The first book in an epic fantasy series that takes place in a world with men, giants, wolven (massive wolves), draigs (massive lizards), magical powers, and dark prophecies. The story is told from multiple viewpoints, with two of the key characters being Corban, the son of a blacksmith who is training to be a warrior in preparation for his coming-of-age ceremony, and Nathair, the son and heir of King Aquilus, who believes his destiny is to lead men against the coming darkness. Although it takes a while to get going, and initially feels like a very generic fantasy tale, it eventually picks up pace, and has a fairly exciting conclusion that leaves you wanting more.
I nearly gave up on this book at the beginning, as there were so many characters (all with slightly odd, somewhat overlapping names), so many viewpoints, and so much going on, that I felt like I needed to take notes just to follow along. Moreover, the book felt like a slightly worse copy of many other fantasy series: e.g., the wolven and giants seemed awfully similar to the dire wolves and giants in the Game of Thrones Series; the prophecy of a hero of the light fighting a demon of darkness are awfully similar to the Wheel of Time Series.
However, I stuck with the book, and eventually, things started to make a little more sense, and the book began to develop its own unique flavor. I enjoyed the relationship that formed between Corban, his family, friends, and Gar, the stablemaster who helps train him; I liked that the book wasn’t afraid to kill major characters, so it felt like there was something at stake in every battle; I appreciated that in addition to some clichés and tropes from the fantasy world (e.g., the young village boy who is fated to do great things), there were also some clever new twists (e.g., the character who thinks he is fated to do great things, but is actually wrong or deceived).
The book ends on a high note, and also a bit of a cliffhanger, so I look forward to picking up the next one in the series.
