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The Fall of Rath: Blood and Magic
In the Four Realms, power lies in the hands of the Undying. These few men and women are immortal mages of rare strength. But what does it cost a person to live the length of many lifetimes and see friend after friend die?
With little more than a century behind him, Yerikan is young for an Undying mage. Yet he is already learning the cost of his years. He fights for his kingdom of Rath and his master, Lord Paelan … and against his fondness for wine. Fearing an invasion from the East, Yerikan is sent to the Jehari Empire to stir up trouble. He succeeds too well. His seduction of Nyreni and its discovery sets the Four Realms on a path to brutal war.
The Fall of Rath is a novel of High Fantasy, with blood, magic, and romance. Please note that this novel contains adult themes.
With little more than a century behind him, Yerikan is young for an Undying mage. Yet he is already learning the cost of his years. He fights for his kingdom of Rath and his master, Lord Paelan … and against his fondness for wine. Fearing an invasion from the East, Yerikan is sent to the Jehari Empire to stir up trouble. He succeeds too well. His seduction of Nyreni and its discovery sets the Four Realms on a path to brutal war.
The Fall of Rath is a novel of High Fantasy, with blood, magic, and romance. Please note that this novel contains adult themes.
- GenresFantasy
423 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 6, 2017
128 people are currently reading
217 people want to read
About the author
Gavin South
1 book2 followersGavin South is a British writer. He lives in Sweden with his wife and two children. He writes fantasy, but not about elves or dragons. Not so far, anyway.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
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October 18, 2017This is one of the SPFBO titles I have been reading, and sadly I didn't actually end up finishing this one. I got to 20% and I just wasn't feeling all that compelled to read it, so I ended up putting it off and putting it off until I decided it just wasn't going to be a winner for me and there was much point in persevering. That's not at all to say this is bad, it's just not what I was in the mood for, and it didn't have anything that stood out enough to me to make it distinctive and memorable.
From what I did read I know that there's two incredibly powerful sisters who rule over Jehar, and a young man who is sent to negotiate/charm them. This all goes a little too well for one of the sisters, and thus incurs the wrath of the other who feels bitter towards the two lovers. Naturally, politics starts to go wrong around them and this all leads to what I can only assume would have become war...
What I found most difficult with this one I think was the slow start. This just didn't draw me in and make me want to read it like many other stories do. I felt like instead it was aiming for a slow build, but even by the 20% mark I still wasn't feeling compelled to read, and instead I just felt like it was all moving a bit too slowly. I do like world-building, and sometimes a slow start can really work, but in this book it just didn't seem to 'click'.
Overall it may well develop into something more than it currently is, but for me I just didn't feel like it was strong enough for the other books it's competing against for SPFBO so I didn't feel the need to read further. I would probably have given it a 2.5*s in the end, but I don't know for sure of course...
From what I did read I know that there's two incredibly powerful sisters who rule over Jehar, and a young man who is sent to negotiate/charm them. This all goes a little too well for one of the sisters, and thus incurs the wrath of the other who feels bitter towards the two lovers. Naturally, politics starts to go wrong around them and this all leads to what I can only assume would have become war...
What I found most difficult with this one I think was the slow start. This just didn't draw me in and make me want to read it like many other stories do. I felt like instead it was aiming for a slow build, but even by the 20% mark I still wasn't feeling compelled to read, and instead I just felt like it was all moving a bit too slowly. I do like world-building, and sometimes a slow start can really work, but in this book it just didn't seem to 'click'.
Overall it may well develop into something more than it currently is, but for me I just didn't feel like it was strong enough for the other books it's competing against for SPFBO so I didn't feel the need to read further. I would probably have given it a 2.5*s in the end, but I don't know for sure of course...
June 12, 2018
I read this for SPFBO and it fell between the cracks for the reviews, like many others did, unfortunately. This will appeal to people who like multi pov, war, and politics.
The beginning of the book has a very brief 1-2 page intro to the world and its people which sets up what to expect from the story. The continent and its cultures are split geographically by North, South, East, and West. Rath is the Westerly most country, and their people are considered to be cold and lacking in cunning by other societies. The country of Jehar lays in the East and they consider themselves superior to the other 3 realms, thinking of themselves as the wisest and most passionate people of all the kingdoms. Jehar is ramping up an invasion force to take on the western kingdom of Rath.
