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The Mistral
Not yet published
Expected 28 May 26A DYING MAGIC.
A SLAUGHTERED QUEEN.
A WORLD ON THE BRINK OF WAR.
The Mistral - a divine, ancient wind - has long swept over the realm, bestowing magical abilities on those destined to shape the future.
But The Mistral is dying.
As it falters, and fear of all-out war consumes the kingdom, a peace delegation sets out from the land of Terrius to the city of Lurella.
At the delegation’s heart is Swan, daughter of an assassinated queen, who holds a powerful and rare ability. She must seek answers - both to her mother’s murder and her own inability to master her powers. Before it's too late.
Meanwhile, in Lurella's duelling pit - The Iron Circuit - Fenne, a feared fighter, comes to the attention of one city ruler, who sees in her an opportunity . . .
As the Peace Pledge begins, Swan and Fenne are thrown together by a dark conspiracy – one that could forever alter not just their fate, but that of The Mistral.
And the fragile balance holding the realm together . . .
The Mistral begins an epic new fantasy trilogy – a sweeping tale of high magic. Of dangerous powers and deadly ambition. And a world on the precipice of the darkest of wars . . .
Perfect for fans of Brandon Sanderson and John Gwynne.
- GenresFantasy
480 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication May 28, 2026
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288 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
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February 13, 2026the cover heavily reminds me of silvercloak — need this in my hands asap🙂↕️
March 30, 2026
Imagine a melting pot of; Mistborn Era 1, Words of Radiance, Godkiller (but good), and more.
This is such a good story and a fantastical world that Felix Mosse is building.
He’s done suuuuuch a good job of creating an interesting world that I completely and utterly want to immerse myself further in.
A world where two coalescing Mists grant people powers, some revere it as a god, others want to weaponise it and craft technology from it to being a world of power to the masses instead of the chosen few.
Mistral felt so familiar, and I’m not mad at that. Because it didn’t feel like a rip off, it felt nostalgic and home. It reminded me of an introduction to multiple worlds I’ve come to love before.
This was an ARC though, and although I really fucked with the story and characters, I think it needs a bit more editing before release as words/phrases/grammar at points had me stopping in my tracks.
Honestly, cool concept. I do want to see some more uniqueness in the sequel, but secret orders, political instability and rival wars, secret powers and prophecies, it ticks a lot of boxes.
4.0/5.0
Thank you to netgally, penguin random house and Felix Mosse for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.
This is such a good story and a fantastical world that Felix Mosse is building.
He’s done suuuuuch a good job of creating an interesting world that I completely and utterly want to immerse myself further in.
A world where two coalescing Mists grant people powers, some revere it as a god, others want to weaponise it and craft technology from it to being a world of power to the masses instead of the chosen few.
Mistral felt so familiar, and I’m not mad at that. Because it didn’t feel like a rip off, it felt nostalgic and home. It reminded me of an introduction to multiple worlds I’ve come to love before.
This was an ARC though, and although I really fucked with the story and characters, I think it needs a bit more editing before release as words/phrases/grammar at points had me stopping in my tracks.
Honestly, cool concept. I do want to see some more uniqueness in the sequel, but secret orders, political instability and rival wars, secret powers and prophecies, it ticks a lot of boxes.
4.0/5.0
Thank you to netgally, penguin random house and Felix Mosse for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.
March 27, 2026
Felix Mosse’s The Mistral feels like stepping into a rich fantasy perfect for fans of Brandon Sandersons Mistborn and Stormlight archives series, whilst still carving out a distinct identity of its own. This familiarity is part of its charm as something warmly nostalgic, like returning to worlds you’ve loved before while discovering something entirely new.
At the heart of the story is the Mistral itself a force born of two coalescing World Winds that suffuses the land of Mycenia with aether. This creates a vivid, unique and dynamic magical system, but one that is far from equally shared amongst the characters we have the pleasure of walking with on their journey. As with any powerful resource, questions of access, control, and exploitation drive tension throughout the narrative. Some worship the Mistral as divine, while others seek to harness and weaponise it, pushing toward a future where power might belong to the many rather than the chosen few.
