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The ReEmergence Chronicles #1
To Free the Rising Storm
She’ll release the storm to break her chains...
Born with unnatural white hair and afflicted with a mysterious illness, Mae Mordaunt’s life has always felt like a curse she cannot escape. When she is attacked by the man her cruel father wants her to marry, she manages to defend herself with a jolting magic she didn’t know she possessed. Unsure of everything she’s ever known, she seeks to discover the truth in a dangerous new partnership—a man who might hold the key to her freedom and her deepest desires.
He’ll risk everything to set her free…
As a descendant of the eradicated elves, Varys Wynhart never imagined he would witness their incredible magic, nor that it would suddenly awaken within him. Both a scholar and a librarian, he devotes himself to researching what has caused the ReEmergence of Magic, and why the rest of Xalador seems oblivious to it. But when the strange and beautiful woman he’s always been captivated by gains a power unlike any other, he discovers there is more to magic than he realized. And she is a puzzle he is more than willing to solve.
Saeör ít ölsta xera…
Lives and hearts intertwined, Varys and Mae soon learn of their own destinies, but can they survive the lies threatening to rip them apart?
Born with unnatural white hair and afflicted with a mysterious illness, Mae Mordaunt’s life has always felt like a curse she cannot escape. When she is attacked by the man her cruel father wants her to marry, she manages to defend herself with a jolting magic she didn’t know she possessed. Unsure of everything she’s ever known, she seeks to discover the truth in a dangerous new partnership—a man who might hold the key to her freedom and her deepest desires.
He’ll risk everything to set her free…
As a descendant of the eradicated elves, Varys Wynhart never imagined he would witness their incredible magic, nor that it would suddenly awaken within him. Both a scholar and a librarian, he devotes himself to researching what has caused the ReEmergence of Magic, and why the rest of Xalador seems oblivious to it. But when the strange and beautiful woman he’s always been captivated by gains a power unlike any other, he discovers there is more to magic than he realized. And she is a puzzle he is more than willing to solve.
Saeör ít ölsta xera…
Lives and hearts intertwined, Varys and Mae soon learn of their own destinies, but can they survive the lies threatening to rip them apart?
684 pages, Paperback
Published November 22, 2022
69 people are currently reading
864 people want to read
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November 16, 2022
To Free the Rising Storm is a New Adult/Adult Epic Fantasy AND Romance novel book 1 in this series.
I received an eARC for an honest review.
Book Cover: 5* - The crystal, the magic circle, the lightning, the butterfly! With all the symbolism this cover is gorgeous. It's eye catching and mystifying to boot too. I seriously can't wait to see how the covers throughout the rest of the series will look next.
Summary/Tagline: 5* - She’ll release the storm to break her chains. He’ll risk everything to set her free. Are by far some of my favorite taglines for a book. As for the synopsis, it is encapsulating, tantalizing, and intriguing. It promises trials and tribulations, romance, and magic. So, I'm in!
Characters: 5* - Alright, TFtRS is a dual pov story and we follow two characters, Mae Mordaunt and Varys Wynhart. There is a third character but its spoilery so I won't say who and they only had like 2 to 3 pov moments, so its fine. Both characters were so different from each other, and not just in voices. You'll see what I mean.
Mae - Mae is just a sweet young woman wanting to just live. Live free from abusive parents, a constricting lifestyle, and most of all, free from pain that randomly surges through her body. She doesn't know why she has random flares, but she's well aware that her family doesn't believe her and despises how the people of her hometown think of her. With the very, VERY few friends she has, she isn't sure what to do, and is ready to just end it all, until she is finally face to face with a man she could never take her eyes off of.
Varys - Varys is just the BEST cinnamon roll love interest I've ever read. Yes he's tall and muscular, but he's just also so adorkable and sweet that I'm just HERE for him. He's a man that loves to learn, is so inquisitive, and like with Mae, is plagued with nightmares and traumas from his past. He does have moments of possessiveness, but its not so bad that I have to throw up red flags or anything.
Both characters have gone through so much and are allowed to show frustrations, impatience, tender, and care with each other. There are consequences to actions and no actions. There is a balance and imbalance of powers when it comes to those with AND without magic. There are fears, but there is also hope. I just love Mae and Varys together and seriously cannot WAIT to see where the story will go next with these two. Oh! Before I forget, SIDE CHARACTERS! Leona is one of the best supporting characters I've read in a book too. A half dwarf half human woman who is amazing with a sword, flirty and callous with her tongue, and powerful in so many ways. Leona is another character who has been through so much, and although she has amazing and wonderful parents, she too deals with a prejudiced town while seeking some solace in Varys, her best friend. Before this section gets too long, there are other amazing characters too from Varys' father to Mr. Flax the halfling baker. Unfortunately this book also comes with its fair share of characters you will hate. However, many could be spoilers so I won't be descriptive on this part but oooooh you will wish you can punch them in the face if they were real. Just saying.
World Building: 5* - Oh my goodness! If you are a huge fan of epic fantasies, like yours truly, then you are going to LOVE this book. In my opinion there is an amazing balance of lore and story. Heck, many times history and magic gets explained during certain key story moments. I love how fleshed out this world is, how extensive the magic and the elven language gets. It's freaking awesome! As much as I want to just go into it, I think it would be hard to do as it could spoil some things, so just trust me, if you love high/epic fantasy stories, then you'll enjoy this one.
Story: 5* - Alright here we go, I promise not to spoil a thing. We start the book with Mae Mordaunt, the heiress to the Mordaunt family fortune, except that she isn't treated as such by her parents once those doors close. A victim of both abuse, and assault, Mae wants so desperately to escape her parents, her betroth, her home town, that she may finally get what she wants, but at what cost? After an attempt on Mae, we get to follow Varys who desires to go to a prestige university at a city called Elvidawn far from his hometown, however, he holds a secret that most don't know with the exception of his best friend Leona, and that is that he can do magic. Something is going on, Varys knows it, and he is sure that Mae, is either in danger, or the center of it all. Secrets, desires, lies, and truths ensue, leaving me on one heck of an amazing roller coaster. Because of that cliffhanger ending, I NEED to know what will happen next.
Over All: 5* - If you are a fan of epic fantasies with amazing and expansive world building AND a romantic, steamy fated romance, then this book is PERFECT for you. Varys and Mae are such wonderful protagonists that have flaws of their own to work through with a love and trust that grows with each chapter read. As the story was ramping up in the last act of this book, there is going to be a lot of oh sh*t moments, and tears . . . I cried at the end there okay! I fell in love with a lot of characters, I've laughed, blushed, and screamed with this book. I really hope you give this book a try, and I SERIOUSLY can't wait to read book 2. Enjoy your next read.
I received an eARC for an honest review.
Book Cover: 5* - The crystal, the magic circle, the lightning, the butterfly! With all the symbolism this cover is gorgeous. It's eye catching and mystifying to boot too. I seriously can't wait to see how the covers throughout the rest of the series will look next.
Summary/Tagline: 5* - She’ll release the storm to break her chains. He’ll risk everything to set her free. Are by far some of my favorite taglines for a book. As for the synopsis, it is encapsulating, tantalizing, and intriguing. It promises trials and tribulations, romance, and magic. So, I'm in!
Characters: 5* - Alright, TFtRS is a dual pov story and we follow two characters, Mae Mordaunt and Varys Wynhart. There is a third character but its spoilery so I won't say who and they only had like 2 to 3 pov moments, so its fine. Both characters were so different from each other, and not just in voices. You'll see what I mean.
Mae - Mae is just a sweet young woman wanting to just live. Live free from abusive parents, a constricting lifestyle, and most of all, free from pain that randomly surges through her body. She doesn't know why she has random flares, but she's well aware that her family doesn't believe her and despises how the people of her hometown think of her. With the very, VERY few friends she has, she isn't sure what to do, and is ready to just end it all, until she is finally face to face with a man she could never take her eyes off of.
Varys - Varys is just the BEST cinnamon roll love interest I've ever read. Yes he's tall and muscular, but he's just also so adorkable and sweet that I'm just HERE for him. He's a man that loves to learn, is so inquisitive, and like with Mae, is plagued with nightmares and traumas from his past. He does have moments of possessiveness, but its not so bad that I have to throw up red flags or anything.
Both characters have gone through so much and are allowed to show frustrations, impatience, tender, and care with each other. There are consequences to actions and no actions. There is a balance and imbalance of powers when it comes to those with AND without magic. There are fears, but there is also hope. I just love Mae and Varys together and seriously cannot WAIT to see where the story will go next with these two. Oh! Before I forget, SIDE CHARACTERS! Leona is one of the best supporting characters I've read in a book too. A half dwarf half human woman who is amazing with a sword, flirty and callous with her tongue, and powerful in so many ways. Leona is another character who has been through so much, and although she has amazing and wonderful parents, she too deals with a prejudiced town while seeking some solace in Varys, her best friend. Before this section gets too long, there are other amazing characters too from Varys' father to Mr. Flax the halfling baker. Unfortunately this book also comes with its fair share of characters you will hate. However, many could be spoilers so I won't be descriptive on this part but oooooh you will wish you can punch them in the face if they were real. Just saying.
World Building: 5* - Oh my goodness! If you are a huge fan of epic fantasies, like yours truly, then you are going to LOVE this book. In my opinion there is an amazing balance of lore and story. Heck, many times history and magic gets explained during certain key story moments. I love how fleshed out this world is, how extensive the magic and the elven language gets. It's freaking awesome! As much as I want to just go into it, I think it would be hard to do as it could spoil some things, so just trust me, if you love high/epic fantasy stories, then you'll enjoy this one.
Story: 5* - Alright here we go, I promise not to spoil a thing. We start the book with Mae Mordaunt, the heiress to the Mordaunt family fortune, except that she isn't treated as such by her parents once those doors close. A victim of both abuse, and assault, Mae wants so desperately to escape her parents, her betroth, her home town, that she may finally get what she wants, but at what cost? After an attempt on Mae, we get to follow Varys who desires to go to a prestige university at a city called Elvidawn far from his hometown, however, he holds a secret that most don't know with the exception of his best friend Leona, and that is that he can do magic. Something is going on, Varys knows it, and he is sure that Mae, is either in danger, or the center of it all. Secrets, desires, lies, and truths ensue, leaving me on one heck of an amazing roller coaster. Because of that cliffhanger ending, I NEED to know what will happen next.
Over All: 5* - If you are a fan of epic fantasies with amazing and expansive world building AND a romantic, steamy fated romance, then this book is PERFECT for you. Varys and Mae are such wonderful protagonists that have flaws of their own to work through with a love and trust that grows with each chapter read. As the story was ramping up in the last act of this book, there is going to be a lot of oh sh*t moments, and tears . . . I cried at the end there okay! I fell in love with a lot of characters, I've laughed, blushed, and screamed with this book. I really hope you give this book a try, and I SERIOUSLY can't wait to read book 2. Enjoy your next read.
August 24, 2022
Thank you so much C.N. Maxwell for this ARC!
To Free the Rising Storm is the first book in The ReEmergence Chronicles by C.N. Maxwell, a NA Dark Fantasy Romance series with unique fantasy world, amazing characters and sweet romance that will leave you wanting more.
To Free the Rising Storm must have one of the most original worlds I’ve ever read about in fantasy books. After many years without magic it is now reemerging and many people find themselves with powers they never knew they possessed and can’t control. Our main character, Mae, was born with unnatural white hair and suffers from mysterious illness, and because of that, she is an outcast and even her family is wary of her. When due to a traumatic experience she finds out she has hidden magical abilities she needs to learn more about them and the only person who might have answers is Varys, son of her father’s nemesis and the man she’s felt connection to as long as she can remember. But Varys also has many secrets and with evil forces nearing their town will they figure out how to unlock and control Mae’s abilities before they run out of time?
I think my favorite part of this book is the character growth. We first meet Mae as a scared girl who is sheltered and can’t protect herself and it was truly amazing to see her grow into a young woman who stands up for herself and fights for what she wants. Varys also grew a lot as a character: in the beginning he is a shy librarian who doesn’t really put his heart into training with Leona and as the story progresses he gains confidence and decides to do everything in his power to help Mae. Their relationship was so incredibly built I couldn’t help but ship them and I honestly loved these two together, they were perfect for each other and quickly became one of my favorite bookish couples. Also, one of my favorite characters definitely is Leona, she is a loyal friend everyone would be lucky to have and often brought much needed comedic relief to the story.