There are many moving parts and a bunch of characters in this story, but I would say Yerikan comes the closest to being the main POV. Yerikan has a reputation for possessing nerves of steel and questionable morality, and it’s earned him a new mission from his master, Lord Paelen. Lord Paelen has it on good authority that the kingdom of Jerah is going to invade, he’s tried warning the nobles of the impending war for years, but they haven’t listened to him – consequently, their armies are no match for Jerah’s. Lord Paelen sends Yerikan on a mission to Jerah to learn what he can and delay the invasion if he can, any small delay can give the Rathians more time to prepare for war.
Jehar is ruled by two sisters who are also Undying, they’re approximately 600 years old and have been in absolute power for a long time, despite the puppet Empress sitting on the throne. The two sisters are very different, Isaah is a cunning military strategist and very hot-headed, while Nyreni is more down to earth and even-tempered enjoying her gardens and poetry.
When Yerikan arrives in Jehar he seduces Nyreni despite her oath of celibacy, and it caused a major rift between the two sisters. Nyreni eventually flees the city after her sister finds out about her ‘betrayal’ and oath-breaking behavior. After she flees, her sister Isaah starts to spread the word that Nyreni is a traitor and frames her for killing the Empress and uses it as an excuse to invade Rath. Isaah is also setting herself up to be worshipped as a god, without the influence of her sisters’ cool temperament she’s gone mad with power. To complicate things, Nyreni’s supporters are skeptical of the claims of treason and treachery, so Isaah has to find a way to put down the dissenters as she plans her invasion of Rath, it involves a lot of blackmail, kidnapping, and assassinations.
Meanwhile, Yerikan and Nyreni are on the run and have ended up in the South with the orange-eyed desert people. Nyreni has fallen head over heels for Yerikan, and he has no qualms exploiting that for his own benefit, playing along with it and pretending that he’s in love too. She’s convinced that Yerikan has untapped potential and that his master Lord Paelen has been keeping him back on purpose to hold off a potential rival. She’s training him how to harness his powers and he’s becoming more and more of a force to be reckoned with.
The way the story was written kind of made me feel distant from the characters in the same way that I did with Grace of Kings. It had a storyteller-esque feel to it like you were listening to a story around a campfire, and less involved with the characters and more involved in the plot. I also had a little trouble connecting with some of the characters just due to their nature. It’s obvious Yerikan lives up to his reputation during a scene where he’s involved Nyreni – he’s sleeping with her and she’s falling for him, and he has a thought in the back of his head that “she’s fun….. but if Lord Paelen orders me to slit her throat, I will.” It kind of hammers home this guy is a heartless dick and I didn’t find myself rooting for him, but I did find myself curious about him and what he was going to do next.
There were new POV’s and plotlines being introduced around 25% through the story so the pacing was a bit stop and go until about halfway through where it evened out and started to read quickly.
The tone is pretty bleak, there’s a lot of death, but much of it was small-scale fights vs large scale battles. There were a lot of political assassinations and those being silenced by the government, as well as people who are just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The bleakness was kept up through the relationships as well, the two sisters used to get along but over the last few centuries, they drifted further apart into hatred. The relationship between Nyreni and Yerikan was also fairly depressing, with the reader knowing the whole time that she’s just being used, and the affection from Yerikan was minimal, although he did come to care for her more as the story went on. Watching a POV descend into madness is it’s own kind of bleakness as well, Isaah starts executing her staff because she doesn’t trust any of them. She told someone in her confidence that the house staff looked right into her eyes, so that must be defiance, so she had them killed… and likewise, the ones that didn’t look at her enough were killed because they were ‘clearly hiding something’.
This book has a more mysterious approach to magic rather than a hard magic system with rules, but song does come into play. “At a sung word, the bars of metal bent and writhed to the ground like worms.” Mages can be extremely powerful but they can burn through their reserves if pressed too hard, and Nyreni is suffering from this after getting her and Yerikan out of Jehar, she’s visibly aged and very weak.
