Aura Wielders: Citadel

by B. Dalton

Something answers.

Eli Walsh never asked to be saved. At eighteen, he's weeks from a two-year church mission he doesn't believe in, trapped between a faith he's been faking and a mother whose heart he can't bear to break.

His best friend Mary wasn't going to let him go quietly. Goth, furious, and desperate enough to try anything, she drags him to an ancient mound and calls to powers that should have stayed forgotten.

Now Eli is somewhere else entirely.

A world where magic flows through the elements. Where armies clash over territory he doesn't understand. Where a girl with Mary's face answers to a different name — and where his memories of home are dissolving like smoke.

He's not sure that's a bad thing.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction

428 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 15, 2026

About the author

B. Dalton lives in Somewhere, Florida, where he splits his time between walks in swamps, film photography, and listening to dreampop in the garage. He once attended film school with grand visions of turning screenplays into blockbuster movies. When Hollywood failed to come knocking, he dusted off an old computer, set it up in the walk-in closet, and wrote a novel for Novel November instead. Aura Wielders: Citadel is his debut. And yes, the pen name matches a bookstore that went out of business. He’s choosing to see that as ironic rather than prophetic.

Reviews

[Belinda Smith]

I really wanted to love this book, especially with its promise of portal fantasy, magical academics, and found family. ✨📚 While I enjoyed parts of it and could appreciate what it was trying to do, it never became the page-turner I hoped it would be.

The story followed Eli, an eighteen-year-old caught between a faith he no longer believed in and a future that didn’t feel like his own. Everything changed when his best friend, Mary, dragged him to an ancient mound in a desperate attempt to save him. Instead, Eli found himself transported to a world where elemental magic existed, kingdoms were at war, and a girl who looked exactly like Mary lived an entirely different life. As his memories of home slowly faded, he was forced to uncover the truth about his unusual abilities while deciding where he truly belonged. 🌍✨

One thing I appreciated was the emotional depth of the story. 💙 Rather than focusing solely on epic battles or world-ending stakes, the novel explored trauma, healing, identity, and belonging. Eli’s struggles felt authentic, and the themes surrounding childhood abuse, emotional neglect, and learning to trust others were handled with care. Some scenes carried a quiet emotional weight that stayed with me long after I finished them.

That said, I found myself wishing the story had focused more on moving the plot forward. 📖 There were long stretches where it felt like the emphasis remained on character interactions and emotional conversations without enough momentum to keep me fully invested. While character-driven stories can be incredibly rewarding, this book needed more action, discoveries, and higher stakes to balance the introspection.

The pacing also struggled for me. The portal fantasy setup was intriguing, but the middle section became quite stagnant, making it difficult to stay engaged. I also felt that Mirah’s storyline sometimes felt disconnected from the rest of the narrative, which made the overall story feel less cohesive. ⚔️

Despite my disappointment, I never felt like this was a bad book. It simply wasn’t the story I expected. Readers who enjoy slower, character-focused fantasy with a strong emphasis on emotional healing will likely connect with it far more than I did. ❤️

Perfect for readers who enjoy:
🌍 Portal fantasy
🏰 Magical academy setting
🔥 Elemental magic systems
🤝 Found family
🩹 Trauma healing & emotional growth
💙 High empathy characters
📚 Character-driven fantasy
🗝️ Identity & self-discovery
✨ Soft, introspective storytelling

Overall, Aura Wielders: Citadel had an interesting premise, an imaginative magic system, and meaningful themes, but the slow pacing and heavy focus on character moments kept me from becoming fully immersed. I liked it, but I never felt that irresistible urge to keep turning the pages, and I ultimately walked away wanting more from both the plot and the world. 🌙

Thank you so much to B. Dalton and RR Book Tours for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

[Ashley Martinez (ilovebooksandstuffblog)]

Aura Wielders

A thrilling new portal fantasy! The story pulled me in and I enjoyed the parallels between the worlds and characters. It was different from the typical story and I enjoyed its uniqueness.

