Nothing beats reading a fantasy story with a unique worldbuilding and magical system that pumps your adrenaline as you turn every page. That's one short statement I would use to describe this fascinating series I found. It's The War of Lost Hearts trilogy and the first book is titled: Daughter Of No Worlds.
Before I spill the beans about this book, imagine a scenario where a former slave meets a reclusive ex-soldier, their fates entangled by a dark magic. What do you suppose their story and journey would be? I'm sure you already guessed that it would be gripping and explosive. This is the first time reading this author's work and I'm not disappointed. I've seen enticing reviews that made me delve into this trilogy without delay.
From the prologue and first chapter, we are introduced to the female lead character, Tisaanah Vytezic. Slavers stormed her village and took everyone away. She was separated from her mother and taken to another land where she learned to survive with a sharp wit and a touch of magic. She saved up enough gold to earn her freedom as an adult but when she approached her master with the offer, he almost killed her.
Tisaanah fled the region but was forced to leave her best friend, Serel, behind. She journeyed to the Towers, a place where the most powerful magic wielders operated from. Her plan was to ask for their help and use their resources to return and save her friends. Instead, she was given the condition to train under Maxantarius Farlione, a reclusive ex-soldier and fire wielder for six months and fight for the Orders.
Tisaanah was desperate and determined to prove herself. There was also a war looming over the regions under the control of the Orders. It was either let her friends perish or accede to the Orders' cryptic demands, train with Max and later use their resources to save her friends. What could the Orders be up to? Would the cryptic demands cost Tisaanah more than she could give?
Genres: High Fantasy, Magic, Paranormal, Romance,
Publication: January 2020
Pages: 520
My Review And Rating.
This trilogy is a blend of high fantasy and romance as a subplot. After reading this first book, it took a spot on my top 10 favourite fantasy books. The plot is gripping and the story is told in a flawless way that had my attention all through. Some readers might find the first half of the book boring because it inserts us into this interesting fictional world with a political order and unique magic system. But it's worth the careful read, if you truly want to enjoy this book.
I should mention that there's a 140-page prequel, Ashen Son, that gives a background story of Maxantarius, his family and his past. I had to read this before starting this book and it helped set the pace.
Daughter Of No Worlds is dual POV: Tisaanah and Maxantarius’, though we mostly get Tisaanah's narration which made me fall in love with this character. She was a slave but her determination and courage pushed her to search for freedom. Not just for herself alone but for her friends and almost an entire race. Her strength and resilience is admirable. I like that the author developed Tisaanah into a realistic character. With these positive strengths, she's unapologetically feminine and empathic, making her an ideal heroine.
Maxantarius is an ex-army commandant and her training instructor. He's moody, reclusive and sometimes funny but complicated due to his past. He's like Tisaanah's other half. They share similarities in characters, traumas and beliefs and I think these knit them together romantically. I like that their romance is slow burn, the slowest I've ever read and this author writes this so well. The heat and emotion will have you swooning.
Also, this author writes these characters' stories boldly. Slavery, oppression and war are the main themes of this book. She doesn't gloss over their horrors and traumas. The war, fight scenes, pain, suffering and torture are depicted with blunt brutality such that I almost cried in some chapters. I have no complaints about this because it's enlightening.
Rating this book, I will give it 4 stars out of 5. The worldbuilding and magic system piqued my interest. Even more, I fell in love with Tisaanah. She's a well developed and admirable character who makes you eager to keep reading. The action scenes are gripping and this author has a way with words. She's good. I can't wait to start the second book in the trilogy.
All images above are from my E-library
Header images compiled in Canva.
Thank you for visiting and supporting my blog. 🤗