Mosse excels at building a world that feels both expansive and immersive, one that invites you to lose yourself in its complexities. The ideological divide between the Terrius and Eronese factions is particularly compelling, visually and thematically striking in their contrasts with harsh blacks and reds versus vibrant blues and golds. Yet beneath these differences lies a shared truth: both societies are shaped by the corrupting influence of power, resulting in systems marked by cruelty, subjugation, and the expendability of their own people.
Ultimately, The Mistral stands as a sprawling, engaging fantasy with a deeply intriguing premise and a world that begs further exploration. It’s a story that feels at once comfortingly familiar and excitingly original, leaving a strong desire to delve deeper and leaves me looking forward to the next books of the trilogy amongst the rest of the work of Felix Mosse. Definitely not one to sleep on if you’re looking for your next fix after Mistborn, Stormlight Archives and Godkiller alike!
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for Sending me an eARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
At the heart of the story is the Mistral itself a force born of two coalescing World Winds that suffuses the land of Mycenia with aether. This creates a vivid, unique and dynamic magical system, but one that is far from equally shared amongst the characters we have the pleasure of walking with on their journey. As with any powerful resource, questions of access, control, and exploitation drive tension throughout the narrative. Some worship the Mistral as divine, while others seek to harness and weaponise it, pushing toward a future where power might belong to the many rather than the chosen few.
Mosse excels at building a world that feels both expansive and immersive, one that invites you to lose yourself in its complexities. The ideological divide between the Terrius and Eronese factions is particularly compelling, visually and thematically striking in their contrasts with harsh blacks and reds versus vibrant blues and golds. Yet beneath these differences lies a shared truth: both societies are shaped by the corrupting influence of power, resulting in systems marked by cruelty, subjugation, and the expendability of their own people.
Ultimately, The Mistral stands as a sprawling, engaging fantasy with a deeply intriguing premise and a world that begs further exploration. It’s a story that feels at once comfortingly familiar and excitingly original, leaving a strong desire to delve deeper and leaves me looking forward to the next books of the trilogy amongst the rest of the work of Felix Mosse. Definitely not one to sleep on if you’re looking for your next fix after Mistborn, Stormlight Archives and Godkiller alike!
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for Sending me an eARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Born of two coalescing World Winds, the Mistral is an ethereal phenomenon that endows the world of Mycenia with aether. This resulting in a uniquely vibrant world of magic; though one that is far from equally distributed amongst its people. And like all natural resources, issues of supply and demand creates its own tension.
The Mistral is a sprawling epic fantasy reminiscent of Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive , but also distinctly original in its world-building, histories and a very intriguing central plot premise.
Mosse paints striking contrasts between the Terrius and Eronese ideologies; the sharp, austere blacks and reds against the flamboyant cerulean blues and gold. Yet ultimately reveals how fundamentally similar they both are. Both shaped by powers corrupting hand, giving rise to cruelty and subtle subjugation and the expendability of its own people.
This book is a twisting and weaving narrative of hidden motivations, manipulation and betrayals; resulting in an explosive finale. Mosse’s writing style is dynamic and engaging; the fight scenes are nail biting, action packed and very entertaining. In some ways The Mistral reminds me of Tite Kubo’s Bleach , so if you liked Bleach, you’ll definately enjoy this.
I loved all the characters; the good, the nefarious, the morally ambiguous and flawed. The main protagonists Fenne and Swan were likeable and fleshed out, making their motivations and fears feel grounded and relatable. Likewise, supporting characters were also great. Some allowing for moments of levity, whilst others driving the plot forward and deepening the feeling of mystery. Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed Eli, Thom and Virel’s scenes.
Overall, Mosse succeeds in building a mounting anticipation of change throughout the novel, which culminates to a shocking conclusion. The Mistral is a strong and well written opening instalment and I undoubtedly look forward to reading more of Mycenia.
As this is an eARC there were some minor formatting and editing issues which will likely be resolved on release and did not impact the enjoyment of the story itself. Thanks Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the advance copy; I look forward to seeing the finished product in future and definitely recommend it!
The Mistral is a sprawling epic fantasy reminiscent of Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive , but also distinctly original in its world-building, histories and a very intriguing central plot premise.
Mosse paints striking contrasts between the Terrius and Eronese ideologies; the sharp, austere blacks and reds against the flamboyant cerulean blues and gold. Yet ultimately reveals how fundamentally similar they both are. Both shaped by powers corrupting hand, giving rise to cruelty and subtle subjugation and the expendability of its own people.
