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A Legacy of Light by Daniel Arenson 

Fantasy

Blurb:

“We live in a time of darkness. Requiem lies cloaked in shadows. Tonight we say: We will fight. We will keep our light blazing.”

A Legacy of Light (The Dragon War, Book One) — a new fantasy trilogy for fans of A Game of Thrones and The Lord of the Rings

The people of Requiem, an ancient kingdom, can grow wings and scales, breathe fire, and take flight as dragons. For years, Requiem’s holy stars have blessed the kingdom with light and magic. But now a darkness falls.

General Cadigus, traitor to the crown, has captured the throne. Bloodthirsty and cruel, he rules with an iron fist. He crushes his own people under his heel. He burns all foreign lands. The noble kingdom of Requiem fades; a dark empire rises.

In the wilderness, a small light kindles. Rebellion brews. The rebels are haggard, outnumbered, and desperate. They hide in forests and ruins. They fight for the memory of Old Requiem, for a legacy of light.

The Resistance is small, but its cry is loud: “The tyrant must fall.”

Review:

When I was checking out some reviews on Goodreads, I noticed people mentioning that this book was YA. This book is not a YA novel, this falls more into the fantasy realm, just like the books it’s compared to LoTR and Game of Thrones. The subject matter deals with things a bit darker then a YA novel should address, and the gore is also much stronger, but as an adult fantasy novel it have my highest praise, even if I’m not a fan of excess gore. This novel, though unlike his other novels, so I’ve heard, doesn’t deal with use of magic, but with the uprising. There are rebels and there are oppressors. The majority of the plot focuses on that core idea, illuminating the evil vs good dynamic that every fantasy epic has. The evil in this book is so very evil and that’s where the the gore comes in. There’s rape, murder, killing of pleasure, and killing to prove a point, but therein lies the reality too. You don’t need to tame down a story because you believe it shouldn’t deal with the amount of violence. Violence is a part of life, especially a part of the life presented in Requiem. I am glad Arenson didn’t shy away just because he was worried about catering to a specific set of readers. He wrote the book honestly, and with great passion and it shows.

This book is well organized, well written and definitely takes you for a wild ride. It has all the twists and turns and suspense you expect from a fantasy novel. If you love dragons, like I do, this book is definitely for you. I couldn’t put it down. I kept reading late into nights, and I loved it! I will be going back and reading his other books, and waiting eagerly for the other books in the series as well. I’m definitely a fan for life now, even if it does not include Dragons. Arenson crafts an amazing world in this book, and I’m sure it would be just the same for any other book!

I will have this series on my shelf!

 

** I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review **