There were different magicks and forbidden secrets that I can’t wait to uncover. This first book only skimmed the surface and I want to know more!

As for the characters, it mostly followed Eli as the main but also had a few other POVs sprinkled in as well. Eli was a relatable character that struggled to find his place. I really enjoyed him and his group of friends.

If you enjoy portal fantasy with parallel worlds, found family, self discovery, unique magicks, magical academy, forbidden powers, and more then don’t miss this!

[Pernille A Prolific Page Turner]

Usually in portal fantasy not much page time is used on the world where the MC originates from, but I really enjoyed how time was used to craft a background to better understand Eli going forward. How he interacts with others and his motivation behind his choices.

The story was solid and the magic system interesting, characters well developed. I'm looking forward to the next installment when, hopefully, wider implications in Eli's new world is explored and his powers utilized. The pace is a bit slow but when a large chunk of the story is used to build a foundation for the main character, it drags a bit.

3.5 stars

Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Libby]

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Aura Wielders: Citadel started out strong, but was a bit of a let-down in the back half. While I enjoyed exploring the main character's magic and the emotional bonds that formed between his team, the world itself felt a little blank, and I don't think the story fully lived up to its premise. Questionable language/prose choices started to pile up in the second half also, which really dulled my enjoyment. 

Aura Wielders: Citadel is a fairly slow burn of a story that really takes time to get into the head of its protagonist, Eli, and build his relationships with other characters. I found this slower pace interesting most of the time, as it almost never felt slow enough that it started to drag. There was always a purpose to a scene (at least in Eli's sections), with the author clearly knowing when and where he needed to touch base with the characters to move the story along. Other reviewers have complained about there not being enough action, but I didn't find that to be true for me.

I also really liked digging into and discovering more about Eli's powers. Some of the most interesting parts of the book were when the characters were discovering how Eli's powers worked and experimenting with them. I really loved the idea of having an MC who didn't have stereotypical big flashy powers like throwing fire etc. Instead, his ability is to support others around him, and it all hinges on being emotionally in tune with his team. I really loved this concept, it felt new and fresh. The mystery of how exactly his powers worked, and what he could do with them, carried me through a lot of the book. There were a few moments where the rest of the magic school sections felt like they were sliding toward rather tired magic school tropes, but this never happened for long enough for it to become a real problem. 

This book focused a lot on the characters, and I really liked getting to know them. I felt like all the characters were well drawn, and had a unique view and place in the story. 

However, there were some definite areas that let this book down. For one thing, I'm not entirely sure what the point was of having this book be a portal fantasy. Florida and the life Eli lives there seem to become completely irrelevant as soon as he gets to the fantasy world. He rarely has skills from his first world that help him in the other, and he doesn't even think that much about the people he left behind - including his family! By the end of the novel, Eli being from a different world is so irrelevant that the author only really uses it as an excuse for Eli to make jokes that reference Earth. The main problem was him immediately having access to the memories of the Eli who existed in the fantasy world; this softens the transition so much that he hardly struggles at all with being thrown from one world to another. He essentially just stepped straight into the role of fantasy!Eli. He spends barely more than a few pages being surprised by an event that should have uprooted his whole perception of reality! Having him be so blasé about the whole thing really makes me question why Dalton bothered making this a portal fantasy in the first place. Having a character fumble their way into a new world is a great way of worldbuilding, since the character has to discover everything about this new world along with the reader, but we don't get any of that.

Speaking of the worldbuilding, this is the area that fell most flat for me in the novel. We hardly get any details about this world - for example, we hear about the 'Core Nations,' but we don't really know what makes them different from other places in this world. We don't hear much about the history or specifics of any of the places we visit, from Eli's village to the Citadel itself. We get a random interesting piece of worldbuilding when we see the town of Mistvale, where the mist is almost sentient and protects the town, but we have no more detail than that, and it becomes irrelevant as soon as we move on. The Citadel itself is the key location of the book, but it gets little description beyond the initial view of it. From then on, it's simply a sea of generic training rooms, bedrooms, corridors, and the library. There's not enough detail or description to give us any sense of place or atmosphere. 

