A persons soul contains two parts the sliver you are born with, and the kai an entity that joins with the body eight days after birth.
At least, that was how it used to be, until the sinister truth of the kai was discovered. In the Ennian empire, dedicated hunters are trained to catch the kai before it manages to contaminate its host.
Caeles was bred to become a Venethori an elite kai hunter tasked with keeping people safe from dangerous kai, draconids, and other creatures. To aid him, he has his crossbow and his kai bound to him from birth but blocked from entering his body.
As a loyal servant of the empire he never questioned the imperial way of life, until the day he ends up in a situation where he is forced to ask himself; is everything really as simple as it seems?
A Solid Foundation for an Intriguing World
This book introduces us to the Ennian Empire, a fascinating land of advanced kai-powered technology and strict social order.
Caeles, our main protagonist is a young and promising Venethori in training whose mission in life is to keep people safe from kai and other dangerous creatures.
We join him on his journey through his Hunter training and Venethori apprenticeship, through the hardships, suffering, deadly political games and his growing doubts about the very system he’s sworn to uphold.
He has always had a special connection with Spark, his own kai, more so than the other Hunters and Venethori, and keeping this a secret is something that is starting to get more and more difficult as the story progresses.
Caeles’ character development is well-written. He has gone through a lot, and he’s not come out of it unscathed, but he’s always had his mentor, Attilio, to fall back on.
The supporting cast also feels authentic and adds depth to the story.
While the pacing might feel a bit slow at times, the world-building is intricate and captivating as the author sets the stage for the series, introducing the key players and the political intrigue of the Empire.
The book is 346 pages long and spread over 22 chapters (with an extra short epilogue showing a new point of view that I’m very excited about, it’s a game-changer, promising exciting developments in the next book!).
The story primarily follows Caeles’ perspective, but the author occasionally interjects thoughts from other characters, like Attilio. I found these glimpses into the others incredibly enriching, adding layers of depth to the characters. While the shifts in perspective are subtle, they’re generally pretty clear and once I recognized it, I had no trouble following along.
Overall, this is a solid start to what promises to be an intriguing series for fans of steampunk fantasy.
PS: As this is from a Swedish author and published in Sweden, you can purchase the book here
© Victoria Gryson 2024