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Makerborn
Not yet published
Expected 15 Jun 26The God War is over. An empire built on suffering, slavery, and betrayal remains.
In the fractured lands of the Salvian Empire, the Great Houses rule through blood and fear. For years, Alandra Phoenyka has hunted powerful Sonomancers in the empire’s name, paid in empty promises that her stolen daughter would be returned.
Each step forward demands another compromise. Another betrayal. Another piece of herself lost.
When those promises turn to treachery, she is forced to take matters into her own hands and risk everything to reclaim her child.
In the empire’s mining camps, Bez Windstrider has endured years of torture and brutal experimentation. Broken but unyielding, he clings to one purpose: vengeance. The men who murdered his parents will pay, and their deaths will complete the ritual needed to free his parents’ souls from damnation.
But the deeper his grief cuts, the more he becomes something far more dangerous, for himself, and for the empire.
As their paths draw closer, the buried truths of the God War begin to surface. What begins as two personal vendettas threatens to unravel something far greater than either of them can control.
Because empires do not fall quietly.
And the gods that shaped them are not as dead as they seem.
Makerborn is the first book in the Maladies of Empire series, a brutal epic dark fantasy of vengeance, sacrifice, and the cost of love.
For readers of dark, character-driven epic fantasy in the vein of Joe Abercrombie, Mark Lawrence, R.F. Kuang, Evan Winter, and Steven Erikson.
In the fractured lands of the Salvian Empire, the Great Houses rule through blood and fear. For years, Alandra Phoenyka has hunted powerful Sonomancers in the empire’s name, paid in empty promises that her stolen daughter would be returned.
Each step forward demands another compromise. Another betrayal. Another piece of herself lost.
When those promises turn to treachery, she is forced to take matters into her own hands and risk everything to reclaim her child.
In the empire’s mining camps, Bez Windstrider has endured years of torture and brutal experimentation. Broken but unyielding, he clings to one purpose: vengeance. The men who murdered his parents will pay, and their deaths will complete the ritual needed to free his parents’ souls from damnation.
But the deeper his grief cuts, the more he becomes something far more dangerous, for himself, and for the empire.
As their paths draw closer, the buried truths of the God War begin to surface. What begins as two personal vendettas threatens to unravel something far greater than either of them can control.
Because empires do not fall quietly.
And the gods that shaped them are not as dead as they seem.
Makerborn is the first book in the Maladies of Empire series, a brutal epic dark fantasy of vengeance, sacrifice, and the cost of love.
For readers of dark, character-driven epic fantasy in the vein of Joe Abercrombie, Mark Lawrence, R.F. Kuang, Evan Winter, and Steven Erikson.
861 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication June 15, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 1, 2026
ARC Review
Ooof! Where to start?!
Makerborn is a dark (very dark) low fantasy novel. We follow a couple characters that are dealing with about the most horrific circumstances a person can have thrust upon them.
Our female protagonist is attempting to rescue her daughter, who was kidnapped and now resides in a brothel.
Our other main charter was kidnapped as a child, watched his parents brutal murder and now works as a slave in a mine.
Both characters really go through it and the world itself is presented as incredibly bleak. Some of the issues I had with the book that kept it from 5 star status is the pacing fairly early on was a little rough for me. It’s a really long book (800+ pages) and at about the 25% mark I had to take a break and read something that had a bit more hope. Other than sympathizing with the characters struggles, I had a hard time connecting with them until later in the book. I also didn’t get a sense of scope as far as the world building went, everything just felt small and there weren’t a lot of descriptions of the landscape or buildings, so I wasn’t able to visualize the environments our characters are in.
What I enjoyed the most about Makerborn is the magic system. I found Sonomancy to be an incredibly unique magical ability with characters being able to utilize it in a variety of interesting ways. (i.e.: using sound waves to amputate limbs during surgery) The author recognizes that Sonomancy could easily become OP and tempers it with a kryptonite like plot device. Every time the magic is used, I found it exciting and compelling.
I also thought the combat was very well done. The battles scenes are savage and brutal. The author, Daymon Ashcord, is a talented writer, and I enjoyed his prose. I tend to enjoy character dialogue and typically find that it helps move stories along, and that was the case with Makerborn as well. I really enjoyed the characters interactions with each other. A lot of the world building is done through the characters’ dialogue instead of from a narrator’s perspective.
