I read an eARC of this book so thank you to Net Galley, Wesley Chu and Daphne Press for letting me read this.

I was hooked right from the start of this novel, it would be impossible not to be utterly charmed by Taishi. She is so wonderfully talented, grounded and doesn’t suffer fools. Taishi is a Grand Master who has been sent to evaluate the progress of Jian. Jian is the fabled hero of a prophecy, a warrior who will defeat the Eternal Khan and save their people. Jian has been trained by multiple masters, pampered and treated like royalty. As a result, his fighting is all style and no substance and Taishi decides to take over, throwing out all the masters. Jian gets a shock and is defiant but he’s unable to defeat Taishi to be allowed to leave.

The relationship between Jian and Taishi was fascinating, they clash frequently but there grows a begrudging respect. This is compounded when certain events happen that turn Jian’s world upside down.

This book is told from multiple perspectives, Taishi, Jian, Sali and Qisami. This is done exceptionally well will all of the voices feeling unique. All the individual story lines were interesting and I loved that with Sali, we see the view of the enemy, as Sali is part of the Will of the Khan. We understand their customs and culture from her perspective.

The fighting styles in this book were just brilliant. I found the Windwhisper, Viperstrike and Shadowkill proficiencies so fascinating. The combat is written really well so it’s exciting and still easy to visualise.

The presentation of women in this book is excellent. The majority of the book is female focused, even if Jian is arguably the central character. I was delighted to see so many unique, talented, dedicated female characters. Taishi was my favourite, but I loved that she wasn’t an anomaly and other female characters are presented as strong and powerful. This extends beyond the central characters to the supporting cast too.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I would read more from this author and I would definitely read this again.

A precisely innovative novel that focuses on character-driven immersion set against a brutal landscape. There is so much action and complexity filled within these pages but expectations were not met.

I revived this arc in exchange for an honest review.
Boy, was I excited to get my hands on this after hearing about it on the smaller BookTube community and I was not let down!

“I was informed before I was dragged all the way across the Jagged Peak Mountains that I was going to witness legendary greatness. That this Hero of Prophecy, Champion of the Five Under Heaven, was a once-in-a-lifetime sight.
So far, all I've seen is a bunch of wounded throwaway soldiers and eight fools teaching an arrogant and spoiled boy to fight like a fool."

This is such a thought-provoking, character-driven book whilst also having a driving plot pivotal to the thematic moods.

The art of prophecy, indeed.
It speaks to what people believe in, what we based and justify our values on and how society functions on a level only achievable through an immersive fantasy book.
By taking a common, overused troupe and subverting it as the driving plot, the character’s motivations and the politics, the book acts as an excellent study of the fantasy genre and expectations, as readers, society and those in the fantasy world.

“…when finally given the holy blessing of meeting the legendary saviour of his people, instead of a mighty warrior god, he is delivered someone so utterly and completely ordinary."

However, it never once felt too heavy or philosophical to the point of being snobbishly superior. There were jabs, bantering, jokes and found family; endearing, emerging friendships and engaging, vivid action scenes.

This is a stunning debut and I can’t wait to see where the next books takes us, especially as so much foundation has been laid for a truly epic fantasy.
I would recommend this to fans of Dandelion Dynasty and even a more adult version of The Mortal Engines.