What do you think?
Rate this book
The Wraith and the Wielder
Centuries ago, a fierce conflict known as the Dark Mountains War led to the prohibition of magic in De’eregal and the surrounding kingdoms of Izzat and Ureyana.
The penalty for transgression is death… but the tides are about to change.
In Izzat, having grown up in the shadow of the gallows, Merrith Gyse is keenly aware of the fate of wielders. He struggles just to put enough food on the table to keep himself and his twin brothers from starvation, but when a man from his past threatens to compromise his brothers’ safety, Merrith is forced to steal an important—and magical—relic from a traveling noble woman in order to buy the man’s silence…
In a village nestled within the Dark Mountains, the wraiths—creatures of shadow and innate magic—labor under the enslavement of a mercenary army led by a powerful sorcerer. Injured and exhausted in a skirmish, Da-jeck takes his only chance to escape. With his family still trapped, he sets out in search of someone to help him overthrow his cruel master…
Powerful sorcerers now fight to change the rule of power throughout the world, to enslave every mind under the banner of magic.
Who will stand in their way, but the wraith and the wielder?
The penalty for transgression is death… but the tides are about to change.
In Izzat, having grown up in the shadow of the gallows, Merrith Gyse is keenly aware of the fate of wielders. He struggles just to put enough food on the table to keep himself and his twin brothers from starvation, but when a man from his past threatens to compromise his brothers’ safety, Merrith is forced to steal an important—and magical—relic from a traveling noble woman in order to buy the man’s silence…
In a village nestled within the Dark Mountains, the wraiths—creatures of shadow and innate magic—labor under the enslavement of a mercenary army led by a powerful sorcerer. Injured and exhausted in a skirmish, Da-jeck takes his only chance to escape. With his family still trapped, he sets out in search of someone to help him overthrow his cruel master…
Powerful sorcerers now fight to change the rule of power throughout the world, to enslave every mind under the banner of magic.
Who will stand in their way, but the wraith and the wielder?
- GenresFantasy
468 pages, Paperback
Published September 12, 2017
1 person is currently reading
530 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 18, 2019
Won from a Goodreads giveaway
Thanks to a lack of reviews and little information on the author, I went into this with a fairly neutral outlook. It sounded exactly like the kind of fantasy I enjoy, but could Schafer really pull it off was my biggest question. The answer, for me at least, was yes. I truly believe this is the type of novel that could take off if it got into the hands of more people.
One of my favorite things about reading fiction is the ability to experience a very different place, and the work Schafer put into creating this new world is obvious. Though many aspects of it are familiar, plenty are exciting and new, and it will leave you wanting to know more about this vaguely familiar place.
There was one issue I had that stuck out to me while I was reading. Occasionally I would run across something, especially relating to the magic or history itself, that left me feeling a bit uncertain. Now I entirely admit this could be due to it being Schafer's first book, and it just being such a massive new world that some things got lost or had to be cut, or due to it being something that is intended to be explained in more detail in a later book. It was never a problem that made me want to put the book down though, to be very clear.
Thanks to a lack of reviews and little information on the author, I went into this with a fairly neutral outlook. It sounded exactly like the kind of fantasy I enjoy, but could Schafer really pull it off was my biggest question. The answer, for me at least, was yes. I truly believe this is the type of novel that could take off if it got into the hands of more people.
One of my favorite things about reading fiction is the ability to experience a very different place, and the work Schafer put into creating this new world is obvious. Though many aspects of it are familiar, plenty are exciting and new, and it will leave you wanting to know more about this vaguely familiar place.
There was one issue I had that stuck out to me while I was reading. Occasionally I would run across something, especially relating to the magic or history itself, that left me feeling a bit uncertain. Now I entirely admit this could be due to it being Schafer's first book, and it just being such a massive new world that some things got lost or had to be cut, or due to it being something that is intended to be explained in more detail in a later book. It was never a problem that made me want to put the book down though, to be very clear.
October 6, 2017
AC Schafer's debut novel is definitely one of the best books I've read in years. The Wraith and the Wielder centers around a looming war, with two unlikely heroes who don't think they should be the ones to stop it—and I know that sounds like something you've read before, but The Wraith and the Wielder takes a fresh spin on the tale.
Merrith is a blacksmith's apprentice with a history he likes to avoid, and he's forced to work with Da-jeck, a wraith whose history once collided with Merrith's—in that Merrith was the one who first enslaved the wraiths. Schafer's characters are at once wonderful and incredibly annoying, making them some of the realist I've read this year. The story crackles with magic and foreseen and molding futures, and it's a must read, without a doubt. If you're a fan of epic fantasy, do yourself a favor and pick up The Wraith and the Wielder.
I received a free pre-release review copy of this book, directly from RAD Writing. Order the paperback direct from the publisher, at RAD-Writing.com
Merrith is a blacksmith's apprentice with a history he likes to avoid, and he's forced to work with Da-jeck, a wraith whose history once collided with Merrith's—in that Merrith was the one who first enslaved the wraiths. Schafer's characters are at once wonderful and incredibly annoying, making them some of the realist I've read this year. The story crackles with magic and foreseen and molding futures, and it's a must read, without a doubt. If you're a fan of epic fantasy, do yourself a favor and pick up The Wraith and the Wielder.
I received a free pre-release review copy of this book, directly from RAD Writing. Order the paperback direct from the publisher, at RAD-Writing.com
January 4, 2018
It wouldn't be an understatement to say I've fallen in love with AC Schafer's writing. A rare and masterful wordsmith, she manages to craft both love, agony, and hope into a set of beautifully human characters, and I almost couldn't bear to face the final pages.
January 18, 2018
The characters, places and events are described with phenomenal detail. One would expect to look up from the book and see a wraith in the room. I look forward to the next book in this series. Schafer is masterful at weaving this complex story together.
Read
February 24, 2019Aimee is a wonderful story teller. I couldn't put this book down. I feel like I know all the characters and can empathize with them. I can't wait for the next in the series!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews