You know how sometimes a book is long and it feels longer? This one was long, but flew by. Traci Loudin painted pictures in my mind of very different groups and tribes all co-existing in a post-apocalyptic world, some peacefully, some not.

I laughed when I read a conversation she had with someone at a faire, where she said it was a book with a bunch of assholes roaming around killing people. That description is more crude than the story is, but there is certainly one character that comes to mind who fits the bill.

Dalan’s tribe, capable of preserving extinct animals by taking their essences and transforming into the animals, is an interesting concept and well done. The Ancient teachings give the reader hope in dark times, and watching him struggle to apply those teachings to the outside world is both painful and rewarding.

There were plenty of twists and turns to keep things interesting. I never found myself guessing where the story was going to go next.

The ending was both satisfying, and left me wanting to read more. I was glad that it wrapped up nicely, and that there were still threads left open for future works.

Well written and engaging, I highly recommend this book, and look forward to more!

About the Reviewer

Husband, father, and researcher, Ryan Toxopeus spends his free time working on his epic fantasy trilogy, Empire’s Foundation. He started writing the first book, A Noble’s Quest, in 2010 and fell in love with all aspects of storytelling. He focuses on fast paced, character driven plots. His motto: “If I’m bored writing it, others will be bored reading it.”

Learn more about Ryan and his work at https://prcreative.ca/ryan/