I recieved a copy of this book from the author in exchange for a honest review. This is just one of those books where the cover and decription of the story are very deceiving in the best possible way. This book is almost impossible to describe as the main plot really gets its stride after a huge twist is revealed. I will do my best to set the scene for curious readers but just be sure to keep an open mind as we take our deep dive.
The land of Sharma is a place of peace where people like to live their simple lives. The town of Jalard is where we meet our main characters as they are training to be named Chosen. Chosen are the select few who get to picked to train at the capital in various fields of study. Kyra is a hard nosed girl and deadly with a bow and arrow. She is always at a disadvantage durning all the training exercises but has managed to make her way to the top of the class. No one will stop her from being Chosen. Jadin is a scholar who wants nothing to do with the training excercises and instead chooses to study with his tutor Miles and his twin sister Bryna. It is revealed that Jadin and Bryna both contain some form of magic and they are connected through it. This will reveal itself to be a huge focus of the plot and worldbuilding do keep this in the back of your mind. There are other characters we follow in the story as well but that is for the curious reader to discover.
Outside of Sharma, the land of Gavendara is cursed with a certain type of plague infesting the people. For one reason or another the sickness doesn’t cross over into Sharma and the leaders of Gavendara plan on finding out why. As they search for a cure to the disease, magical artifacts will be used and uncovered throughout the journey and this is where the plot goes into hyperdrive. I will leave the synopsis here as to not get into spoiler territory.
I would consider the pacing of this novel to be quick and I never felt that the story was dragging at all. One thing that may be a detriment to some readers is that the author does shift POV’s several times throughout a chapter and it can be done frequently. There are some chapters that are a bit on the slow side but the action will always pick back up in short order. The twist the author presents are both shocking and unexpected to say the least. Readers will enjoy where the plot will ultimately take you.
This was a great first entry in the Avatars of Ruin series. With the second book already out I’m looking forward to seeing what else the author has in store for us. If your in the mood for a classical sword and sorcery with some dark moments on the horizon then look no further than Bloodsworn.
Cheers!
Under The Radar SFF Books 