"WE ARE A DYING PEOPLE. BUT WE SHALL NOT DIE QUIETLY."
The Ayad elves face a terrible lot in life. Their existence is defined by an endless war between three other species: the humans of the Empire, eager to destroy the Ayad's lands for lumber and wood; the tarites, ogre-like savage savants who desire flesh and battle above all else; and the vytrals, crystalline humanoids who steal the children of men and elves. With their ancestral homeland scorched to ash and glass, the Ayad exist only in a dangerous forest known as Vanam nowadays, having lost access to their resources, technology, knowledge, and sense of hope.
"TORIO HEARD ONLY THE VOICE OF THEIR SISTER, CALLING TO THEM, SCARED AND ALONE."
One normal night beneath the eaves of Vanam, Torio Lendaloro--a two-spirited Ayad elf on the cusp of adulthood--finds themselves alone as their parents chase a band of vytrals who had kidnapped Torio's kid sister. Torio's mother, father, and sister perish that same night. The youngest of their people to ever lead a funeral procession, Torio shepherds the souls of their family to The Blessed Afterlife. Throughout the rite, they hear first the voice of their mother, whispering incomprehensibly within their own mind. And then the voice of their father joins their mind, whispering as well, unable to be understood. At the funeral's conclusion, Torio's parents' voices disappear, and their little sister's rings clearly through their mind. Torio is venallinon: afflicted by a condition which tethers the soul of their sister to their own, and so Torio knows that their little sister faces an eternity alone in purgatory, for their parents passed on to The Blessed Afterlife without her. Torio hears her voice and she can glimpse portions of their life, but Torio cannot speak to her, and so she and Torio remain disconnected orphans.
“MY SISTER IS THE ONLY FAMILY—THE ONLY PIECE OF HOME—THAT I HAVE LEFT."
And so Torio continues their life, resigned to a life of endless battle, grief, and the terrible knowledge that their little sister remains out of reach and lonely. Until they meet a necromancer, who offers the siblings a chance to reunite. But for that chance to be seized, Torio would be exiled from the Ayad: once an elf leaves the forest's defense, they are never welcomed back. Does Torio's duty lie with their people and the history they've inherited, or will they forsake all they've ever known for the slim chance that they can one day see their sister again?
Reviews
Mich 184
A lot of passion has gone into creating this immersive fantasy. It may help if you have read The Three Warlocks by the same author to tune into the authors writing style, language and character elements. If you enjoy transporting yourself to a warlock-elf fantasy world this is a great book for you. My reason for 4 stars are the glossary links in the e-book/kindle they pull you out of the story, it is useful but there could be better ways to address it, perhaps covering this at the start or a more vanilla/layman's approach to this new world for us newbs just to shoo-us in - interesting creative work from this author.
CLopez
I consider Tolkien as the father of fantasy, and immersed myself into the world of Middle Earth more than 50 years ago. I still never tire of returning to those novels. Now I get to step into a magical and mysterious realm with the enthralling world created by J. Flowers-Olnowich in The Three Warlocks! This captivating book brings to life an immersive fantasy full of dynamic characters and mythical creatures - perfect for readers who crave powerful stories that transport them far from reality. To get even more out of this gripping tale, start reading when you're already familiar with Flowers-Olnowish's writing style so all eyes can be on exploring each fantastical element along your journey. The writing is very, very strong, the author's imagination is stunning in its scope, and the story one that keeps the pages turning. A definite 5-star find!