact if maybe another edit was done to check for pacing stuff when it comes to character interactions.
Overall, an immersive fantasy world with a variety of neat creatures and cool action!
The action scenes are good too! This is pretty, descriptive writing. There's some really really beautiful sentences and nice prose here.
I think overall what could make some of the emotional stuff and some of the tension more efficient is if we had a little bit of a slower pace with some of the dialogue. Throughout the book I found myself thinking, "That's a lot! How did it affect you?" when we quickly had to move on with plot stuff after a heavy conversation. Especially in the beginning, I think all the dialogue/interactions are way too fast when talking to the parents. Being generic to avoid spoilers, there’s clearly a complicated family relationship that we get little buildup with before then some huge emotional revelations that are SUPER hard-hitting happen, and then people seem apologetic… and then we immediately get back into the violent stuff and that’s all over. It’s a bit tone-whiplashing and it's a lot so early on in the story, I wish we had more buildup to the relationship with the mom/how it affected Santha.
Similarly, I think some super cool plot/magic stuff, especially when talking to Dandon, is dealt with in too much dialogue. Near-ish the middle when we meet the Brownie, I think his behavior and his reaction to the key is really interesting – but then right after, in the more hard-hitting scenes with Dandon near the middle, somehow the less-important stuff might be too draggy and the MORE-important stuff feels moved on from too easily/quickly. I think this story overall has the potential to have a big emotional impact if maybe another edit was done to check for pacing stuff when it comes to character interactions.
Overall, an immersive fantasy world with a variety of neat creatures and cool action!
cozy_books_reviews's review
4.0
Writing a review is going to be so hard because this book was not what I expected. Romance plays a very important role in this, more than it happens in usual fantasy books.
The story itself was interesting; I thought this book started super well. It caught my attention at the beginning, I enjoyed the MC and I was curious to know more about the key. Then, once we got to Berisolis, I felt like the romance became a lot more important than the rest of the story.
I think the author has a lot of potential, the writing is quite smooth and pleasant. I wish there had been more focus on the characters and the way they interact with each other (especially the dialogues that felt a little awkward and forced at times) considering that was the main theme. I felt like I didn't care much about the MC and her love interest, and for some reason, I thought she also didn't care. It was hard to feel this romance.
But the story was good. I liked the ideas behind it, the world and the "mystery".
I am glad I got the chance to read this book, which by the way was a free copy the author gave me, and I did enjoy it. I am sure the author will do great things in the future!
The story itself was interesting; I thought this book started super well. It caught my attention at the beginning, I enjoyed the MC and I was curious to know more about the key. Then, once we got to Berisolis, I felt like the romance became a lot more important than the rest of the story.
I think the author has a lot of potential, the writing is quite smooth and pleasant. I wish there had been more focus on the characters and the way they interact with each other (especially the dialogues that felt a little awkward and forced at times) considering that was the main theme. I felt like I didn't care much about the MC and her love interest, and for some reason, I thought she also didn't care. It was hard to feel this romance.
But the story was good. I liked the ideas behind it, the world and the "mystery".
I am glad I got the chance to read this book, which by the way was a free copy the author gave me, and I did enjoy it. I am sure the author will do great things in the future!
ellensbookishcollection's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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? Yes
5.0
This is an outstanding debut fantasy novel. I found it so hard to put it down, I was spellbound by this fantastic story. I loved the writing, it painted a beautiful world in my head as I was reading. A few chapters in, and they weren't just pages. I was right there with Santha.
“‘𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘚𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘢. 𝘐𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯. 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶.'”
Now, it does take a moment to pick up. The first little bit was definitely more dull. But once she leaves, the story flew by for me. This does follow the "chosen one" trope, but it did very well in my opinion. I adore Santha, I found her to be very interesting, and an incredibly well-defined character. I do wish that we would have got more of the relationships of both Biahnd and Erod, with Santha. Some more buildup of the relationships, to make us feel more for Santha when the times comes. That would be my main harp.
“‘𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵. 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘺. 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘦. 𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘺—𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸, 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥, 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘵—𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘺𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦.'”
As a whole, the plot and characters flow wonderfully and it's just a great, fun adventure! I loved every second of the story, and I can not wait to get my hands on the more from this world!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5
𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘙𝘊, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.
“‘𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘚𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘢. 𝘐𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯. 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶.'”
Now, it does take a moment to pick up. The first little bit was definitely more dull. But once she leaves, the story flew by for me. This does follow the "chosen one" trope, but it did very well in my opinion. I adore Santha, I found her to be very interesting, and an incredibly well-defined character. I do wish that we would have got more of the relationships of both Biahnd and Erod, with Santha. Some more buildup of the relationships, to make us feel more for Santha when the times comes. That would be my main harp.
“‘𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵. 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘺. 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘦. 𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘺—𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸, 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥, 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘵—𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘺𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦.'”
As a whole, the plot and characters flow wonderfully and it's just a great, fun adventure! I loved every second of the story, and I can not wait to get my hands on the more from this world!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5
𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘙𝘊, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.