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The magic knows. It feels. And it’s searching for him.
For two thousand years, the Order of the Vanará has nurtured and protected the Anarwyn, a sentient magic that has developed a symbiotic relationship with humans. The Order has kept the land free of the ageless evil called the Bragamahr that once controlled the destiny of humankind. Over the long years, the secrets of the magic have been lost, and the Vanará have dwindled until only one remains. Then, from the shadows come the Mahrowaiths of the Bragamahr, ancient creatures of evil who attempt to hunt the remaining heirs of Anarwyn to extinction.
The Anarwyn seeks out a young man, named Cam, who can stand between the rise of the Bragamahr and the final destruction of the Anarwyn. When the terror and death of the Mahrowaiths find Cam first, he must choose between saving his friends by assuming the terrible burden of the magic that killed his mother or denying his heritage and remaining free. The Anarwyn might not wait for him to decide.
For two thousand years, the Order of the Vanará has nurtured and protected the Anarwyn, a sentient magic that has developed a symbiotic relationship with humans. The Order has kept the land free of the ageless evil called the Bragamahr that once controlled the destiny of humankind. Over the long years, the secrets of the magic have been lost, and the Vanará have dwindled until only one remains. Then, from the shadows come the Mahrowaiths of the Bragamahr, ancient creatures of evil who attempt to hunt the remaining heirs of Anarwyn to extinction.
The Anarwyn seeks out a young man, named Cam, who can stand between the rise of the Bragamahr and the final destruction of the Anarwyn. When the terror and death of the Mahrowaiths find Cam first, he must choose between saving his friends by assuming the terrible burden of the magic that killed his mother or denying his heritage and remaining free. The Anarwyn might not wait for him to decide.
- GenresFantasy
422 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 30, 2022
About the author
J.W. Elliot
36 books63 followersJames is a twenty-nine-year-old stuck in an older man’s body. He loves to paddle his canoe, shoot his handmade longbows in the woods, make knives, study martial arts, and generally enjoys challenging himself. When not teaching or writing about the real past, he is imagining worlds and histories that might have been, should have been, or may yet be.
James has two homes (though only one house)--the mountains of Idaho and the forests of New England--where he canoes, hikes, camps, rock climbs, and shoots the longbows he makes himself. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife.
James is a professional historian whose published works include two histories of the Inquisition, a documentary history of Columbus's first voyage, a transcription of a colonial era account book from Weymouth, Massachusetts, and a global history of piracy. This means that he is a professional teller of stories, both real and imagined.
James's favorite author is J.R.R. Tolkien, though he will never be able to watch the Peter Jackson Hobbit films again. The first viewing nearly gave him a fit. He loves The Giver and The Book Thief. He has read all the Hunger Games novels, but thinks Katniss should have ended up with Gale. (Sorry Peeta fans.) He enjoys Harry Potter and thinks magic should be real--so long as he owns the Elder Wand.
For more background, images, videos, and information related to my stories and my hobbies, see my Pinterest boards. https://www.pinterest.com/jwelliot1/b...
James has two homes (though only one house)--the mountains of Idaho and the forests of New England--where he canoes, hikes, camps, rock climbs, and shoots the longbows he makes himself. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife.
James is a professional historian whose published works include two histories of the Inquisition, a documentary history of Columbus's first voyage, a transcription of a colonial era account book from Weymouth, Massachusetts, and a global history of piracy. This means that he is a professional teller of stories, both real and imagined.
James's favorite author is J.R.R. Tolkien, though he will never be able to watch the Peter Jackson Hobbit films again. The first viewing nearly gave him a fit. He loves The Giver and The Book Thief. He has read all the Hunger Games novels, but thinks Katniss should have ended up with Gale. (Sorry Peeta fans.) He enjoys Harry Potter and thinks magic should be real--so long as he owns the Elder Wand.
For more background, images, videos, and information related to my stories and my hobbies, see my Pinterest boards. https://www.pinterest.com/jwelliot1/b...
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 24, 2026
Ahh this is hard because the world is so cool and the plot is very epic style; the writing is quite lacklustre sometimes though, and my biggest stumbling block was that the female characters felt soooo one dimensional and ‘written by a man’ —
they really just fall into all the annoying archetypes female characters get in fantasy, like they’re all beautiful even when they’re old, and obsessed with the main characters validation even though they’re headstrong and independent except they make mistakes that require men to be involved and of course they all have varyingly key levels of deep rooted insecurity.
When it was about the male characters it read so much better, I just feel like the women were written about in a way that kind of ruined my enjoyment of scenes. (I haven’t even gone into the way the men act around them — boys will be boys and only the main character is a true gentleman (he’s also not) 👉👈)
I do kind of want to rate this a bit higher but also it was published in 2022… I’m sick of reading badly written women, so have a begrudging 3 stars.
they really just fall into all the annoying archetypes female characters get in fantasy, like they’re all beautiful even when they’re old, and obsessed with the main characters validation even though they’re headstrong and independent except they make mistakes that require men to be involved and of course they all have varyingly key levels of deep rooted insecurity.
When it was about the male characters it read so much better, I just feel like the women were written about in a way that kind of ruined my enjoyment of scenes. (I haven’t even gone into the way the men act around them — boys will be boys and only the main character is a true gentleman (he’s also not) 👉👈)
I do kind of want to rate this a bit higher but also it was published in 2022… I’m sick of reading badly written women, so have a begrudging 3 stars.
January 19, 2026
Absolutely fantastic, what depth to this world, to travel alongside the characters learning about each in turn to realize that they are more interconnected than even introduced in the beginning. I stumbled across this on Audible and took a chance. I couldn't be more impressed.
Even though the rest of this series is not posted on goodreads I will be counting the rest of these 5 books. Can't wait to see what happens next.
Even though the rest of this series is not posted on goodreads I will be counting the rest of these 5 books. Can't wait to see what happens next.
October 18, 2022
Very good read
Great narration, the story is very in-depth and easy to follow.
I enjoyed it very much, unfortunately book 2 is not audio yet so will have to check out JW Elliots other books in the meantime.
With his excellent writing skills, I'm sure the will be just as good.
Great narration, the story is very in-depth and easy to follow.
I enjoyed it very much, unfortunately book 2 is not audio yet so will have to check out JW Elliots other books in the meantime.
With his excellent writing skills, I'm sure the will be just as good.
February 12, 2023
Awesome story !!!!
This is an awesome story, couldn't put it down. Characters are so real! Can't wait for book 2 I'm excited
This is an awesome story, couldn't put it down. Characters are so real! Can't wait for book 2 I'm excited
December 6, 2022
The book was good. It was well written the the magical system was very interesting. Originally when I read this I didn’t love the characters but I re-read this on a trip and I liked it more the second time. So I bumped it from 3 stars to 4. I’m more excited now to continue the series.
May 6, 2023
Cam's world is turned upside down when his village is attacked. With his friends Hebron and Spider, they set out on a quest with lots of trials and obstacles they have to overcome. They will join with other help, and one will be a traitor. The Anarwyn wants Cam to except her, but he has doubts. Lots of interesting creatures and intense moments. Great characters and a real page turner.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews