At the start, I'll admit I was mostly confused. Intrigued, but confused. It took me a few chapters to get into but once I did I was completely immersed and in awe. 

This was a phenomina  debut and an incredible, beautiful African Wartribe inspired epic fantasy, in a stunning and dangerous world.  

As a fantasy this felt perfectly balanced. There were no large info dumps, no long political speeches or name drop after name drop and the worldbuilding, plot and characters all blended together and built upon one another so naturally. It was incredibly refreshing for me, especially since I had not long finished The Path of Daggers. (Wheel of time.) 

It was like Game of Thrones, meets Black Panter, meets Sparticus, meets Red Rising. Its was as unforgiving as it was beautiful, as brutal as it was emotional.

I never felt bored, and Tau grew on me more and more as we followed his journey, from the weak little boy, the "sidekick," if you will, to someone set on a path driven by revenge in a world that has, and will only see him as "Lesser." 

He was so compelling and entertaining, and even though he is incredibly flawed and I don't agree with alot of his actions, I can resonate with them and understand his need for justice that is mostly driven by pure rage, which added to the build up of tension throughout the story. You could never tell what he was going to do or what was going to happen next with him. 

The secondary characters were all amazing and felt just as important with Tau, with each feeling like an almost lifeline to Tau and his humanity. Without them, however small their interaction, I feel like Tau would have given into his fury and rage completely and become something else completely. 

The action sequences were insane and so well written - often times I find fight scenes to get a little clunky and it looses itself in all the momentum - but with these, I could see each swing of the sword, every thrust and dodge. 

I gave it 4.5 stars because I felt some parts were a bit predictable, but that didn't really take away from the experience of reading it, as it was all executed brilliantly and so smoothly that it didn't really feel predictable - I understand that contradicts itself but I don't know how else to explain it. 

The magic system felt so unique and so mysterious. It was never really an "in your face thing," that most fantasies like to do with magic, but almost like a presense throught the book.

Reading this has made me very very excited to see what else Evan Winters comes up with next. I can't wait to read the sequel and i reccomend this to anyone who enjoys or has been craving a great fantasy read. 

And yes there are dragons.