This book is a twisting and weaving narrative of hidden motivations, manipulation and betrayals; resulting in an explosive finale. Mosse’s writing style is dynamic and engaging; the fight scenes are nail biting, action packed and very entertaining. In some ways The Mistral reminds me of Tite Kubo’s Bleach , so if you liked Bleach, you’ll definately enjoy this.
I loved all the characters; the good, the nefarious, the morally ambiguous and flawed. The main protagonists Fenne and Swan were likeable and fleshed out, making their motivations and fears feel grounded and relatable. Likewise, supporting characters were also great. Some allowing for moments of levity, whilst others driving the plot forward and deepening the feeling of mystery. Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed Eli, Thom and Virel’s scenes.
Overall, Mosse succeeds in building a mounting anticipation of change throughout the novel, which culminates to a shocking conclusion. The Mistral is a strong and well written opening instalment and I undoubtedly look forward to reading more of Mycenia.
As this is an eARC there were some minor formatting and editing issues which will likely be resolved on release and did not impact the enjoyment of the story itself. Thanks Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the advance copy; I look forward to seeing the finished product in future and definitely recommend it!
March 30, 2026
“No backward step!”
A masterclass in fantasy writing !!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I don't know where to start, I'm a massive fan of old school fantasy storytelling, Ray Feist and David Eddings are my favourites, this usually means most new fantasy's just don't quite hit the spot for me but The Mistral absolutely delivered, I loved every glorious minute off it. Quite often I find myself rushing through books but with this one I completely immersed myself into the universe @felixcmosse created.
The World building and story setting was amazing, the scenes atmospheric and the characters full of depth, the story builds slowly introducing you to a wide range of characters and the background of the world without feeling "wordy". Like all the best fantasy's you find yourself championing the underdogs, waiting for the prophecy's to unveil themselves and trying to work out who the bad guys are going to be. The last 20% of the book was so fast paced and written in a way that I couldn't put it down, paragraphs interchanged between characters so that you could see the action from everyone's point of view, I've never read writing like that and it worked so well,! felt like I was right there. The ending has left me needing the next book.
This is a book that I'm going to be talking about for a long time !!
📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖
The Mistral - a divine, ancient wind - has long swept over the realm, bestowing magical abilities on those destined to shape the future.
But The Mistral is dying.
As it falters, and fear of all-out war consumes the kingdom, a peace delegation sets out from the land of Terrius to the city of Lurella.
At the delegation’s heart is Swan, daughter of an assassinated queen, who holds a powerful and rare ability. She must seek answers - both to her mother’s murder and her own inability to master her powers. Before it's too late.
Meanwhile, in Lurella's duelling pit - The Iron Circuit - Fenne, a feared fighter, comes to the attention of one city ruler, who sees in her an opportunity . . .
As the Peace Pledge begins, Swan and Fenne are thrown together by a dark conspiracy – one that could forever alter not just their fate, but that of The Mistral.
And the fragile balance holding the realm together . . .
A masterclass in fantasy writing !!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I don't know where to start, I'm a massive fan of old school fantasy storytelling, Ray Feist and David Eddings are my favourites, this usually means most new fantasy's just don't quite hit the spot for me but The Mistral absolutely delivered, I loved every glorious minute off it. Quite often I find myself rushing through books but with this one I completely immersed myself into the universe @felixcmosse created.
The World building and story setting was amazing, the scenes atmospheric and the characters full of depth, the story builds slowly introducing you to a wide range of characters and the background of the world without feeling "wordy". Like all the best fantasy's you find yourself championing the underdogs, waiting for the prophecy's to unveil themselves and trying to work out who the bad guys are going to be. The last 20% of the book was so fast paced and written in a way that I couldn't put it down, paragraphs interchanged between characters so that you could see the action from everyone's point of view, I've never read writing like that and it worked so well,! felt like I was right there. The ending has left me needing the next book.
This is a book that I'm going to be talking about for a long time !!
📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖
The Mistral - a divine, ancient wind - has long swept over the realm, bestowing magical abilities on those destined to shape the future.
But The Mistral is dying.
