Voices of War- Review *Spoilers*
I wanna start this off by saying this was a—SPFBO Award Finalist for Best Fantasy Book 2020
Heres a brief non spoilery summary of the book. I wanna thank Zack Argyle for ebook copies of Voice of War and Stones of Light. I don't want to keep harping on this point but this is what a quality first book by a Debut fantasy author should be. Did it have its issues? sure it did, but what it did well overshadowed them by a hell of a lot. Don't write a 1000 page debut with crappy characters (If you're wondering what I'm referencing, see my first review) Zack is an author to keep an eye on in the future. Will be starting Book 2 very soon.
While preparing for the birth of his first child, Chrys Valerian is tasked with uncovering the group responsible for a series of missing threadweavers--those able to see and manipulate threadlight. With each failure, the dark voice in his head grows louder, begging to be released.
A young girl from a secret city in the center of the Fairenwild veers off course to explore the streets of Alchea. She never expected that her journey would end in chains.
Far in the deserts to the south, a young man's life changes after he dies.
When Chrys learns who is responsible for the missing threadweavers, they come for him and his family. He must do everything in his power to protect those he loves, even if it means trusting strangers or, worse, the dark voice in his mind.
Together, they will change the world--whether they intend to or not.
This is the last warning that this may contain spoilers for Book 1 of the Threadlight series, Voice of War.
Character work. It is difficult to write intriguing characters with flaws, but Zack does it well. As soon as I was introduced to Chrys and Laurel I cared about these characters. The only one that took my a bit longer to feel that same was Alverax. Saying that, by the end of the book I really enjoyed Alverax's character and was hopeful he would have a larger role in Book 2. Although I enjoyed Laurels character, she does come off as a spoiled child who doesn't listen to authority at the beginning of the book. This changes and she becomes a major player in the events of the book. Chrys was all around my favorite character and his mother, Willow showed some real badassery. There are hints at Chrys not being from Alchea if you think about it, but when it gets explained the pieces fall into place.
Epic Fantasy fans, follow this author and read his books. You won't be dissapointed.
Alverax. The beginning of his POV took a minute to get going, but once it did I enjoyed his personality and character immensely.
One thing I thought I would note is Alabella. How did she get from Alchea and back so fast? I understand she's a threadweaver but that didn't seem to be explained enough. One minute she's in Alchea, the next she was in Cynosure. Unless I'm missing something, it seemed a bit odd. Minor point aside I enjoyed hating Alabella and Jurius throughout the book.
*Remember I said Spoilers!*
I like how books have a finale but also leave you wondering. Who in the hell was talking to Laurel? How did she survive. It was confirmed to be a bloodthief, but who? Alabella is doubtful, but then what does she have to do to regain her powers?
Epilogue... I like how this snippet made us want even more information and introduced new characters. I have an idea on who was talking but will refrain from sharing that.
Overall It was a good debut and I am very appreciative to Zack Argyle for giving my a copy. I hope to finish Book 2 before it releases in April. If I have to give it a star rating I would give it a 4/5 stars. Much better than most Indie published Debut novels, no wonder it was a finalist for SPFBO in 2020.
Read This Book!