All in all I enjoyed Makerborn and am definitely interested in seeing what happens next and where Ashcord is taking this story. Fantastic debut novel.
Ooof! Where to start?!
Makerborn is a dark (very dark) low fantasy novel. We follow a couple characters that are dealing with about the most horrific circumstances a person can have thrust upon them.
Our female protagonist is attempting to rescue her daughter, who was kidnapped and now resides in a brothel.
Our other main charter was kidnapped as a child, watched his parents brutal murder and now works as a slave in a mine.
Both characters really go through it and the world itself is presented as incredibly bleak. Some of the issues I had with the book that kept it from 5 star status is the pacing fairly early on was a little rough for me. It’s a really long book (800+ pages) and at about the 25% mark I had to take a break and read something that had a bit more hope. Other than sympathizing with the characters struggles, I had a hard time connecting with them until later in the book. I also didn’t get a sense of scope as far as the world building went, everything just felt small and there weren’t a lot of descriptions of the landscape or buildings, so I wasn’t able to visualize the environments our characters are in.
What I enjoyed the most about Makerborn is the magic system. I found Sonomancy to be an incredibly unique magical ability with characters being able to utilize it in a variety of interesting ways. (i.e.: using sound waves to amputate limbs during surgery) The author recognizes that Sonomancy could easily become OP and tempers it with a kryptonite like plot device. Every time the magic is used, I found it exciting and compelling.
I also thought the combat was very well done. The battles scenes are savage and brutal. The author, Daymon Ashcord, is a talented writer, and I enjoyed his prose. I tend to enjoy character dialogue and typically find that it helps move stories along, and that was the case with Makerborn as well. I really enjoyed the characters interactions with each other. A lot of the world building is done through the characters’ dialogue instead of from a narrator’s perspective.
All in all I enjoyed Makerborn and am definitely interested in seeing what happens next and where Ashcord is taking this story. Fantastic debut novel.
May 14, 2026
3.5/5
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for a review thank you Daymon Ashcord!
Overall I enjoyed this book. I thought the world building was interesting and I did enjoy the main characters and their moral grayness. The second half of the book was more interesting to me and I felt was better paced. The beginning seemed to drag a bit and I felt could use some brevity.
It is a very dark story as the synopsis states and the characters really go through it over the course of the novel. Fair warning there is a lot of violence with brief respites of some joy.
I am curious to see how the rest of the story plays out so will be picking up book #2 when it is out! Like I said its a good world with a lot of interesting pieces at play.
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for a review thank you Daymon Ashcord!
Overall I enjoyed this book. I thought the world building was interesting and I did enjoy the main characters and their moral grayness. The second half of the book was more interesting to me and I felt was better paced. The beginning seemed to drag a bit and I felt could use some brevity.
It is a very dark story as the synopsis states and the characters really go through it over the course of the novel. Fair warning there is a lot of violence with brief respites of some joy.
I am curious to see how the rest of the story plays out so will be picking up book #2 when it is out! Like I said its a good world with a lot of interesting pieces at play.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I needed to give myself a day to really think about Makerborn before I wrote my review. I was surprised at how much I liked this story given how dark it is. I felt like I could picture every scene and character. I could feel what they were feeling. Character interactions and personal conflicts were very engaging.
The character work is well done. We slowly get to know who they are and what they've done. Love and vengeance really carry them through. The world and magic system are very interesting. It took some time to understand it (sorta) and there still seems like so much more to know.
Makerborn follows two main characters, Bez and Alandra. Bez lost his parents when he was young and wants to free their souls, while also ridding the world of the people responsible for their murder. First, he needs to get away from the people who enslaved and torture him. Alandra is trying to find her daughter and free her from a life of slavery. However, death seems to follow her wherever she goes. Both of them lose friends who are close to them. Neither of them catch a break.
In the beginning of the book, I was not sure what I thought about Bez and Alandra. It's really difficult to root for characters who just have one bad thing after another happen to them. I found redeeming qualities about them later in the book and realized that I did care.
I give Makerborn 4.5 stars rounded up.
I admit that the length of Makerborn was a bit intimidating for such a dark book, but I was fully invested. I never lost interest. There are some good twists, some betrayals and absolute heartbreak. I'm interested in continuing the series for sure.
