A fantastical, epic start to a fantasy.

Though juggling five POVs, the book never seems crowded or bloated with extra people who are easy to be confused, and makes it seem effortless. Each protagonist has a distinct POV and voice that allows even an multitasking reader to be able to tell them apart. Love, loss, abuse, pain, and promise-- all of them weave together so deftly to give a wide-ranging first book of a series.

Can't wait to get a certain SE!

Amazing! I wasn't expecting to love this so much. Great world building and even better characters. Should be top on anyone's tbr

This book was a pleasant surprise. At first I really wasn’t 100% sure I would enjoy it that much since Temi really annoyed me as a character. I felt like her chapters were awkward and things were just shoved in to move the plot. However, when it changed to Jinao’s chapters I was like okay I am invested now. Each subsequent character you encounter feels very well fleshed out and you end up invested in their plots quite a bit.

Then the book begins to delve deeper into the magic and world building and you just become sucked in. Everything felt unique and fresh.

The only thing that threw me for a loop was how the different parts completely changed what characters they focused on. It was confusing at first because I was left wondering why we suddenly stopped following certain characters. I was starting to question if it was too many character POVs and too many subplots. That was quickly fixed when I realized how everything was coming together and made sense. It ended up being so perfectly woven together and just seeing all the connections.

The ending bits of this book were so fun. I can honestly say I was surprised and left wanting answers. So much was teased and left me begging for more. I am looking forward to the rest of this trilogy.

I like what the author was trying to do with this story. I was pretty hooked during the first act of the story and then when it transitioned to act 2 and changed out characters it lost a lot of momentum for me. I thought the idea of pulling on ancestral energy to fight was a unique concept but ultimately the book became fairly convoluted which brought down the experience for me. I do think this is still a fine book but trying to do too much may have hurt the experience for me.

Absolutely loved this book, I couldn't put it down because it was so well written that it pulled me in. The characters were fantastic and the world building was amazing. I loved the magic system this author created and the plot!!! Definitely recommend this book.

The first book in the series, A SONG OF LEGENDS LOST, will be published in spring 2025 and launches a gripping tale of revenge and rebellion in a vividly drawn world inspired by multiple pre-colonial cultures.

In the Nine Lands, only those of noble blood can summon the spirits of their ancestors to fight in battle. But when Temi, a commoner from the slums, accidentally invokes a powerful spirit, she finds it could hold the key to ending a centuries-long war. But not everything that can be invoked is an ancestor. And some of the spirits that can be drawn from the ancestral realm are more dangerous than anyone can imagine.

Picked this up due to the cool cover and was not dissapointed. A fast paced, action filled thriller with really cool magic systems and mechanics. One heck of a debut and this is now an aithor to watch!

I'm very appreciative of the opportunity to review this book.

I enjoyed the magic tech & the story. The story moves quickly, and we see action almost immediately as we are introduced to those who call summon their ancestors in battle.

Unfortunately because of so many clans, and such magnitude of the world and its complexity, I often found myself lost & under water.

Readings some of the appendix helped me to come up for air, but it was still alot.

Interesting characters, some really relatable, others that needed more fleshing out to grasp their personality, but overall a good start.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit UK for the arc! This was a unique and complex read that I mostly enjoyed! Here are some scattered and expanded thoughts I had during and after reading:

For like a single paragraph or so at the beginning, the narrative voice switched incongruously to a fable-like, forshadowing voice during one of Temi’s chapters. Essentially a “little did she know…” type of voice. Luckily this can be easily fixed, and it should be. Otherwise, you fortunately get strong visuals and decent prose throughout the rest of the book.

Let’s talk world building. There is A LOT here, and most of it is absolutely incredible. The techwork, the scathed, the greybloods, the ancestral realm -these all had me sitting up and locked in. In addition, I was fascinated by the little details and aspects in the world, which are always my favorite (The killing of the Second Singer). I need more of the monks and nuns as well!
I do have problems with the magic system however. Like the other world building components, it is fascinating, but it’s also foggy. Particularly with invoking, I found things muddled and unexplained. That being said, I was awed with how far this magic system went, and often I did enjoy when this book broke its own rules, even if I was scratching my head afterwards. Also, what even is spirit wood? Where does it come from?
I will say, there are obviously many moving parts, and arguably too much for the author’s current skills. That being said, I would love to see how this world is expanded in future installments. I would also love to see how this author grows as a writer.

The characters here and their relationships were extremely compelling. Even if I often wanted to punt these people, these characters were realistic and easy to root for. They also are all vastly unique from one another, thank god. Elari is a woman haunted, Temi has strong morals, Boleo is a blast, Jinao is insecure and sheltered, Runt is hungry. The side characters were also just as compelling. The fallen family women, Sutesh, the cat, and Yeshe are my favorite. Trust, there are MANY more characters and there’s lots of variety here.
Their relationships with one another were intriguing as well. The relationship between Temi and the chained man had me rubbing my hands manically in particular, though I also loved the relationship with Julon and Jinao, the fallen women and Jinao, and Temi and her family. As for character arcs, this is only the first book, all though you did see some slight change towards the end, and some lovely foreshadowing. Overall, what wonderful characters and character work!

The plot to me was both predictable and unpredictable to me at different points. No spoilers though! I will say that this book was a page turner to me. I was 10 toes down at almost all times. It did drag slightly in the middle for me, particularly in Elari’s chapters, but recovered quickly. There’s just so much here, and I fuck with it.

The themes here are nothing new, and most aren’t handled in an innovative way, but it’s still very much decently done. You have themes of propaganda and control at the center, as well as your typical and abhorrent classism, but you also have more intimate and powerful themes too. This is a book about connections, and you do have that theme here, and in multiple forms. Obviously, you see the ancestral connections here, but also of community, of sisterhood, of connections with other cultures. The community takes care of their own, family takes care of their own, and different cultures don’t have to clash. The chapters with the fallen family women in particular illustrate these themes beautifully. There’s also this quote, which I heavily fuck with

“”I also pity you. The killing of the Second Singer, who is always played by a child, symbolises the loss of innocence that forced invocation results in. I thought that you, coming so late to
invocation, might understand."”
"”Why do you care if I understand?"”
"”Because, if you survive our encounter with [REDACTED], I want you to take what you have learned back to your clan. I want you to think about how different things could be if a handful of families did not spend their lives and the lives of their children in combat while others exist who could help them end their war. I want you to refuse the king's draft. And I want you to think about who your true enemy is."“

In conclusion: purr. While not a masterpiece, this book is an intriguing and special read that’s slated to come out later this year. If you’re looking for something different, a unique epic fantasy that isn’t based in medieval Europe, this is a fantastic option. -4 black glass shards