Speaking of the Citadel, the questionable nature of Eli and the others' involvement with the Citadel itself doesn't ever feel like as much of an issue as it should be. The Citadel is presented as a colonising, imperialist, expansionist power/institution, and we get no real justification for their seemingly constant wars beyond "they want to control more territory." They even hire privateers who are clearly little more than thugs. Despite all this - and the contempt and fear with which Eli's family and village treat the Citadel representatives - Eli and the others spend no time at all grappling with the ethics of participating in this system. They're being trained for war, to participate in extending the Citadel's reach, and they never stop to contemplate why, or whether they should be training so enthusiastically. Equally, no one within the Citadel has to do any kind of convincing to make them fall in line. There's a distinct lack of any propaganda, despite the characters implying the Citadel puts their students through the grinder and brainwashes them into compliance. Despite their claims, we don't see any of this; the characters seem happy to do the Citadel's bidding without even once being threatened. Also, despite the students in Eli's cadre all coming from outside the Core Nations, they don't get treated any differently, or treated with any kind of derision or suspicion or curiosity because of their background. It ends up feeling like the author hasn't really considered how the geopolitical situation of this world works, and how that might influence character interactions. Instead, we jump immediately into magic school shenanigans - most of which are fun! But it does feel like we're ignoring the fact that the characters are essentially at a Hogwarts being run by the magic British Empire. 

Mirah's journey to the Citadel would have been a really good way to introduce us to more of this world, but instead, everything she does feels like pointless busywork, introducing us to unimportant side characters who then get killed or shunted off screen, and both the settings and actions in her plot end up feeling generic instead of interesting. The most interesting piece of information we get is that the Citadel hires privateers, but we don't dig any deeper into it or answer questions about why the Citadel is motivated to do that, or what the privateers take, why they hire them instead of collecting taxes, who the privateers are fighting against if anyone, etc. Both the caravan attack and the privateer section feel like their only purpose is to give Mirah a push toward using new powers, both of which could've been done at the Citadel instead if she'd gone there with Eli in the beginning, which would have tightened up the plot. It leaves Mirah's entire plot feeling like a pointless side quest.

The language also becomes noticeably weaker in the second half. The author uses incorrect sentence fragments throughout, but these become far more frequent later on. There are also less instances of interesting sentence construction using colons, semicolons and multi-phrase sentences. Instead, we get a lot of sentences where single words or short phrase stack together, ex. "She’d done small things till now. Lights. Sounds. A shimmer at the edge of her senses. But nothing like this." or "'A wedge,' Gregor said, 'Or a shim. Metal. Thin.'" We also get a big increase in the number of single-line paragraphs, and lots of instances of "not [A], but [B]" phrasing, again and again. I also noticed a lot more awkward images and phrasing that didn't quite make sense in the second half, like "suspicion didn’t land, but it hovered" and "the whole ship seemed to hold itself together by rules she’d never imagined" and "something almost approving in the set of her shoulders." All together, these little annoyances stacked up and made reading this book more of a chore as the initially good quality of the prose degraded over time.

All in all, I felt like there was a lot to like in Aura Wielders: Citadel, like the strong character voices and the interesting magic wielded by the main character. However, the book was let down by the distinct lack of attention to basic worldbuilding. The decrease in prose quality in the second half also considerably dented my enthusiasm for this book, bringing it from a four to a three star read.

[Xan]

‧₊˚✧ 4.5 ✧˚₊‧
I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley, so a big thank you for the opportunity to read this book before release. I must admit, I was a tad afraid because of the Goodreads rating, but my fear was not based, because I really enjoyed this book a lot.

