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booksandladders 's review for:
Birth of a Dynasty
by Chinaza Bado
This is definitely a series to watch! This is a slow, character-building start to what promises to be a fantastical series. Based on the synopsis, I feared learning too many names and places at once but this story allows you to immerse yourself in the world and learn things slowly, at the same pace as the characters. This type of storytelling isn't for everyone and is reminiscent of Game of Thrones.
The fact that our characters were so young allows us to see how they grow and are shaped by the world around them. I think this really matches the magic system and how people use their ancestral magic and prophecies to become stronger. There is a lot of information that is weaved into the story and I found some of it difficult to keep track of on audio, but think this would be something solved by reading a print version or utilizing the PDF.
The magic system seems well-balanced and even with the prophecy element, the story didn't fall into the trap of being "the chosen" versus everyone else. I think there is a lot of room for M’Kuru and Zikora to grow and develop throughout this trilogy.
I wasn't a fan of the multiple perspectives on audio since it was only one narrator but did like getting the story from different perspectives. I think having multiple narrators would have elevated the audio experience.
TLDR: A lot of setup for the future of this series in this one which made it a bit dry sometimes; however, it was lush with worldbuilding and character study which makes me excited to see where it goes next! If you're looking for a start to a promising series, this is the book for you!
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion. Thank you to Harper Voyager for the opportunity to review!
The fact that our characters were so young allows us to see how they grow and are shaped by the world around them. I think this really matches the magic system and how people use their ancestral magic and prophecies to become stronger. There is a lot of information that is weaved into the story and I found some of it difficult to keep track of on audio, but think this would be something solved by reading a print version or utilizing the PDF.
The magic system seems well-balanced and even with the prophecy element, the story didn't fall into the trap of being "the chosen" versus everyone else. I think there is a lot of room for M’Kuru and Zikora to grow and develop throughout this trilogy.
I wasn't a fan of the multiple perspectives on audio since it was only one narrator but did like getting the story from different perspectives. I think having multiple narrators would have elevated the audio experience.
TLDR: A lot of setup for the future of this series in this one which made it a bit dry sometimes; however, it was lush with worldbuilding and character study which makes me excited to see where it goes next! If you're looking for a start to a promising series, this is the book for you!
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion. Thank you to Harper Voyager for the opportunity to review!