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Fates: A Dark Legacy
After twelve years of searching the world over, Seiver Dresha returns to his homeland with nothing but disdain and resentment consuming him. The hunt for Viktor the Black proved to be fruitless, and now his desires for revenge have begun to stagnate. A flicker of hope comes when a mysterious young woman brings promises to resolve his endeavor, if he agrees to assist her with her own trials first.
Brekka Icehardt sees his nation rapidly declining, and through divine mandate, he makes plans to take the crown by his own volition. With a silver tongue he gives hope to the people as he builds his army. For those who do not flock to his cause, he uses his dark blessings to ensure obedience and willingly sheds the blood of those who oppose him. Those who fall are sacrifices paving the way to salvation. A price had to be paid if he is to be king, and he is willing to pay at any cost.
Prince Aizen Dresha is a naive idealist with hopes of restoring his father's failing kingdom. When he begins to act on his own, those bright eyes become beacons for assassins. His ambitions lead himself and his personal guard, Josorgn, out into the Drezdian wilderness on a campaign to unite the divided people. It will take everything Josorgn has to protect the prince from endless trials, and from those who would see him fail.
Brekka Icehardt sees his nation rapidly declining, and through divine mandate, he makes plans to take the crown by his own volition. With a silver tongue he gives hope to the people as he builds his army. For those who do not flock to his cause, he uses his dark blessings to ensure obedience and willingly sheds the blood of those who oppose him. Those who fall are sacrifices paving the way to salvation. A price had to be paid if he is to be king, and he is willing to pay at any cost.
Prince Aizen Dresha is a naive idealist with hopes of restoring his father's failing kingdom. When he begins to act on his own, those bright eyes become beacons for assassins. His ambitions lead himself and his personal guard, Josorgn, out into the Drezdian wilderness on a campaign to unite the divided people. It will take everything Josorgn has to protect the prince from endless trials, and from those who would see him fail.
602 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 2022
3 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 27, 2024
Game of Thrones meets Berserk
I found this book on TikTok and was sold with the giant sword on the cover. Giant sword tropes aren’t common, but they are awesome when executed correctly. This book exceeds in that department.
This book takes place in Drezdia. It’s a world full of medieval European vibes with a main character reminiscent of Guts from Berserk, only our protagonist, “Redshen” Seiver, is a greatsword-wielding
magic user. Right off the bat there is violence and bloodshed. I decided to put sticky tabs on my pages to denote the kill count of the MC, and it gets up there.
Drezdia, like the dark ages, is full of gloom, turmoil, poverty, and suffering. It’s a multiple POV story with very believable interkingdom/political dynamics. This one of my favorite aspect of this book, beside my love of the giant sword trope.
I found the conflicts of the story cause the interkingdom strife to be not overly complex, but realistic. Tried and true struggles as old as time. Citizens are fed up with the failing king, and the antagonist is on a conquest to rally as many people to his cause as he can to take the throne. And not for evil, but for the betterment of the kingdom and its people. There is nuance in both factions and validity to their causes. The characters definitely struck me and I either loved them or hated them, based on their personalities. That’s good character writing. This book would make a good movie adaptation.
There is magic in the universe and some uncommon creatures I highly enjoyed. I enjoyed the magic system also. It was easy to understand. There is also mystery to it and the magical artifact weapons.
Excellent pacing, enjoyable story, choice use of English, and lots of kick ass high fantasy action. Five out of five stars. Can’t wait for book 2.
I found this book on TikTok and was sold with the giant sword on the cover. Giant sword tropes aren’t common, but they are awesome when executed correctly. This book exceeds in that department.
This book takes place in Drezdia. It’s a world full of medieval European vibes with a main character reminiscent of Guts from Berserk, only our protagonist, “Redshen” Seiver, is a greatsword-wielding
magic user. Right off the bat there is violence and bloodshed. I decided to put sticky tabs on my pages to denote the kill count of the MC, and it gets up there.
Drezdia, like the dark ages, is full of gloom, turmoil, poverty, and suffering. It’s a multiple POV story with very believable interkingdom/political dynamics. This one of my favorite aspect of this book, beside my love of the giant sword trope.
I found the conflicts of the story cause the interkingdom strife to be not overly complex, but realistic. Tried and true struggles as old as time. Citizens are fed up with the failing king, and the antagonist is on a conquest to rally as many people to his cause as he can to take the throne. And not for evil, but for the betterment of the kingdom and its people. There is nuance in both factions and validity to their causes. The characters definitely struck me and I either loved them or hated them, based on their personalities. That’s good character writing. This book would make a good movie adaptation.
There is magic in the universe and some uncommon creatures I highly enjoyed. I enjoyed the magic system also. It was easy to understand. There is also mystery to it and the magical artifact weapons.
Excellent pacing, enjoyable story, choice use of English, and lots of kick ass high fantasy action. Five out of five stars. Can’t wait for book 2.
November 18, 2025
Action-packed pure grimdark fantasy that pulls no punches. The author Toler excels in his descriptive narrative for the characters and ambiance, and keeps the pace fast with no shortage of excitement chapter after chapter. Beware to readers expecting dark fantasy with romance or any sunshine and rainbows — you won’t find it here. But that’s not why someone picks up “Fates: A Dark Legacy.” The author delivers exactly what you came to read. It’s bloody. It’s violent. It’s a battle-heavy story about pure vengeance and the calamities of war.
The main protagonist (Seiver) is easy to root for, and the antagonist (Brekka) is just as enjoyable and even more charismatic to read. I particularly was fascinated by the unique magic weapon concept Toler used in the novel (the Arkhaios). This is a multi-character POV story that seems to be the first in a series, as the ending will conclude on a major cliffhanger.
My only true hurdle I found distracting was in the finale with a “certain duel” that was about 4 to 5 chapters long, and it had an excess of taunting banter back and forth over that many chapters. I like to visualize books on the big screen as I go along, and I just couldn’t get behind all the talk in the final showdown of the book I was looking forward to the most.
Ultimately, fun read, and I will be buying the other novels in the series by the author when they are released!
The main protagonist (Seiver) is easy to root for, and the antagonist (Brekka) is just as enjoyable and even more charismatic to read. I particularly was fascinated by the unique magic weapon concept Toler used in the novel (the Arkhaios). This is a multi-character POV story that seems to be the first in a series, as the ending will conclude on a major cliffhanger.
My only true hurdle I found distracting was in the finale with a “certain duel” that was about 4 to 5 chapters long, and it had an excess of taunting banter back and forth over that many chapters. I like to visualize books on the big screen as I go along, and I just couldn’t get behind all the talk in the final showdown of the book I was looking forward to the most.
Ultimately, fun read, and I will be buying the other novels in the series by the author when they are released!
October 10, 2025
If you're a fan of dark and gritty fantasy, then you'll probably enjoy this book. The world is depressing, the characters are depressing, the plot is depressing ... pretty much all of it is depressing, which is exactly what you'd expect of a traditional dark fantasy novel. This book ticks all the boxes with the blood and gore, sword fights, ancient and strange magic, powerful evil creatures, and hardass characters. Plus, the ending was very exciting once everything got into motion (way to get it done, Brekka).
However, I do think that the book could have been trimmed down, as some parts didn't seem like they had any effect on anything. Also, I think some positive moments could have made the negatives hit all that much harder. Currently, like I said, everything is depressing.
However, overall, if you like dark fantasy, give this a read!
However, I do think that the book could have been trimmed down, as some parts didn't seem like they had any effect on anything. Also, I think some positive moments could have made the negatives hit all that much harder. Currently, like I said, everything is depressing.
However, overall, if you like dark fantasy, give this a read!
February 27, 2026
A grimdark, fantasy tale full of monsters, war, politics, magic and more. You can practically feel the cold creep off the page in this hopeless and forlorn world. The MMC is dark, brooding and vicious but still has a streak of humanity in him that makes him easy to root for. The other POVs vary, with the villain rising to the top, though whether or not he is the true villain of the story remains to be seen. This was a unique twist on the story, as it seems everyone is grey in some way. The action is bloody, gory but never excessive, creating a fantastical realism that gives the story grit. I'm excited to continue the series as it can only expand from here!
November 5, 2025
If you like intense fantasy stories, you’ll probably enjoy this book. The world, the characters, and even the story itself are all pretty sad and serious—just what you’d expect from a dark fantasy. There’s plenty of action with sword fights, creepy magic, scary monsters, and tough heroes. The ending was especially exciting once everything started happening. There were positive moments to balance out all the sadness. But overall, if you’re into dark, gritty fantasy adventures, this is a great read!
July 25, 2025
If you like Game of Thrones you will love this book. There are twists and turns around every corner and they keep you on the edge of your seat. This book grabs you quickly and doesn't want to let you go. Can't wait for the sequal.
September 18, 2025
I love books that take you on a journey right out of the gate. This one did not let me down. Great storyline that was at an amazing pace. Characters were well defined. If you are looking for an epic fantasy, this one is for you.
September 23, 2023
Stayed up all night reading. Great fantasy book. Lots of twist and turns, great characters, cool magic. Looking forward to Book 2.
June 9, 2023
I am impatiently waiting for book 2. Such a good book and the way I gasped at the end had my jaw drop to the floor !
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews