Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: July 4th, 2023
Pages: 480
Publisher: Rebellion/Solaris
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Publisher’s Synopsis:
“Magic and redemption in a world of fire and ice.
Among boiling volcanoes under Mira’s frozen lands, people like Ig are forced to undergo life-threatening trials that bind chemical elements to the human body. One of Mira’s most powerful elementals, Ig serves as an enforcer for Magnate Sorrelo Adriann, but is cursed with flesh binding magic that will kill him at the first sign of disobedience.
When Sorrelo is overthrown, Ig quickly learns he can do far worse than what has been asked of him so far. If he can’t escape the flesh binding in time, he will have to kill friend and foe alike to stop his master reclaiming the throne, or sacrifice himself trying.”
My Review:
I’m landing on three stars for this one because I had such high-highs and low-lows while reading this book. There were moments where I was so invested and then others where I wanted to DNF it.
The beginning is such a visceral look into the brutality and gruesomeness of the political unrest occuring in the story world. I was immediately hooked.
Then the first few chapters had me really lost. I was confused about things as there weren’t really clear explanations for some of the world-building concepts and language. I even double checked that this was the first book in the series. It was really difficult for me to get grounded into the world because of this. I needed a better understanding of the state of the world, the politics, the magic system, etc. I did get my answers, however, so if you are feeling the same way at first just stick with it and all will be better revealed within the first quarter of the book.
The elemental magic is so freaking cool and I was so intrigued with the scientific workings behind it. This part was very intricate and believable and I loved it. By
Once events started picking up and the action became more harrowing I was becoming more and more engaged with this story. The plot was thickening and I was so interested in what was happening. Ig is a badass. The world is complex and immersive. The lore and history of the world is so rich and well-developed. It was definitely worth sticking with it once things started to click into place for me.
Annnnnnd then it lost me again about halfway through. I think the pacing is probably my primary issue. I got bored again and started to not really care anymore. I needed something more at the core of the story to really drive me and keep me turning the pages. And the “romance” (if it can be called that) scene was one of the most awkward things I’ve ever read. It was so random with zero buildup. I just truly didn’t understand the purpose of it. It felt weird and out of place.
My other biggest issue is that it is written in first person past tense. Something about it just reads very clunky to me. It doesn’t flow well and it kept pulling me out of the story. I would’ve preferred either third person past or first person present.
By about 60% I was so torn. There were moments that really shined for me and I wanted to see Ig’s character really come into his own. But there were also moments that bogged down the reading. It just wasn’t exciting me enough. The vibes and urgency weren’t there. I’m undecided if I will continue this series or not.
I still think there is definitely an audience out there for this one. It is a decent debut and I’d be interested in seeing what else this author has in store for us in the future. He has a great mind for crafting unique fantasy worlds and magic systems, even if the characters weren’t as captivating. For now, this one just didn’t do it for me like I’d hoped it would.
Disclaimers:
Huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me an early copy of this amazing story! I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Have you read this book? Planning to add it to your TBR?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
I love a good book discussion. 🙂
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