this was a great start to the Light Wings Epic series, the characters were great and I loved the plot of the book. The author is able to write a beautiful tale.

It took me a while to understand the magical system presented in this book, but when I did get a hang of it it was a very interesting read. I ended up giving it 3 stars because while it was good, it wasn't for me.

Thank you to the Books Forward Program, NetGalley, and the publisher for allowing me to read this!

This is such a unique fantasy book! The cover is gorgeous.

I will admit it took a little to get into but I feel that's very usual when reading some fantasy works but once I was used to the way it was written I was hooked.

Dutybound brings you on a journey and shows the fight between the light and the darkness. The main characters Leo, Luzanna, and Lucia set off to defeat the darkness (A manifestation of the sins of their ancestors as foretold in a prophecy) with the power of light and faith.

I want to be Luzanna, she was definitely my favorite!

If you are a fan of Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones, you'd love this one.

I thought this was a very good story. The world was interesting as well as the magic included. I really liked what the author did with the idea of Light vs Dark.

At first, I had a hard time getting into it. Something just didn’t really click with me when it came to this one. But I did end up enjoying it overall. The second half of the book really picked up, and I enjoyed it.

There was a fair amount of world buildings, which I enjoyed and found interesting. There’s also a very heavy religious aspect to this story. The main character’s faith is a big part of her journey. I found that interesting and enjoyed seeing it play out. It had a unique magic system that I hadn’t seen much.

I thought it was all very unique compared to other things I’ve read and I ended up enjoying it.

Thank you Books Forward, the publisher, and NetGalley for this digital arc!

Unique fantasy world with unique characters. The book was different from other fantasy books I have read, in a good way. The plot was great and creative.
The length of the book was just right.
I really enjoyed the book and would recommend to others :)

I was granted eARC access to Dutybound via NetGalley and then volunteered to review on the blog tour with Goddess Fish Promotions, so I was actually presented with two digital review copies. Thank you to all involved in affording me this opportunity! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

Dutybound both feels like classic high fantasy and something entirely new at the same time. I've heard others comparing the writing to George R. R. Martin and I must agree! That's what this feels most like to me. The descriptions, world-building, and general prose do feel very much like Martin's work, both A Song of Ice and Fire and his other works. In terms of the actual characters and plot, though, Dutybound is its own book! This is a story you've never read before.

Lucia, Leo, Luzanna (we've got a thing for the letter L, I see) and the rest of the cast are all very well developed, relatable and empathetic, and interesting. Luzanna ended up being my favourite, but they were all a pleasure to spend time with. Mark writes strong females exceptionally well (again, if one of the best parts about ASoIaF for you was Aria, you're going to love this!)

Be warned that this book has a very slow start. It asks you to sit and wait patiently as the characters and world are thoroughly introduced before the plot really gets going. It certainly isn't boring, the info dumps and character introductions are well done and entertaining, but if you like a book that throws you into the action on page one be aware that this one isn't going to do that. Hang in there! It's worth the wait.

This book is full of very philosophical themes, exploring light vs dark and the morality behind our choices. If you're only here for action scenes and a fantasy world you'll get that in spades, but I believe the true treasure at the heart of this book is all of the tough questions it asks and attempts to answer. It's fresh, it's captivating, and it's inspiring.

If you like epic fantasy, if you like Martin-esque high fantasy that feels like historical fiction with magic, or if you like a lot of captical-C-Concepts in your fantasy, this book needs to be at the top of your TBR!

This book is very different. Lucia, Leo and Luzanna are well written characters. It's about the journey of the characters battling the dark. I would say that the writing is a bit difficult and very descriptive. It was hard to get into the world and get attached to the characters in the beginning since it takes time for the actual story to start. But it gets better after that. The plot and the action scenes are really good and I enjoyed it.

Overall it's a good read.

I really enjoyed reading this book and I can't wait to read more in this series! It took a bit to get into but as the book went on the more you got drawn in. The writing was really well done and made you really engage with the characters! Thank you Netgalley and Books Fluent for this ARC but all opinions are my own.

4 Stars

I want to start by saying I really enjoy the creativity of this book. I feel like a lot of times fantasy/sci-fi books are very repetitive with the plot and this was so unique I absolutely loved it! The creativity that went into developing this plot shows because it is amazing, it’s interesting, and captivating. My only issues were that the beginning was a little confusing for me but as it went on and explained things I found myself thinking back to the beginning and understanding it more. However, I felt like I had no connection to the characters and they were just kind of there. But overall this was a really great book and I still love the plot