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The Sorceress and the Vigilant
A gothic romantic fantasy novel.
In the world of monsters and magic there are no rules. A sorceress returns to her anguished hometown and takes up residence in the haunted castle. A local captain of the Vigilant – non sorcerous monster hunters – tries to hold the town together as monster attacks grow more frequent. What the sorceress discovers will change her, the captain, and the town forever.
~••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••~A cursed castle. A town with a dark history.
The sorceress Edrea and her loyal Knight Dahn return to Hart to investigate a source of power in the old castle. The town has barely recovered from the Harrowing, a magical disaster that destroyed the town and killed most of the townsfolk when she was only five, and the castle is rumored to be haunted. What Edrea finds in the haunted castle may change her forever.
Ren is also a Hart native and survivor of the Harrowing. As a captain of the local chapter of monster hunters known as the Vigilant, it’s his responsibility to keep Hart protected from monsters and sorcery. Edrea’s homecoming, in conjunction with an increase in monster attacks, causes tensions to rise as Ren must navigate forces beyond his understanding.
www.trsohn.com
In the world of monsters and magic there are no rules. A sorceress returns to her anguished hometown and takes up residence in the haunted castle. A local captain of the Vigilant – non sorcerous monster hunters – tries to hold the town together as monster attacks grow more frequent. What the sorceress discovers will change her, the captain, and the town forever.
~••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••~A cursed castle. A town with a dark history.
The sorceress Edrea and her loyal Knight Dahn return to Hart to investigate a source of power in the old castle. The town has barely recovered from the Harrowing, a magical disaster that destroyed the town and killed most of the townsfolk when she was only five, and the castle is rumored to be haunted. What Edrea finds in the haunted castle may change her forever.
Ren is also a Hart native and survivor of the Harrowing. As a captain of the local chapter of monster hunters known as the Vigilant, it’s his responsibility to keep Hart protected from monsters and sorcery. Edrea’s homecoming, in conjunction with an increase in monster attacks, causes tensions to rise as Ren must navigate forces beyond his understanding.
www.trsohn.com
421 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 1, 2025
5 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
T. R. Sohn
1 book3 followersT. R. Sohn was born in Lansing Michigan. From a young age he always enjoyed reading. The stories he devoured shaped his growing mind and by the time he was in his teenage years he couldn’t read enough. He’d often be found in his room or outside up in a tree, nose in a book, utterly lost in the wondrous worlds of his imagination.
He always knew that he wanted to share his love of stories and of the fantasy and science fiction genres with others, and so he now writes to do just that. He hopes to inspire other readers and writers to embrace what makes them unique, and to encourage the cultivation of creativity and imagination.
He always knew that he wanted to share his love of stories and of the fantasy and science fiction genres with others, and so he now writes to do just that. He hopes to inspire other readers and writers to embrace what makes them unique, and to encourage the cultivation of creativity and imagination.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 16, 2025
I am most certainly biased, as I wrote this book, but I do want to take this opportunity and digital space to provide a bit of context for why I love this book and why I think anyone who loves fantasy should give it a shot.
----Minor thematic spoilers below, no plot spoilers----
This book was a way for me to explore themes of power, addiction, and purpose. I have often felt like I lack a greater purpose in life. In this world of production and commodity, it's easy to quantify someone's "worth" in dollars and cents. It's a lot harder to quantify the worth of more abstract concepts like love, courage, and creativity. These things all add value to our lives, and yet we sacrifice them for the ultimate (and more easily definable) source of value: money. Why? Well, because money is necessary for survival in our world. There is a tipping point though, where wealth no longer serves the interest of survival and becomes about excess.
As a storyteller, I have often thought about power and how, in our world, power is often synonymous with wealth. I think a person can become addicted to wealth the same way they can become addicted to power. It's odd, though, as we typically exonerate the wealth-addicted for their addictions in a way we don't for substance addicts, or sex addicts. We forgive them for letting their personal relationships falter and fade, and we hardly bat an eye when someone proudly claims that they 'grind 100 hours a week' in the name of building wealth.
While I think that wealth addiction is a fascinating subject, I didn't necessarily want to write a story about wealth addiction. I'm a fantasy nerd, and so I wanted to stretch my imagination. Instead, I wrote a story about power addiction in a world where the greatest power isn't wealth, it's magical ability.
Monsters infest Edrea's world. As a sorceress, she is one of the few who possess the coveted power to slay them. She belongs to a centuries-old order of sorceresses and knights whose primary purpose is to defend humanity against the ever-present threat of the monsters.
