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A review by andypeloquinauthor
A King's Radiance by L.R. Schulz
5.0
TL;DR Review: A fascinating world with an interesting and well-defined magical system. GREAT characters. Solid pacing and non-stop action, with a delightfully grimdark flavor. 5 stars all the way!
Full Review:
I'll be honest: I went into reading this book without checking out the blurb. I stumbled across it on social media, checked out the opening scenes, and it intrigued me enough to add to my queue.
And boy, did it deliver!
A King's Radiance starts off feeling like it's going to be a pretty classic coming-of-age magical fantasy: a young boy (Raiz) with a strange magical ability (to absorb/channel light) struggling to make sense of his power.
Yeah, that was like two chapters, and then it took a HARD, DARK left turn.
Quickly, we're thrown into a world where a grown-up Raiz has mastered his Shine (magic) and is using it to stir up rebellion against the King-Radiant and his fractious, self-serving Eagles, magical "aristocrats" who use their status as the King Radiant's messengers to gain power and wealth and take whatever they want, no matter the cost.
That cost, in part, is Raiz's sister, Isha. He's hell-bent on trying to find her--an impossibility, given how well-fortified the capital city where she's held prisoner is--and is willing to go to any lengths, to kill anyone, to make it happen.
Isha is trapped in a gilded cage, living in luxury but put on display for her Eagle master. She can do nothing against the horrors and cruelty of her world--until the day she has enough, and decides to break her chains even if it kills her.
The oldest brother, Dazen, is stuck ruling his kingdom and trying to live with the burden of responsibility, knowing he'd lost his youngest brother and sister both. He is the classic "Prince with a good heart", but even he will be put to the test as the weight on his shoulders grows ever heavier.
I loved all three characters equally. Isha's strength, Raiz's iron determination, and Dazen's steadfastness made them protagonists I could instantly root for. With every page, they became more real and compelling, their trials and tests hardening them into the champions the realm needs.
The story had a great flow to it, with plenty of action interspersed with worldbuilding, intrigue, tension, and mystery. The secondary characters were enjoyable, too--Dazen's fiance and her "weak" younger brother, Isha's fellow slaves, and the three rebels who fight at Raiz's side--and rounded out the world very nicely.
The world had a lovely "lived in" feel to it, with so much more to explore in future installments. The kingdoms were explained enough to understand their enmities and alliances, but not at the cost of info-dumps.
It's hard to believe this is a debut novel, because it was just THAT good. Best of all, Book 2 is coming out in just a few short weeks, so I'll be able to dive right back in!
Full Review:
I'll be honest: I went into reading this book without checking out the blurb. I stumbled across it on social media, checked out the opening scenes, and it intrigued me enough to add to my queue.
And boy, did it deliver!
A King's Radiance starts off feeling like it's going to be a pretty classic coming-of-age magical fantasy: a young boy (Raiz) with a strange magical ability (to absorb/channel light) struggling to make sense of his power.
Yeah, that was like two chapters, and then it took a HARD, DARK left turn.
Quickly, we're thrown into a world where a grown-up Raiz has mastered his Shine (magic) and is using it to stir up rebellion against the King-Radiant and his fractious, self-serving Eagles, magical "aristocrats" who use their status as the King Radiant's messengers to gain power and wealth and take whatever they want, no matter the cost.
That cost, in part, is Raiz's sister, Isha. He's hell-bent on trying to find her--an impossibility, given how well-fortified the capital city where she's held prisoner is--and is willing to go to any lengths, to kill anyone, to make it happen.
Isha is trapped in a gilded cage, living in luxury but put on display for her Eagle master. She can do nothing against the horrors and cruelty of her world--until the day she has enough, and decides to break her chains even if it kills her.
The oldest brother, Dazen, is stuck ruling his kingdom and trying to live with the burden of responsibility, knowing he'd lost his youngest brother and sister both. He is the classic "Prince with a good heart", but even he will be put to the test as the weight on his shoulders grows ever heavier.
I loved all three characters equally. Isha's strength, Raiz's iron determination, and Dazen's steadfastness made them protagonists I could instantly root for. With every page, they became more real and compelling, their trials and tests hardening them into the champions the realm needs.
The story had a great flow to it, with plenty of action interspersed with worldbuilding, intrigue, tension, and mystery. The secondary characters were enjoyable, too--Dazen's fiance and her "weak" younger brother, Isha's fellow slaves, and the three rebels who fight at Raiz's side--and rounded out the world very nicely.
The world had a lovely "lived in" feel to it, with so much more to explore in future installments. The kingdoms were explained enough to understand their enmities and alliances, but not at the cost of info-dumps.
It's hard to believe this is a debut novel, because it was just THAT good. Best of all, Book 2 is coming out in just a few short weeks, so I'll be able to dive right back in!