Epheria is a land divided by war and mistrust. The High Lords of the South squabble and fight, only kept in check by the Dragonguard, traitors of a time long past, who serve the empire of the North.
In the remote villages of southern Epheria, still reeling from thetragic loss of his brother, Calen Bryer prepares for The Proving – a test of courage and skill that not all survive.
But when three strangers arrive in the village of Milltown, with a secret they are willing to die for, Calen’s world is ripped from under him and he is thrust headfirst into a war that has been raging for centuries.
There is no prophecy. His coming was not foretold.
He bleeds like any man, and bleed he will.
Ryan Cahill is the award-winning author of the bestselling epic fantasy series, The Bound and The Broken.
Born and raised in Ireland, Ryan now resides amongst the rolling hills and hobbit holes of Middle-Earth, New Zealand. He does not own enough swords, would sell his left kidney for a dragon egg, and despises mushrooms in all their eldritch forms.
There are three things Ryan has always told himself about writing. Write the books you want to read. Write the books that your younger self would be proud of you for reading. Make sure they have dragons.
My thoughts: This is the first book in an epic new fantasy series, complete with dragons. I really like dragons.
Calen and his friends have been sent to drop off an order by his father, when they get involved in a fight with some imperial soldiers and find themselves in an adventure that will change their lives and their world.
Joining a struggle four hundred years old, and meeting the first dragon hatched since then. Calen and that dragon bond and become part of something he can’t fully understand yet. He will lose people he loves, but find allies amongst the dwarves, giants, elves and humans who want to fight back against the empire’s attempts to control the world.
I loved this, I have wanted some new epic fantasy, and dragons. Did I mention I like dragons? The dragon Calen bonds with is not quite what he expects, small and greedy, but brave and their bond helps keep him alive. I can’t wait to read the next book, which I think is out later this year.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
ramblingmads 