The first thing that caught my attention was how autism-coded Eli was, and same my dude. I really could get into his thought patterns because of this. It also made Eli so real as a character. You feel his struggle around his identity and that he's finding his place in the world. I loved seeing him grow as we go along in the story and I can't wait to see him grow into his role even more.

This definitely is a character-based fantasy where relationships have a lot of importance. The assignment of the cadre was a bit unexpected with his past with 'real life Greg' vs his current situation with 'this world's Gregor'. I really expected Jase to be there, but I can appreciate being throw off in this kind of situation.

In the beginning this book also gave me major Barbie movie vibes, which is a compliment by the way. I think it was the way in which the author captured the magic, as well as the big 'zero to hero' arc this story is giving. Eli is no strong main character we often see nowadays, he struggles, but finds his own way in the world.

I also loved the magic system a lot. The way of the paths and that some are lost or buried is really interesting and I can't wait to see it all unfold in the next book. I wonder what forces they will have to battle. Will it be them vs the current system or will there be an actual villain in the future? Whatever it is, I really want this next book stat.

My takeaways: real characters in the beginning of their arcs, interesting magic system and general amazing vibes. Do consider picking this one up!

[Mikayla Young]

★★★★.5, 4.5 stars

The characters within this narrative are intricately crafted, showcasing a rich tapestry of emotional depth, realism, diversity, and a touch of the magical.

At the heart of the story is Eli, a protagonist who serves as a relatable anchor for readers. His journey is not just a physical adventure; it is a profound exploration of reflection, self-discovery, and the bonds of friendship. As Eli navigates through various challenges, readers are invited to connect with his experiences, empathizing with his struggles and triumphs.

His companions—Tia, Alia, and Gregor—each bring their own unique backgrounds and histories to the table. Their pasts, while distinct, share common threads that highlight the universal nature of human experience. This duality allows readers to reflect on how connections can be forged through shared histories, emphasizing that overcoming personal demons from the past can be a more arduous task than one might initially perceive. The ensemble of characters forms a cadre that embodies a spectrum of traits: from humor and realism to fierce determination and unwavering discipline. Their interactions are infused with honesty, sometimes brutally so, which adds a layer of authenticity to their relationships. Alongside Eli's core group, other characters such as

Mirah and Jase, along with various travelers encountered throughout the journey, contribute to the rich narrative. These characters provide moments of levity and lightheartedness, juxtaposed with the underlying tension of the escalating conflict between good and evil that looms ominously in the shadows of their world.

The settings in this story are not merely backdrops; they are vividly rendered, realistic environments that take on lives of their own, enhanced by the magical abilities of the characters. Each location is meticulously crafted, serving as an integral part of the narrative that shapes the characters' experiences and growth.

The author excels in weaving together elements of realism and magic, creating a complex writing style that captivates readers. The descriptions of both elemental and non-elemental powers are particularly noteworthy, as they are articulated with clarity and depth, showcasing not only their physical manifestations but also their profound emotional impacts on the characters. In this first installment, the author skillfully provides brief histories and essential details about the magical powers that permeate the world, while simultaneously maintaining an air of mystery that leaves readers eager for the next installment.

The plot is intricately developed, filled with action, adventure, and a sense of mystery that keeps the pages turning. However, there are moments where the pacing slows, which may lead some readers to take breaks or read the book in segments due to its considerable length. While many plot threads are resolved, a couple of significant mysteries are intentionally left open, inviting readers to engage with the narrative and solve these enigmas alongside the characters in the anticipated sequel.

Throughout the storyline, profound lessons emerge, touching on themes such as faith, trust, friendship, and the dynamics between individual efforts and collaborative endeavors. The narrative emphasizes the importance of reflection and the often convoluted journey of self-discovery. It illustrates that understanding our powers—and, more importantly, ourselves—does not always occur in isolation; rather, it is frequently catalyzed by the influence of others and the events we encounter.