As it falters, and fear of all-out war consumes the kingdom, a peace delegation sets out from the land of Terrius to the city of Lurella.
At the delegation’s heart is Swan, daughter of an assassinated queen, who holds a powerful and rare ability. She must seek answers - both to her mother’s murder and her own inability to master her powers. Before it's too late.
Meanwhile, in Lurella's duelling pit - The Iron Circuit - Fenne, a feared fighter, comes to the attention of one city ruler, who sees in her an opportunity . . .
As the Peace Pledge begins, Swan and Fenne are thrown together by a dark conspiracy – one that could forever alter not just their fate, but that of The Mistral.
And the fragile balance holding the realm together . . .
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
*I received an ARC via Netgalley*
I won't lie, this was one of the times where I looked at the cover and thought 'I have got to have that'. And like many other times, being taken in by a stunning cover paid off. The Mistral is an incredible political epic fantasy, with intense world building and interesting characters.
The opening chapter captivated me, I actually abandoned two other books that I was reading so that I could continue with this.
I loved the amount of characters within this book. I instantly clicked with Swan and was eager to read chapters involving her. It took me a little bit longer to become invested in Fenne, but her chapters were very important when it comes to world building and I loved learning with her.
The first 30% of the story is mostly world building, but it's so interesting it makes the book difficult to put down. The plot really starts to progress after that, and the last 20% had me on the edge of my seat. I try not to talk about sequels in ARC reviews because of the importance of talking about the ARC, but in this case I really am desperate for the sequel. I'm so excited to discuss The Mistral and it's explosive ending with other readers. This was an incredible start to the trilogy and I'm excited to see how the story expands even further in the next book.
Thank you so much to Penguin for giving me this eARC!
I won't lie, this was one of the times where I looked at the cover and thought 'I have got to have that'. And like many other times, being taken in by a stunning cover paid off. The Mistral is an incredible political epic fantasy, with intense world building and interesting characters.
The opening chapter captivated me, I actually abandoned two other books that I was reading so that I could continue with this.
I loved the amount of characters within this book. I instantly clicked with Swan and was eager to read chapters involving her. It took me a little bit longer to become invested in Fenne, but her chapters were very important when it comes to world building and I loved learning with her.
The first 30% of the story is mostly world building, but it's so interesting it makes the book difficult to put down. The plot really starts to progress after that, and the last 20% had me on the edge of my seat. I try not to talk about sequels in ARC reviews because of the importance of talking about the ARC, but in this case I really am desperate for the sequel. I'm so excited to discuss The Mistral and it's explosive ending with other readers. This was an incredible start to the trilogy and I'm excited to see how the story expands even further in the next book.
Thank you so much to Penguin for giving me this eARC!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The Mistral, an ancient wind that grants magic, is dying, and the world’s existing power dynamics are beginning to fracture along with it. As old rivals attempt to unite and agree on a way forward, a peace delegation travelling from Terrius to Lurella brings together a whole cast of characters, each with their own agendas and secrets. The fate of the lands hangs in the balance as a chosen few navigate dangerous powers, misplaced loyalties, and deadly ambitions.
This was such a great read! It feels like a really strong start to an epic fantasy trilogy. It leans heavily into political intrigue, lore-building and prophecy, with a wide scope revealed through multiple POVs. The magic system is distinctive and clearly explained and the world feels rich and well established without becoming too dense.
The characters are quite flawed, and very much at the start of their journeys which makes them all the more intriguing. I’m especially interested to see how Virel’s arc develops!
Overall a really engaging and promising opener that sets the stage well for what’s to come. If you enjoy James Islington, this is well worth picking up, I’m definitely looking forward to the next instalment!
With thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for the ARC.
This was such a great read! It feels like a really strong start to an epic fantasy trilogy. It leans heavily into political intrigue, lore-building and prophecy, with a wide scope revealed through multiple POVs. The magic system is distinctive and clearly explained and the world feels rich and well established without becoming too dense.
The characters are quite flawed, and very much at the start of their journeys which makes them all the more intriguing. I’m especially interested to see how Virel’s arc develops!
Overall a really engaging and promising opener that sets the stage well for what’s to come. If you enjoy James Islington, this is well worth picking up, I’m definitely looking forward to the next instalment!
With thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Rating: 3.5/5
This was a mixed one for me! There’s definitely a lot to like here- the world itself was really interesting, and I thought the magic system had some cool and unique elements that made it stand out. The characters were also decent and easy enough to follow, which helped keep me engaged.
However, I did struggle quite a bit at the beginning. There was a lot of info-dumping early on, which made it harder to fully get into the story straight away. I think once things settled, it improved, but that initial barrier did affect my overall enjoyment.
I also have to mention that the ARC had quite a few grammatical errors and a noticeable amount of repetition in wording (especially certain adjectives and phrases), which unfortunately pulled me out of the story more than once. I’m assuming this will be cleaned up in the final version, but it did make it harder to fully enjoy while reading.
Overall, I still think there’s a solid and interesting story here, and I did enjoy parts of it, but it didn’t quite hit as strongly as I’d hoped.
Rating: 3.5/5
This was a mixed one for me! There’s definitely a lot to like here- the world itself was really interesting, and I thought the magic system had some cool and unique elements that made it stand out. The characters were also decent and easy enough to follow, which helped keep me engaged.
However, I did struggle quite a bit at the beginning. There was a lot of info-dumping early on, which made it harder to fully get into the story straight away. I think once things settled, it improved, but that initial barrier did affect my overall enjoyment.
I also have to mention that the ARC had quite a few grammatical errors and a noticeable amount of repetition in wording (especially certain adjectives and phrases), which unfortunately pulled me out of the story more than once. I’m assuming this will be cleaned up in the final version, but it did make it harder to fully enjoy while reading.
Overall, I still think there’s a solid and interesting story here, and I did enjoy parts of it, but it didn’t quite hit as strongly as I’d hoped.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This book was great. The chapters were nice and short, so it was easy to get sucked into the "I'll just read one more chapter" cycle.
The world building was brilliant. The main character, Fenne, coming into the city as a newcomer and learning all about the culture and religion alongside the reader was a great way to maintain the pace without slowing down to explain things. The language is so descriptive and vivid, it was easy to picture everything. Almost felt like watching a film.
The plot was also great. About 20% in, I was spiraling with theories, trying to predict all the twists and who could or couldn't be trusted.
I'm sad I started this on such a busy week because I could have easily locked in and devoured this in one or two sittings. I can't wait for the next books in this series!
The world building was brilliant. The main character, Fenne, coming into the city as a newcomer and learning all about the culture and religion alongside the reader was a great way to maintain the pace without slowing down to explain things. The language is so descriptive and vivid, it was easy to picture everything. Almost felt like watching a film.
The plot was also great. About 20% in, I was spiraling with theories, trying to predict all the twists and who could or couldn't be trusted.
I'm sad I started this on such a busy week because I could have easily locked in and devoured this in one or two sittings. I can't wait for the next books in this series!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A Dying Magic. A slaughtered Queen. A world on the brink of war.
This is an epic, high fantasy with character driven chapters. The characters are great, flaws, and all. Virel's character was standout for me. Hopefully, he'll get a bigger part in the next book.
I found it a slow burner until around 40%, and then it really gets going. There's a lot going on, jeezo, that ending.
There's political intrigue, corruption, cruelty, and betrayals. This is a really strong first book that's been likened to Brandon Sanderson, and yes, I can see that.
I'm looking forward to the next books and will definitely be recommending this.
Thank you, NetGalley and publishers, for the ARC.
This is an epic, high fantasy with character driven chapters. The characters are great, flaws, and all. Virel's character was standout for me. Hopefully, he'll get a bigger part in the next book.
I found it a slow burner until around 40%, and then it really gets going. There's a lot going on, jeezo, that ending.
There's political intrigue, corruption, cruelty, and betrayals. This is a really strong first book that's been likened to Brandon Sanderson, and yes, I can see that.
I'm looking forward to the next books and will definitely be recommending this.
Thank you, NetGalley and publishers, for the ARC.
December 27, 2025
Really solid start to a epic fantasy series.
I really loved these characters and can’t wait to continue on with this series, and see what direction we go in.
The world building is extremely unique and I loved how it is explained through the eyes of one of main character Fenne, as this makes the introduction to the magic system feel seamless and Fenne is somewhat of an outsider in the city of Eron.
Would definitely be recommending this series if you like epic fantasy with political world building.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews