by Timothy Wolff
It’s time for another series spotlight, and this month I’ve decided to showcase one of my favorite completed indie series (which also has a bonus prequel novella that works well as a standalone.)
The Legacy of Boulom:
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series status: Complete – with a bonus novella!
Book Titles (in sequential order & links to my reviews): Protocol of Valor (prequel novella), Platinum Tinted Darkness, Tears of the Maelstrom, Age of Arrogance
Series Overview:
When the gods send their harbingers, the Guardians are all who stand in the way. But who protects these defenders when the gods seek to sway them?
Crystal mage Serenna Morgan struggles to maintain the neutrality of the Guardian Pact when a neighboring kingdom invades her own. The God of Death offers his divine power to stop the invasion. For a price. As the conflict escalates, the remaining Guardians fall prey to the other meddling deities, and the choice given to Serenna might be the only thing that keeps them together. Or results in their doom.
Not all gods love their people, but the ones that do may end up the most dangerous.
Why you should read it:
The first thing that drew me into this series were the battle mechanics. Think MMORPG raid boss with minions fights, and that’s pretty much how this is set up. While I haven’t been a raider in a long time, this brought back so many memories—and I loved every minute of it.
Sardonyx is GLORIOUS! He may have started as a side character with little page-time, but Sardonyx Claw, the Warlord of Zephum, quickly became one of my favorite characters. He’s gruff, he values strength above all else, and he can be downright terrifying. But there’s one scene where he interacts with a young human child, and all of that fell away. I loved the dichotomy of his character, and the unlikely humor some of his scenes brought to the books.
The sun-masked god is the most infuriating villain ever. He’s smug. He’s brilliant. He’s an asshole. But he genuinely believes he’s doing the world a favor by acting as he does. He’s everything a reader loves to hate in an antagonist. Is he redeemable? Maybe, but you’ll have to read the series to know for sure.
All of the gods in this series were once mortal. That’s something I don’t encounter much while reading fantasy, and I really enjoyed how it was portrayed here. They’re also very active in the world, often meddling with their mortal charges and with one another. But their agendas are rarely straightforward, and navigating the twists and turns of their schemes was fun—and often featured surprising results. This isn’t a one-note story, but a complex mix of many emotions, the combination of which made both the world and its characters feel real. Every character not only had a backstory, but they also had flaws. There is joy and pain, laughter and fury, heartbreak and victory. It’s a roller coaster ride in book form, and 100% worth the read.
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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