I received an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts. This is another reason why the length scared me a bit - I would have wanted to finish it no matter what so that I could give my full review. I'm glad that I ended up really liking it!!
The character work is well done. We slowly get to know who they are and what they've done. Love and vengeance really carry them through. The world and magic system are very interesting. It took some time to understand it (sorta) and there still seems like so much more to know.
Makerborn follows two main characters, Bez and Alandra. Bez lost his parents when he was young and wants to free their souls, while also ridding the world of the people responsible for their murder. First, he needs to get away from the people who enslaved and torture him. Alandra is trying to find her daughter and free her from a life of slavery. However, death seems to follow her wherever she goes. Both of them lose friends who are close to them. Neither of them catch a break.
In the beginning of the book, I was not sure what I thought about Bez and Alandra. It's really difficult to root for characters who just have one bad thing after another happen to them. I found redeeming qualities about them later in the book and realized that I did care.
I give Makerborn 4.5 stars rounded up.
I admit that the length of Makerborn was a bit intimidating for such a dark book, but I was fully invested. I never lost interest. There are some good twists, some betrayals and absolute heartbreak. I'm interested in continuing the series for sure.
I received an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts. This is another reason why the length scared me a bit - I would have wanted to finish it no matter what so that I could give my full review. I'm glad that I ended up really liking it!!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Makerborn by Daymon Ashcord is a brutal, grimdark fantasy that leans hard into violence, moral ambiguity, and the cost of survival—and that’s both its biggest strength and its biggest challenge. Set in the fractured Salvian Empire after a devastating God War, the story follows multiple characters, including a mother hunting for her stolen daughter and others caught in a system built on suffering and power. The world-building stands out: magic (Sonomancy) is tied to pain and madness, and the empire itself feels harsh, layered, and politically unstable, with a constant sense that something worse is coming.
Where the book struggles a bit is in pacing and intensity. The story is heavy and unrelenting —there’s a lot of violence, trauma, and bleakness, and it doesn’t really let up. It can feel both overwhelming and slow, especially given the length and multiple storylines. The characters are compelling in a grim, morally gray way, but they’re not always easy to connect with emotionally, and the story focuses far more on survival and revenge than romance.
Overall, I’d give it 3 stars. It’s a dark, ambitious fantasy with strong world-building and high stakes, but the relentless tone and uneven pacing may not work for everyone. If you like gritty, uncompromising fantasy in the vein of grimdark epics, it’s worth checking out—but it’s definitely not a light read.
Where the book struggles a bit is in pacing and intensity. The story is heavy and unrelenting —there’s a lot of violence, trauma, and bleakness, and it doesn’t really let up. It can feel both overwhelming and slow, especially given the length and multiple storylines. The characters are compelling in a grim, morally gray way, but they’re not always easy to connect with emotionally, and the story focuses far more on survival and revenge than romance.
Overall, I’d give it 3 stars. It’s a dark, ambitious fantasy with strong world-building and high stakes, but the relentless tone and uneven pacing may not work for everyone. If you like gritty, uncompromising fantasy in the vein of grimdark epics, it’s worth checking out—but it’s definitely not a light read.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Makerborn
Daymon Ashcord
Pub Date: Jun 15 2026
Grimdark gets thrown around in the fantasy genre a lot these days to th point it has lost all meaning. I would consider this book to be the definition of grimdark. I picked this book knowing nothing about it. It is a bit longer of a read for my liking but the pacing and entertainment value i got out of it made it seem shorter than its page count.
I would go as far as to dare say that this may be my book of the year.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book early in return for my honest review.
Daymon Ashcord
Pub Date: Jun 15 2026
Grimdark gets thrown around in the fantasy genre a lot these days to th point it has lost all meaning. I would consider this book to be the definition of grimdark. I picked this book knowing nothing about it. It is a bit longer of a read for my liking but the pacing and entertainment value i got out of it made it seem shorter than its page count.
I would go as far as to dare say that this may be my book of the year.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book early in return for my honest review.
Review of advance copy
While I personally wasn’t able to connect to this story I am choosing to rate and review based on things I think other readers would like. The novel checks all the high/epic fantasy boxes. Magic, bloody battles, multiple characters, world building. If you are a fan of David Estes or Phillip C Quaintrell I think this one is worth a try. I can’t put my finger on why I didn’t connect to this story I just didn’t.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews