One of my Top Favourites

So....a little backstory here. This was one of the first ARCs I requested on NetGalley because I had seen The Emperor's Blades, loved the premise and I saw SOMEWHERE (I really don't remember where🙈) that this was a different series that could be read without the first trilogy. After surprisingly being approved for the ARC, I realised I had 4 books I had to finish before I got to this to enjoy it completely. And not some sweet, short reads either.

But, surprise, surprise! I am completely up to date with the world of Annur within 2 months of getting into it. And I'm NOT someone who binges on a Fantasy series either.
*The Hero of Ages giving me a sidelong glance 'cause I still haven't picked it up when I started Mistborn way back in early 2020*

And, I ended up using my Audible credit on the Audiobook for this because I fell in love with this world listening to Simon Vance narrate the story beautifully. New set of narrators, but man, oh man, did they not disappoint at all. They were absolutely perfect for voicing the three characters.

Okay, okay. That was long enough. On to the actual story.
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We are in back in Annur after 5 years of the events in The Last Mortal Bond, following three characters - Gwenna, Ruc and Akiil - their lives so completely different but sometimes, curiously entangled.
Things are not really going Gwenna's way. She made some serious mistakes and she has lot to make up for. So now, on the Emperor's orders, she has to go on a quest across unknown lands to find a new hope for the empire.
Ruc, a priest of Eira, whose faith is tested constantly by his past trying to dig its way out. And it is not made easier on him by the people around him in Dombang, where strange things are beginning to occur.
And finally, Akiil. A former thief from the Perfumed Quarters with years of training to be a monk, tempted into his old ways after everything he knows of Ashk’lan is destroyed. And the biggest temptation? His desire to settle an old score with the Empire.
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Like you can see, the premise is very enticing. I was already in love with the world I saw in the 4 books I read prior. And this expanded that world, so I love fell in with it some more. And I was already familiar with the histories, the religions, and the people,so getting into the story took no time for me.

Which was significantly helped by the fact that the Prose in this book is just beautiful. I, personally, am not a huge fan of flowery writing in my fantasies. But, this book was right at that gratifying edge. Simple writing, but made so much better. And yes, ending with lots and lots of highlights and bookmarks.
(Which I'm resisting to include because I don't want to spoil anything)

"The sight should have kindled in her a whole range of emotions: relief, anticipation, excitement, triumph. Instead, she felt a blank, unreasoning despair.
... To realize that she was going to be needed after all, but that she was no longer equal to that need."

As someone who really loves reading about the 'Soldier' type characters, Gwenna was easily my favourite character to follow. It was so easy to get into her mind, to understand her thoughts and her feelings even as she experienced them. I was so caught up in the things happening around her that sometimes, it was easy to get caught up in it and see her reasoning behind her actions. Misgivings for some of the obvious mistakes? Yes. But I was also going through the experience of the realisations as they hit her. And looking at her 'ragtag group of semi-strangers' through her eyes was amazing as well. Especially when a certain someone entered the scenes. Literally my favourite thing to come across in a story.

Ruc was, of course, a total different type of experience. Reading Skullsworn had set up an expectation for Dombang. And it was met and also made better in some ways. Pyrre's story, while being absolutely brilliant, was difficult for me get through as an Atheist and as someone who has quite strong negative feelings regarding religious fanaticism. So, to read about the inner struggles of Ruc following a faith he did not quite agree with, or trying but failing to completely give himself up to his worship, was something I loved.

Also, was quite happy to see that a certain taciturn character could talk so much.

Akiil's story on the other hand felt like we were witnessing the beginning of something big. Which, given that his parts are relatively fewer, might actually be true. It's not quite until the end that we see how everything he does and goes through is changing him.Very much looking forward to how his story will continue.

Speaking of, why is it that Adare still frustrates me so much?

" There was a time she would have called it anger, but it wasn’t anger. She understood that now. Anger was a useful tool, but one that had shattered when she needed it most. This was something else— she had no name to give it— something that, when everything else had fallen apart, somehow, inexplicably, remained."

While you might be overwhelmed to see me describing the characters so much, and yes their individual journeys plays a huge role in your experience of this book, the plot wasn't any less important. Sure, on a large (like, inter-continent level) scale, very little happens - making this very much a book setting up for the sequels, atleast plotwise - there's wasn't any point in the story where my interest went down. The story keeps you hooked in the pages right until the every end, which, yes, made me cry a bit.

So, finally, in case it got lost in all the rambling, I absolutely loved this book. And if you are looking for an epic fantasy, I'll definitely recommend this. And will keep hounding you until you read it.

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