I really enjoyed this book and after that cliffhanger the sequel can’t come soon enough. Can’t wait to read more about Mae, Varys and Leona!
To Free the Rising Storm is the first book in The ReEmergence Chronicles by C.N. Maxwell, a NA Dark Fantasy Romance series with unique fantasy world, amazing characters and sweet romance that will leave you wanting more.
To Free the Rising Storm must have one of the most original worlds I’ve ever read about in fantasy books. After many years without magic it is now reemerging and many people find themselves with powers they never knew they possessed and can’t control. Our main character, Mae, was born with unnatural white hair and suffers from mysterious illness, and because of that, she is an outcast and even her family is wary of her. When due to a traumatic experience she finds out she has hidden magical abilities she needs to learn more about them and the only person who might have answers is Varys, son of her father’s nemesis and the man she’s felt connection to as long as she can remember. But Varys also has many secrets and with evil forces nearing their town will they figure out how to unlock and control Mae’s abilities before they run out of time?
I think my favorite part of this book is the character growth. We first meet Mae as a scared girl who is sheltered and can’t protect herself and it was truly amazing to see her grow into a young woman who stands up for herself and fights for what she wants. Varys also grew a lot as a character: in the beginning he is a shy librarian who doesn’t really put his heart into training with Leona and as the story progresses he gains confidence and decides to do everything in his power to help Mae. Their relationship was so incredibly built I couldn’t help but ship them and I honestly loved these two together, they were perfect for each other and quickly became one of my favorite bookish couples. Also, one of my favorite characters definitely is Leona, she is a loyal friend everyone would be lucky to have and often brought much needed comedic relief to the story.
I really enjoyed this book and after that cliffhanger the sequel can’t come soon enough. Can’t wait to read more about Mae, Varys and Leona!
November 23, 2022
First of all, thank you to the author for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I THOROUGHLY enjoyed this book. I absolutely devoured it from start to finish and even found myself trying to savor it at one point. I was so terrified of finishing it, of leaving the world of Xalador behind. Of losing the magic and the mystery that CN Maxwell has so seamlessly woven into her storytelling.
First, let's talk about the prose we find in TFTRS. CN Maxwell has such a beautiful, relatable, and entrancing voice in her writing. Every writer has their own unique voice and spin in the way they write, but CN Maxwell truly has set herself apart. She has such an incredible way of weaving such palpable, beautiful world building, character development, and dialogue. I was truly taken aback throughout the entire book. Her voice is so unique and refreshing, especially in the heavily-saturated fantasy genre. As a true, deep fan of indie authors, CN Maxwell genuinely stands out heads-and-shoulders in a sea of amazing, talented authors.
As far as characters and character development goes, CN Maxwell truly crafted an all-star cast. There were so many funny, relatable, captivating, heartwarming characters depicted throughout the book. I struggled to hold a consistent favorite. My loyalties switched from Mae to Varys to Leona to Duros to Mattis to Natalia and then cycling back again through all of them one-by-one. Mae's story captured my attention and my heart right from the first page. The amount of heart-wrenching moments and scenes where I was desperate to reach through the pages and offer her comfort were too many to count. I truly felt like I was witnessing Mae's experiences right in front of me, felt like Mae was a friend that I desperately wished to help. Her struggle and her representation through chronic pain are so heart-wrenching and vivid. CN Maxwell truly gave deep insight into the struggles of those suffering from chronic illness - from their physical pain, to their mental anguish and frustration, to the deep-seated anger and frustration with finding the help they need. Mae is a beacon and an inspiration for all of us, but I can't help but imagine she's especially inspiring to those struggling with chronic illness. Her development in TFTRS is astounding to witness. To see her strength, in every sense of the world, fortify by the page, to see her resolve cementing itself within her. To see the pride straightening her shoulders, her refusal to continue to be treated the way she has. It was truly spectacular. Truly a story to be admired and treasured. Truly something that makes me want to come back for a reread ASAP.
Mae's relationships are so strained, so few that my heart broke for her from the start. She has so few people in her life, let alone so few people that she can trust, it's truly devastating. At one point, Varys makes a comparison that her life isn't very interesting because of the things he's learned about her. About how few things she's truly experienced in life. And he doesn't mean it in a cruel or rude way, he means it in a heartbreaking way. He's so heartbroken over the things she's missed out on, and it broke my heart to come to the same realization as him. To see how empty Mae's life has been.
Reading of Varys and Mae's relationship was truly a treat and had my heart racing from the start. Their relationship, before it's even defined as a relationship, is dripping with admiration, respect, and affection from the start. From the moment we meet Varys on page, we can see that spark that exists between them. See the mutual adoration that is shared in their glances. The definitely have a slow burn trope going for them, and it's absolutely KILLER. I could not tear my eyes away from the book as I watched their relationship unfold in front of me. And once we finally get something in return? It's absolutely explosive and CN Maxwell absolutely destroyed me with the way she wrote them together. And they only get better from there - both individually and together.
The world building and magic system in this book is absolutely insane. CN Maxwell not only created her own breathtakingly beautiful, unique, original, and astounding world, but she also created her own magic system and LANGUAGE! The woman created her own language and that in and of itself blew me away. The world she paints for us is so rich with history and so may layers of lore and history that I was dying for any morsel of information she could give me. Usually, I'll admit, even as a fantasy lover, that world building can be a bit of a bore. But CN Maxwell gives it so much beautiful imagery and easy to understand explanations that I was so drawn in by her world building, wanting to piece together everything and connect all the dots. Then mix in the fact that she created her own language? Truly incredible. She's included a key at the beginning of the book that explains the languages (yes, there are multiple) that she incorporates and you even get footnotes in each chapter for any use of those languages. I found myself so looking forward to unlocking those mysteries at the end of each chapter (though, you may choose to check them while you're reading. Everyone's choice is different and everyone's reading experience is valid). And then her magic system was so astounding, as well! I've never read one quite like hers and I loved how unique it was. I also loved that, in a reading space where faeries are the current trend for the fantasy genre, she didn't focus on that. She focused on elves and dwarves, and sprinkled in a little bit of a few other things here and there (wink wink, you'll have to read the book to find out). It was truly refreshing and beautifully crafted.
Overall, this book was a 5 star read from start to finish. There were no points where I was disappointed in anything, nothing that I can truly say I didn't enjoy. CN Maxwell has set herself apart and made herself a MIGHTY contender in the fantasy genres in her debut novel To Free the Rising Storm. This book is in my top 5 reads of the year (and let's be honest, probably my top 3) and has earned a PROMINENT spot on my bookshelf. I cannot wait to see where Book 2 goes (title to be announced) and where we see our characters end up.
I THOROUGHLY enjoyed this book. I absolutely devoured it from start to finish and even found myself trying to savor it at one point. I was so terrified of finishing it, of leaving the world of Xalador behind. Of losing the magic and the mystery that CN Maxwell has so seamlessly woven into her storytelling.
First, let's talk about the prose we find in TFTRS. CN Maxwell has such a beautiful, relatable, and entrancing voice in her writing. Every writer has their own unique voice and spin in the way they write, but CN Maxwell truly has set herself apart. She has such an incredible way of weaving such palpable, beautiful world building, character development, and dialogue. I was truly taken aback throughout the entire book. Her voice is so unique and refreshing, especially in the heavily-saturated fantasy genre. As a true, deep fan of indie authors, CN Maxwell genuinely stands out heads-and-shoulders in a sea of amazing, talented authors.
As far as characters and character development goes, CN Maxwell truly crafted an all-star cast. There were so many funny, relatable, captivating, heartwarming characters depicted throughout the book. I struggled to hold a consistent favorite. My loyalties switched from Mae to Varys to Leona to Duros to Mattis to Natalia and then cycling back again through all of them one-by-one. Mae's story captured my attention and my heart right from the first page. The amount of heart-wrenching moments and scenes where I was desperate to reach through the pages and offer her comfort were too many to count. I truly felt like I was witnessing Mae's experiences right in front of me, felt like Mae was a friend that I desperately wished to help. Her struggle and her representation through chronic pain are so heart-wrenching and vivid. CN Maxwell truly gave deep insight into the struggles of those suffering from chronic illness - from their physical pain, to their mental anguish and frustration, to the deep-seated anger and frustration with finding the help they need. Mae is a beacon and an inspiration for all of us, but I can't help but imagine she's especially inspiring to those struggling with chronic illness. Her development in TFTRS is astounding to witness. To see her strength, in every sense of the world, fortify by the page, to see her resolve cementing itself within her. To see the pride straightening her shoulders, her refusal to continue to be treated the way she has. It was truly spectacular. Truly a story to be admired and treasured. Truly something that makes me want to come back for a reread ASAP.
Mae's relationships are so strained, so few that my heart broke for her from the start. She has so few people in her life, let alone so few people that she can trust, it's truly devastating. At one point, Varys makes a comparison that her life isn't very interesting because of the things he's learned about her. About how few things she's truly experienced in life. And he doesn't mean it in a cruel or rude way, he means it in a heartbreaking way. He's so heartbroken over the things she's missed out on, and it broke my heart to come to the same realization as him. To see how empty Mae's life has been.
Reading of Varys and Mae's relationship was truly a treat and had my heart racing from the start. Their relationship, before it's even defined as a relationship, is dripping with admiration, respect, and affection from the start. From the moment we meet Varys on page, we can see that spark that exists between them. See the mutual adoration that is shared in their glances. The definitely have a slow burn trope going for them, and it's absolutely KILLER. I could not tear my eyes away from the book as I watched their relationship unfold in front of me. And once we finally get something in return? It's absolutely explosive and CN Maxwell absolutely destroyed me with the way she wrote them together. And they only get better from there - both individually and together.
The world building and magic system in this book is absolutely insane. CN Maxwell not only created her own breathtakingly beautiful, unique, original, and astounding world, but she also created her own magic system and LANGUAGE! The woman created her own language and that in and of itself blew me away. The world she paints for us is so rich with history and so may layers of lore and history that I was dying for any morsel of information she could give me. Usually, I'll admit, even as a fantasy lover, that world building can be a bit of a bore. But CN Maxwell gives it so much beautiful imagery and easy to understand explanations that I was so drawn in by her world building, wanting to piece together everything and connect all the dots. Then mix in the fact that she created her own language? Truly incredible. She's included a key at the beginning of the book that explains the languages (yes, there are multiple) that she incorporates and you even get footnotes in each chapter for any use of those languages. I found myself so looking forward to unlocking those mysteries at the end of each chapter (though, you may choose to check them while you're reading. Everyone's choice is different and everyone's reading experience is valid). And then her magic system was so astounding, as well! I've never read one quite like hers and I loved how unique it was. I also loved that, in a reading space where faeries are the current trend for the fantasy genre, she didn't focus on that. She focused on elves and dwarves, and sprinkled in a little bit of a few other things here and there (wink wink, you'll have to read the book to find out). It was truly refreshing and beautifully crafted.
Overall, this book was a 5 star read from start to finish. There were no points where I was disappointed in anything, nothing that I can truly say I didn't enjoy. CN Maxwell has set herself apart and made herself a MIGHTY contender in the fantasy genres in her debut novel To Free the Rising Storm. This book is in my top 5 reads of the year (and let's be honest, probably my top 3) and has earned a PROMINENT spot on my bookshelf. I cannot wait to see where Book 2 goes (title to be announced) and where we see our characters end up.
December 8, 2022
Thank you C.N Maxwell for an eArc of To Free The Rising Storm in exchange for an honest review!
Ok, here we go.. but before we go any further.. it is an honor truly an honor to have read this book...
To Free The Rising Storm follows Mae Mourdant and Varys Wynhart through a harrowing journey of self discovery, danger, and above else love!
Mae Mourdant, our FMC, has been sickly pretty much her whole life. But don't let that fool you. She is a SURVIVOR. She is strong, resilient, smart, and loving. I connected with her on certain aspects of her trauma and her love of food.
Varys Wynhart is the geeky sweet boy we needed out in the universe. Not only is he smart, he is unapologetically fierce loving, strong, protective, sexy/spicy 🔥🥵, romantic, poetic, and so much more. We must protect him at all costs. When I tell you my heart is so full from Varys and Mae's story.. I am not kidding my heart is overflowing with just love and so much more.
The side characters are just as amazing and just a strong! Except a few that I wanted to you know ☠️.. But I especially love our girl Leona!!!! I connected with her no nonsense attitude (when it was warranted), how much she loves her family and her best friend (Varys), zest for life, and just all around the fiercest bada$$ dwarf in this whole entire universe!
What To Expect:
▪︎NA Dark Romantic High Fantasy
▪︎Dual POV
▪︎A complicated world! There is a lot of information thrown at you. But nothing you can't handle if you give this wonderful book a go
▪︎Thicccc! We like our books big around here!
▪︎First Book in the ReEmergence Chronicles (which I wish book 2 was already done 🤣)
▪︎Cliffhanger
▪︎Magic
▪︎Elves, Dwarves, Monsters, and more
▪︎Check Trigger Warnings which may contain spoilers ⚠️ :
*Domestic abuse of a parental figure
* Thoughts of suicide
*Attempted sexual assault (not carried out by any romantic interest)
*Mentions of rape
*Conversations about infertility and miscarriage
*Parental death and grief
*Graphic sex scenes—including heavy foreplay and oral sex, all which are written in detail and are not censored
*Language and profanity
*Gore and blood.
▪︎Found Family
▪︎Friends to Lovers (of sorts)
▪︎Forbidden Love
▪︎Self Discovery
▪︎LGBTQ+ rep
▪︎And so much more
I don't know if my review will do this book justice; especially since I do not want to spoil anything. I mean ANYTHING! I really want everyone to experience TFTRS and be as shocked and in love as me. C.N. Maxwell created this beautiful and complicated world. It is beyond unique and I couldn't put it down when I could pick it up. I literally was so immersed. Her writing was beyond anything I could have ever imagine. This is one of my top reads of the year. These characters and places have imprinted my soul. I can not wait to go back with book two! 💜💙
Ok, here we go.. but before we go any further.. it is an honor truly an honor to have read this book...
To Free The Rising Storm follows Mae Mourdant and Varys Wynhart through a harrowing journey of self discovery, danger, and above else love!
Mae Mourdant, our FMC, has been sickly pretty much her whole life. But don't let that fool you. She is a SURVIVOR. She is strong, resilient, smart, and loving. I connected with her on certain aspects of her trauma and her love of food.
Varys Wynhart is the geeky sweet boy we needed out in the universe. Not only is he smart, he is unapologetically fierce loving, strong, protective, sexy/spicy 🔥🥵, romantic, poetic, and so much more. We must protect him at all costs. When I tell you my heart is so full from Varys and Mae's story.. I am not kidding my heart is overflowing with just love and so much more.
The side characters are just as amazing and just a strong! Except a few that I wanted to you know ☠️.. But I especially love our girl Leona!!!! I connected with her no nonsense attitude (when it was warranted), how much she loves her family and her best friend (Varys), zest for life, and just all around the fiercest bada$$ dwarf in this whole entire universe!
What To Expect:
▪︎NA Dark Romantic High Fantasy
▪︎Dual POV
▪︎A complicated world! There is a lot of information thrown at you. But nothing you can't handle if you give this wonderful book a go
▪︎Thicccc! We like our books big around here!
▪︎First Book in the ReEmergence Chronicles (which I wish book 2 was already done 🤣)
▪︎Cliffhanger
▪︎Magic
▪︎Elves, Dwarves, Monsters, and more
▪︎Check Trigger Warnings which may contain spoilers ⚠️ :
*Domestic abuse of a parental figure
* Thoughts of suicide
*Attempted sexual assault (not carried out by any romantic interest)
*Mentions of rape
*Conversations about infertility and miscarriage
*Parental death and grief
*Graphic sex scenes—including heavy foreplay and oral sex, all which are written in detail and are not censored
*Language and profanity
*Gore and blood.
▪︎Found Family
▪︎Friends to Lovers (of sorts)
▪︎Forbidden Love
▪︎Self Discovery
▪︎LGBTQ+ rep
▪︎And so much more
I don't know if my review will do this book justice; especially since I do not want to spoil anything. I mean ANYTHING! I really want everyone to experience TFTRS and be as shocked and in love as me. C.N. Maxwell created this beautiful and complicated world. It is beyond unique and I couldn't put it down when I could pick it up. I literally was so immersed. Her writing was beyond anything I could have ever imagine. This is one of my top reads of the year. These characters and places have imprinted my soul. I can not wait to go back with book two! 💜💙
January 10, 2023
I thought really long and hard about this review; not only because I want to be constructive and honest, but because I know the author and was given this book free to review honestly.
Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate or even dislike the book. I liked it well enough. Maxwell is a talented writer with an easy-to-read voice and incredible ideas. Her world is rich and it’s evident that over the course of the series it will flesh out even further. I really look forward to seeing more. The magic system she’s designed is fantastic and intricate without being overbearing or confusing. I love the character banter, especially in the case of Leona who I think is by far the strongest developed character. I love her sass and wit and strength so much.
The issues I had were largely in pacing, to be honest. The plot wasn’t consistent or even very engaged until decently after the 50% mark. I think a lot of the early book could have been condensed, with character encounters and worldbuilding moments combined, woven in more delicately, or excluded entirely. And for me, the romance moved sooo very fast. I didn’t feel a lot of tension (which I love and is purely personal preference) and there was an imbalance in declarations of love and trust while lacking scenes of vulnerability that would have made me believe in the buildup of that trust versus simply being told it was there.
I was also excited to see a character dealing with parental abuse, having gone through it myself, but was slightly disappointed when ramifications of her actions or concern for consequences was often thrown to the wind because of the growing romance. While I understand and respect that everyone has different experiences with the same trauma, for me it lacked the fear and caution of behaviors I find to be pretty shared across that particular one.
After all that you might think I actually didn’t like the book but that’s truly not the case. I think Maxwell has a natural talent, and anyone who can take the time to build an entire language with runic symbols earns some mega points from me. In foundation, I think all of the pieces are there. I think Maxwell has a brilliant creative mind and I look forward to reading the sequel(s) because I can see so much potential here. And honestly, I really look forward to seeing Mae and Varys grow into themselves even more, together and alone. ;)
Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate or even dislike the book. I liked it well enough. Maxwell is a talented writer with an easy-to-read voice and incredible ideas. Her world is rich and it’s evident that over the course of the series it will flesh out even further. I really look forward to seeing more. The magic system she’s designed is fantastic and intricate without being overbearing or confusing. I love the character banter, especially in the case of Leona who I think is by far the strongest developed character. I love her sass and wit and strength so much.
The issues I had were largely in pacing, to be honest. The plot wasn’t consistent or even very engaged until decently after the 50% mark. I think a lot of the early book could have been condensed, with character encounters and worldbuilding moments combined, woven in more delicately, or excluded entirely. And for me, the romance moved sooo very fast. I didn’t feel a lot of tension (which I love and is purely personal preference) and there was an imbalance in declarations of love and trust while lacking scenes of vulnerability that would have made me believe in the buildup of that trust versus simply being told it was there.
I was also excited to see a character dealing with parental abuse, having gone through it myself, but was slightly disappointed when ramifications of her actions or concern for consequences was often thrown to the wind because of the growing romance. While I understand and respect that everyone has different experiences with the same trauma, for me it lacked the fear and caution of behaviors I find to be pretty shared across that particular one.
After all that you might think I actually didn’t like the book but that’s truly not the case. I think Maxwell has a natural talent, and anyone who can take the time to build an entire language with runic symbols earns some mega points from me. In foundation, I think all of the pieces are there. I think Maxwell has a brilliant creative mind and I look forward to reading the sequel(s) because I can see so much potential here. And honestly, I really look forward to seeing Mae and Varys grow into themselves even more, together and alone. ;)
November 22, 2022
A song of storm and sky, of something dark, dangerous, and divine.
A decadent feast for the heart and soul, To Free the Rising Storm is the spellbinding dark romantic fantasy debut from author C.N. Maxwell. Book one of The ReEmergence Chronicles transports readers to a world drenched in history to embark on a journey of profound metamorphosis. Maxwell pens a stunning tale of weathering the storm and being reborn into something…more. Love. Loss. Betrayal. Pain. Family. Fate. It’s dazzling and tragic in equal measure, and one of the best debuts I’ve had the pleasure of reading.
At the core of this story lies a cast of beautifully complex characters and their breathtaking development as the pages turn. Mae Mordaunt and Varys Wynhart take center stage, the former a meek young woman accustomed to a life of pain and trauma, the latter a bookworm haunted by a great loss from the past. What lies within the pages is the tale of their survival, their transformation, and their flourishing. Maxwell greatly excels at breathing genuine vulnerability into her characters, the resulting fortitude in the face of adversity beyond admirable, solidifying an easy connection between readers and her creations.
I just need to make a quick shoutout to Leona and her parents – they possess everything you could ever hope for in an adopted family.
If you’re looking for a quick fix in the spice department, you won’t find it here. This is the legend of a romance written in the stars, of fated lovers that orbit one another until the powers of the universe bring them crashing together. Mae and Varys have been exchanging longing glances since childhood, an unexplainable connection between them. Once they finally accept and act upon their forbidden desires, there’s an instant love laced with an almost agonizing slow-burn coupling with enough angst to crush your soul. It’s hauntingly exquisite.
In addition to meticulous characterization, prepare to be steeped in insanely rich worldbuilding. Fans of sprawling epics will be in their glory with thousands of years of history, inhabitants from all walks of life with varying ancestry, lore, legends, religion, gods, wars, and different flavors of magic that stem from not only the the land, but alternate realms as well. The reemergence of this magic, thought to have disappeared during a great war that also saw the extinction of the elves, is now wreaking havoc throughout the land, setting into motion a mind-blowing adventure. Oh, and did I mention Maxwell developed her own language? Yep, you read that right.
The first half of the novel is pretty slow-moving plot-wise, utilizing its real estate space to build the word around the reader in order to make the largest impact. If you decide to pick up this beautiful chonk, which I implore you do, be patient. Once revelations are unveiled, it’s explosive, only slowing its pace to give readers a bit of a breath before kicking back into high gear once again. I won’t discuss the actual plot for fear of spoilers – you’ll just have to read the book yourself. I will say, however, that I did have several speed-reading squee moments that usually only occur when I’m reading a Sanderson doorstopper. Take that as you will.
I’m absolutely blown away by the grandeur and emotional impact of this debut novel. It’s complex, yet told in an easy voice to carefully guide its audience along its winding paths. My only criticism is that there’s a lot of telling instead of showing during the first half of the book. It’s expected for a novel of this size told with such passion, involving a world this lush, but most of that introspection and vignette storytelling did muddy the flow of the main narrative for me.
To Free the Rising Storm is the beginning of something extraordinary, and I can’t wait to see where Maxwell takes us next. Whether you’re a fan of romance, dark fantasy, or epic/high fantasy, this story has EVERYTHING you would ever need for poignant journey through pages so finely crafted. Do you need this book in your life? The answer is a resounding yes. Read it.
Dias clina ít xera.
A decadent feast for the heart and soul, To Free the Rising Storm is the spellbinding dark romantic fantasy debut from author C.N. Maxwell. Book one of The ReEmergence Chronicles transports readers to a world drenched in history to embark on a journey of profound metamorphosis. Maxwell pens a stunning tale of weathering the storm and being reborn into something…more. Love. Loss. Betrayal. Pain. Family. Fate. It’s dazzling and tragic in equal measure, and one of the best debuts I’ve had the pleasure of reading.
At the core of this story lies a cast of beautifully complex characters and their breathtaking development as the pages turn. Mae Mordaunt and Varys Wynhart take center stage, the former a meek young woman accustomed to a life of pain and trauma, the latter a bookworm haunted by a great loss from the past. What lies within the pages is the tale of their survival, their transformation, and their flourishing. Maxwell greatly excels at breathing genuine vulnerability into her characters, the resulting fortitude in the face of adversity beyond admirable, solidifying an easy connection between readers and her creations.
I just need to make a quick shoutout to Leona and her parents – they possess everything you could ever hope for in an adopted family.
If you’re looking for a quick fix in the spice department, you won’t find it here. This is the legend of a romance written in the stars, of fated lovers that orbit one another until the powers of the universe bring them crashing together. Mae and Varys have been exchanging longing glances since childhood, an unexplainable connection between them. Once they finally accept and act upon their forbidden desires, there’s an instant love laced with an almost agonizing slow-burn coupling with enough angst to crush your soul. It’s hauntingly exquisite.
In addition to meticulous characterization, prepare to be steeped in insanely rich worldbuilding. Fans of sprawling epics will be in their glory with thousands of years of history, inhabitants from all walks of life with varying ancestry, lore, legends, religion, gods, wars, and different flavors of magic that stem from not only the the land, but alternate realms as well. The reemergence of this magic, thought to have disappeared during a great war that also saw the extinction of the elves, is now wreaking havoc throughout the land, setting into motion a mind-blowing adventure. Oh, and did I mention Maxwell developed her own language? Yep, you read that right.
The first half of the novel is pretty slow-moving plot-wise, utilizing its real estate space to build the word around the reader in order to make the largest impact. If you decide to pick up this beautiful chonk, which I implore you do, be patient. Once revelations are unveiled, it’s explosive, only slowing its pace to give readers a bit of a breath before kicking back into high gear once again. I won’t discuss the actual plot for fear of spoilers – you’ll just have to read the book yourself. I will say, however, that I did have several speed-reading squee moments that usually only occur when I’m reading a Sanderson doorstopper. Take that as you will.
I’m absolutely blown away by the grandeur and emotional impact of this debut novel. It’s complex, yet told in an easy voice to carefully guide its audience along its winding paths. My only criticism is that there’s a lot of telling instead of showing during the first half of the book. It’s expected for a novel of this size told with such passion, involving a world this lush, but most of that introspection and vignette storytelling did muddy the flow of the main narrative for me.
To Free the Rising Storm is the beginning of something extraordinary, and I can’t wait to see where Maxwell takes us next. Whether you’re a fan of romance, dark fantasy, or epic/high fantasy, this story has EVERYTHING you would ever need for poignant journey through pages so finely crafted. Do you need this book in your life? The answer is a resounding yes. Read it.
Dias clina ít xera.
November 3, 2022
I thought it best to sit on my review, because...whew. There's so much going on in this debut. It's packed with world building, romance, magic, and everything in between.
I really enjoyed getting to know the characters of this world. Mae, Varys, Leona, Natalia, Mr. Wynhart, every one of them. Although this book only has two point of views (POV), it's easy to get to know the other characters through their thoughts and opinions. It's even easier to discern who's voice is who's. Which is a hard feat sometimes.
The romance subplot is beautifully done, very push and pull, will they wont they. The flirting progresses at a believable rate, which is important for a slow burn. The little spice we did get was full of angst and longing, but not overly commanding which would have taken away from the over all story, so that was executed remarkably.
The story really builds in this book, it sets everything up amazingly for book two. However, sometimes there's only so much world building necessary before things start to grow hazy. To be completely honest that is my only con with this debut. Some things that were elaborated on could have been shortened, and other's elongated.
The magic system was intriguing however, I felt like we could have used a little more in-depth there. I get the feeling this area was left as broad as possible because of the restrictions the characters face in the form of knowledge. So there's room for expansion.
Safe to say, this debut is extraordinarily done, it's no small feat to create your own language that makes sense and is somewhat easy for readers to follow. The plot was thorough, well thought out, and you can tell the editing rounds paid off.
All in all, I'm excited to see what Maxwell has in store for us in the next installment.
I really enjoyed getting to know the characters of this world. Mae, Varys, Leona, Natalia, Mr. Wynhart, every one of them. Although this book only has two point of views (POV), it's easy to get to know the other characters through their thoughts and opinions. It's even easier to discern who's voice is who's. Which is a hard feat sometimes.
The romance subplot is beautifully done, very push and pull, will they wont they. The flirting progresses at a believable rate, which is important for a slow burn. The little spice we did get was full of angst and longing, but not overly commanding which would have taken away from the over all story, so that was executed remarkably.
The story really builds in this book, it sets everything up amazingly for book two. However, sometimes there's only so much world building necessary before things start to grow hazy. To be completely honest that is my only con with this debut. Some things that were elaborated on could have been shortened, and other's elongated.
The magic system was intriguing however, I felt like we could have used a little more in-depth there. I get the feeling this area was left as broad as possible because of the restrictions the characters face in the form of knowledge. So there's room for expansion.
Safe to say, this debut is extraordinarily done, it's no small feat to create your own language that makes sense and is somewhat easy for readers to follow. The plot was thorough, well thought out, and you can tell the editing rounds paid off.
All in all, I'm excited to see what Maxwell has in store for us in the next installment.
November 23, 2022
What a beautiful book!
This story follows Mae who was born with what they call the Pallid Curse. She’s always suffered from some affliction whether physical or from her father. One day, her father returns home with some interesting items and one turns out to be a book in Elvish, and she can read it. She wonders how that can be and after an attempted assault from her betrothed, she saves herself with a power she did not know she had. A local, Varys Wynhart, sees what happens(or thinks he knows what happened), and wants to know more about her and so offers to help her which Mae gladly says yes so that she can hopefully learn more about why she can read Elvish and about her mysterious powers.
First off, this book is so well written! The details in this book are astounding! I think there needs to be good balance of character development, as well as world development, and C N Maxwell does an amazing job of both! In this book there is a lot of detail about the world, the history of the world, the people and the different kinds of people and their history, and a detailed explanation of the magic system and language(there’s a guide!). I never felt that the information was too much, it was always just right and kept my attention riveted to the story to learn more about this world and its history.
The character development is amazing as well. You learn so much about the main characters, as well as even the side characters, like Leona. I love books that have a good balance between world and character development. I personally need both to truly enjoy a book and to give it five stars. This book not only covered both developments, but it also had an amazing history developed, a language developed, and its own magic system developed. It’s truly astounding to me!
Now the best part, is the romance. I am all for slow burn romances, and this book, I have no words for how much I enjoy the romance in this book. The whole time you’re just wondering will they or won’t they? And I just wanted to keep reading it because I wanted to know what would happen what would develop between these characters. The characters are amazing! The each have their traumas, and how they’re dealing with their traumas, and they just come together and learn how to deal with her trauma together and become this found family that you can’t help but just love.
Varys Wynhart is my new book boyfriend. He’s beautiful both inside and out, plus he also has blue hair and I find that utterly fascinating 🤩
If you love fantasy romances with a very detailed world and magic system, then I highly recommend this one for you!
I received a free digital copy to read. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This story follows Mae who was born with what they call the Pallid Curse. She’s always suffered from some affliction whether physical or from her father. One day, her father returns home with some interesting items and one turns out to be a book in Elvish, and she can read it. She wonders how that can be and after an attempted assault from her betrothed, she saves herself with a power she did not know she had. A local, Varys Wynhart, sees what happens(or thinks he knows what happened), and wants to know more about her and so offers to help her which Mae gladly says yes so that she can hopefully learn more about why she can read Elvish and about her mysterious powers.
First off, this book is so well written! The details in this book are astounding! I think there needs to be good balance of character development, as well as world development, and C N Maxwell does an amazing job of both! In this book there is a lot of detail about the world, the history of the world, the people and the different kinds of people and their history, and a detailed explanation of the magic system and language(there’s a guide!). I never felt that the information was too much, it was always just right and kept my attention riveted to the story to learn more about this world and its history.
The character development is amazing as well. You learn so much about the main characters, as well as even the side characters, like Leona. I love books that have a good balance between world and character development. I personally need both to truly enjoy a book and to give it five stars. This book not only covered both developments, but it also had an amazing history developed, a language developed, and its own magic system developed. It’s truly astounding to me!
Now the best part, is the romance. I am all for slow burn romances, and this book, I have no words for how much I enjoy the romance in this book. The whole time you’re just wondering will they or won’t they? And I just wanted to keep reading it because I wanted to know what would happen what would develop between these characters. The characters are amazing! The each have their traumas, and how they’re dealing with their traumas, and they just come together and learn how to deal with her trauma together and become this found family that you can’t help but just love.
Varys Wynhart is my new book boyfriend. He’s beautiful both inside and out, plus he also has blue hair and I find that utterly fascinating 🤩
If you love fantasy romances with a very detailed world and magic system, then I highly recommend this one for you!
I received a free digital copy to read. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
November 18, 2022
Before I begin, I want to thank the author for sending me an ARC in exchange for my thoughts.
This book has me REELING. I took a little bit of time to get into the story, but I think that’s because I was having a hard time personally reading some of the content (which I was aware of before beginning my reading). Once I found my stride reading, though, I just could not put it down! Maxwell has created such an intricate world with (so far) THREE different languages and a vast magic system that I have only scratched the surface of understanding. I am completely taken by the amount of thought that went into this book, and I cannot get enough of it. I am so invested in the characters and their journey.
Let’s talk characters. We have Mae - a shy, unique girl who feels like she is just in people’s way and is a burden. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. She is such a strong and determined individual and her growth in this book was amazing to read. Then we have Varys. Oh my gosh, he is such a protective and fierce-loving man, but he is very quiet on the outside yet well-spoken. His personality is just so perfect and his growth in this book is very evident. I had some theories about Mae and Varys as soon as they interacted, and I was right! They complement each other very well and I am excited to see how their story continues. The last notable, and my favorite, character is Leona. This auburn beauty is everything I would want in a best friend! She is the LGBTQ rep in this book, and I feel like she was written so well. Her humor and personality make her an easy-to-love side character who definitely gives off main character energy.
Now, on to the plot. I do think that the plot takes a little bit of time to come together, but once it does you better HOLD ON. This book had me on a roller coaster as soon as it started picking up on the action. At one point, I thought everything had kind of wrapped up already only to be thrown for a complete loop for the last 10% of the book! If you are looking for a book that brings you in and gets you invested in the characters only to hit you with action and then leave you with a steep cliffhanger then this is the book for you. I wish I already had the next book in the series so that I could keep reading! I loved this story so much and I am eagerly awaiting anything else this author has to offer. I’ll take teasers, artwork, social media content, and anything that puts me back in Xalador with my new Svitoth.
This book has me REELING. I took a little bit of time to get into the story, but I think that’s because I was having a hard time personally reading some of the content (which I was aware of before beginning my reading). Once I found my stride reading, though, I just could not put it down! Maxwell has created such an intricate world with (so far) THREE different languages and a vast magic system that I have only scratched the surface of understanding. I am completely taken by the amount of thought that went into this book, and I cannot get enough of it. I am so invested in the characters and their journey.
Let’s talk characters. We have Mae - a shy, unique girl who feels like she is just in people’s way and is a burden. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. She is such a strong and determined individual and her growth in this book was amazing to read. Then we have Varys. Oh my gosh, he is such a protective and fierce-loving man, but he is very quiet on the outside yet well-spoken. His personality is just so perfect and his growth in this book is very evident. I had some theories about Mae and Varys as soon as they interacted, and I was right! They complement each other very well and I am excited to see how their story continues. The last notable, and my favorite, character is Leona. This auburn beauty is everything I would want in a best friend! She is the LGBTQ rep in this book, and I feel like she was written so well. Her humor and personality make her an easy-to-love side character who definitely gives off main character energy.
Now, on to the plot. I do think that the plot takes a little bit of time to come together, but once it does you better HOLD ON. This book had me on a roller coaster as soon as it started picking up on the action. At one point, I thought everything had kind of wrapped up already only to be thrown for a complete loop for the last 10% of the book! If you are looking for a book that brings you in and gets you invested in the characters only to hit you with action and then leave you with a steep cliffhanger then this is the book for you. I wish I already had the next book in the series so that I could keep reading! I loved this story so much and I am eagerly awaiting anything else this author has to offer. I’ll take teasers, artwork, social media content, and anything that puts me back in Xalador with my new Svitoth.
August 25, 2022
I was an early reader for To Free the Rising Storm, and what a wild ride it was! TFTRS dives head first into a fascinating world and rich magic system, yet still leaves you hungry for more. The story is unique, creative, and unlike anything else out there. It’s about love, self-acceptance, and transformation, with lots of mystery and magic woven in. Every chapter will unfold more of a complex mystery that will keep you hooked until the end.
I fell in love with the characters and especially enjoyed the character development of Mae. I loved watching her journey into self-love, acceptance, and confidence. Leona is hilarious, and her friendship with Varys was always fun to read. Varys’ backstory was captivating and heart breaking, and the chapters describing his memories were some of the most poignant I’ve read in any book.
The twists and turns will keep you flipping the pages! If you’re like me, you’ll have tons of crazy theories… and if you’re lucky, one or two will end up being true 😂
To Free the Rising Storm is a creative, gripping, heart-rending story that you won’t be able to put down.
Note: this is definitely a mature book with adult content. I don’t read a lot of spicy books so this had more graphic detail than I’m accustomed to. The book is very upfront about that so just be mindful of the content warnings! 🌶🥵❤️
I fell in love with the characters and especially enjoyed the character development of Mae. I loved watching her journey into self-love, acceptance, and confidence. Leona is hilarious, and her friendship with Varys was always fun to read. Varys’ backstory was captivating and heart breaking, and the chapters describing his memories were some of the most poignant I’ve read in any book.
The twists and turns will keep you flipping the pages! If you’re like me, you’ll have tons of crazy theories… and if you’re lucky, one or two will end up being true 😂
To Free the Rising Storm is a creative, gripping, heart-rending story that you won’t be able to put down.
Note: this is definitely a mature book with adult content. I don’t read a lot of spicy books so this had more graphic detail than I’m accustomed to. The book is very upfront about that so just be mindful of the content warnings! 🌶🥵❤️
November 15, 2022
Thank you to the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This book is everything I wanted it to be. We get NA fantasy romance in a well-thought-out world.
I really enjoyed the magic system in this book, and there was an almost mystery element to this as well that kept me hooked. The relationship between Mae and Varys was sweet, and while it developed quickly, it felt true to their ages and situations.
One of my absolute favorite characters is Leona, a badass dwarf who trains Varys to fight, and is an all-around delight.
The world building was so well done. It didn't feel at any point confusing or like an info dump, which can be difficult to do.
Absolutely recommend for all NA fantasy lovers!
This book is everything I wanted it to be. We get NA fantasy romance in a well-thought-out world.
I really enjoyed the magic system in this book, and there was an almost mystery element to this as well that kept me hooked. The relationship between Mae and Varys was sweet, and while it developed quickly, it felt true to their ages and situations.
One of my absolute favorite characters is Leona, a badass dwarf who trains Varys to fight, and is an all-around delight.
The world building was so well done. It didn't feel at any point confusing or like an info dump, which can be difficult to do.
Absolutely recommend for all NA fantasy lovers!
November 16, 2022
Now. Do I recommend this book? Absolutely. To you romantasy readers who eat 300 page books for breakfast, TFTRS is a thicc boi at almost 700 pages of great world building, a captivating but slow burn story, found family, elemental magic, fated mates, mage, dwarf and elf rep. Maxwell put years into this story to create two different languages and supplied us with dictionaries, runes, pronunciation... Everything. To Free the Rising Storm is definitely not for the faint of heart and will require your attention or you will miss things. But boy when it all comes together...
Careful that cliff, she's a steep one.
🛑Please remember to check TWs before reading🛑
Stop by my DMs when you're through with it though.
Careful that cliff, she's a steep one.
🛑Please remember to check TWs before reading🛑
Stop by my DMs when you're through with it though.
November 17, 2022
✨I have received this book as an ARC from the author. This review is 100 percent honest and 100 percent my opinion.✨
To Free The Rising Storm is about a magical world full of action and adventure, with curses and spells; unique languages and alphabets; with elves, dwarves and humans all living together.
Mae(fmc), is outcasted by her people because she was born with "pallid disease". People believed she was cursed because her disease gave her white hair and amethyst eyes. While she has to deal with her illness, she discovers her powers. With the help of Varys and Leona, Mae get more powerful everyday, learns about friendship, love, adventure, heartbreak and betrayal.
Action/Plot: ⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️/5
Romance/Smut: 🌶🌶/5
This book has;
🔮na
🔮dual pov
🔮high fantasy
🔮slow burn
🔮friends to lovers
🔮coloured haired characters
🔮lgbtq+ representation
🔮curses and spells
🔮cliffhanger ending
🔮swordsman& swordswoman
What I liked about this book;
️🔅️I really liked the fact that this book was plot driven with a side of romance. It had been some time since I read a really good fantasy book with such good plots
️🔅️a very detailed book with no info-dumping on world building, everything was introduced very naturally
️🔅the fact that characters were all flawed in some ways, they had place to grow
️🔅it was very rich in characters, there were many characters that we was in the story and we learnt about their stories as well
️🔅"She is a chaos that will never be tamed." this was the perfect quote to describe Mae at the end of the book
️🔅I really liked that there was different languages and it was used through out the book AND that the translations were written at the end of each chapter, nobody has time to remember every little word and it made reading easy without turning to page to see what the word means
️🔅For me, the book was bridgeton meets cruel prince with much more adventure. and I loved both of them so I devoured the book
Check trigger warnings before reading!
This book contains heavy triggers that I listed below, and although some of them are just mentioned, some of them are continued throughout the book and written in detail.
Some of the triggers in the book,
⛔️thoughts of self h#rm
⛔️parental abuse
⛔️blood and gore
⛔️mentions and scenes with r#pe, de#th and m#rder
⛔️sexual content +18
⛔️strong language
⛔️physical vi#lence
⛔️mentions of miscarriage
Mae and Varys
From the first pages we see Mae as a little scared sick girl who doesn't know why her body the way it is. As the story continues she begins to understand why she is the way she is and starts trusting herself and her powers. While she's trying to figure everything out, she gets close to Varys. He is an intelligent boy who knows who he is, loves to learn and read. He makes her understand more about herself and teach her about her powers. They were made for each other, they completed one another.
Ngl, when they finally did it, I was like
Leona
I want to give a special thanks to the author for writing a really funny character, she was so fun to read about and I laughed every time she spoke, the accent, the way she expressed herself. Leona made both Varys and Mae get out of their shell to see the world more fun and adventurous.
"Nah, ye aren't gettin' this back until ye get yer damn flighty head out of yer arse!"
Overall, do I recommend reading this book?
Yes, yes I do, definitely worth reading
until next time friends,
To Free The Rising Storm is about a magical world full of action and adventure, with curses and spells; unique languages and alphabets; with elves, dwarves and humans all living together.
Mae(fmc), is outcasted by her people because she was born with "pallid disease". People believed she was cursed because her disease gave her white hair and amethyst eyes. While she has to deal with her illness, she discovers her powers. With the help of Varys and Leona, Mae get more powerful everyday, learns about friendship, love, adventure, heartbreak and betrayal.
Action/Plot: ⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️/5
Romance/Smut: 🌶🌶/5
This book has;
🔮na
🔮dual pov
🔮high fantasy
🔮slow burn
🔮friends to lovers
🔮coloured haired characters
🔮lgbtq+ representation
🔮curses and spells
🔮cliffhanger ending
🔮swordsman& swordswoman
What I liked about this book;
️🔅️I really liked the fact that this book was plot driven with a side of romance. It had been some time since I read a really good fantasy book with such good plots
️🔅️a very detailed book with no info-dumping on world building, everything was introduced very naturally
️🔅the fact that characters were all flawed in some ways, they had place to grow
️🔅it was very rich in characters, there were many characters that we was in the story and we learnt about their stories as well
️🔅"She is a chaos that will never be tamed." this was the perfect quote to describe Mae at the end of the book
️🔅I really liked that there was different languages and it was used through out the book AND that the translations were written at the end of each chapter, nobody has time to remember every little word and it made reading easy without turning to page to see what the word means
️🔅For me, the book was bridgeton meets cruel prince with much more adventure. and I loved both of them so I devoured the book
Check trigger warnings before reading!
This book contains heavy triggers that I listed below, and although some of them are just mentioned, some of them are continued throughout the book and written in detail.
Some of the triggers in the book,
⛔️thoughts of self h#rm
⛔️parental abuse
⛔️blood and gore
⛔️mentions and scenes with r#pe, de#th and m#rder
⛔️sexual content +18
⛔️strong language
⛔️physical vi#lence
⛔️mentions of miscarriage
Mae and Varys
From the first pages we see Mae as a little scared sick girl who doesn't know why her body the way it is. As the story continues she begins to understand why she is the way she is and starts trusting herself and her powers. While she's trying to figure everything out, she gets close to Varys. He is an intelligent boy who knows who he is, loves to learn and read. He makes her understand more about herself and teach her about her powers. They were made for each other, they completed one another.
Ngl, when they finally did it, I was like
Leona
I want to give a special thanks to the author for writing a really funny character, she was so fun to read about and I laughed every time she spoke, the accent, the way she expressed herself. Leona made both Varys and Mae get out of their shell to see the world more fun and adventurous.
"Nah, ye aren't gettin' this back until ye get yer damn flighty head out of yer arse!"
Overall, do I recommend reading this book?
Yes, yes I do, definitely worth reading
until next time friends,
November 22, 2022
I LOVED this book! The characters had so much depth, a main female character learning to trust in herself as much as those around her, a sassy bad ass female dwarvish warrior, elves, deep and well though out world building, and well written spice! I couldn't have asked for more!
I want to thank C.N. Maxwell, for gifting me an advanced copy of To Free the Rising Storm the first in the ReEmergence Chronicles in exchange for my honest review.
Full disclosure I am a sucker for a new fantasy world. I could not believe this was a debut novel. As always, be sure to read the trigger warnings!
"It’s not your morality that determines your strength. It’s what you choose to do with the strength you have."
We start out in the small town of Elros on the continent of Xalador with our main female character, Mae, who has lived a rather sheltered life with her abusive merchant father and inattentive mother. She suffers from regular pain flares without any medical explanation. Her parents have chalked it up to her simply being dramatic and vying for attention.
Next, we meet our main male character, Varys, a well-educated librarian who has been following in his father’s footsteps toward a life of academics. The loss of his mother a decade earlier still weighs heavy on him and his father. His hope is to learn as much as he can from the mysterious journal she left him upon her death. As the book goes on, we meet Varys’ best friend Leona, a sassy dwarf who has also tasked herself with training Varys in hand-to-hand combat. Varys and his father are as good as family to Leona’s own parents.
While Mae and Varys have known of each other their entire lives, a feud between the families has prevented them from truly getting to know each other. Though they have always been drawn to each other and often find their paths crossing.
It wasn’t until a traumatic encounter with Mae’s betrothed that they finally had a chance to truly get to know one another. While the trauma of the incident brought them together, it was clear that whatever existed between them was something more. Should they listen to the unknown pull toward one another or keep their distance and prevent more animosity between their families?
"Beautiful and mystical, icy and smoky all at once. The voice that sent warmth through me whenever my name rolled from her tongue and yet left me with goosebumps as if I were in the presence of an otherworldly queen."
The world building in this book was well thought out and well written. It is on par with other epic fantasies I’ve read and C.N. Maxwell goes as far as having 3 pronunciation guides and a Dwarvish rune alphabet at the beginning of the book. The magic system and multiple magical races were combined seamlessly. I appreciated that the world grew as the story grew, and I never found myself overwhelmed by info dumping or trying to follow a multitude of different characters.
The relationship between Varys and Mae was beautiful and heartbreaking. I found myself regularly feeling heartbroken for Mae. Her character is so relatable to anyone who has ever been taken advantage of by family or those who were supposed to love them. Varys need to protect those he loves but respects the women in his life enough to let them find their own strength. I really appreciated that he wasn’t depicted as a savior but rather a teacher, friend, and brother.
"I forgot who I was. I forgot where I was, what I was. My godsdamn name. Her lips were ruination…"
I appreciated the way Mae deals with her mental health and PTSD alongside a chronic illness. It’s so easy to lose ourselves in the darkness when life feels overwhelming, but Mae’s story is one of hope and resilience.
