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Souls of Magic's Dawn
For over three thousand years, the Archmage Azrael has prepared to challenge destiny. As foretold by prophecy, Leto, God of Chaos, will soon unleash his power on the world, sowing discord and anarchy throughout the realms in a bid to rule creation. Azrael intends to stop him.
His pupil Isidora has spent her entire life dedicated to the study of magic, trained since a young age by the most powerful mage in the realm. After a five year absence, Isidora enlists the aid of her teacher and begins a quest to become a Summoner, a mage who can conjure the spirits of dead heroes. But when her quest plunges her into a clash of nations, will Isidora be a mere pawn or the key to preventing the coming conflict?
With the freedom of the world and the stability of the Pantheon of Gods at stake, the Archmage and his protégé travel through realms on the brink of war. In a chess match involving Lords, Kings, and Deities, student and teacher strive to remain one move ahead, to change Isidora’s fate, and save the world in the process.
His pupil Isidora has spent her entire life dedicated to the study of magic, trained since a young age by the most powerful mage in the realm. After a five year absence, Isidora enlists the aid of her teacher and begins a quest to become a Summoner, a mage who can conjure the spirits of dead heroes. But when her quest plunges her into a clash of nations, will Isidora be a mere pawn or the key to preventing the coming conflict?
With the freedom of the world and the stability of the Pantheon of Gods at stake, the Archmage and his protégé travel through realms on the brink of war. In a chess match involving Lords, Kings, and Deities, student and teacher strive to remain one move ahead, to change Isidora’s fate, and save the world in the process.
335 pages, Paperback
First published February 22, 2020
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15 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 1, 2020
My Review ......
Wow!!!
Lots going on, intense reading. We have lots of characters, magic, battles, mad gods, twists and turns and the usual unfulfilled prophecy......
Azrael is a mage with untold power, he’s been around for thousands of years.
His favourite pupil has finally returned to the fold and unexpectedly she’s married!!
Isidora has a new life, one with a loving husband, but she needs her old teacher to help with becoming a summoner of souls!
The author made his world come alive with very detailed descriptions of the world he has created. I Liked the maps at the front of the book (very lord of the rings feel to it) I think it’s a trilogy, so I’m sure we will get a few questions answered in the next book.
Loved the interaction between Lear’Za (she’s a Demoness) and Azrael, it was very much a love/hate/admire relationship, couldn’t really call it a friendship, even though they’d known each other for hundreds of years, she likes to torment Azrael.
And I got the impression that Azrael’s and Isidora relationship was more than teacher and student. He didn’t admit to anyone that his student just leaving without a word hurt him. (But she did leave him an explanation, he didn’t read it) I felt it very much a father/daughter bond.
But the star of this book is Isidora, very tenacious, very strong willed. She knows her mind, and she knows her abilities. What she doesn’t know is the path she must take to fill her destiny and the Prophecy.
I liked this book a lot. I could see this as a film. Is the book a little too descriptive? Yes, but I like that, the more detailed the better. Battles were very well written (a tad gory in parts) But it could also work as a hindrance, in some places the details override the story. I Liked the gods and the pantheon, a very Greek feel. It’s not your usual magic and mayhem book, the main characters aren’t in love with each other, so you can concentrate on the story, and not some romance (which has been known to ruin a few good books)
Will Azrael and Isidora be able to travel the path? Or will the outside forces be able to disrupt their path? What tricks has the God of Chais got up his sleeve?
I can’t wait to read the next book to find out.
🦋
Wow!!!
Lots going on, intense reading. We have lots of characters, magic, battles, mad gods, twists and turns and the usual unfulfilled prophecy......
Azrael is a mage with untold power, he’s been around for thousands of years.
His favourite pupil has finally returned to the fold and unexpectedly she’s married!!
Isidora has a new life, one with a loving husband, but she needs her old teacher to help with becoming a summoner of souls!
The author made his world come alive with very detailed descriptions of the world he has created. I Liked the maps at the front of the book (very lord of the rings feel to it) I think it’s a trilogy, so I’m sure we will get a few questions answered in the next book.
Loved the interaction between Lear’Za (she’s a Demoness) and Azrael, it was very much a love/hate/admire relationship, couldn’t really call it a friendship, even though they’d known each other for hundreds of years, she likes to torment Azrael.
And I got the impression that Azrael’s and Isidora relationship was more than teacher and student. He didn’t admit to anyone that his student just leaving without a word hurt him. (But she did leave him an explanation, he didn’t read it) I felt it very much a father/daughter bond.
But the star of this book is Isidora, very tenacious, very strong willed. She knows her mind, and she knows her abilities. What she doesn’t know is the path she must take to fill her destiny and the Prophecy.
I liked this book a lot. I could see this as a film. Is the book a little too descriptive? Yes, but I like that, the more detailed the better. Battles were very well written (a tad gory in parts) But it could also work as a hindrance, in some places the details override the story. I Liked the gods and the pantheon, a very Greek feel. It’s not your usual magic and mayhem book, the main characters aren’t in love with each other, so you can concentrate on the story, and not some romance (which has been known to ruin a few good books)
Will Azrael and Isidora be able to travel the path? Or will the outside forces be able to disrupt their path? What tricks has the God of Chais got up his sleeve?
I can’t wait to read the next book to find out.
🦋
November 4, 2019
I was given an advance copy of this book and am writing this review of my own free will.
Firstly, I have to say that the world-building is phenomenal. Out of all the fantasy books that have been published in the past couple of years, you would be hard-pressed to find a fictional world more unique, complex, and fully fleshed out than the one G.A. Lungaro has created here. His author bio states that he was inspired by Tolkien and George R.R. Martin, and in terms of scope, I can certainly see the resemblance.
Overall, the writing style was good too, but the descriptions had a tendency of being very long. Some readers enjoy that kind of thing, but unfortunately, I’m not one of them. I felt that they dragged the story to a halt in some places. These pacing issues were particularly noticeable in the first three chapters, where we get several info dumps that weren’t immediately relevant or necessary. The pacing improved from Chapter 4 onward, but some parts were still too description-heavy for my tastes.
The plot itself was easy to follow, and it contained some twists and turns that I didn’t expect. Events followed each other logically and nothing felt contrived or out of place.
The characters were believable and interesting, but while I liked them, I didn’t feel truly “attached” to them. Given that this is the first book in an epic fantasy series, that’s not a huge deal. I get the sense the author will develop them further in the next book. The interactions between Azrael and Lear’Za were greatly entertaining, and I admired Isidora’s tenacity in pursuing her chosen path.
This book is the first in a series. It does not end on a cliffhanger, but there are (of course) some unanswered questions that will be addressed in subsequent books.
Firstly, I have to say that the world-building is phenomenal. Out of all the fantasy books that have been published in the past couple of years, you would be hard-pressed to find a fictional world more unique, complex, and fully fleshed out than the one G.A. Lungaro has created here. His author bio states that he was inspired by Tolkien and George R.R. Martin, and in terms of scope, I can certainly see the resemblance.
Overall, the writing style was good too, but the descriptions had a tendency of being very long. Some readers enjoy that kind of thing, but unfortunately, I’m not one of them. I felt that they dragged the story to a halt in some places. These pacing issues were particularly noticeable in the first three chapters, where we get several info dumps that weren’t immediately relevant or necessary. The pacing improved from Chapter 4 onward, but some parts were still too description-heavy for my tastes.
The plot itself was easy to follow, and it contained some twists and turns that I didn’t expect. Events followed each other logically and nothing felt contrived or out of place.
The characters were believable and interesting, but while I liked them, I didn’t feel truly “attached” to them. Given that this is the first book in an epic fantasy series, that’s not a huge deal. I get the sense the author will develop them further in the next book. The interactions between Azrael and Lear’Za were greatly entertaining, and I admired Isidora’s tenacity in pursuing her chosen path.
This book is the first in a series. It does not end on a cliffhanger, but there are (of course) some unanswered questions that will be addressed in subsequent books.
November 7, 2019
Great opening act to a proposed trilogy!
*disclosure - I was selected a beta reader for this novel, I am leaving this non-spoiler review of my own accord and without compensation*
I read an advanced copy of Souls of Magic's Dawn and came away very impressed and wanting more! This is the author's first published work and from the level of polish and presentation, you certainly wouldn't know it.
The author, G.A. Lungaro, notes his love of both classic and modern fantasy and he does an excellent job of honoring what has come before but also placing his own interesting and unique spin on the genre.
The world he has created is both vast and interesting, with clear mysteries and hints of ancient events abounding for further exploration, yet the cast of characters is tight and well written. While most fantasy adventures use the classic fantasy archetypes, and there are certainly some here, I appreciated the use of some more interesting characters, and personalities/abilities, as well which helped drive the adventure and add some needed uniqueness all it's own.
While the story does include some classic fantasy tropes- such as world-altering destinies, mad gods, and prophecies, it's clear that G.A. has done his homework on the genre and wanted to pay homage yet also place something wholly his own into it.
I'm eager to see what comes next and explore more of this vast and interesting world and characters G.A. has created.
*disclosure - I was selected a beta reader for this novel, I am leaving this non-spoiler review of my own accord and without compensation*
I read an advanced copy of Souls of Magic's Dawn and came away very impressed and wanting more! This is the author's first published work and from the level of polish and presentation, you certainly wouldn't know it.
The author, G.A. Lungaro, notes his love of both classic and modern fantasy and he does an excellent job of honoring what has come before but also placing his own interesting and unique spin on the genre.
The world he has created is both vast and interesting, with clear mysteries and hints of ancient events abounding for further exploration, yet the cast of characters is tight and well written. While most fantasy adventures use the classic fantasy archetypes, and there are certainly some here, I appreciated the use of some more interesting characters, and personalities/abilities, as well which helped drive the adventure and add some needed uniqueness all it's own.
While the story does include some classic fantasy tropes- such as world-altering destinies, mad gods, and prophecies, it's clear that G.A. has done his homework on the genre and wanted to pay homage yet also place something wholly his own into it.
I'm eager to see what comes next and explore more of this vast and interesting world and characters G.A. has created.
November 4, 2019
If you're a fan of Matrin, Tolkien, magic and monsters in general then you will enjoy this first novel from G.A. Lungaro. Set in a world of his own making and rich in adventure, magic and intrigue. Souls of Magic's Dawn is the first of a planned series of novels that I'm looking forward to reading now that I've read an advanced copy.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews