Foreordained

The Wevlian Chronicles #1

by Aaron N. Hall

The kingdom of Nezmyth is in shambles. Hope is spread thin. King Barnabas has ruled relentlessly for decades. Jason has been Foreordained by the Holy Dragon to replace him. Now, at age seventeen, Jason must choose to accept his calling, but the King will stop at nothing to retain the throne. The future of Nezmyth hangs in the balance.

Genres: Fantasy

341 pages, Paperback

First published February 4, 2014

About the author

Aaron N. Hall is the author of the The Legend of Uh, The Wevlian Chronicles, the Hammerfist series, and multiple collections of stories and poems. When he’s not writing (which isn’t often), he’s doing nonprofit work, lifting heavy things, reading a book, or sipping a cup of tea. He lives in Utah.

Reviews

[K.D. Marchesi · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up

Thank you to the author for providing a review copy of Foreordained in exchange for an honest review.

This classic feeling YA fantasy was undeniably humble. While the story was simple in premise it felt like a warm blanket on a cold day.

We follow Jason, a 17 year old boy who has grown up in the lower city. Throughout his life he has seen incredible hardships of the other city dwellers during King Barnabas’s reign. But Jason has the chance to change all that, he has been foreordained to be the next king, only he doesn’t understand why and he doesn’t really want to hold that responsibility.

Entering his year of decision King Barnabas makes it perfectly clear that he will stop at nothing to make sure Jason never gets the throne. As Jason fights his way through the trials of the coming year it becomes clearer why someone from a humble background may need to step up. Being King goes far beyond his own wants and needs.

Filled with friendship, learnings and a touch of clean romance, foreordained was charming.

Full review to be released on Epicindie.net and my YT channel.

[Nev Corey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was really good!! It had all the epic fantasy vibes without having a super duper complex and confusing magic system. I loved that it also has cozy fantasy vibes! The story and writing were solid, and he left you with just enough to wonder about without feeling like you had to figure anything out.
Overall really good and I can’t wait to read the next book!!

@nevreadsbooks on Instagram and TikTok!

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book that reflects a lot of principles that I believe in. I loved the descriptions the author uses for the simplest things that give them life, like a fire enjoying the treat of a new log. These make the book very enjoyable. Although the storyline could have been more interesting in the beginning, the ending could have been less predictable, and some of the characters could have been more developed, Jason's struggle and journey were relatable and I enjoyed the book.

[Ben Huey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book. Great read on good vs evil and the forces behind them. Really clean read from the lack of language or sex. I love that the hero battled doubt and had anxiety throughout. It may just be how I was reading it, but this almost had undertones of the biblical story of David to it. Once the action starts, it is non stop. Do yourself a favor and dive into this one. The author is pretty dope as well. Check out his cooking videos.

[Amanda J · Rating 5 out of 5]

awesome read!

I loved that this story had substance. And didn’t have smut or foul language. It had a story line that kept me reading and interested but also spoke to my heart with internal implications of truth.
This is a great and empowering and positive read for ages pre teen and up. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

[Braden Migliaccio · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 🌟 This was a good story. Jason is a king I’d root for! Also I did not see that twist coming at the end!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aaron has great potential as a novelist. This is his first book: great growing of age story, and incredibly disciplined main character. Looking forward to seeing future novels of Aaron's work.

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really a 3.5 star book.

I enjoyed the plot of the novel, I think it has a lot of merit and I am a sucker for destiny stories. I will say the reason it didn't get a higher rating is because a lot of the book tells me things, instead of shows me things. Instead of completely immersing me within the world, I was reading about these characters as if I was separated form them.
For instance, when Jason sees the combat gym for the first time in the book, he notices the signage of the gym and only then do we get a detailed description of the building, but it doesn't appeal to the senses-if that makes sense.
Another thing I wish had more explanation was the ending. I feel the last 50 pages was a bit rushed because we knew were coming to the end. We got introduced to a different style of combat at the end which made it jarring to read. Had we gotten snippets of this style throughout the book, it would have read better.

While those were some things I did not like, as I mentioned earlier, I thoroughly enjoyed the plot of the book as well as the characters. I thought the characters were really flushed out and served the story well. I definitely love Tarren, he is an absolute gem and definitely someone I would want to have on my side. His passion for justice, I think, will make the second book interesting to read!
Speaking of that, definitely picking up the second book right now!

Let's see if this plays out for Jason!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I do not often read fantasy novels, this one was enjoyable and different from others in its genre in important ways. The author focuses on using dialogue to develop the characters more fully, as opposed to a long voyage or incessant fighting, as seem to be the theme in so many books like this. It highlights the importance of the main character learning about himself in order to be able to manage the major transitions in his life and his own internal battle with the new, major responsibilities put on his shoulders. Congrats Aaron!

[Ethan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Foreordained is a great moral fable touching on deeply moral and religious subjects like virtue, personal commitment, and overcoming adversity. The book is a great first book by Aaron Hall. It is a great parable on the inner strength that we all can find within us.

[Kitty · Rating 1 out of 5]

This needs to be edited badly. There is good content but it repeats itself over and over and over. I finally put it away

[Hyrum Oliphant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knowing the author personally (sorry for the flex), I know a lot of what was going through his mind as he wrote this as I had some similar experiences. He did a great job of taking something complicated and traumatic for some and giving it a softer edge to feel warm and inviting again. (Although some parts may have been a bit cringe for my taste.) I do see how there are probably some plot holes and I did notice a couple of odd errors, but overall, I was impressed. I went into it knowing some of the inspiration and how it meant to me and left feeling better about my past relationship with it. Thank you.

Reading this after The Legend of Uh, it's fun to see how Hall writes and finds his voice through various tropes and themes.

I am also dying to know the origin of the term jeroki.

[Shelbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t even ask how many times I’ve read Foreordained. I loveeee this book! My favorite! I’ve read this one with my son even and that’s how his obsession of swords came about haha. It’s magic when your first meeting the characters and the absolute adventure had me hooked. One of those books you can’t put down. I’ve want to emphasize this part, Aaron does such an incredible job painting the scene in beautiful detail, where you feel you are actually there. And my #1 favorite part of his three books (wevlian chronicles) are that you can learn so much from them, and take his books into your own life! Everyone needs a mentor like Master Ferribolt!

[Bookish Delights · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting story with a richly vivid world. A reallly cozy story, easy to digest and get into!

[Adam Aguiar · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tried first couple of chapters and its really boring and slow