This book exceeded my expectations! I requested it on NetGalley on a whim because of the unique title and beautiful cover, but boy did it deliver. In the mere 300 pages, the author conveyed a vast amount of worldbuilding - history, mythology and political scheming - in a way that never felt info-dumpy. The characters were well fleshed out and there were plenty of mysteries to be solved (many still remaining at the end so I can’t wait for book 2). There were lots of tense moments and great reveals! I’m a person who reads multiple books at once but this was the one I settled on over the last few days; it has it all and I couldn’t put it down from start to finish. Can’t wait to read more!!

I know for many people, the idea of this book being similar to Game of Thrones was the appeal. However, I think Spencer is able to do what Martin couldn't: write a great series that doesn't focus on the pain of women. This book has amazing lore, three POVs that are all interesting, a prophecy that needs to be met, and an high fantasy setting that feels like being in Middle Earth.

This book is amazing, and I need a physical copy for my library ASAP.

The Prophecy of the Yubriy Tree is an unexpected triumph in epic fantasy writing.

I was completely swept away into Ragar Or and this magical world of prophecies and deception,

I adored the multi-POVs; the character were masterfully woven together in a stunning tapestry. I particularly enjoyed Silas and Wyn’s dynamic: “ Silas was too busy taking in the smell of the sea to respond to Wyn’s latest Wynicism”. I loved learning more about the interesting magic system and hope we will explore that aspect further as the series progresses.

Overall, this was an excellent first installment and I cannot wait to read the rest of The Song of the Burning Heart series!

A prophecy-foretelling, possibly-maniacal tree, dragons and magic? If it sounds like you’ve heard a story like it before—you haven’t.

The Prophecy of the Yubriy Tree was a refreshing take on aspects that are prevalent in a lot of fantasy books today. The world is immersive and beautifully crafted, and even though I remember wishing there was a glossary on more than one occasion (there is a map!), I suspect this was intentional as was the fact that the dragons are in the background as this is the beginning of a series. The worldbuilding was done in a subtle way (no huge info dumps) through character interactions and lore unfolding as the story progressed. There’s not an overwhelming amount of violence, but as expected from high fantasy it’s definitely there. I really enjoyed the destiny/prophecy aspect of the story and the fact that the characters’ stories intersect at one point or another in a way reminiscent of GoT. Some passages were written so beautifully that I’ve got a ton of highlights already!! The multiple POVs work well with a story of this scope and each character’s story was enthralling. Silas ‘O the Songs was lovable and Johanna + Easton <3 - need I say more? Most importantly, this is one of those books that has scrumptious food descriptions 🤤 they’re not overdone or overwhelmingly present for the people who don’t like to read about jam glazed meats and trenchers of bread swimming with gravy. I had fun reading this captivating story set in an original fantasy world, and I’m excited to see where the story goes as the series continues!

Thank you NetGalley, Victory Editing and Ben Spencer for the opportunity to review this eARC!

This was an interesting read and a nice fantasy book. I would probably trial it in my store, to see how it works for the Dutch audiences.

For fans of Game of Thrones!
Three lives will be forever changed by the undetected prophecy leaf.
The art work and the title won me over straight away and then I started reading it and liked it even more! Multiple POVs worked very well for this book and the world building was epic! An easy read and great story line and a fantastic start to a series, I will look forward to reading the next books.

The Prophecy of the Yubriy Tree is written as a very atmospheric fantasy novel and I was a big fan of the way the author painted exquisite pictures with his gorgeous words.

The existence of ancient history of dragons and royalty made the book feel alive and I could almost feel myself diving right into it. I was personally a big fan of the mutliple perspectives we got with the fierce daugter of a powerful family, the king's enigmatic half-brother and a struggling musician. Their distinctive voices made the book a very compelling and unpredictable read for me.

Althought this is a typical struggle for fantasy readers, I will say that we are thrown a lot of unknown words and they are very slowly explained throughout the novel. This aspect can make it or break it for however decides to give this book a chance.

Actual rating: 2.5☆

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book, it had so much for me to like. It is an epic fantasy that follows multiple characters, a magical old tree and dragons. Unfortunately the execution just wasn't for me.

I don't really feel like I got to know our three main characters, they just felt to flat I knew one or two aspects about their personality and ambitions and that was basically it.

The plot felt quite underwhelming which obviously wasn't the point and the pacing just felt really disjointed.

