by T.M. Kohl
Before I dive into talking about The Warriors of Bhrea series and all the reasons why you should read it, I want to say a big thank you to Willow Wraith Press for bringing me onto the team!
Since I review individual books for FanFiAddict and on my personal blog, I wanted to do something a little different here. I am a series reader, and if I like book 1, there’s a very good chance I’ll read the rest (it just might take me some time to fit the later books into my schedule!) My plan is to spotlight an indie-published series I’ve read (or am reading if it’s not complete) each month.
For this first post, I wanted to start with a completed series, and one that really hasn’t gotten enough attention:
The Warriors of Bhrea:
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series status: Complete
Book Titles (in sequential order & links to my reviews): The Lost King, The Master of Night, The God of Forgotten Things, The Hidden Goddess, The Empire of Damnation
Series Overview:
Lauren Strauss is a normal young woman from Chicago–at least, that’s what she had thought until her world was turned upside down. In fact, she was sent to a new world, one completely alien yet revealed to have ties to her family’s past. With the help of a talking amulet and a valiant warrior, she learns to navigate this new world and encounter a destiny she didn’t know she had. As she dives deeper into this world of ancient mysteries, she grows in her burgeoning powers and confronts an enemy so ancient and forgotten that no one is prepared to face it. Only by gathering allies from around the world (and from other worlds) does Lauren have a chance to defeat this insidious evil.
Drawing inspiration from classic works like The Chronicles of Narnia and Avatar: The Last Airbender, this epic fantasy series will send you on an incredible journey that spans worlds and time.
Why you should read it:
There is so much action! And it’s not only in the form of combat scenes; there’s a great balance between those and other high-stakes scenarios, such as running for one’s life, dodging the wrath of vengeful gods, and more. The books are, for the most part, fast-paced and a lot of fun.
The gods play an active role in this universe. I love when a book world features deities that are actually present and meddle in the affairs of their mortal subjects. It doesn’t matter if the gods are good, bad, or otherwise; the fact that they’re doing something makes me a happy reader. In The Warriors of Bhrea, the gods often sow chaos, and battling that is a major part of the storyline.
Astrin is a villain worthy of the title. I love a well-constructed villain, and even after learning Astrin’s back story in later books, she’s still a character I loved to hate. She is ruthless, calculating, and determined to achieve her goals no matter the cost. She’s also one of the most powerful beings in the universe. There’s nothing like pitting a handful of mere humans against someone like her…
Amidst all the chaos and fighting, the characters form lasting, emotionally-driven relationships. While I love a good action story, I become invested in characters that feel real, and this series delivers. My favorites were Val and Lauren; I was rooting for them both throughout the series, even after that heart-wrenching scene in book 4. (No, I’m not going to tell you anything more. This is one of the reasons you need to read the series!)
This series spans multiple worlds, across multiple timepoints. While I categorize The Warriors of Bhrea as epic fantasy, it has some very sci-fi-esque elements and portal fantasy themes too. It begins on modern-day Earth with Lauren, but rapidly shifts to another world without electronics or many of our typical conveniences, where she meets Val. The bulk of the series is set in Val’s world, though the characters hop around to a few other locations via ancient devices powered by “magic” that may just be alien tech. I’m still undecided on what I want to call it. Some of the worlds visited are inhabited, while others have been decimated. There’s a good mix of technological differences between the various worlds too. It was fun!
Find out more about The Warriors of Bhrea!
A.J. Calvin
A.J. Calvin is a science fiction/fantasy novelist from Loveland, Colorado known best for The Caein Legacy series and The Relics of War series. By day, she works as a microbiologist, but in her free time she writes. She lives with her husband, a turtle, and a salt water aquarium.
When she is not working or writing, she enjoys scuba diving, hiking, and playing video games.
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