We have all read the typical fantasy troupe about a farm boy growing up to be the “Chosen One” and going on a quest to defeat a great evil. However, that is not what this story is all about. Instead imagine if the great evil or antagonist and the main character are one in the same? Cursed at birth with only one hand, this is the story of Annev and his turn from a friendly and caring buy to something much more.
Annev grows up in the town of Chaenbalu absent the love of his parents. He is instead raised by his mentor Sodar who is not the typical father figure you would expect. Sodar’s main goal is to prepare Annev to embark on his dark road ahead as people and dark creatures will be hunting him. Annev along with his friends attend the Academy in order to gain apprenticeship as an artificer and this is the last chance they have to to it. All the while Annev has his eyes set on Myjun and looking to give her a promise ring for marrage. Myjun is also the daughter of the headmaster at the academy and this never turns out great for the young man. There is so much backstory and lore I can’t discuss due to spoilers but that is the joy of discovery.
By far my favorite parts of this story were the teachings between Sodar and Annev as well as the academy tests. Discovering the hidden magic of certain artifacts and how people interact with them were fascinating to read. With that being said, there are certain scenes that were very slow and I felt didn’t add very much to the story. These types of scenes didn’t come up very often and the characters were strong enough for me to push through it. The ending will definitley surprise you in more ways than one and I have since started the sequel as I need to know what will happen.
Master of Sorrows has the feeling of a very long prologue although a very good one. Our characters will be put throught the ringer with many surprises to boot. My best piece of advice is to not go into this read with an preconceived notions or ideas of where the story will go. Be sure to stick around until the end as it is a wild one.
Cheers!
Under The Radar SFF Books 