I have had this on my TBR for a while but had ended up reading The Will of the Many, the first and only one in the author’s newer trilogy first because I didn’t want to get sucked into binging a trilogy. That’s always the question – go with something that will leave me waiting year to year for the next book, or something that will end up dictating my next few reads.
I really enjoyed this one as well (and predictably got sucked into the whole series). It’s also such complex world building and I never would have guessed this was a first novel if I hadn’t known that going in. Davian is at a school for the Gifted, people that have a magical power and abilities. The Gifted used to serve the Augurs, but around 20 years ago, the Augurs withdrew because their visions weren’t coming true anymore, and the Gifted started abusing their powers, leading the general population to rise up against them. The Augurs are now dead, and the Gifted are all subject to a treaty (magically bound and enforced) that puts limitations on their abilities. Davian’s trials are coming up – he is Marked as one of the Gifted but despite that, he has not been able to use his power, and fears he will fail the trials, especially when he hears they have been moved up. Those that break the rules or fail the trials since it shows they don’t have sufficient control over their power are marked in a different way, becoming Shadows, cut off from Essence.
The night before the trials, an Elder comes to Davian, tells him he knows he is an Augur which is why his power manifests differently, and that he must break the rules and run away to make his way north as the Boundary wall that has protected them for 2 millennia is breaking down. This sets off a sprawling story that puts Davian and his two best friends, Wirr and Asha, into political intrigues that trace back more than 2 decades, and a battle of good and evil that has been going on for millennia.
Asha ends up on a different path from the boys, right in the middle of the Royal Court, while Davian and Wirr end up on a trip that links them up with a mysterious young man, Caeden, who can’t remember his past, and a believed to be dead Elder with a link to Davian.
While I really enjoyed the novel, especially during the travel and set up portion, it did start to drag a little bit towards the end – not significantly so but it’s what kept this as a strong 4 star novel instead of a 5 star rating.
