Voice of War

Gods, Monsters and revelations abound aplenty in Zack Argyle's gripping sequel to Voice of War.

At the end of Voice of War, Chrys was lost to all as he had let loose the Apogee.

Now, in the grip of the Apogee's powers, he is being led to far off lands, attempting to regain power and take control of himself once again

Meanwhile, Laurel, mourning the loss of her powers has allied herself with the head of the blood thieves, Arabella, the amber thread weaver.

And on the other side of the world, Alverax, and the survivors from Zedalan have sought sanctuary in the land of Felia. In their hopes to find a safe haven for their people, Alvarax, Elder Rowan and Elder Rosemary petition the Empress of the Sun to grant the people of Zedalan asylum.

The Stones of Light builds on the events that began in Voice of War, and adds much more to the story. In Stones of Light, we find out more about the voice in Chrys's head as it leads him to the home of The Wastelanders, the people he fought when he was The Apogee.

In addition to that, he learns of a new threat in the form of the Ancient Wastelander god, Relek and his sister, Lylax. These were gods who were once imprisoned and have now been released. Their only goal; to get revenge on those that locked the away by setting their army of Wastelanders and pet monsters, the Corespwan upon the world.

All the main characters are expanded upon really well in the book, however, it is Laurel that undergoes the most change.

At the end of Voice of War, Laurel experienced a massive wound which had a catastrophic effect on her. And it is due to this change that she allies herself with Alabella, who has told her that she can fix the wound that she has suffered. But this comes at a cost, and the price is to take her back to Zedalum in order to access the core seal and get the necessary materials to make her plans of being able to make everyone be a thread weaver come to fruition. Obviously, things don't go to plan and as she struggles with her inabilities, she believes that Alabella will be the answer to set everything right. However, what Laurel doesn't count on, is the change that she will undergo.

Alverax, the thief gone good, also experiences changes. He finds that he has a conscience, and actually wants to do good. As he tries to remedy the mistakes he made in the last book, he finds that actually, he is a good man. He has gone to Felia with the Zeda people. But they must fight against mistrust, and the shocking events that unfold

Stones of Light is a fantastic read, and if possible, is more accomplished and breath taking than the first.

It's plot runs along at the pace of a juggernaut and grabs you immediately, never letting you go until you reach the end. It's populated with characters that you will adore and expands the world that Zack Argyle has built in his first book.

Stones of Light is a fantastic read, full of action and fantastic characters. I would heartily recommend it to any fantasy fan.

An impressive Indie debut novel. This is well polished, well edited and just generally a well written book. The character and world building here is top drawer, with a Sandersonian style magic system with hard well defined rules based on eye colour. The central premise of the story is a mystery, with the author doing a good job with pacing the reveals. The three main POVs are all distinct and have clear motivations and agency. Yes, there is some slightly stilted dialogue in places (to be expected in a debut) but the flow of the book works well.

An easily enjoyable read!
Lots of passion and dedication has been put into this world and I'm very excited to continue the series and explore the world and see how the story progresses.
Zack has a clear winner on his hands and it should be getting much more attention than it already has.

Lots of love for the magic system of Threadlight and the eye colours. Very cool.
I also particularly enjoyed Chrys's perspective and Alverax.

If you're looking for an easier to digest Epic Fantasy series, full of cool magic, interesting characters, strong themes of family, and fascinating creatures then you should definitely pick up Voice of War.
Definite Recommend!

Music Accompaniment: Civil Twilight - Civil Twilight

Magic system is interesting.
Characters not so much

It felt like a book that had stretched the beginning of a novel for the whole book. I kept expecting more to happen.

I never say this but... if the author had slowed down the book, took time for Character growth then this would have been a better story for me. It's a plot heavy book with little character.

Ending didn't make up for the slog I forced myself to read
I should have DNFed.

It's a good start. I enjoyed the magic system and world. It does seem inspired by Sanderson's type of world building, but the story is it's own. If you're a parent, it plays on your protective instincts. If you don't want to read something where small children are in danger or distress, then you may have some difficulty with this book. There is also a pretty gruesome torture scene.

This is book 1 of the Threadlight Series and it's an epic debut. I received a free audio copy for signing up for the author's newsletter, you should do the same!! Although my iPhone really did not agree with audio on Book Funnel, free is free, and support is support! 

This is a multi-perspective debut in the fantasy word. It definitely teeters between epic and high fantasy. It is absolutely character driven, but the weight of nations/worlds is most definitely in the balance (or about to be). The author definitely created a huge world that still feels small enough to be grounded in realness. From violence and kidnapping, to childbirth, you will see and care about it all. 

The magic in this series, called Threadlight, has to be one of the most intriguing that I've read in a good amount of time. Those with the ability to use it can either push or pull threads, which connect everything. It doesn't sound all that complex or crazy, but to those who can't use it, the options are endless, and dangerous. 

The writing is good, and frankly much of this is a blast. For a second there I thought this was going to turn into a sort of fantasy detective novel (and there's still time...). The author uses distinct voices for each character, not just driving the chapters through description alone. 

Personally a 4.5/5*. Worth your money, time, and effort to read. Don't forget you can sign up for the newsletter. The narrator is insane! Most gravelly voice of all time. 

Let me out!

This book was an SPFBO finalist last year and has been on my radar since then. I decided to give the audiobook a try, which was a great choice because Adam Gold did a phenomenal job.

I really enjoyed this book. High fantasy books tend to be dense, or large- and this one is neither. You follow three main POVs- Chrys, Laurel, and Alverax. Each character is distinct and nuanced. Chrys is a general and is about to be a father for the first time. The theme of familial ties and what you'd do for family is very strong throughout the novel. I enjoyed his story the most, plus it's rare to see a story with married protagonists where one of them (always the wife) is not immediately killed/captured/attacked/leaves. The concept of the story is essentially “the Chosen One's parents” and that's an interesting angle to explore. Parenthood, especially new Parenthood, is not explored as much as you think it would be in fantasy, and it's well done here, although not delved into as much as it could have been.


The world and magic were also well done, and reminded me a ton of Sanderson (which I'm sure was intentional). There is a creature called Chronawolves that are pretty cool that are essentially “Chekov's Chronawolves” for the next book, haha. No complaints with that! My one issue with the book was structural/pace related. The third POV comes in quite late and dominates much of the second half. I understand why that happened, but it was a bit jarring. The book was pretty short, another 50 pages or so to flesh this out a bit more or introducing the character earlier would have been great. But the ending of this book is explosive and pretty much demands you to pick up book two, which I will be reading soon!

2.5 ⭐️