The best way to describe my reading experience is that I felt a lot like I was reading a book in physical way of it. I wasn't immersed in it.

this was not just epic this was so much more saying that I loved this book and story is not enough.. It is high fantasy and not everyone actually connects with it I personally did and I'm beyond words on how fantastic the book was. This has more than one POV and it actually fits just great like this because we can see the perspectives properly

Rating: 3 stars

I just don't think that this book was for me. I pushed through, but I felt like the author was just choosing large words because they could, not because they fit and it really took me away from the story. The narrative was hard to follow with the author introducing us to numerous characters with little backstory. There was something lacking that I just couldn't put my finger on and I think I would have enjoyed it had I not been so confused a majority of the time.

I really enjoyed taking my time with this read. We follow three characters who slowly start to cross paths throughout this high fantasy. As the prophecy starts the unfold the characters have to face many challenges and obstacles. Personally, I enjoy Silas’ POV the most. I don’t know why by his character was always so fun to read from, there was always something going on with him. I found all three POVs to be enjoyable to read from, I was excited to read from each one. The pacing was great, I wasn’t bored at all and I thought the length was perfect.

There’s so much politicking, scheming, and fighting in this there’s no way to ever be bored while reading. The little bit of romance we got was so good and I couldn’t wait for the next scrap of it during their POV! I really did enjoy this read and loved that I took my time reading through this. I cannot wait for the next book (I hope we get more dragons in it). I think this will be a great series and I definitely recommend checking it out.

Final rating: 4 stars ✨

Thank you to NetGalley and author Ben Spencer for the opportunity to read the ARC, I loved it!

Reading The Prophecy of the Yubriy Tree was such a fun experience! It perfectly satisfied my craving for a well-written fantasy.

A tree with leaves that hold prophecies?! I was hooked from the very beginning and couldn’t wait to learn more. The author’s ability to weave together lore, politics, and everyday life to create such a rich, immersive world was masterfully done.

The story follows three characters: Johanna, Silas, and Gregor. And each of their perspectives pulls the reader deeper into the world and its magic, making it easy to get immersed. It also does a great job of filling in the gaps in each POV. It is done very very well. And the way they slowly started meeting each other, I screeched. I never suspected it until it was happening on the page.

One of the highlights for me was the tension surrounding religion—who follows the “right” practices, and the conflict between beliefs. It felt so realistic and added a lot of depth, allowing me to easily understand the mindset and backgrounds of each character.

On top of that, the added tension between the royal family and a brewing rebellion had me on the edge of my seat the entire time!

Silas is my favorite character. Unlike Johanna and Gregor, he doesn’t have royal ties and is navigating the world as a storyteller, someone who wants to turn stories into song. His adventures alongside a character named Wyn were so fun to follow and easily some of my favorite moments.

Johanna is a fascinating character, dealing with the consequences of being the “lesser twin.” Her journey was so compelling that I couldn’t help but root for her the whole way through.

And then there’s Gregor—so clever! I loved reading about how he manipulates people’s religious superstitions and fears to his advantage. He is just so smart. And the ability to navigate through the tension so well… wow! If I was in this world, I would want to be on his good side haha Also the ability to see skulls is so creepy and not anything I’ve ever read and it was genius. I am obsessed!

This was a fantastic read, and it’s definitely going to stay with me for a while. Excited for the next book in the series.

It's been ages since I found a new High Fantasy book that I enjoyed SO much.
The Yubriy Tree was a highly addictive and amazing read! The imagery the author is able to weave in their writing is exceptional. Highly descriptive in a way that is immersive without becoming boring or longwinded and overwhelming. The pacing and prose is perfect with multiple POV's that twist and interconnect and work well together. I especially loved Gregor's story. Character's feel fleshed out and complex, with their own motivations, flaws and strengths.

I can see why this story has been compared to Game of Thrones. The plot itself is similarly twisty, dark with a whole lot of politicking and intrigue.

Overall this was an exceptionally well written book with enjoyable characters and a wonderfully exciting plot. I would recommend this to any readers who enjoy High Fantasy that tends to lean on the darker side. Thank you to Netgalley and Victory Editing for the Advanced Copy. All opinions are my own and I am posting them voluntarily.

I requested this book because of the comparison to The Name of the Wind.

I'm kind of on the fence about this one. I see the potential it has—the premise was fascinating, I liked the characters, and enjoyed the multiple POVs. But I felt like I was missing some important bits of lore that would have given me a better understanding of the world/ character decisions, and the ending was kind of unsatisfactory because none of the plot lines were wrapped up. Honestly, I can't even really tell you why everyone was doing what they were doing, but they were doing it and then the book ended....do you know what I mean? (But I think that goes back to the whole "feels like I'm missing some important lore.")

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is well written and has a very interesting premise. I love all of the characters that we are introduced to and I am excited to see what happens next.

My one complaint would be that this book is a lot of setup for future books with very little plot of its own, but it helps that the POV characters are likable and interesting so I didn't notice until the end when I realized that almost all of the plot lines are left open.

I am excited to see where this series goes now that some of the setup is out of the way.

As soon as I saw the cover and the description for this book I knew I had to read it right away! My tastes tend to lean towards romantasy as opposed to high fantasy but I still wanted to give this a shot. I think in the beginning I was a little out of my element because there is a LOT of world building and characters to get comfortable with, but once I got further in it became so interesting I couldn’t put it down!
The main POVs are from characters who couldn’t be more different - a daughter to the most powerful lord under the king, a musician, and the king’s mysterious yet powerful brother who all have a part to play in the prophecy put forth by the Yubriy tree. It was interesting to see the way each character played out the “destiny” of the prophecy, and also the ways in which they didn’t. I thought they would all end up together at the end but that’s my fault for forgetting this is the start of a series and not a standalone lol. By the end I was so frustrated that I couldn’t continue with the characters to see what happens next!!! You can bet I’ll be back here in Ragar Or again to see where the Yubriy tree leads them.

The biggest issue with this novel is the world building. Spencer's explanation for his fantasy world seems to be throwing names at readers with little to no clarification. There must be a better balance between that and info dumping.
It made this world seem so bare bones. It doesn't feel lived in.

A large protion of this plot is plotical intrigue. My lack of understanding made it more difficult to follow those plot threads. From my confusion as to why jeyedoshi are hated to wondering how the Dayborns even gained power, I felt like I was stumbling around in the dark. If I don't understand, how am I supposed to care?

The strength of novel is the characters. The 3 POV characters had both internal and external conflicts to overcome and personalities of their own.

Certainly not an awful book, but I'm not interested in continuing the series.

This book masterfully combines the best aspects of “Game of Thrones” with the charm of “The Name of the Wind”, offering a well-crafted plot and an immersive magical world.

The use of multiple character perspectives works perfectly, drawing readers deeper into the lives of the three main protagonists, who quickly became favorites of mine (I especially loved Gregor!).

The beautiful cover and intriguing title perfectly complement the story inside making it a great cozy read, perfect for the autumn season.

A solid 4-star experience for any fantasy lover!



Thank you so much to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book!

The Prophecy of the Yubriy Tree (The Song of the Burning Heart, Book 1) by Ben Spencer Review

The first sentence in the description if this book stated “Game of Thrones meets The Name of the Wind” and I couldn’t agree more. The world building was subtle, just enough to know your surroundings and locations, which was perfect as the story is truly character-driven.

Once a year, the Yubriy tree sheds its leaves. But each leaf of the Yubriy tree holds a prophecy. That is why the king sends his most trusted to collect the leaves and brings them back to the capital. Every leaf is to be collected, but what happens when was drifts off unseen?

This story centers around Johanna Stalk, a lesser twin of nobility, Gregor Thorn, the king’s half-brother with mysterious abilities, and a bard, Silas O’ The Songs, looking to become a renown musician. This novel takes you through the lives and thoughts of these three characters to see how their lives will play out as told by the Yubrity leaves... all while a dragon has returned to the land in over sixty-five years, presenting a dark omen to nobility.

This novel was so hard to put down. I needed to know what was going to happen next! Each chapter is a different character’s perspective, which was enjoyable and I often found myself looking forward to each characters next chapter to see how their story was progressing. It’s not over descriptive in violent scenes and one explicit sex scene. I highly recommend this novel, in fact, I already have. I keep telling my husband that he is going to LOVE this book and am very excited to get others to read it as well. I can’t wait for the next book to come out! If you’re a fantasy fan, this is a novel you definitely want to read.

The Prophecy of the Yubriy Tree, marketed as Game of Thrones meets The Name of the Wind definitely peeked my interest and it didn't let me down.

The story is told from the point-of-view of 3 different characters and while I don't always love that method of story telling it worked well here. I enjoyed them all but found myself waiting for the chapters from Johanna's pov.

It's a well-written, interesting story and I will continue to read the series as it unfolds.