*Citadel* is a remarkable portal fantasy that is rich with action, magic, and intricate mysteries. It successfully engages readers, drawing them into a world that is both enchanting and relatable, leaving them invested in the characters' journeys and eagerly anticipating what twists and turns may unfold in the future

[Matt Tiu]

Many thanks to the publisher, author and NetGalley for the ARC.

First and foremost, for readers who are avid fans of manhwa stories with plot device of starting a new life in another fantasy world and discovering one’s newfound potential towards an adventure-filled journey, this book is for you. Aura Wielders: Citadel basically tells a story of a young Mormon guy who is stuck with fulfilling his missionary duties out of his mom’s wishes and his self-doubt over the faith he confesses with. His internal conflict brought him to a situation where his friend, out of concern for him to offer him a lifeline to escape that duty, made a decision that eventually pushed the main character to an entirely new world where aura wielding is a reality.

This book will definitely have a certain demographic of readers and should target those manhwa readers because based on my personal reading experience, I find similar plot devices and this book follows the familiar formula which is easily recognisable and will resonate with manhwa readers. Upon finishing this book, I was totally hooked with the future of this series and I’m looking forward towards whatever future world-building, lore, and character dynamics this will offer in the sequels.

I went into the novel without any expectations, but when I was at the point beyond Chapter 5, I got the hang of it. I was expecting another fairly standard manhwa trope with steady unfolding of events, and honestly, that’s pretty much what I got. There’s nothing particularly revolutionary about the premise, like the familiar tropes of main character’s personal motivation to do better in a new life, freedom that comes with own difficulties, underdog who isn’t overpowered from the start, finding unusual abilities and establishing new goals in life could be expected. However, the execution is what kept me reading, plus the fact that this is just Book 1 of the series helped me manage my expectations to wait for more in the next books to come.

I really enjoyed the pacing of the story because the author didn’t jumped right straight away in introducing a heavy world-building narrative. Introducing the story by focusing first on the protagonist’s situation, internal conflicts, and state of mind in the first 5 chapters is an intelligent decision. I also liked seeing how the author dealt with introducing other characters without unnecessary details, because in this type of stories, what matters most is the elaborate telling of events and intricate building of magic system without trying too hard on describing the character’s personalities.

Although this book landed perfectly to me and I wanted to give it 6 stars rating out of 5 stars, I also recognise that this might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Especially for people who are more exposed to other prominent authors who have already established their names in fantasy fiction genre. Others might find this book lacking in terms of action scenes, elaborate system building, or would find the lack of lore (e.g., a legend about the heroes of Aegis conquest or expounding on the members of miracle generations like Caelum, Petyra, and Terraes) not engaging.

That being said, I think the author knows exactly what it wants to be. The book is not necessarily trying to reinvent the formula for this genre. Instead, it is taking familiar tropes and using them to tell an entertaining story by incorporating Native Indian lores as a substitute to the typical eastern Murim world structure. If you enjoy fantasy action stories with gradual pacing and realistic character development, I’d recommend giving it a try.

[j]

if ‘mormon coming of age story gets isekai’d into the grishaverse’ doesn’t have you hooked to read this then frankly i do not know what else to say.

eli doesn’t want to go on his two year mission. life has been laid out for him — a job, a belief system, and a girl who promises to write him letters. there’s only one problem: he doesn’t want any of it. he doesn’t think he believes in god, and he’s got a crush on his best friend mary — a goth witch who will do anything to stop him from ruining his own life. when it looks like there’s no way to stop him from caving to his mother’s expectations, she does the only thing left — slipshod ritual at a burial mound!!

elijah has a life in his village: taking care of his family, working the fields, and marrying his betrothed. but when the overreaching empire appears for mandatory magic testing, he has to learn to trust his allies before the secrets of his powers get him locked up forever. his betrothed, finding secret powers of her own, travels half the world to reach him before he gets sucked into the powerful world of the citadel forever.

