Michael Dharma

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to-read‎ (26)
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read‎ (22)

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fantasy‎ (3)
magic‎ (3)

high-fantasy‎ (2)
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Michael Dharma rated a book really liked it

Heritage of Blood and Magic (The Heritage of Blood Trilogy Book 1)

by Mirna Chandrakumar (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading, fantasy, magic

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Michael Dharma said: " Full disclosure: I'm mutuals with this author on X.

Mirna isn't at the level of someone like R.F. Kuang...yet. But this is a good first effort and worth a read.

Things that could have been improved: There are some pacing issues and I wasn't always kep Full disclosure: I'm mutuals with this author on X.

Mirna isn't at the level of someone like R.F. Kuang...yet. But this is a good first effort and worth a read.

Things that could have been improved: There are some pacing issues and I wasn't always kept in suspense. There was also a slightly garbled paragraph early on that I had to figure out. Another round of edits might have caught this but it's not too big of an issue.

Things I Really Enjoyed: I liked the world building a lot. Adelmar isn't the usual sort of fantasy setting. It comes off as a world with a 1970s level of technology including guns and televisions. They also have these magical teleportation devices, called travel crystals. I'm not sure how these are made but maybe that will be revealed in a later story.

The main character, Asira also enjoys chewing on the leaves of the fictional "bolluna tree" when stressed, suggesting they are mildly addictive. Kind of like caffeine.

The magic system is described as being "elemental" in nature but instead of coming off as a copy and paste of Element Bending from Avatar: The Last Airbender, it's a little different from that. It feels just as much like channeling eldritch energies. There's little ritualism involved except for a scene where Asira's ancestor Nasila is resurrected in a cave.

The premise is a solid anti-bigotry narrative. It explores tensions between "Thinkers" and "Feelers." Thinkers are the mundanes of Adelmar. They have no special powers and rely on technology. Feelers are the energy-channeling and element-shaping branch of the human race. The conflict stretches back for generations. The inciting incident involves shadowy cabal of Thinkers sending a disaffected Feeler named Cayron to bring a powerful Feeler named Nasila back to life after being dead for a hundred years. But it's a twisted raising of the dead. The formerly peaceful Nasila awakens with a thirst for vengeance upon the Feelers. The fragile peace is jeopardized and young Asira must choose between working to preserve the fragile peace or joining her ancestor Nasila in waging war on the Thinkers.

So yeah, give this book a try! ...more "

Mar 31, 2025 03:04PM · see review