Overall, I LOVED this book! While it ends on a cliffhanger, I can't wait to read the next installment. There was so much depth in book 1, and I can’t wait to see where C.N. Maxwell takes us next!
Ready to Free The Rising Storm when it releases TOMORROW, November 22, 2022!
I want to thank C.N. Maxwell, for gifting me an advanced copy of To Free the Rising Storm the first in the ReEmergence Chronicles in exchange for my honest review.
Full disclosure I am a sucker for a new fantasy world. I could not believe this was a debut novel. As always, be sure to read the trigger warnings!
"It’s not your morality that determines your strength. It’s what you choose to do with the strength you have."
We start out in the small town of Elros on the continent of Xalador with our main female character, Mae, who has lived a rather sheltered life with her abusive merchant father and inattentive mother. She suffers from regular pain flares without any medical explanation. Her parents have chalked it up to her simply being dramatic and vying for attention.
Next, we meet our main male character, Varys, a well-educated librarian who has been following in his father’s footsteps toward a life of academics. The loss of his mother a decade earlier still weighs heavy on him and his father. His hope is to learn as much as he can from the mysterious journal she left him upon her death. As the book goes on, we meet Varys’ best friend Leona, a sassy dwarf who has also tasked herself with training Varys in hand-to-hand combat. Varys and his father are as good as family to Leona’s own parents.
While Mae and Varys have known of each other their entire lives, a feud between the families has prevented them from truly getting to know each other. Though they have always been drawn to each other and often find their paths crossing.
It wasn’t until a traumatic encounter with Mae’s betrothed that they finally had a chance to truly get to know one another. While the trauma of the incident brought them together, it was clear that whatever existed between them was something more. Should they listen to the unknown pull toward one another or keep their distance and prevent more animosity between their families?
"Beautiful and mystical, icy and smoky all at once. The voice that sent warmth through me whenever my name rolled from her tongue and yet left me with goosebumps as if I were in the presence of an otherworldly queen."
The world building in this book was well thought out and well written. It is on par with other epic fantasies I’ve read and C.N. Maxwell goes as far as having 3 pronunciation guides and a Dwarvish rune alphabet at the beginning of the book. The magic system and multiple magical races were combined seamlessly. I appreciated that the world grew as the story grew, and I never found myself overwhelmed by info dumping or trying to follow a multitude of different characters.
The relationship between Varys and Mae was beautiful and heartbreaking. I found myself regularly feeling heartbroken for Mae. Her character is so relatable to anyone who has ever been taken advantage of by family or those who were supposed to love them. Varys need to protect those he loves but respects the women in his life enough to let them find their own strength. I really appreciated that he wasn’t depicted as a savior but rather a teacher, friend, and brother.
"I forgot who I was. I forgot where I was, what I was. My godsdamn name. Her lips were ruination…"
I appreciated the way Mae deals with her mental health and PTSD alongside a chronic illness. It’s so easy to lose ourselves in the darkness when life feels overwhelming, but Mae’s story is one of hope and resilience.
Overall, I LOVED this book! While it ends on a cliffhanger, I can't wait to read the next installment. There was so much depth in book 1, and I can’t wait to see where C.N. Maxwell takes us next!
Ready to Free The Rising Storm when it releases TOMORROW, November 22, 2022!
May 7, 2023
I’m not even sure how to put together my thoughts on this book! As a longtime fan of high fantasy and TTRPG like D&D, this just hit so much for me that I absolutely love.
To Free the Rising Storm is such a perfect blend of high fantasy elements with the ✨spice✨ we love to see in a romantasy book. The love story is pretty front and center, but it never feels like it overwhelmed the plot. And what a plot it is!!! I freaking LOVED the world setting, the magic system, the lore, the hints of evil to come, the promise of new locations, and so much more.
The struggles that our main characters dealt with felt so real. Mae is a fiercely passionate character who struggles with chronic pain, abuse, self-doubt, and strength. I loved rooting for her to overcome all of her pain and struggles.
One of my favorite things about the way this book is written is that it truly felt like dual POV, and sometimes even more-so that our MMC Varys is more of the main character. At times, I felt like I knew him better than I knew Mae- I felt so connected to him throughout the story and let me tell you, he’s top tier book boyfriend 🥹 I also absolutely love Leona, Varys’s best friend. Their friendship is so beautiful and perfect.
This book felt like I jumped into a D&D campaign and witnessed a love story unfolding in front of me. I loved it and I need book two after that cliffhanger of an ending!
Check for TW as this does have mature content and themes of abuse and assault.
To Free the Rising Storm is such a perfect blend of high fantasy elements with the ✨spice✨ we love to see in a romantasy book. The love story is pretty front and center, but it never feels like it overwhelmed the plot. And what a plot it is!!! I freaking LOVED the world setting, the magic system, the lore, the hints of evil to come, the promise of new locations, and so much more.
The struggles that our main characters dealt with felt so real. Mae is a fiercely passionate character who struggles with chronic pain, abuse, self-doubt, and strength. I loved rooting for her to overcome all of her pain and struggles.
One of my favorite things about the way this book is written is that it truly felt like dual POV, and sometimes even more-so that our MMC Varys is more of the main character. At times, I felt like I knew him better than I knew Mae- I felt so connected to him throughout the story and let me tell you, he’s top tier book boyfriend 🥹 I also absolutely love Leona, Varys’s best friend. Their friendship is so beautiful and perfect.
This book felt like I jumped into a D&D campaign and witnessed a love story unfolding in front of me. I loved it and I need book two after that cliffhanger of an ending!
Check for TW as this does have mature content and themes of abuse and assault.
November 23, 2022
To Free the Rising Storm
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
You Get:
⛈️High Fantasy
⛈️Slow Burn Romance
⛈️Magic
⛈️Found Family
⛈️Duel POVs
⚡️I was given this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you soooo much C. N Maxwell for allowing me the opportunity of going on this amazing adventure! ⚡️
All I can say is WOW! I am at a loss of words for this novel. I can see myself re reading this over and over again. This debut novel from C. N Maxwell is hands down top tier fantasy! You’ll be throughly disappointed if you don’t get this book.
This epic fantasy adventure isn’t like anything I ever read before. From beginning to end this book is full of adventure, danger, passion, emotions, romance… pretty much everything you can think of, it’s in it.
The world building is phenomenal and breathtaking. You’ll be immersed in a new world, Xalador. It’s so well thought out and detailed that it practically feels like you’re actually there. Her characters have so much life to them! Mae, goes through a lot of trauma and her life isn’t at all what you’d expect. Varys, is an all around romantic guy and just the absolute sweetest when it comes to Mae. They both are hiding secrets from one another and the world they live in.
THE CLIFF HANGER! Ugh! This one really did a number on me. I don’t know how I’m supposed to wait patiently for the next book to come out!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
You Get:
⛈️High Fantasy
⛈️Slow Burn Romance
⛈️Magic
⛈️Found Family
⛈️Duel POVs
⚡️I was given this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you soooo much C. N Maxwell for allowing me the opportunity of going on this amazing adventure! ⚡️
All I can say is WOW! I am at a loss of words for this novel. I can see myself re reading this over and over again. This debut novel from C. N Maxwell is hands down top tier fantasy! You’ll be throughly disappointed if you don’t get this book.
This epic fantasy adventure isn’t like anything I ever read before. From beginning to end this book is full of adventure, danger, passion, emotions, romance… pretty much everything you can think of, it’s in it.
The world building is phenomenal and breathtaking. You’ll be immersed in a new world, Xalador. It’s so well thought out and detailed that it practically feels like you’re actually there. Her characters have so much life to them! Mae, goes through a lot of trauma and her life isn’t at all what you’d expect. Varys, is an all around romantic guy and just the absolute sweetest when it comes to Mae. They both are hiding secrets from one another and the world they live in.
THE CLIFF HANGER! Ugh! This one really did a number on me. I don’t know how I’m supposed to wait patiently for the next book to come out!
November 14, 2022
What a fantastic debut novel from Maxwell. You can tell how much hard work went into writing this. It is an absolute beast of a story and it feels like it every step of the way.
What I liked: The magic system was really intriguing and I liked that it had rules and limits and a growth of power. I'm not much for historical romances but this setting had just enough of that small town, old-timey feel that I enjoyed it without getting bogged down by the time/place. All that is to say - the world was very well built and I can't wait to see more of it. Also with these main characters... such a strong will they/won't they that I ACHED for them. Mae and Varys have my heart, plus Leona is one of my favorite characters ever. The bad guy wasn't super surprising but I was definitely tricked by some of the plot twists!
What I didn't like: The main thing that pulled me out of the story every time was the use of the author-created language (Elvish). I'm just a not a fan of this in most fantasy stories, but every time I saw one of the notations and had to search for the meaning, I disconnected from the story. I'm sure it was a lot of work on the author's part, but I just didn't feel like it was necessary as a reader. My only other complaint is some of the pacing - I felt every bit of this books heft and wasn't really swept up into the novel. Nothing concrete that I can pinpoint, but it all just dragged a bit for me and took me longer to read than I anticipated.
Overall, though... I enjoyed it, would recommend it to other high fantasy readers, and I can't wait to read book 2!
Some notable quotes:
"Bones may shiver, mind may shake, but steel your heart and turn fear to flame."
"You are a chaos that will never be tamed."
Received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
What I liked: The magic system was really intriguing and I liked that it had rules and limits and a growth of power. I'm not much for historical romances but this setting had just enough of that small town, old-timey feel that I enjoyed it without getting bogged down by the time/place. All that is to say - the world was very well built and I can't wait to see more of it. Also with these main characters... such a strong will they/won't they that I ACHED for them. Mae and Varys have my heart, plus Leona is one of my favorite characters ever. The bad guy wasn't super surprising but I was definitely tricked by some of the plot twists!
What I didn't like: The main thing that pulled me out of the story every time was the use of the author-created language (Elvish). I'm just a not a fan of this in most fantasy stories, but every time I saw one of the notations and had to search for the meaning, I disconnected from the story. I'm sure it was a lot of work on the author's part, but I just didn't feel like it was necessary as a reader. My only other complaint is some of the pacing - I felt every bit of this books heft and wasn't really swept up into the novel. Nothing concrete that I can pinpoint, but it all just dragged a bit for me and took me longer to read than I anticipated.
Overall, though... I enjoyed it, would recommend it to other high fantasy readers, and I can't wait to read book 2!
Some notable quotes:
"Bones may shiver, mind may shake, but steel your heart and turn fear to flame."
"You are a chaos that will never be tamed."
Received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 18, 2022
Maxwell created an intriguing fantasy world unlike anything I’ve ever encountered. Her magic system is well developed and easy to follow. I did find a new cinnamon roll character in Varys and cannot wait to see how his and Mae’s relationship grows in the next installment!
November 17, 2022
I was so excited to read this one and be part of this author’s street team! It has everything a fantasy/romantasy reader loves: great world-building, a slow-burn romance between characters who have great chemistry (with more steam to happen in book 2 I understand), and an interesting magic system.
To Free the Rising Storm is a dual POV book with the main characters being Mae and Varys. I liked Varys right away, Mae took a little warming up for me, not because I didn’t like her, but because her relationship with her parents as we see at the beginning of the book is a bit difficult to read. My favorite character, as I predicted when I first heard about her, is Leona. As a plus-size woman myself, I think the author did a great job representing her as a plus-sized character on the page. I love her confidence and sass.
The author created her own elfin language for this book and it’s easy to follow, with helpful elvish and dwarvish dictionaries at the beginning of the book to help you with meanings. I still probably would butcher the words if I tried to say them out loud through!
My only drawback, and this could be a me issue and not a book issue as I haven’t been reading a lot of fantasy or lengthy books lately, is that the beginning of the book took me a little bit of time to get into. With the thrillers I’ve been reading lately, I’m used to a faster pace so I had to get used to the setting up of the fantasy world and story here.
Overall, I thought the book was very well written. I know the author went over this book painstakingly to make sure everything was as perfect and polished as it could be and it shows.
To Free the Rising Storm is a dual POV book with the main characters being Mae and Varys. I liked Varys right away, Mae took a little warming up for me, not because I didn’t like her, but because her relationship with her parents as we see at the beginning of the book is a bit difficult to read. My favorite character, as I predicted when I first heard about her, is Leona. As a plus-size woman myself, I think the author did a great job representing her as a plus-sized character on the page. I love her confidence and sass.
The author created her own elfin language for this book and it’s easy to follow, with helpful elvish and dwarvish dictionaries at the beginning of the book to help you with meanings. I still probably would butcher the words if I tried to say them out loud through!
My only drawback, and this could be a me issue and not a book issue as I haven’t been reading a lot of fantasy or lengthy books lately, is that the beginning of the book took me a little bit of time to get into. With the thrillers I’ve been reading lately, I’m used to a faster pace so I had to get used to the setting up of the fantasy world and story here.
Overall, I thought the book was very well written. I know the author went over this book painstakingly to make sure everything was as perfect and polished as it could be and it shows.
November 21, 2022
Be warned! This will take LOTS of dedication to get through the new language woven into the dialogue as well as the beginning half of the book which is focused heavily on the world building, setting and tone of the story. I would have liked it more if the pace wasn’t as slow and heavy as it was. But once you reach *that point* in the plot, things really pick up and get way more interesting and complex.
I really enjoyed the diversity among our characters and how each personality really shines. Leona is so feisty and sarcastic and reminds me of myself a lot so I favor her lol.
I really enjoyed the diversity among our characters and how each personality really shines. Leona is so feisty and sarcastic and reminds me of myself a lot so I favor her lol.
November 22, 2022
As I write this review I am still processing this book. I feel a little empty now that I have finished it. Probably because of the crazy f*cking cliffhanger lmao. But this world has a hold on me. I already miss Varys, Mae, and Leona….
The world that C.N. has created is extremely intricate and well thought out. The magic system continued to grow throughout the whole book, so I felt like the info dumping was almost nonexistent. Which is great cause I hate info dumping and most high fantasy books have a ton of info dumping!
My favorite character by far was Leona. I can't express to you how much I loved that there were Dwarves in this book! Dwarves are one of my favorite magical beings, so when Leona was introduced I was very excited and hoped she would be an important character. She was:))))) I would honestly love to know more about Leona and I hope we get to see even more of her in the next book!
The romance was beautiful and I found it to be soft and real and strong. Varys reminded me a lot of Milo from Atlantis: The Lost Empire, sweet, nerdy, hot, strong... I loved Mae and Varys and I can't wait to know what happens next in their story.
A special thank you to the author:
Thank you C.N. Maxwell for sharing this world and its inhabitants with us. I am so grateful to have been given this book as an eARC and I will cherish my signed copy. Oh and just so you know I think I speak for all of your readers when I say I am in desperate need of the next book in this series, so please release book two asap!
The world that C.N. has created is extremely intricate and well thought out. The magic system continued to grow throughout the whole book, so I felt like the info dumping was almost nonexistent. Which is great cause I hate info dumping and most high fantasy books have a ton of info dumping!
My favorite character by far was Leona. I can't express to you how much I loved that there were Dwarves in this book! Dwarves are one of my favorite magical beings, so when Leona was introduced I was very excited and hoped she would be an important character. She was:))))) I would honestly love to know more about Leona and I hope we get to see even more of her in the next book!
The romance was beautiful and I found it to be soft and real and strong. Varys reminded me a lot of Milo from Atlantis: The Lost Empire, sweet, nerdy, hot, strong... I loved Mae and Varys and I can't wait to know what happens next in their story.
A special thank you to the author:
Thank you C.N. Maxwell for sharing this world and its inhabitants with us. I am so grateful to have been given this book as an eARC and I will cherish my signed copy. Oh and just so you know I think I speak for all of your readers when I say I am in desperate need of the next book in this series, so please release book two asap!
June 26, 2023
~ Dual POV
~ High Fantasy World
~ Slow Burn
✨ My Thoughts ✨
What an epic adventure. The world building in this book was so so good. I felt like the story idea was unique and something I haven't really read before. Mae's journey in this book was truly beautiful to read. She has come from a lot of trauma and to see her work through that trauma was great to see. Varys is absolutely swoon worthy. To really see him support Mae in this book was fantastic to see. His journey with his own struggles was interesting to see. The slow burn romance was so good. It really was the perfect pace for these characters. I enjoyed the use of different languages in the book (there is a guide). I just can't get over how much this book took me by surprise. That ending was absolutely killer. I can't wait for book two.
To Free the Rising Storm is book one in The ReEmergence Chronicles by C.N. Maxwell. This book is recommended for 18+. Please check TW before reading.
I can't recommend this enough if you are into high fantasy, romance, and a unique story.
✨ I was given this book as an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Thank you so much C.N. maxwell for this opportunity ✨
~ High Fantasy World
~ Slow Burn
✨ My Thoughts ✨
What an epic adventure. The world building in this book was so so good. I felt like the story idea was unique and something I haven't really read before. Mae's journey in this book was truly beautiful to read. She has come from a lot of trauma and to see her work through that trauma was great to see. Varys is absolutely swoon worthy. To really see him support Mae in this book was fantastic to see. His journey with his own struggles was interesting to see. The slow burn romance was so good. It really was the perfect pace for these characters. I enjoyed the use of different languages in the book (there is a guide). I just can't get over how much this book took me by surprise. That ending was absolutely killer. I can't wait for book two.
To Free the Rising Storm is book one in The ReEmergence Chronicles by C.N. Maxwell. This book is recommended for 18+. Please check TW before reading.
I can't recommend this enough if you are into high fantasy, romance, and a unique story.
✨ I was given this book as an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Thank you so much C.N. maxwell for this opportunity ✨
February 9, 2023
“𝚂𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐.”
“𝙿𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚢 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜. 𝙹𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚜𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚕𝚢 𝚢𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚢𝚎’𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏.”
🍷🍷🍷.75 / 5
🌶️🌶️ / 5
»»————-✼————-««
Review:
I want to say a huge thank you to the author for sending me an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. I also want to apologise for taking so long to review! This book too me a while to read, not because I didn’t like it (I really did!) but because it’s 680 odd pages😭 that’s a BIG book for me!😅 I have that setting on my kindle where it tells you how long it will take you to finish the book, at 68% I still had 6 hours left to read😭 but I did it and I’m so glad I did because damnnn this book is incredible!
I’ve been reading a lot of fantasy lately and most of them have been fast paced; TFTRS was a nice break allowing me to truly appreciate the characters and the writing! Maxwell’s writing is fantastic, the detail really helped Xalador come to life; the use of the weather creates an incredible atmosphere and reading while in rainy England really bought the story to life. I adored the magic system, the incorporation of druids, sorcerers and elemental magic was really cleaver and definitely gave a spin of Elves I haven’t read for a while. I will say the magic system is pretty complex but is explained really well and the use of Elvin (translations are provided in the footnotes) is so cool and definitely adds to the magic!
Varys is my baby, I love him, no I adore him. Shy to others but damn that man knows how to be possessive and demanding in the bedroom (or maybe the forest floor is his favourite domaine🥵). His connection with Mae is incredible and his constant battle to prove to her he loves her breaks and warms my heart at the same time. His reactions are real and human and I just wanna give him a big hug and let him know he’s good enough🥹 also he has magic and blue hair and knows how to use a sword so it’s automatic approval from Pip😂
Mae is complex and hurt and honestly doesn’t deserve a drop of what’s happened to her; I love that she has all the people looking out for her even though she didn’t realise. I had an inkling of what her powers would be and I was right! I think her powers are so cool and I can’t wait to learn more about them in the next instalment of this series! The only like about Mae that annoys me is the fact she prevents herself from loving Varys so she doesn’t hurt him, but that only hurts him more and he doesn’t deserve that at all🥹
Anyway this slow burn, slow paced fantasy is a fantastic read for magic lovers and I definitely recommend! Make sure you check the trigger warnings as this book discusses abuse, sexual assault and trauma as a result of childhood bereavement.
For lovers of:
- Fantasy
- Elves
- Elemental Magic
- Druids, Sorcerers and Dark Magic
- Slow Burn Romance
- Fighting
- It’s Always Been You
“𝙿𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚢 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜. 𝙹𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚜𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚕𝚢 𝚢𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚢𝚎’𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏.”
🍷🍷🍷.75 / 5
🌶️🌶️ / 5
»»————-✼————-««
Review:
I want to say a huge thank you to the author for sending me an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. I also want to apologise for taking so long to review! This book too me a while to read, not because I didn’t like it (I really did!) but because it’s 680 odd pages😭 that’s a BIG book for me!😅 I have that setting on my kindle where it tells you how long it will take you to finish the book, at 68% I still had 6 hours left to read😭 but I did it and I’m so glad I did because damnnn this book is incredible!
I’ve been reading a lot of fantasy lately and most of them have been fast paced; TFTRS was a nice break allowing me to truly appreciate the characters and the writing! Maxwell’s writing is fantastic, the detail really helped Xalador come to life; the use of the weather creates an incredible atmosphere and reading while in rainy England really bought the story to life. I adored the magic system, the incorporation of druids, sorcerers and elemental magic was really cleaver and definitely gave a spin of Elves I haven’t read for a while. I will say the magic system is pretty complex but is explained really well and the use of Elvin (translations are provided in the footnotes) is so cool and definitely adds to the magic!
Varys is my baby, I love him, no I adore him. Shy to others but damn that man knows how to be possessive and demanding in the bedroom (or maybe the forest floor is his favourite domaine🥵). His connection with Mae is incredible and his constant battle to prove to her he loves her breaks and warms my heart at the same time. His reactions are real and human and I just wanna give him a big hug and let him know he’s good enough🥹 also he has magic and blue hair and knows how to use a sword so it’s automatic approval from Pip😂
Mae is complex and hurt and honestly doesn’t deserve a drop of what’s happened to her; I love that she has all the people looking out for her even though she didn’t realise. I had an inkling of what her powers would be and I was right! I think her powers are so cool and I can’t wait to learn more about them in the next instalment of this series! The only like about Mae that annoys me is the fact she prevents herself from loving Varys so she doesn’t hurt him, but that only hurts him more and he doesn’t deserve that at all🥹
Anyway this slow burn, slow paced fantasy is a fantastic read for magic lovers and I definitely recommend! Make sure you check the trigger warnings as this book discusses abuse, sexual assault and trauma as a result of childhood bereavement.
For lovers of:
- Fantasy
- Elves
- Elemental Magic
- Druids, Sorcerers and Dark Magic
- Slow Burn Romance
- Fighting
- It’s Always Been You
November 22, 2022
Sensational Read!
TFTRS may be CN Maxwell’s debut novel however it reads like a seasoned author. Everything from the plot to the world building and character development went above all expectations I had.
This book was non stop leaving me wanting more with each swipe of the page, and I found myself eagerly waiting when I could return to the world of TFTRS.
Mae is written heart achingly beautiful and you cannot help but fall for her - rooting for along the way hoping she can get free of her situation.
Varys the delicious and appropriately name Sin-namon Roll had me swooning from the first mention. His past had my heart clenching and I love how deeply CN Maxwell wrote him.
Leona the thicc dwarf best friend everyone needs was my favorite of the book. Her take no shit attitude and how easily she puts others in their place had me attached to her from the first moment she was brought up.
CN Maxwell spent so much time six year writing this book and it shows on how much she poured into this book, and how deeply she got to know her characters as it feels like they are real people. But, it doesn’t stop at just the characters the plot is so well written (and OMG the plot twist at the end!) and engaging and the magic system is so unique.
Although it is the multiple different languages weaved into this story that blew me away. I am still astonished how well written and developed each language is and extremely appreciate the pronunciation guides provided in the book - it made it so much easier to reference.
This book is definitely in my top list of favorite reads of 2022 and I will forever scream about it from the roof tops to all who will listen.
Thank you so much CN Maxwell for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review and the great privilege of being apart of your street team! I cannot wait to see what you have in story for us next.
TFTRS may be CN Maxwell’s debut novel however it reads like a seasoned author. Everything from the plot to the world building and character development went above all expectations I had.
This book was non stop leaving me wanting more with each swipe of the page, and I found myself eagerly waiting when I could return to the world of TFTRS.