Each of the cultures looks very different from one another, the skin tones of this world aren’t the typical “white” to “brown” spectrum, but rather has hues like violet and crimson – it’s pretty easy to tell who hails from what region and it makes for easy bigotry and hatred.
Overall, I felt like the world building outshined the characters in this one, the world building was very intricate, very well thought out and immersive. The plotline was very complex and involved a lot of different parties all coming together into one tapestry. I did feel kind of removed from most of the characters, although as the story progressed I found myself feeling worse and worse for Nyreni and very much sympathized with her.
Audience:
For people who like:
* detailed and heavy world building
* politics
* assassinations
* insane rulers
* rivalries and warfare
* diverse cultures
* multi pov
* complex plot
Ratings:
* Plot: 12.5/15
* Characters: 10/15
* World Building: 13/15
* Pacing: 10/15
* Writing: 12/15
* Originality: 12/15
* Personal Enjoyment: 7.5/10
Final Score: 77/100 – 3.85/5 GR stars (recommended reading)
The beginning of the book has a very brief 1-2 page intro to the world and its people which sets up what to expect from the story. The continent and its cultures are split geographically by North, South, East, and West. Rath is the Westerly most country, and their people are considered to be cold and lacking in cunning by other societies. The country of Jehar lays in the East and they consider themselves superior to the other 3 realms, thinking of themselves as the wisest and most passionate people of all the kingdoms. Jehar is ramping up an invasion force to take on the western kingdom of Rath.
There are many moving parts and a bunch of characters in this story, but I would say Yerikan comes the closest to being the main POV. Yerikan has a reputation for possessing nerves of steel and questionable morality, and it’s earned him a new mission from his master, Lord Paelen. Lord Paelen has it on good authority that the kingdom of Jerah is going to invade, he’s tried warning the nobles of the impending war for years, but they haven’t listened to him – consequently, their armies are no match for Jerah’s. Lord Paelen sends Yerikan on a mission to Jerah to learn what he can and delay the invasion if he can, any small delay can give the Rathians more time to prepare for war.
Jehar is ruled by two sisters who are also Undying, they’re approximately 600 years old and have been in absolute power for a long time, despite the puppet Empress sitting on the throne. The two sisters are very different, Isaah is a cunning military strategist and very hot-headed, while Nyreni is more down to earth and even-tempered enjoying her gardens and poetry.
When Yerikan arrives in Jehar he seduces Nyreni despite her oath of celibacy, and it caused a major rift between the two sisters. Nyreni eventually flees the city after her sister finds out about her ‘betrayal’ and oath-breaking behavior. After she flees, her sister Isaah starts to spread the word that Nyreni is a traitor and frames her for killing the Empress and uses it as an excuse to invade Rath. Isaah is also setting herself up to be worshipped as a god, without the influence of her sisters’ cool temperament she’s gone mad with power. To complicate things, Nyreni’s supporters are skeptical of the claims of treason and treachery, so Isaah has to find a way to put down the dissenters as she plans her invasion of Rath, it involves a lot of blackmail, kidnapping, and assassinations.
Meanwhile, Yerikan and Nyreni are on the run and have ended up in the South with the orange-eyed desert people. Nyreni has fallen head over heels for Yerikan, and he has no qualms exploiting that for his own benefit, playing along with it and pretending that he’s in love too. She’s convinced that Yerikan has untapped potential and that his master Lord Paelen has been keeping him back on purpose to hold off a potential rival. She’s training him how to harness his powers and he’s becoming more and more of a force to be reckoned with.
The way the story was written kind of made me feel distant from the characters in the same way that I did with Grace of Kings. It had a storyteller-esque feel to it like you were listening to a story around a campfire, and less involved with the characters and more involved in the plot. I also had a little trouble connecting with some of the characters just due to their nature. It’s obvious Yerikan lives up to his reputation during a scene where he’s involved Nyreni – he’s sleeping with her and she’s falling for him, and he has a thought in the back of his head that “she’s fun….. but if Lord Paelen orders me to slit her throat, I will.” It kind of hammers home this guy is a heartless dick and I didn’t find myself rooting for him, but I did find myself curious about him and what he was going to do next.
There were new POV’s and plotlines being introduced around 25% through the story so the pacing was a bit stop and go until about halfway through where it evened out and started to read quickly.
The tone is pretty bleak, there’s a lot of death, but much of it was small-scale fights vs large scale battles. There were a lot of political assassinations and those being silenced by the government, as well as people who are just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The bleakness was kept up through the relationships as well, the two sisters used to get along but over the last few centuries, they drifted further apart into hatred. The relationship between Nyreni and Yerikan was also fairly depressing, with the reader knowing the whole time that she’s just being used, and the affection from Yerikan was minimal, although he did come to care for her more as the story went on. Watching a POV descend into madness is it’s own kind of bleakness as well, Isaah starts executing her staff because she doesn’t trust any of them. She told someone in her confidence that the house staff looked right into her eyes, so that must be defiance, so she had them killed… and likewise, the ones that didn’t look at her enough were killed because they were ‘clearly hiding something’.
This book has a more mysterious approach to magic rather than a hard magic system with rules, but song does come into play. “At a sung word, the bars of metal bent and writhed to the ground like worms.” Mages can be extremely powerful but they can burn through their reserves if pressed too hard, and Nyreni is suffering from this after getting her and Yerikan out of Jehar, she’s visibly aged and very weak.
Each of the cultures looks very different from one another, the skin tones of this world aren’t the typical “white” to “brown” spectrum, but rather has hues like violet and crimson – it’s pretty easy to tell who hails from what region and it makes for easy bigotry and hatred.
Overall, I felt like the world building outshined the characters in this one, the world building was very intricate, very well thought out and immersive. The plotline was very complex and involved a lot of different parties all coming together into one tapestry. I did feel kind of removed from most of the characters, although as the story progressed I found myself feeling worse and worse for Nyreni and very much sympathized with her.
Audience:
For people who like:
* detailed and heavy world building
* politics
* assassinations
* insane rulers
* rivalries and warfare
* diverse cultures
* multi pov
* complex plot
Ratings:
* Plot: 12.5/15
* Characters: 10/15
* World Building: 13/15
* Pacing: 10/15
* Writing: 12/15
* Originality: 12/15
* Personal Enjoyment: 7.5/10
Final Score: 77/100 – 3.85/5 GR stars (recommended reading)
November 5, 2019
TW for rape, abuse, graphic violence, and a whole lot of death.
3.75/5, rounded up. This was read for /r/fantasy's book bingo.
As the title implies, this is like watching a train wreck in slow motion. On a continent, there are four countries, and one of those countries is called Rath. It falls. Stuff happens. The end.
A more detailed summary is Yerikan, a Rathism man unable to be killed because MAGIC, is sent to seduce the rulers of Jehari, who is apparently planning to invade Rath. He falls in love with one of the sisters (who in turns instaloves him back, even tho she's forbidden to have sex) and they play hide-and-seek with the other sister who basically becomes god. So, actual war breaks out between the two countries and somehow they rope in everyone to the dogpile.
Plot is average. Characters are above-average, especially PoV characters. I adored Carli. Worldbuilding is phenominal. In general, it's a really fun book to read, despite dealing with really heavy topics. Sometimes it does get a bit "too much" and you need to put the book down for a while.
The first and final thirds of the book really invested me in the world and the story. Unfortunately, the middle third dragged on, as it's a bit of a cat-and-mouse game between two sisters. You get small bits of cool worldbuilding in that middle third, but it's essentially a connect-the-dots from A to B. It does get better by the last third, but you may be bored enough to just drop it, and honestly I wouldn't blame you.
Honestly, the worldbuilding is really neat, and if anything, I'd like to see more of it if sequels or sidequels are planned. For example, I thought upon reading the line "No Jehari would want to give birth in Rath, as the child would look sickly and gaunt" (paraphrasing), I was like "lol that's not how genetics work." Then, a few chapters later, you have literal descriptions of people's physical attributes changing because they lived in a certain place for X amount of time, and I was like "O_O that is how it works." Little things like that make this book a real treat.
If you've decided this is YOUR BOOK AND NEED IT NOW and you're playing along with /r/fantasy's book bingo, this'll qualify you for self-pubbed, 4+ word title, and local author for UK/Sweden.
