BookView Review

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Ash thrusts readers into a world of forbidden magic, unrelenting grief, and an unshakable quest for truth in his debut fantasy. Renealt should be dead, but he wakes unscarred, his fatal wound gone. Magic saved him, yet it’s forbidden, and its wielders hunted. As he searches for answers, he uncovers a terrifying truth: the magic is permanent. He cannot die. With the world moving on, Renealt must choose: chase the past or forge a future he’ll alone live to see.

Ash artfully crafts Renealt’s journey as he grapples with his own identity after being reborn into a world that has changed dramatically over time. As he faces external conflicts with the Natural Coalition and internal struggles with his morality and past, readers are drawn into an exploration of what it means to truly live. The prose is restrained, favoring tension over flourish. Dialogue is taut, especially in moments of confrontation, where meaning lingers in what is left unsaid. The city of Therbir is a place of rigid silences and controlled streets, a stark contrast to the raw, untamed wilderness beyond. When the novel slows, it is not from lack of direction, but because Ash is more interested in Renealt’s unraveling than in driving the plot forward. Some passages, particularly those detailing the Coalition’s history, threaten to stall momentum, but the book’s rich worldbuilding and well-drawn characters keep the reader invested. Haunting, tense, and thought-provoking. 

Fans of fantasy and those seeking a deeper exploration of life’s complexities will find much to admire in this fascinating tale.

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