it’s got it all. political intrigue. multiple universes. chosen ones. forbidden powers. found family. battle-hardened reluctant mentor but she’s also a woman! i found myself kicking my feet and feeling like i did when i was young and reading fantasy!!

and the premise is just FASCINATING. spent MUCH longer in the real world than i expected — but i feel like it really paid off! a very delightful metaphor analyzing what it means to have a higher purpose, what it looks like to be chosen by something bigger than yourself, and how you can rely on those you love to help you break free of the chains of tradition. except sometimes the tradition is joseph smith and sometimes the tradition is Void Magic. just a super fun time all around and i need book two of this NOWWWWW.

i received a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[amanda_coffee_books]

I’m so sorry for the late review! I still want to share my thoughts after reading. Yes, this book took a bit longer to finish, but I didn’t want to rush it. I really enjoyed it. Understanding the church and the questions Eli had was tough when he felt like he had to please everyone. I felt a lot for Eli and wished I could hug him and his siblings.

His friend Mary wanted him to figure things out on his own, instead of listening to his mother and the church. I’ve been on a mission myself, but not every two years. I can relate to Eli’s experience of knocking on doors and feeling like no one wants to learn or believe in the Lord the way his church does. Eli had small feelings about Christ, but Mary’s actions led him to a different world, but not forgetting his own. (No spoilers)

I got a little frustrated with Mary because she seemed like she was just like the church. She took matters into her own hands, which wasn’t her place to do. That’s what bothered me about her.

Eli ended up in a different world where he still had memories of his own. He was pulled into a world where everyone looked the same, but the names were different and not the same as his own world. (No spoilers)

Now I understand why there are so many mixed reviews and why. I would have loved more action, but I really enjoyed the deep dive into the world and the memories each character had to learn their skills. Eli is very different, and yes, this book leaves you guessing and figuring out what he truly is. Now that Eloise had me confused, I almost felt like there were secrets and two-faced stuff going on. I ended up preordering book 2 because I need to know what happens, and Mary (no spoilers).

Thank you to the author and RRbooktours for the opportunity to read and discover a new author that I enjoy.

[Anthony]

THE REVIEW

This was an engaging and compelling adventure fantasy novel. The depth of world-building and character development leads to a solid foundation for this story to take hold. The detailed imagery in the author's writing style allowed the reader to immerse themselves in both worlds that this book occupied, both the one familiar to us and the one the Author created as a protagonist stepped into this epic fantasy universe.

The mythology and compelling, emotionally driven themes made this novel truly engaging. Since this was such a character-driven narrative, the mythos honed in on the protagonist, particularly as did the themes. The narrative explores what it means to deal with loss and survive childhood horrors, while also peeling back layers of the protagonist's character arc to dive into the journey of understanding one’s own identity. The conflict between the faith he grew up in and the world as he understands it is one many readers will understand completely, and the unique academic nature of studying auras and the magic associated with them adds a sense of adventure and entertainment that will keep readers invested in this narrative overall.

THE VERDICT

Memorable, entertaining, and heartfelt in its delivery, author B. Dalton’s “Aura Wielders: Citadel” is a must-read fantasy novel. The concept of finding magic and an adventure through alternate realities and portals felt like a great connection to both folklorist and metaphysical genre storytelling, while also allowing the deep emotional themes of the narrative to connect readers with the protagonist and keep them invested in every twist and turn the story takes, including the cliffhanger final chapter.

[Sudipta Nandi]

A highly engaging portal fantasy novel that combines magic academics with trauma-healing and found-family dynamics. This one is not for the readers that only focus on core fantasy. Rather, it offers a ride to intricate magic-systems with relatable steps of emotional intelligence. Eli’s power is different, and that makes him unique with his magical resonance and load-bearing threads.

The zero-offence and high empathy further intensify with parallel backstories of childhood trauma of an abusive father, the “bad quiet” ambiance, and feeling the emotional temperature of a room. The elemental powers of Alia, Gregor, Tia, and Eli are worth exploring.

Dalton offers a suffocating dread-building with the flat voice, hiding under the table, and approaching boots. Mira’s desperation and Eli’s library research juxtaposed to remove the stagnant pacing of many academy novels.

However, the main antagonist being the snobby-bully reminds us of the same frustrating institutional structure. Also, high dependence on the portal fantasy model in the beginning created a slight stagnant middle part and sometimes isolated Mirah’s journey. But, trauma handling and earned relationships compensate for the said.

Highly recommended for readers looking for progressive character-building and magic-detailed fantasy.

[Katie]

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

Aura Wielders: Citadel is a portal fantasy about a a young man named Eli. Eli is on the cusp of adulthood, and questioning his current trajectory of becoming a missionary overseas. In a last-ditch attempt to get him out of his obligation, his best friend Mary sends him to another world. A world overlapping with faces and names, but rich in fantasy elements and elemental-based powers.

Overall, I was really vibing with the book the first 50%. The characters were well thought out and the world building was really good.

I really enjoyed the world building itself; the concept of the Citadel commanding the fate of all these powerful individuals while doing some shady stuff of their own.

I'm not sure what happened, but about halfway through, the descriptions of fights, feelings, etc. started to get very vague. It was written to sound like it was deep/profound but it really didn't communicate anything. (The biggest turn off for me was constantly stating that something mattered, without showing how or why). If you take away the vague descriptors, this could've easily been a 5-star read for me. I'm hoping to see less in book 2!

[Justine]

3.5⭐️

It started off pretty slow but when the story picked up, I was locked in! I really like the world building and how the multi-verse/alternate reality concept played out. The characters, basically the cadre, are interesting and very likable; I like that they all have depth and personality. The pacing overall was a little up and down for me sometimes but I didn’t mind it too much because the plot, the magic system, the interpersonal & intrapersonal growth of the characters got me hooked anyway.

I enjoyed reading Eli’s journey navigating through the new world and his overall self-discovery, but I’m also excited to read about Mirah and her story. I’m looking forward to diving deeper into the Citadel’s history and the progression of the harmony; I feel like this book did a great job building it up with the right amount of information to hold attention without giving up too much.

I’m definitely looking forward to get back into this world, I just know more things will unfold and I’m here for it!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!

[Erica]

3.5 💫

This book had really interesting concepts! Towards the end I was thoroughly engaged and I can't wait to see what comes next. The beginning to about a third of the book was a little draggy at times and there were a few repetitive sections like some part of chapter 26 but after that it was super engaging and entertaining.

In terms of the characters, this book really felt like just an introduction, I really hope the characters are explored a lot more in the next book and I can't wait to see how it all comes together.

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for an e-ARC!!

[Kristina Galuszka]

I absolutely loved this book and was captivated from the very beginning. You're captivated by the details, the story, the mystery element that it comes along with it. It's so easy to relate to the characters, feel what they are feeling, and want to be part of the magic that they are. During the tense moments, you feel that same tension, and I found myself holding my breath at the times of suspense.

[Tanya]

His is on the brink of a two year mission but it will all changes when she uses a mound to try to stop him going. Follow him as he is transported to a new place so different to the one he left behind. See just how he gets on
I received an advance copy from hidden gems and a time travel read

[Kristie Wagner]

This was a really interesting one! Eli has ended up in a world similar to his but not quite. There's magic here, and he has the ability to weld it. As he learns more about his powers and this new world, it appears that there's much more to him than meets the eye.

[Echo]

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.
I really enjoyed this one. (Element users being gathered for training). This one is heavy on the character development and I really appreciated that.
Will definitely be reading the next one!

[Raven]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Unfortunately, i had to DNF at 8%.

The opening just did not hook me at all. I felt like this book was not picking up and couldn't hold my attention. Super interesting premise and I might give it another try in the future.