Due to her upbringing, Edrea is addicted to power. She's been taught that power is everything, and that the best way for her to do good in the world is to covet and acquire as much power as she can. What are the ultimate consequences for a young woman raised to believe her addiction is the world's greatest asset?
As for our other protagonist?
I want to jump back to the part about purpose and feeling without purpose. Ren is a captain of a local chapter of monster hunters called the Vigilant. In his life, having lost most of what was important to him in a tragic event when he was young, he has often felt a lack of purpose. He's always known that he wants to help defend humanity against the monsters, but he hasn't always known the best way to do that, as nothing is black and white.
I think with Ren, like any of us, his story is a story about finding purpose and realizing that you can't run away from your problems, because those problems are just going to chase you. It's a lesson we all must learn at some point, and, unfortunately for Ren, he's got to reconcile his conflicting emotions and fears and come to this truth during the most turbulent few weeks of his life.
Through this book, I was able to explore themes of purpose and belonging through Ren, as well as themes of fear of inadequacy and second chances.
It was an absolute joy to explore all of these themes through the eyes of Edrea and Ren in this book. I think this book is for anyone who has ever felt lost or overwhelmed. It's for anyone who believes in the power of hope and the power of second chances. And, most of all, it's for all of us who have ever struggled to believe in ourselves.
Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy The Sorceress and the Vigilant as much as I do.
----Minor thematic spoilers below, no plot spoilers----
This book was a way for me to explore themes of power, addiction, and purpose. I have often felt like I lack a greater purpose in life. In this world of production and commodity, it's easy to quantify someone's "worth" in dollars and cents. It's a lot harder to quantify the worth of more abstract concepts like love, courage, and creativity. These things all add value to our lives, and yet we sacrifice them for the ultimate (and more easily definable) source of value: money. Why? Well, because money is necessary for survival in our world. There is a tipping point though, where wealth no longer serves the interest of survival and becomes about excess.
As a storyteller, I have often thought about power and how, in our world, power is often synonymous with wealth. I think a person can become addicted to wealth the same way they can become addicted to power. It's odd, though, as we typically exonerate the wealth-addicted for their addictions in a way we don't for substance addicts, or sex addicts. We forgive them for letting their personal relationships falter and fade, and we hardly bat an eye when someone proudly claims that they 'grind 100 hours a week' in the name of building wealth.
While I think that wealth addiction is a fascinating subject, I didn't necessarily want to write a story about wealth addiction. I'm a fantasy nerd, and so I wanted to stretch my imagination. Instead, I wrote a story about power addiction in a world where the greatest power isn't wealth, it's magical ability.
Monsters infest Edrea's world. As a sorceress, she is one of the few who possess the coveted power to slay them. She belongs to a centuries-old order of sorceresses and knights whose primary purpose is to defend humanity against the ever-present threat of the monsters.
Due to her upbringing, Edrea is addicted to power. She's been taught that power is everything, and that the best way for her to do good in the world is to covet and acquire as much power as she can. What are the ultimate consequences for a young woman raised to believe her addiction is the world's greatest asset?
As for our other protagonist?
I want to jump back to the part about purpose and feeling without purpose. Ren is a captain of a local chapter of monster hunters called the Vigilant. In his life, having lost most of what was important to him in a tragic event when he was young, he has often felt a lack of purpose. He's always known that he wants to help defend humanity against the monsters, but he hasn't always known the best way to do that, as nothing is black and white.
I think with Ren, like any of us, his story is a story about finding purpose and realizing that you can't run away from your problems, because those problems are just going to chase you. It's a lesson we all must learn at some point, and, unfortunately for Ren, he's got to reconcile his conflicting emotions and fears and come to this truth during the most turbulent few weeks of his life.
Through this book, I was able to explore themes of purpose and belonging through Ren, as well as themes of fear of inadequacy and second chances.
It was an absolute joy to explore all of these themes through the eyes of Edrea and Ren in this book. I think this book is for anyone who has ever felt lost or overwhelmed. It's for anyone who believes in the power of hope and the power of second chances. And, most of all, it's for all of us who have ever struggled to believe in ourselves.
Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy The Sorceress and the Vigilant as much as I do.
July 14, 2025
A wild ride! This book held my full attention with its engaging action sequences, terrifying monsters, and magical secrets. Interesting character exploration as well - I love this society of scary sorceresses. Big recommend to any lover of fantasy.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews