Engaging characters headline a deliberately paced tale of war-torn, faraway lands.
In Sterk’s debut fantasy novel and prospective series starter, a young man may be destined to reunite a fractured empire, if he willingly becomes a warlord.
One night, lowly 8-year-old Agni Kazirian sees the apparition of his ancestor Anton, the “last child of the Dragon God.” Anton believes that the boy will someday reunite the once-powerful Kazia—a former empire that’s now split into the Solantian Empire and the Blevenian Kingdom. Such a reunion will likely entail great bloodshed. Twenty years later, Agni, who sports blue hair and dragon wings and belongs to a dragon tribe, is the Lord Guardian of the East. When he was the high general, he led Solantia to victory in war against Blevenia and the Kingdom of Avicia. He now defends his empire with snares set up throughout the Spires, a part of the Borderlands between Solantia and Blevenia. When Anton finally tells Agni that it’s time for his “rebirth,” Agni champions the rise of Kazia while in a hall of lords; he’s also betrothed to Duchess Sara Ristana. Some deem his rally “traitorous,” and, sure enough, Agni suspects a plot to kill him. So he flees with his colossal bodyguard, Alexander, and the woman he truly loves: Kali of the tiger-people. Their only possible refuge is Tercera, Avicia’s capital, which Agni led in defeat. The trio’s safety, as they make their way to Tercera, is far from assured, especially after they’re forcibly separated—and with more than one duke aiming to take Agni out, they may not be able to find a place to hide.
Sterk excels at worldbuilding, which makes up the bulk of this novel. Quite a lot happens in the 20-year time jump alone, most notably the lengthy Black Moon War, which a much-younger Agni may have helped to ignite. As this series is only just getting started, the story merely touches on certain subjects, particularly those involving the larger world. This includes the Kazian Empire of long ago; Anton, who’s been watching over the Mortal Realms for millennia; and the Scourge, a cataclysmic event that brought the “wrath of the Netherworld” down on the Mortal Realms and toppled Kazia. The gradual introduction also applies to the characters. Agni alternates between warmheartedness (which he shows to meek, 10-year-old sentry Qualo) and savagery, which others, even Sara, endure. However, in this opening installment, he begins to feel regrets, which may afford him an opportunity to evolve as the series continues. The cast is a curious assortment, from Solantia and Blevenia’s dragon tribes who use their wings for gliding, to Kali who, as an Aloi woman, has “tiger-like facial stripes” and a tail. Agni gets the most narrative attention as he strives to make his own choices, and a seemingly chagrined Anton protests: “Foolish boy….You defy not just your destiny but your very blood.” Still, other players get opportunities to shine, including Sara, who makes an unexpected connection and heads in an equally surprising direction. The ending makes it abundantly clear that a sequel is forthcoming.
Engaging characters headline a deliberately paced tale of war-torn, faraway lands.Pub Date: Sept. 21, 2025
ISBN: 9781967432028
Page Count: 470
Publisher: Starwolf Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 22, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.
On the orders of her mother, a woman goes to dragon-riding school.
Even though her mother is a general in Navarre’s army, 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail was raised by her father to follow his path as a scribe. After his death, though, Violet's mother shocks her by forcing her to enter the elite and deadly dragon rider academy at Basgiath War College. Most students die at the War College: during training sessions, at the hands of their classmates, or by the very dragons they hope to one day be paired with. From Day One, Violet is targeted by her classmates, some because they hate her mother, others because they think she’s too physically frail to succeed. She must survive a daily gauntlet of physical challenges and the deadly attacks of classmates, which she does with the help of secret knowledge handed down by her two older siblings, who'd been students there before her. Violet is at the mercy of the plot rather than being in charge of it, hurtling through one obstacle after another. As a result, the story is action-packed and fast-paced, but Violet is a strange mix of pure competence and total passivity, always managing to come out on the winning side. The book is categorized as romantasy, with Violet pulled between the comforting love she feels from her childhood best friend, Dain Aetos, and the incendiary attraction she feels for family enemy Xaden Riorson. However, the way Dain constantly undermines Violet's abilities and his lack of character development make this an unconvincing storyline. The plots and subplots aren’t well-integrated, with the first half purely focused on Violet’s training, followed by a brief detour for romance, and then a final focus on outside threats.
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374042
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
Engrossing worldbuilding, appealing characters, and a sense of humor make this a winning entry in the Sanderson canon.
A fantasy adventure with a sometimes-biting wit.
Tress is an ordinary girl with no thirst to see the world. Charlie is the son of the local duke, but he likes stories more than fencing. When the duke realizes the two teenagers are falling in love, he takes Charlie away to find a suitable wife—and returns with a different young man as his heir. Charlie, meanwhile, has been captured by the mysterious Sorceress who rules the Midnight Sea, which leaves Tress with no choice but to go rescue him. To do that, she’ll have to get off the barren island she’s forbidden to leave, cross the dangerous Verdant Sea, the even more dangerous Crimson Sea, and the totally deadly Midnight Sea, and somehow defeat the unbeatable Sorceress. The seas on Tress’ world are dangerous because they’re not made of water—they’re made of colorful spores that pour down from the world’s 12 stationary moons. Verdant spores explode into fast-growing vines if they get wet, which means inhaling them can be deadly. Crimson and midnight spores are worse. Ships protected by spore-killing silver sail these seas, and it’s Tress’ quest to find a ship and somehow persuade its crew to carry her to a place no ships want to go, to rescue a person nobody cares about but her. Luckily, Tress is kindhearted, resourceful, and curious—which also makes her an appealing heroine. Along her journey, Tress encounters a talking rat, a crew of reluctant pirates, and plenty of danger. Her story is narrated by an unusual cabin boy with a sharp wit. (About one duke, he says, “He’d apparently been quite heroic during those wars; you could tell because a great number of his troops had died, while he lived.”) The overall effect is not unlike The Princess Bride, which Sanderson cites as an inspiration.
Engrossing worldbuilding, appealing characters, and a sense of humor make this a winning entry in the Sanderson canon.Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 9781250899651
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2023
SEEN & HEARD
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