Remembrance

by E.G. Stone

I woke to a world on fire.

I woke with no memory of how I’d been burned, where I was, even who I was. I was told that my name was Astraea and I was the Chosen One. I held the legacy of a Fallen Star in my hands and was destined to protect the world from the encroaching void.

Prince Devereux and the Void Runner Casimir tasked themselves with helping me prepare for the battles that lay ahead while the queen and High Priestess try to use my power for their own gain. But with magic that is more wild than useful and no skill for fighting at all, I’m not sure what I can do against the dark creatures of the void.

They told me that I had magic bright enough to slay monsters, strong enough to make the earth tremble. They told me that this battle was in my blood, that I need only to stand and fight. They told me all of this, and more.

I remembered nothing. Only that I woke and the world was on fire. And that my invisible past stands in the way of my destined future.

Remembrance is the first book in the romantic fantasy duology, In Memoriam, about a Chosen One who doesn’t remember who she is, only that the stars have determined her destiny, and that the things she’s been told are not always what they seem.

303 pages, ebook

Published April 21, 2023

About the author

Evelyn Grimald “E.G.” Stone is an independent author, editor, and linguist who has been writing, creating and causing vast amounts of trouble since a young age. When not writing, she is off musing about the workings of languages—both real and created—or reading and sewing. E.G. reads voraciously, much to the confusion of her two dogs and two cats. Weird, nerdy, perhaps a little crazy, she is having a grand old time writing, reading, editing, musing on language, and, naturally, continuing her endeavours in causing trouble.

Reviews

[Jan Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am fast becoming a mega-fan of this author as with each book published, although very different in tone, her style is easy to read, and fantastically creative. In this book 1 of a duology, Astraea awakens to find herself in an unfamiliar world, except it isn't. Everyone knows who she is but herself. Always awkward to play catch up, especially when you are in agony from your wounds, but she approaches the task assigned to her (just protecting the entire world of Adhor from the void!) with grit and determination to be the best 'version' of herself, if only she could remember who she was. But things are never that straightforward, especially when your nightmares have a physical impact on the world around you, and it's hard to know whose version of events to trust.
Oh and Devereaux - so glorious.... so complex!
The romance... yum... this book very cleverly ticks all the right boxes with slay all day outfits, swoonworthy settings, it's just delicious!
But don't mistake this for ordinary romantasy, because it's far more. This story takes a fallen heroine and shows how inner strength can rebuild a life, irrespective of the many dangers such a life heralds. The pressure she is under to perform, not to mention the moral imperative to honour the memories of those who died to protect her in the first place - wow! Talk about piling it on for Astraea, yet she is, for someone so powerful, incredibly likeable and human as well, which can't be said of some 'chosen one' trope characters I have read lately.
Immersed in a world which is plagued by darker, magical forces, you'll be gripped by the revelations, twists and turns in this tale. Wordsmithing - A** as usual with E.G. Grimald!
Onto book 2 right now to finish the story, cos I NEED to know...

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the writing and the story, but I was a little confused at the end. Obviously, there will be a Book # 2, but I wasn't sure what was going on most of the time. I guess that's what happens when the main character has amnesia; it bleeds over into the reader, leaving us clueless.