3.75/5, rounded up. This was read for /r/fantasy's book bingo.
As the title implies, this is like watching a train wreck in slow motion. On a continent, there are four countries, and one of those countries is called Rath. It falls. Stuff happens. The end.
A more detailed summary is Yerikan, a Rathism man unable to be killed because MAGIC, is sent to seduce the rulers of Jehari, who is apparently planning to invade Rath. He falls in love with one of the sisters (who in turns instaloves him back, even tho she's forbidden to have sex) and they play hide-and-seek with the other sister who basically becomes god. So, actual war breaks out between the two countries and somehow they rope in everyone to the dogpile.
Plot is average. Characters are above-average, especially PoV characters. I adored Carli. Worldbuilding is phenominal. In general, it's a really fun book to read, despite dealing with really heavy topics. Sometimes it does get a bit "too much" and you need to put the book down for a while.
The first and final thirds of the book really invested me in the world and the story. Unfortunately, the middle third dragged on, as it's a bit of a cat-and-mouse game between two sisters. You get small bits of cool worldbuilding in that middle third, but it's essentially a connect-the-dots from A to B. It does get better by the last third, but you may be bored enough to just drop it, and honestly I wouldn't blame you.
Honestly, the worldbuilding is really neat, and if anything, I'd like to see more of it if sequels or sidequels are planned. For example, I thought upon reading the line "No Jehari would want to give birth in Rath, as the child would look sickly and gaunt" (paraphrasing), I was like "lol that's not how genetics work." Then, a few chapters later, you have literal descriptions of people's physical attributes changing because they lived in a certain place for X amount of time, and I was like "O_O that is how it works." Little things like that make this book a real treat.
If you've decided this is YOUR BOOK AND NEED IT NOW and you're playing along with /r/fantasy's book bingo, this'll qualify you for self-pubbed, 4+ word title, and local author for UK/Sweden.
November 14, 2018
At the same time better and worse than expected.
It had a pretty good start, but there was too much focus on politics and too little explanation of the characters and lands. It sort of feels like the plot of this book could have just as easily been three books. That doesn't mean it was quick-paced though, the whole middle part was actually rather slow. I sort of had to force myself through the middle. In the end, when the war escalates, it gets better again, even though all the battle scenes were quite confusing and I didn't really root for anyone since I didn't know enough about them to care. Also the timeframe was hard to remember, at the beginning of each chapter it says the year and week, but too often I would forget and later have no clue how much time had passed. From these words it might sound like it was a really bad book, but I enjoyed it. I think mostly for the idea of the story, which is absolutely fantastic and amazing. Also the characters, with more time, would have been interesting, I guess.
So, in conclusion, a fantastic premise which could have been better executed, but the overall writing style wasn't too bad. Also I loved the violence and the powerful magics and the immortality
It had a pretty good start, but there was too much focus on politics and too little explanation of the characters and lands. It sort of feels like the plot of this book could have just as easily been three books. That doesn't mean it was quick-paced though, the whole middle part was actually rather slow. I sort of had to force myself through the middle. In the end, when the war escalates, it gets better again, even though all the battle scenes were quite confusing and I didn't really root for anyone since I didn't know enough about them to care. Also the timeframe was hard to remember, at the beginning of each chapter it says the year and week, but too often I would forget and later have no clue how much time had passed. From these words it might sound like it was a really bad book, but I enjoyed it. I think mostly for the idea of the story, which is absolutely fantastic and amazing. Also the characters, with more time, would have been interesting, I guess.
So, in conclusion, a fantastic premise which could have been better executed, but the overall writing style wasn't too bad. Also I loved the violence and the powerful magics and the immortality
April 23, 2018
Gavin South is a new author for me, but based on his The Fall of Rath: Blood and Magic, I’m promising myself that we will become well acquainted.
This is exactly the “High Fantasy, with blood, magic, and romance” promised by the book’s blurb. If that’s appealing to you then you’re pretty much assured to enjoy the book. It had just what I wanted and was well written and with a great plot and great cast of characters. It’s lead Yerikan is well crafted and the supporting cast (hello Nyreni) is also superb.
But for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed I could go on and on with praises - the book definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that the book is most definitely one to read, it is easy to highly recommendand I’m definitely looking forward to book 2.
This is exactly the “High Fantasy, with blood, magic, and romance” promised by the book’s blurb. If that’s appealing to you then you’re pretty much assured to enjoy the book. It had just what I wanted and was well written and with a great plot and great cast of characters. It’s lead Yerikan is well crafted and the supporting cast (hello Nyreni) is also superb.
But for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed I could go on and on with praises - the book definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that the book is most definitely one to read, it is easy to highly recommendand I’m definitely looking forward to book 2.
September 11, 2019
Just wonderful!
I honestly can't think of a better way to spend several hours than listening to a good book. What can I say, this book has it all! It's fast paced, funny, scary, violent, bloody, with an interesting system of magic. It leaves plenty of room for sequels without leaving the story unfinished. Overall, it's a great read. One that will stay with me for a long, long time.
I honestly can't think of a better way to spend several hours than listening to a good book. What can I say, this book has it all! It's fast paced, funny, scary, violent, bloody, with an interesting system of magic. It leaves plenty of room for sequels without leaving the story unfinished. Overall, it's a great read. One that will stay with me for a long, long time.
April 19, 2018
The book was a good read. Not a lot of charters that you work at trying to remember who is who and how they fit in. It is slow to get into at least for me it was. I liked the writing style, it didn't take 4 paragraphs to explain something when you got it in the first. I will read the series and recommend it. I read as an ARC.
May 30, 2018
Intreaging story with action magic and romance.
This was a very intriguing story. With Romance action and Magic. The characters were very well developed. The main two characters were very well described and thought out some of the supporting characters did fit into some cliches that permeate this genre.
This was a very intriguing story. With Romance action and Magic. The characters were very well developed. The main two characters were very well described and thought out some of the supporting characters did fit into some cliches that permeate this genre.
March 21, 2020
The Fall of Rath: Blood and Magic
A wonderful story of people, of the good and bad within us all. There are many questions of behaviour, morals, obligations etc that will make everyone who reads this work think within themselves. I have enjoyed this immensely and will read more from Mr South.
A wonderful story of people, of the good and bad within us all. There are many questions of behaviour, morals, obligations etc that will make everyone who reads this work think within themselves. I have enjoyed this immensely and will read more from Mr South.
January 5, 2021
A very fine read
That this is his first book leaves me hoping the next is not far away. A tale of magic and the corruption power brings set in a world not so dissimilar to our own. pacing was excellent and I felt the story rushing towards disaster and pain. Anyone who love's fantasy should read this book.
That this is his first book leaves me hoping the next is not far away. A tale of magic and the corruption power brings set in a world not so dissimilar to our own. pacing was excellent and I felt the story rushing towards disaster and pain. Anyone who love's fantasy should read this book.
July 9, 2017
Pretty good
A little to wordy and a lot of extra fluff for my taste but the concept was pretty cool, and the intrigue between antagonists was interesting. I would say it was a goog first effort
A little to wordy and a lot of extra fluff for my taste but the concept was pretty cool, and the intrigue between antagonists was interesting. I would say it was a goog first effort
July 27, 2018
Fantasy at its best
I have loved this brilliant and bittersweet book. So carefully and perfectly balanced are the characters that turn this into an epic and a must read for all fantasy fans.
I have loved this brilliant and bittersweet book. So carefully and perfectly balanced are the characters that turn this into an epic and a must read for all fantasy fans.
June 5, 2019
Wonderful!
One of the best stories I have read in some time. An excellent character development and an amazingly complex and yet simple storyline. Reading this makes you want to see what happens next! Very well written!!!
One of the best stories I have read in some time. An excellent character development and an amazingly complex and yet simple storyline. Reading this makes you want to see what happens next! Very well written!!!
June 18, 2019
Strange, and engaging
Definitely worth reading. This story is unique and clever and sometimes confusing but overall very interesting. I never cease to be amazed at any authors imagination and Gavin South is incredibly imaginative.
Definitely worth reading. This story is unique and clever and sometimes confusing but overall very interesting. I never cease to be amazed at any authors imagination and Gavin South is incredibly imaginative.
