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The Keys of Illusions #1
These Fated Secrets
The Hunter’s Guild is merciful.
In a world riddled with war, people sought to destroy magic and its faithful followers. Now, magic is fighting back.
After a long war in the realm of Kalem, people with magic are 2nd class citizens, playthings for the rich and influential. Nineteen-year-old Joseph Price has been a servant for as long as he can remember – a poisoned life, forced day in, day out to work for the very people who claim to hate his very existence.
In one fateful meeting, however, Joseph finds purpose, a spark ignited within him. In a tiny hovel, disregarded by many, Joseph is given a gift: Knowledge of how to return magic to the broken world around him and how to get his freedom.
Legends lost after the war told of four keys that could unlock the secrets of magic. Joseph thought the stories were myths; however, the four beacons scattered around the realm would tell a different story than what the guild would have the world believe.
With the help of some unlikely allies, a hunter he claimed to hate and a woman from a different reality, Joseph finds that the world isn’t as perfect as the Hunter’s Guild wishes it was.
With magic fighting its way back into the world in drips and drabs, Joseph finds that cracks in the reality of their world are starting to form, a decay, a defence mechanism is starting to brew – destroying the realm slowly, carefully, until nothing but dust remains.
Fifty years after the war, magic is fighting back, and it’s Joseph’s choice whether or not to oppose the change or fight to shift the world's perspective on the very thing they tried to destroy.
In a world riddled with war, people sought to destroy magic and its faithful followers. Now, magic is fighting back.
After a long war in the realm of Kalem, people with magic are 2nd class citizens, playthings for the rich and influential. Nineteen-year-old Joseph Price has been a servant for as long as he can remember – a poisoned life, forced day in, day out to work for the very people who claim to hate his very existence.
In one fateful meeting, however, Joseph finds purpose, a spark ignited within him. In a tiny hovel, disregarded by many, Joseph is given a gift: Knowledge of how to return magic to the broken world around him and how to get his freedom.
Legends lost after the war told of four keys that could unlock the secrets of magic. Joseph thought the stories were myths; however, the four beacons scattered around the realm would tell a different story than what the guild would have the world believe.
With the help of some unlikely allies, a hunter he claimed to hate and a woman from a different reality, Joseph finds that the world isn’t as perfect as the Hunter’s Guild wishes it was.
With magic fighting its way back into the world in drips and drabs, Joseph finds that cracks in the reality of their world are starting to form, a decay, a defence mechanism is starting to brew – destroying the realm slowly, carefully, until nothing but dust remains.
Fifty years after the war, magic is fighting back, and it’s Joseph’s choice whether or not to oppose the change or fight to shift the world's perspective on the very thing they tried to destroy.
314 pages, Paperback
Published November 15, 2023
15 people are currently reading
165 people want to read
About the author
Aaron Robinson
4 books8 followersAaron Robinson is a British writer of LGBTQ+ fantasy and science fiction, often dealing with issues of identity, loss, and resistance. Aaron's writing features dystopian imagery and time-warping realities with characters that are fighting to live and for the right to be seen as who they are.
His first book, These Fated Secrets, is the first book in the series Keys of Illusions—an epic fantasy experience in a shattered and broken world, where magic has been outlawed, and nearly forgotten. Fifty years after the war that obliterated it, magic begins to stir slowly, but with it will come horror. At the center of it all is Joseph Price, a boy of legacy and erasure, on the run from who he is—asking whether a dying world really deserves to be saved at all.
Aaron writes for readers who yearn to be moved slowly, examining developed, beautiful worlds with queer characters who will not disappear.
His first book, These Fated Secrets, is the first book in the series Keys of Illusions—an epic fantasy experience in a shattered and broken world, where magic has been outlawed, and nearly forgotten. Fifty years after the war that obliterated it, magic begins to stir slowly, but with it will come horror. At the center of it all is Joseph Price, a boy of legacy and erasure, on the run from who he is—asking whether a dying world really deserves to be saved at all.
Aaron writes for readers who yearn to be moved slowly, examining developed, beautiful worlds with queer characters who will not disappear.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 28, 2023
You want to read this
This book is great. The slow-burn is simmering on a low heat and the characters are all well written. The world building is great.
This book is great. The slow-burn is simmering on a low heat and the characters are all well written. The world building is great.
March 4, 2024
The story and world building held a lot of promise, and for a self-published book, it's not bad. Theres spelling errors, some formatting (on Kindle, at least.) and grammar problems with commas or confusing sentences. Honestly? I get it. Writing is hard. Doing it alone even harder.
The magic system, the story premise, the world? So well executed. I wanted to keep reading to know where it'd go. I believe that there is so much potential to be unlocked as time goes on, with more volumes currently being written (Vol. 2 has a publication date in November 2024), and I hope for the best for the author. I wish him only the best!
The magic system, the story premise, the world? So well executed. I wanted to keep reading to know where it'd go. I believe that there is so much potential to be unlocked as time goes on, with more volumes currently being written (Vol. 2 has a publication date in November 2024), and I hope for the best for the author. I wish him only the best!
February 8, 2025
Immediate DNF from the first page. Managed to get through five before I realised how utterly terrible the technical part of the writing was going to be and I knew I wasn't going to be able to go on. Extremely awkward and poorly-constructed sentences, some of them losing themselves halfway through and randomly turning into non-sentences. Terrible grammar and punctuation. Stilted and cringey dialogue, not to mention weirdly on-the-nose. Filled with repetitive words and phrases, making sure You The Reader know what's going on, assuming you're too stupid to figure it out. The magic-users being so scared of men with swords in the beginning when it's just been shown that at least one of them may have telekinetic abilities? I'm sorry, it's just not believable. In need of a serious number of line edits, among other things.
I'm sure the plot becomes all the wonderful things the reviews say it does, but I have such a violent and visceral reaction to any story with bad technical writing that I physically couldn't even try to get there. I realise this is a risk I take when reading self-published stuff (I did look up the publishers listed by Goodreads but can't find any info about them LOL), I guess I just haven't been this bitterly disappointed in a read in forever RIP.
Someone let me know if this ever gets professionally edited, I'd be interested in giving it another go.
Listing some of the random sentences/parts that drove me nuts.
"Mercy seemed like something other than a concept right now." ???? But isn't describing something as merely a concept comparing it to something not tangible or otherwise abstract? Meaning mercy WOULD be a concept? So what on earth does this even mean?
"Turning his face to his companion, who now had remnants of tears dried in steaks on his face, he moved his head, confused at the others' movement." I'm confused at this sentence.
"...when a large creek of the prison door..." Love when authors don't know the difference between "creek" and "creak".
"The sword that had been thrown entered the back of him." This one actually illustrates another point I forgot to mention - criminal use of passive voice. Also the sword "entered" the "back of him"? What?
"Joseph nor Fin wasn't sure if it had been fatal, but as drops of blood now began covering the floor below him as he too fell - one hand still gripping the bars - it had to have been." Perhaps my least favourite sentence in the entire 5 pages I read.
"I am important; I am not useless." It reads like a high school drama class exam. Also hilarious considering this important and not useless man dies immediately after he says this.
"My colleague was wrong; I can't deny that. You are important. An important example. An example of what not to do here, for everyone - do not try to escape, do not defy us. We are the gods here - the ring leaders, and you are the scum on our shoes." Oh, right. The poison. The poison for Kuzco. The poison chosen especially to kill Kuzco, Kuzco's poison. Also this is what I was telling you about the cringey on-the-nose dialogue.
Welp.
I'm sure the plot becomes all the wonderful things the reviews say it does, but I have such a violent and visceral reaction to any story with bad technical writing that I physically couldn't even try to get there. I realise this is a risk I take when reading self-published stuff (I did look up the publishers listed by Goodreads but can't find any info about them LOL), I guess I just haven't been this bitterly disappointed in a read in forever RIP.
Someone let me know if this ever gets professionally edited, I'd be interested in giving it another go.
Listing some of the random sentences/parts that drove me nuts.
"Mercy seemed like something other than a concept right now." ???? But isn't describing something as merely a concept comparing it to something not tangible or otherwise abstract? Meaning mercy WOULD be a concept? So what on earth does this even mean?
"Turning his face to his companion, who now had remnants of tears dried in steaks on his face, he moved his head, confused at the others' movement." I'm confused at this sentence.
"...when a large creek of the prison door..." Love when authors don't know the difference between "creek" and "creak".
"The sword that had been thrown entered the back of him." This one actually illustrates another point I forgot to mention - criminal use of passive voice. Also the sword "entered" the "back of him"? What?
"Joseph nor Fin wasn't sure if it had been fatal, but as drops of blood now began covering the floor below him as he too fell - one hand still gripping the bars - it had to have been." Perhaps my least favourite sentence in the entire 5 pages I read.
"I am important; I am not useless." It reads like a high school drama class exam. Also hilarious considering this important and not useless man dies immediately after he says this.
"My colleague was wrong; I can't deny that. You are important. An important example. An example of what not to do here, for everyone - do not try to escape, do not defy us. We are the gods here - the ring leaders, and you are the scum on our shoes." Oh, right. The poison. The poison for Kuzco. The poison chosen especially to kill Kuzco, Kuzco's poison. Also this is what I was telling you about the cringey on-the-nose dialogue.
Welp.
January 7, 2024
So for debut novel this is good. The worldbuilding, character design and development is created well. The way Aaron has created the world is beautiful the magic, the beacons, the Hunters Guild are all wonderfully built and introduced.
For me, I didn’t expect the urban fantasy element and it really took me out of the world and broke my immersion. This was a shame as up until this point I was really enjoying the book.
I was also not a fan of the magical contract between the two main characters. It gave me dubious vibes, which I’m not a massive fan of; however, the development of the two overcoming past traumas was a genuinely an interesting read .
Overall, the story was brilliantly written I enjoyed the characters and the world building. Most of my dislikes are due to personal taste. However, the random inclusion of our world seems odd and takes me out of the fantasy setting. I feel like if this would have be forewarned in the summary, or foreshadowed through the book, I may have receive this better.
Despite this, I did enjoy elements of the book and I wish the author the best. It’s lovely to see new authors particularly those writing LGBTQ+.
For me, I didn’t expect the urban fantasy element and it really took me out of the world and broke my immersion. This was a shame as up until this point I was really enjoying the book.
I was also not a fan of the magical contract between the two main characters. It gave me dubious vibes, which I’m not a massive fan of; however, the development of the two overcoming past traumas was a genuinely an interesting read .
Overall, the story was brilliantly written I enjoyed the characters and the world building. Most of my dislikes are due to personal taste. However, the random inclusion of our world seems odd and takes me out of the fantasy setting. I feel like if this would have be forewarned in the summary, or foreshadowed through the book, I may have receive this better.
Despite this, I did enjoy elements of the book and I wish the author the best. It’s lovely to see new authors particularly those writing LGBTQ+.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 5, 2024
Great concept but execution was lacking.
I really wanted to like this book as in theory it sounded like I should have liked it. The world building is fantastic and the characters are well thought out.
Unfortunately it is sadly not very well written and could have done with some serious revision and editing. There's a multitude of typos and some sentences are weirdly constructed which made it quite difficult to read at times. I also was not a big fan of the fact that the introduction of one of the characters ruined the whole immersion thing at least for me.
I really wanted to like this book as in theory it sounded like I should have liked it. The world building is fantastic and the characters are well thought out.
Unfortunately it is sadly not very well written and could have done with some serious revision and editing. There's a multitude of typos and some sentences are weirdly constructed which made it quite difficult to read at times. I also was not a big fan of the fact that the introduction of one of the characters ruined the whole immersion thing at least for me.
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February 12, 2024It wasn't really as advertised. It is poorly edited. There were many typos and errors. It reads like Merlin fanfiction, which I actually mean as a compliment. I won't spoil anything, but there is something that comes up a good deal into the book that ruins the immersion for me completely. All in all I think I would have been better off I really had been reading Merlin fanfiction.
November 15, 2023
An excellent debut novel, well written and definitely an author to follow.
April 15, 2024
I really loved this book! It was really enjoyable, and I can't wait for the next book in the series!
February 22, 2024
Good idea but abit drawn out
I like the concept however it is abit drawn out, I think the book is longer than it needs to be, with a few chapters not really necessary. I know the book ends on a cliffhanger, but this left me with so many questions.
I like the concept however it is abit drawn out, I think the book is longer than it needs to be, with a few chapters not really necessary. I know the book ends on a cliffhanger, but this left me with so many questions.
May 16, 2025
It was the first book I read on my e-reader and it was awesome. I enjoyed this and the second book so much I can't wait for the third.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews