Malice by John Gwynne
Genres: Epic Fantasy, war, supernatural, Good vs Evil
Pages: 672
Cover: Paperback
Age rating: 12+
Buy on: Amazon, Barnes and Noble
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Under King Brenin's authority, young Corban observes with envy as lads study the art of combat and become warriors. He longs to defend his king's realm with his sword and spear. However, that day will arrive far too soon. He won't understand the actual cost of courage until he loses the people he loves.
In the violent history of the Banished Lands, giants and human armies engaged in shield-to-shield combat, leaving the ground black with their blood. The earth is still scarred by the giant-clans' wrecked fortifications, despite the fact that they were broken in ancient times. However, giants are stirring again, blood is being shed by the stones, and huge wyrms are being sighted. There is a peril considerably bigger than the old conflicts, according to some who can still interpret the clues. As angels and demons turn the earth into their battlefield, sorrow will make it darker. A war to end all wars will then break out.
In order to find an alliance during this difficult period, High King Aquilus calls a council of his fellow monarchs. Some people, who are battling giants and pirates on their own border, are doubtful. However, the Black Sun and the Bright Star are the two champions that darkness and light will need, according to prophecy. It would be prudent for them to pursue both, as humanity's aspirations will be crushed if the Black Sun takes control.
General Opinion:
After 2 months of not reading fantasy, I felt like I needed to go back to my comfort zone, especially with Spring break coming up. During the 9 days of staying at home, I just want to read an amazing fantasy series, one that refreshes my brain. Well, this book is amazing, refreshes my brain... not really, it overwhelms my brain instead. ​
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Characters and Plot
The world-building and the plot line in this book are amazing. You could never get bored, every chapter is action-packed, the characters will properly rest for like 2 seconds, and then a battle is thrown at them. The only chapter in this book that was kind of chill was Corban's chapters, because he is just a boy, we instead get to see his progress of becoming a well-trained warrior, and how he grows and develops throughout the story. The funny thing is that after Corban chapter, it is Veradis chapter, who is Nathair, the crown prince and then king of Tenebral, the first sword. Veradis' chapter consisted of war strategy, a high-stakes battle that stressed me out a lot. Then we get Corban bonding with his wolven, just strikes me funny.
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The fighting scene in this book is described so well. Usually, when I read a fighting scene in a book, I always get confused, but in here, I can vividly imagine how the characters fight and how they win. Make the actions seem more real and impactful.
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Storm, Corban's wolven, is the most adorable thing ever. She is officially my favorite character, manifesting that she won't die. If you wonder what a wolven is, it's kind of similar to a wolf, but Storm acts like a cute puppy around Corban, but is a wolf around those who will dare harm her owner.
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However, I think this book will not be so overwhelming if the author had named their characters simpler names. It takes me half the book, which is 300 pages in, to remember half of the characters and their purpose. For the most part, whenever a name came up, I was like "Who is this?", even the main characters. If you don't believe me, here are some of the names: Kastell, Corban, Veradis, Evnis, Nathair, Cywen, Thannon, Helfach, Uthas... My head hurt trying to remember the name.
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Moreover, I don't find myself caring too much about most of the characters; they just seem so one-dimensional and flat, besides Camlin. If this problem were fixed, this book would have been a 5-star read. Another thing is how predictable the characters are, for example, Nathair was introduced, and I can immediately sense the bad vibe from him, even though he came of as charming. Besides that, *minor spoiler (Calidus is obviously evil and is the minion to Asroth, the destructive god, even though he reveal to be a Ben-Elim, which he obviously had use a disguise).
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There will a lot of deaths, so maybe not caring too much about some of the characters are a blessing.
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​​​​​​​​Conclusion
This was not what I had in mind for a light read this break, but it works. I am very excited to read the next book in the series, and if you love action, war, epic fantasy with a cute animal besides, pick up this book right now.