A review by hilma
The Fall of Ahilon by Samantha Shaye

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense slow-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? No

5.0

 “When there is war, prepare for death.” 

The Fall of Ahilon by Samantha (Aimee) Shaye is the first book in the Zaure’s reign series and has a beautiful cover which makes one curious: a castle on a lake, but all’s not well, apparently the castle is under attack. 

When her Elvish kingdom is attacked, Princess Zaure Rhistel—the sole heir—is forced to flee. Her mother always told her when there is war prepare for death, but she didn’t listen. Then she meets Torin, a spellcaster who has vowed to protect her. As Zaure travels with Torin, using her handmaiden’s name as an alias, one more heroe join: Cagdas, a warrior from Zaure's kingdom who was sent to aid her. Zaure has no choice but to trust them, as she will need their help pursuing the powerful enemy that has destroyed her kingdom. 

It took me some pages to get used to the book and writing style, it was a bit slow, but after that I was hooked. The story is so good and it came as a surprise to me how much I liked it! The writing flows beautifully and you keep on reading. The worldbuilding is awesome and so is the magic system. 

The characters are well written as well. Zaure is a bit naive, but then again she is only eighteen, she has to flee her kingdom and her magic lets her down. That’s why she gets to learn in a magical town what her magic is, alongside with Torin, who is not who he says he is. Reading the book I sometimes thought that I knew who he was, but then there was a development I didn’t see coming. I’m still not sure who he is (even though it is reveiled, I don’t really believe that). 

During the lessons you get to learn more what is going on, who Zaure is, what she can do and who the enemy is. There is also a slow burn romance woven into the story and that makes is definitely more interesting. 

The Fall of Ahilon has many layers: suspence, magic, mystery, romance, betrayal and many, many secrets I can’t wait to uncover in the next book. I loved this book and can absolutely recommend it.