July 13, 2019
War story.
Blood and guts. A little romance. Lots of bad people. Lots of bad history. Drama,drama,and more drama. Not much to like. Characters need more development! History needs more details.
Blood and guts. A little romance. Lots of bad people. Lots of bad history. Drama,drama,and more drama. Not much to like. Characters need more development! History needs more details.
June 11, 2017
An adult fantasy with magical qualities and conflict between the five elements of the kingdom. A fairly interesting novel.
April 5, 2018
A good read
This book as the first, I hope of a series, kept me gripped from start to end. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and would recommend to others...
This book as the first, I hope of a series, kept me gripped from start to end. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and would recommend to others...
July 26, 2018
This is a very big story. Looking forward to volume 2!
August 1, 2018
Read
Enjoyed very much. The characters are vivid. I will look forward to reading more from this author. With rereading again
Enjoyed very much. The characters are vivid. I will look forward to reading more from this author. With rereading again
Read
July 4, 2020Its a good read
Not your typical sword and magic story.I looked forward to getting back to the story when I had to put my book away for the night.looking forward to the sequel
Not your typical sword and magic story.I looked forward to getting back to the story when I had to put my book away for the night.looking forward to the sequel
September 18, 2023
This is a good fantasy book, particularly despite it being a) a standalone and b) from a little known author. The book portrays, well the title. Neighboring countries with different perspectives and tension finally coming to a head in a pseudo-war. I liked the characters and the unfolding chase / love. This is a little grim-dark as everything doesn't turn out perfectly and the characters aren't the most wholesome, but still likable. A solid read, only thing I would've changes is expand it into more of a series and .
March 3, 2019
Read this now!
What an absolute treasure of a read! The characters and world building are superb, the technical aspect of the writing is outstanding, and the plot is rich and fulfilling. Highly recommend!
What an absolute treasure of a read! The characters and world building are superb, the technical aspect of the writing is outstanding, and the plot is rich and fulfilling. Highly recommend!
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March 11, 2021When an immortal woman falls in love with a charming foreigner, her psycho sister sets an army on the fleeing lovers.
Mage Yerikan of Rath is one of the few immortals: he doesn’t age (though he can be killed, just not as easily as normal folk). He’s sent off as ambassador to Jehar, with instructions to seduce, if possible, one of the immortal sisters Isaah and Nyreni who are the powers-behind-the-throne in that country. But he succeeds rather too well — Nyreni falls in love with him, which raises the wrath of her sister. On the run together, they stay a step ahead of Isaah’s army but their flight precipitates the war Yerikan was trying to delay in the first place.
The start is a little sluggish, but once the plot kicks in, this is a highly engaging story and very readable. Action predominates and the romance isn’t overblown. The writing is decent throughout with few editing errors. The plot has weak points but overall, an enjoyable read.
For me, the world-building is overly systematic, lacking the organic messiness of reality, but the world is well thought out and has some points of interest. Powerful magic abounds and mages are deployed alongside conventional troops in warfare.
Expect some sexual references and plenty of gory violence (immortals can be hacked a lot and still recover, so it gets messy).
Mage Yerikan of Rath is one of the few immortals: he doesn’t age (though he can be killed, just not as easily as normal folk). He’s sent off as ambassador to Jehar, with instructions to seduce, if possible, one of the immortal sisters Isaah and Nyreni who are the powers-behind-the-throne in that country. But he succeeds rather too well — Nyreni falls in love with him, which raises the wrath of her sister. On the run together, they stay a step ahead of Isaah’s army but their flight precipitates the war Yerikan was trying to delay in the first place.
The start is a little sluggish, but once the plot kicks in, this is a highly engaging story and very readable. Action predominates and the romance isn’t overblown. The writing is decent throughout with few editing errors. The plot has weak points but overall, an enjoyable read.
For me, the world-building is overly systematic, lacking the organic messiness of reality, but the world is well thought out and has some points of interest. Powerful magic abounds and mages are deployed alongside conventional troops in warfare.
Expect some sexual references and plenty of gory violence (immortals can be hacked a lot and still recover, so it gets messy).
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