This review focuses on first volume. As of writing I have finished the series, but won’t spoiler anything, don’t worry.
Hugh of Emblin is both a horrific and talented student at Skyhold Academy.
He is anxious, I’m pretty sure he is depressed, and ultimately he is just not vibing about the state of the world and his own abilities.
Luckily, he has some great friends to help pick him up and support him.
And even more luckily, Bierce manages to portray these issues in a relatable way without turning the main character into a whining, hard-to-read mess. I’m sure this was a difficult task, but Bierce pulls it off flawlessly. Hugh is a teenager with a background of being abused. His character has background, he has flaws, and following his journey in the seven books to become a better, healthier, stronger person is absolutely fantastic.
So, along with Hugh, we have his enigmatic mentor Alustin, the dreamfire-bone specialist Talia, and Sabae — an ‘untrainable’ student from a long line of storm mages. Joining just a little later is Goldrick, a stone-steel-scene mage. From our main cast of four, their magical paths are distinct, innovative, and play well together. On top of this, and something I appreciate greatly, is that all four grow not just in power, but as people. Hugh gets to work on his outlook, mental health, and anxiousness. Sebae, Talia, and Goldrick don’t sit idle whilst the main character marches forwards either, they keep up, each with their own goals and approaches.
Even one of the earlier antagonists, Rhodes, has some character development. That being said, Rhodes was my least-liked part of the first book when I read it first, because his bullying and antagonism comes out of nowhere and felt like a plot device to add conflict rather than a genuine and understandable reaction from a character. But I was a fool! There are reasons for everything, but I just hadn’t got to them yet.
Anyway, enough about Rhodes, he’s not even the main antagonist!
The first book is relatively short, but this isn’t a bad thing. You get a great taste of Hugh and his friends before book two and beyond, where the group shed the shackles of Skyhold and venture out into the world. I don’t want to add spoilers about where they go or what happens, but suffice it to say that I love new places, new worldbuilding, new cultures, and Bierce doesn’t disappoint. From magical places in the Endless Erg, to completely foreign worlds, it was truly a joy to read.
Go check out the books.
