For as long as Aidan Rune can remember, he has wanted to follow in the footsteps of his dead father and become a king's ranger. Now, a secret revealed by his mother is shattering that dream. When Aidan learns that his father has given him the gift of magic, he must train to become the greatest sorcerer that ever lived. But will he be able to before an enemy who was thought to be long dead comes back to destroy everything and everyone Aidan loves?
This review was originally published on Kurt's Frontier.
Synopsis:
Aidan Rune has lived at the orphanage run by his single mother most of his life. He dreams of becoming a king’s ranger like his dead father. Then, his mother reveals a truth that turns that dream upside down. Angry that he has been living a lie, he heads for Allenna to try to enter the rangers. However, that was not the legacy his father had left for him. Aidan is instead drawn into the king’s sorcerers where he must begin training. Yet all is not well. Since the great war, the land has been at peace. Now treachery is stirring right in the heart of Fort Phoenix. Aidan and his classmates are thrown right into the thick of it when the fort is attacked by dragons. Worst still, there is a traitor in their midst.
Now Aidan and his best friend must go on a journey to prepare their allies for war. Unfortunately their journey has not gone unnoticed by the enemy. Aidan must learn to use his powers, for the battle is upon him.
Review:
Alexander Brockman’s The Phoenix Ring is the first book of The Thunderheart Chronicles. It is a classic coming of age story. Aidan Rune’s childhood dream of becoming a ranger is shattered by the truth that his talent is in magic. He is also heir to the Phoenix Ring that once belonged to the legendary hero, Marcus Thunderheart. However, the ring is more than it seems. Before he can reconcile himself to the change in plans, the kingdom’s enemies are once more on the move.
The Phoenix Ring is a faced paced story. The author doesn’t bog the story down in explanations of the magic system. The characters are sympathetic, and audience will come to care about them. The one drawback is the lack of clear scene-breaks which can make the story a little confusing. I’m looking forward to the next installment.
I feel a little unsure when it comes to this book. Not because its bad - it isn't, but I think because it reminds me a little of Eragon and I'm not sure I care for it. That being said there are a few good points to outline and I'll do so now.
Pros * Story is slightly better * A lot happens in this book for its size * I'm liking most of the characters
Cons * Not sure I fully understand the users that can't do magic or have magic thrown at them.. * Not convinced too much happens in this book this size (I found/find the book Eragon and the series features also too much but those books are 500+) * A lot of information (Whose who, whats what, what happened to cause the world like this)
I must say the world is written beautifully, I can fully imagine the state it has been left in from the previous Great War. Things are not very clear however with how some people are alive after all that time. I must say for a random find, I did enjoy the start to this series.
This is a good book. It tends to jump a little bit that got me a little confused. I can not wait till the next book though. Especially with that ending. I wonder what the author is going to do next.
This is was good enough for a younger reader, but for those with older tastes I do not recommend it. The entire time I was waiver inch between putting it down and finishing it the entire time.
Too many of the fantasy novels I've borrowed recently from Kindle Unlimited I couldn't stand to finish. This one at least kept me interested to the end.
The world building is okay, not great. Magic is pretty undefined. The relationships between characters are the best part of the book. A romance is clearly poised to develop in the sequels.
I'll probably want to read the next in the series if it doesn't take so long to become available that I forget what this one was about.
Main issues I had here was the unbroken nature of the chapters. There is nothing to mark where one characters perspective switches to another, meaning you can have multiple narration within a single paragraph. No real detail on the magic system either. I'll not rush to read the next one.