I’ll start of with stating that I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook. I got it as a 3-for-1 deal, and to my surprise the audiobook narration was really good. I’ve listened to hundreds of audiobooks, and this is in the top 5% in terms of quality.
Spoilers Below. I’m writing this review in good faith, as one author reviewing another’s book, trying to balance positives with negatives.
I set a goal of reading 50 self pub books this year. This is book 8.
WHAT IS THE TARGET AUDIENCE? WHAT GENRES? WHAT MAJOR TROPES?
- This book was written with adults in mind, but I think anyone 15+ can read it.
- For fans of Brent Weeks Lightbringer series.
- Politics
- Color-based magics
- Fun combat
- High magic
- Epic-ish fantasy
- Murder Mystery, and a magical conspiracy
This was a no-holds-barred good time. It had a bit of a thriller vibe, making it fast paced and an easy read with compelling characters. The characters seemed believable, and were fun to read. If you’ve not read it and anything I’ve said sounds interesting, go read it. The audiobook was especially good.
WARNING
Like I said, this book compares positively to Brent Week’s Lightbriner series. I would not be surprised to learn that one inspired the other. Everything from the texture of the prose, to the plotting, to the style of characterization was all similar. Additionally, the magic system reminded me of the push/pull magics common to Sanderson’s worlds.
The book’s concept is the high-politics of a Rome-like nation state which is controlled by magic users. There are blue and green magic users, who are basically able to grow strong and control gravity. When a child with yellow magic is born, everyone wants to get them, even if it means killing the main-character parents. The main characters aren’t a fan of this, so they go on an adventure. I thought the book executed upon this idea very well.
John Mendez- Book Reviews and More 