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Residual Hate
Hitori has yet to find her place in the world. An archmage with an obscure specialty, she travels the continent of Cypressia in order to keep the peace between mages and non mages.
When she finds Adeliva in a small village, she stumbles into a conspiracy that tests her mentorship skills, her abilities as an enforcer of magical law, and the friendships she has developed.
Can she maintain trust as the lies she has used to protect herself are peeled away, one by one?
Trigger Violence, confinement, discrimination, death.
When she finds Adeliva in a small village, she stumbles into a conspiracy that tests her mentorship skills, her abilities as an enforcer of magical law, and the friendships she has developed.
Can she maintain trust as the lies she has used to protect herself are peeled away, one by one?
Trigger Violence, confinement, discrimination, death.
641 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 15, 2024
1 person is currently reading
4 people want to read
About the author
Steph Manser
1 book1 followerI'm a Canadian writer who lives with two cats, a dog, a partner, and probably way too many plants.
I have a tumblr under the username steph-manser.
I have a tumblr under the username steph-manser.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 7, 2025
I really enjoyed this! It’s a classic fantasy in a sense of having in-depth and vast world-building as well as various forms of magic. You get a little bit of everything from song mages to powerful barriers, illusions, and more. Each time a new mage was introduced, I had fun learning about what kinds of magic they could perform. Along with this, each form of magic (as well as each mage) had different levels of power. So, it was fun to see one person excel in an area that someone else could not. It helped to put into perspective what everyone’s abilities were. This was linked to how well the fight scenes were written. I would certainly classify this as an action-fantasy (which is something I’m especially fond of). In these battles, you feel like you’re right there with the characters. When they’re attacking someone or getting hurt, you’re cheering or wincing accordingly. It created a very engaging and immersive experience for me. Sometimes, it’s not always the flashiest person who can do the most damage. Looks can be deceiving and underestimating someone is the worst mistake you can make.
In particular, I want to give credit to how the lighter moments were handled. This reminded me of what I wish that most MCU movies could do. There would be serious moments, but even if there was a comedic one later, it didn’t feel like the earlier scene had been undercut. I never saw a scene where I felt like there was a cheap joke or that I got cheated out of an important plot point. There was a good balance, so you feel the weight of the situation while not getting overwhelmed. Levity does exactly what you want it to. It’s quite literally comedic relief, not an escape or a distraction, just a relief to remind you that these characters have each other and will do anything they can to fight the good fight and win. (Of these characters, my overall favorite was Faylin’s bodyguard, Kalen. He is such a sweetie pie who I didn’t originally think was going to be that interesting since he seemed like the “regular guy” of the group. Don’t let that fool you. He’s a great warrior, is courageous, and has the type of heart that can warm even the coldest of people.)
In particular, I want to give credit to how the lighter moments were handled. This reminded me of what I wish that most MCU movies could do. There would be serious moments, but even if there was a comedic one later, it didn’t feel like the earlier scene had been undercut. I never saw a scene where I felt like there was a cheap joke or that I got cheated out of an important plot point. There was a good balance, so you feel the weight of the situation while not getting overwhelmed. Levity does exactly what you want it to. It’s quite literally comedic relief, not an escape or a distraction, just a relief to remind you that these characters have each other and will do anything they can to fight the good fight and win. (Of these characters, my overall favorite was Faylin’s bodyguard, Kalen. He is such a sweetie pie who I didn’t originally think was going to be that interesting since he seemed like the “regular guy” of the group. Don’t let that fool you. He’s a great warrior, is courageous, and has the type of heart that can warm even the coldest of people.)
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