Halls of Law
Ratings1
Average rating5
15
Ratings1
Average rating5
"Seventeen year-old Kerida Nast may be the only Talent left in the Faraman Peninsula. Ker had always wanted a career in the military, just like the rest of her family, so when her Talent was discovered, and she knew she'd have to spend the rest of her life as a psychic for the Halls of Law, she wasn't happy about it. Just as she's reconciling herself to her new role, the centuries old empire is invaded by strangers from Halia, who begin a systematic campaign of destruction against the Halls themselves, killing every last Talent they can find. Kerida manages to escape, falling in with Tel Cursar, a young soldier fleeing the final battle, which saw the deaths of the royal family. Without this necessary leadership, the remaining military will not be able to act quickly enough to save the empire. As they head for a military outpost still free from the invaders, Kerida and Tel discover a long-hidden colony of Feelers, paranormal outcasts shut away from the world for so long they are considered mythical. These traditional enemies of the Halls of Law welcome Kerida, believing she fulfils a Prophecy they were given centuries before by the last race of griffins. With the help of these new allies Kerida and Tel must track down the missing heir to the throne, or the Halian invaders will never be repelled, and the Rule of Law will end."--
Series
2 primary booksFaraman Prophecy is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 2017 with contributions by V.M. Escalada.
Reviews with the most likes.
Pros: excellent world-building, great characters, interesting plot
Cons: a few points drag
Kerida Nast was born into a powerful military family, so she's not happy when it's discovered that she has the Talent and must leave her family and join the Halls of Law. Flashing objects and people allows Talents to know truth in matters of judgement. Just as she comes to terms with her fate, a foreign invasion takes place, upending her life and forcing her to flee or die. She joins up with some defending soldiers and along the way uncovers a prophecy and a people long believed to be myths.
The world-building is excellent. I loved how the Talent and jewels work. It's very creepy how the jewels can be used to twist people's beliefs, emphasizing certain truths at the expense of others. There are a fair number of terms to learn, but you come to them organically and they make the world feel expansive. I loved that women were so prominent in the power structure of the Faraman Polity. Seeing the invading force's attempts to subjugate the native customs to fit their own belief system was terrifying.
Kerida's a great protagonist. I loved that she learns a lot through the book. She's practical and makes hard decisions about her own survival, leaving her feeling ashamed by her lack of heroism. She has a lot of responsibility placed on her and does a remarkable job, despite not being fully trained. I thought the supporting cast was great, especially the archer Wynn. Seeing some of them jeweled was tough because I liked all of them.
The story's pretty interesting, with a lot of unanswered questions to take up in the next book. I'm hoping the griffin has a larger role.
There are a few points where the story drags a bit as the characters travel a lot over the same territory.
On the whole I really enjoyed this and eagerly await the sequel.