Mae is written heart achingly beautiful and you cannot help but fall for her - rooting for along the way hoping she can get free of her situation.
Varys the delicious and appropriately name Sin-namon Roll had me swooning from the first mention. His past had my heart clenching and I love how deeply CN Maxwell wrote him.
Leona the thicc dwarf best friend everyone needs was my favorite of the book. Her take no shit attitude and how easily she puts others in their place had me attached to her from the first moment she was brought up.
CN Maxwell spent so much time six year writing this book and it shows on how much she poured into this book, and how deeply she got to know her characters as it feels like they are real people. But, it doesn’t stop at just the characters the plot is so well written (and OMG the plot twist at the end!) and engaging and the magic system is so unique.
Although it is the multiple different languages weaved into this story that blew me away. I am still astonished how well written and developed each language is and extremely appreciate the pronunciation guides provided in the book - it made it so much easier to reference.
This book is definitely in my top list of favorite reads of 2022 and I will forever scream about it from the roof tops to all who will listen.
Thank you so much CN Maxwell for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review and the great privilege of being apart of your street team! I cannot wait to see what you have in story for us next.
January 7, 2023
“I am storm incarnate, the embodiment of chaos. You should have already known that by her true name. You all should have.”
To Free the Rising Storm is more than just a fantasy, more than adventure, and more than kindling of love… But it’s a journey of discovering your true self, and not being scared, or ashamed in emerging into that very person. Mae has been sickly and abused for most of her life, but she is a fighter and chooses to survive. She truly is someone to be feared and loved. And her journey of finding her true self, she discovers more about herself then she was prepared for.
I found myself wanting to capture every moment as I read about the world that C. N. Maxwell created. Her characters, each and everyone of them were captivating in their own right. Not only that, but I found a piece of myself in her writing, I too have re-emerged into someone deeper than I ever imagined. It was lovely to connect with a character on that level.
Varys is a cinnamon roll that we all need - he is a geeky, intelligent, shy sweetness that will do everything in his power, to bring the world to an end, if you get between him and his beloved.
Leona is a firecracker! She’s hilarious, will not let Varys get away without her poking at him a bit, and she loves deeply. From the very moment I met her, I knew I was going to love her!
The ending captivated me just as much as the first sentence did, and I still don’t want it to be over even though it is. Books are the gifts that keep on giving! They take you into worlds unimaginable until they’re spelled out for you, teach you about great loves, and lead you into adventure - somehow inking their way on your soul. That’s what TFTRS did to me.
“Bones may shiver, mind may shake, but steel your heart and turn fear to flame.”
To Free the Rising Storm is more than just a fantasy, more than adventure, and more than kindling of love… But it’s a journey of discovering your true self, and not being scared, or ashamed in emerging into that very person. Mae has been sickly and abused for most of her life, but she is a fighter and chooses to survive. She truly is someone to be feared and loved. And her journey of finding her true self, she discovers more about herself then she was prepared for.
I found myself wanting to capture every moment as I read about the world that C. N. Maxwell created. Her characters, each and everyone of them were captivating in their own right. Not only that, but I found a piece of myself in her writing, I too have re-emerged into someone deeper than I ever imagined. It was lovely to connect with a character on that level.
Varys is a cinnamon roll that we all need - he is a geeky, intelligent, shy sweetness that will do everything in his power, to bring the world to an end, if you get between him and his beloved.
Leona is a firecracker! She’s hilarious, will not let Varys get away without her poking at him a bit, and she loves deeply. From the very moment I met her, I knew I was going to love her!
The ending captivated me just as much as the first sentence did, and I still don’t want it to be over even though it is. Books are the gifts that keep on giving! They take you into worlds unimaginable until they’re spelled out for you, teach you about great loves, and lead you into adventure - somehow inking their way on your soul. That’s what TFTRS did to me.
“Bones may shiver, mind may shake, but steel your heart and turn fear to flame.”
November 14, 2022
I received a free E-Arc of To Free the Rising Storm from the author, and this is my honest review.
READ THIS BOOK. This is Maxwell’s first book, and the writing has blown my mind. Maxwell’s storytelling pulls you into the world of Mae Mordaunt and Varys Wynhart in a way that engulfs you in a magical journey of hardship, perseverance, romance, pain, friendships, and self-discovery.
Maxwell has built this world to a very impressive level from the magic system to its own language, you can tell that there was a lot of hard work and thought-out planning to create this story.
The characters were easy to become attached to. Each had their own unique personality and purpose, from the main characters to the side characters. Everyone you meet is intentionally written. Without spoiling anything, the character development(s) are unreal and something you don’t want to miss out on!
I think this is a book fantasy readers should absolutely read!
I truly did enjoy this book and there is a lot more that I want to say, but I don’t want to risk spoiling ANYTHING. If you’ve read this, please dm me if you want to gush over TFTRS together!
I am SO excited to read the next book for The ReEmergence Chronicles and to get the hardback once it comes out! The hardback is BEAUTIFUL and THICC!
READ THIS BOOK. This is Maxwell’s first book, and the writing has blown my mind. Maxwell’s storytelling pulls you into the world of Mae Mordaunt and Varys Wynhart in a way that engulfs you in a magical journey of hardship, perseverance, romance, pain, friendships, and self-discovery.
Maxwell has built this world to a very impressive level from the magic system to its own language, you can tell that there was a lot of hard work and thought-out planning to create this story.
The characters were easy to become attached to. Each had their own unique personality and purpose, from the main characters to the side characters. Everyone you meet is intentionally written. Without spoiling anything, the character development(s) are unreal and something you don’t want to miss out on!
I think this is a book fantasy readers should absolutely read!
I truly did enjoy this book and there is a lot more that I want to say, but I don’t want to risk spoiling ANYTHING. If you’ve read this, please dm me if you want to gush over TFTRS together!
I am SO excited to read the next book for The ReEmergence Chronicles and to get the hardback once it comes out! The hardback is BEAUTIFUL and THICC!
October 19, 2022
First I want to thank the Author for allowing me to read this ARC and review it! I throughly enjoyed this book.
The world building and character building is thick throughout the book, as you go you learn more and more information about the elven history and the mages and their powers.
The story follows Mae the rich merchants daughter who suffers abuse at his hands, all while her own mother allows it to happen. She is betrothed to a sleezeball but is finding herself very attracted to Varys who works in the library his father owns. But Varys has secrets of his own for he is a mage that has remerged.
Mae finds herself in a situation with her betrothed and his friend trying to attack and assault her when she stumbles upon magic she didn’t know she had to fight them off.
May and Varys start hanging out and he starts teaching her to read and their relationship grows but they both are hiding so much from one another will it tear them apart or bring them together?
There are so many I unexpected twists towards the end and it sets the story up perfectly for book number two which I can not wait to get my hands on!
Spice is there but not a whole lot, but still good!
I throughly enjoyed this and I can not wait for the next installment in this series!
The world building and character building is thick throughout the book, as you go you learn more and more information about the elven history and the mages and their powers.
The story follows Mae the rich merchants daughter who suffers abuse at his hands, all while her own mother allows it to happen. She is betrothed to a sleezeball but is finding herself very attracted to Varys who works in the library his father owns. But Varys has secrets of his own for he is a mage that has remerged.
Mae finds herself in a situation with her betrothed and his friend trying to attack and assault her when she stumbles upon magic she didn’t know she had to fight them off.
May and Varys start hanging out and he starts teaching her to read and their relationship grows but they both are hiding so much from one another will it tear them apart or bring them together?
There are so many I unexpected twists towards the end and it sets the story up perfectly for book number two which I can not wait to get my hands on!
Spice is there but not a whole lot, but still good!
I throughly enjoyed this and I can not wait for the next installment in this series!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 8, 2022
𝟱+ ⭐️
C.N Maxwell has taken 6 years to write this first novel and 👏🏼 it 👏🏼shows. The details in her world, the richness of her characters, her elaborate plot, everything she has created (there’s even Elven AND Dwarvish language, dictionaries and runes) makes this book a real masterpiece. She has thought of everything and that’s why this first book is 680 pages long (I loved it so much, I would have taken at least 600 more).
It has been a long while since I’ve read a great high fantasy novel, one of my favourite being the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind and I can honestly say that, if it continues on this path, this series has amazing potential to become just as good (bonus since this one has spice).
𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲
⛈️NA High fantasy with great world and character development
⛈️A captivating story
⛈️Slow burn
⛈️Found family
⛈️Fated mates
⛈️Spice
⛈️Elves, mages and dwarves
⛈️Elemental magic
𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲 🌶️🌶️.5
𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 ⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️
𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿
𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲 💧💧💧
🚨As always, check TW before reading🚨
*𝘏𝘶𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸*
C.N Maxwell has taken 6 years to write this first novel and 👏🏼 it 👏🏼shows. The details in her world, the richness of her characters, her elaborate plot, everything she has created (there’s even Elven AND Dwarvish language, dictionaries and runes) makes this book a real masterpiece. She has thought of everything and that’s why this first book is 680 pages long (I loved it so much, I would have taken at least 600 more).
It has been a long while since I’ve read a great high fantasy novel, one of my favourite being the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind and I can honestly say that, if it continues on this path, this series has amazing potential to become just as good (bonus since this one has spice).
𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲
⛈️NA High fantasy with great world and character development
⛈️A captivating story
⛈️Slow burn
⛈️Found family
⛈️Fated mates
⛈️Spice
⛈️Elves, mages and dwarves
⛈️Elemental magic
𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲 🌶️🌶️.5
𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 ⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️
𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿
𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲 💧💧💧
🚨As always, check TW before reading🚨
*𝘏𝘶𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸*
December 4, 2022
This story is an instant must-have for anyone who enjoys high fantasy, dark fantasy, and fantasy romance. The world and magic system are some of the most intricately-built I have ever read, and the execution is absolutely breath-taking!
The characters offer a beautifully diverse cast of representation, including chronic illness, bodies of all shapes and sizes, and the pressures of toxic masculinity, classism, and hierarchal prejudice are all examined under an enlightened critical magnifying glass.
The development of the core characters throughout this story is so beautifully nuanced, and each of them have their own unique journeys that C. N. Maxwell expertly weaves together.
As the first book in the ReEmergence Chronicles, this book lays a lot of groundwork to establish readers with the knowledge and background to fully immerse themselves in a world of magic, secrets, whimsy, and adventure.
I cannot wait for the rest of this series, and I already know it will be a regular re-read story for me!
The characters offer a beautifully diverse cast of representation, including chronic illness, bodies of all shapes and sizes, and the pressures of toxic masculinity, classism, and hierarchal prejudice are all examined under an enlightened critical magnifying glass.
The development of the core characters throughout this story is so beautifully nuanced, and each of them have their own unique journeys that C. N. Maxwell expertly weaves together.
As the first book in the ReEmergence Chronicles, this book lays a lot of groundwork to establish readers with the knowledge and background to fully immerse themselves in a world of magic, secrets, whimsy, and adventure.
I cannot wait for the rest of this series, and I already know it will be a regular re-read story for me!
November 14, 2022
I'm an early reader of the first book of The ReEmergence Chronicles and to say I loved it is an understatement.
The world is so well thought out and frankly beautiful. It's easy to get immersed into the story with such great world building. Maxwell's writing is easy to follow and flows beautifully. I can't wait to learn even more in the next book about this world. The pacing was good too and, in my opinion, never dragged. I was interested the whole way through.
My favorite parts were the characters and getting to know each one and seeing them grow even in the first book! I loved their development. They each feel individual and unique. You can really tell the author put a lot of thought and effort into this book. It's truly a work of love and passion. It's so detailed and well thought out. I can't wait for what the next book has in store!
The world is so well thought out and frankly beautiful. It's easy to get immersed into the story with such great world building. Maxwell's writing is easy to follow and flows beautifully. I can't wait to learn even more in the next book about this world. The pacing was good too and, in my opinion, never dragged. I was interested the whole way through.
My favorite parts were the characters and getting to know each one and seeing them grow even in the first book! I loved their development. They each feel individual and unique. You can really tell the author put a lot of thought and effort into this book. It's truly a work of love and passion. It's so detailed and well thought out. I can't wait for what the next book has in store!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews