Mage's Blood (Moontide Quartet)

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The West clash with the East after a magical bridge is constructed that connects two separate continents of Yuros (west) and Antiopia (east). There is definitely a Game of Thrones feel to this book (after all my copy had a sticker on it saying “If you love Game of Thrones, you’ll want to read this! Long ago in the history of the two lands, a Leviathan Bridge connecting the two continents was erected across the ocean by a renegade mage named Antonin Meiros.

The main characters of the novel are: Elena Anborn, Norosian half-blood mage and former feared guerrilla fighter in the revolt under the (in)famous Gurvon Gyle who appears in the quote above as an intimate of the ruling Empress Mater as he was pardoned years after the revolt on condition to do the Empire's dirty work from then on. The bridge would appear every 10 years with the Moontide and was initially designed to promote trade, communication, and understanding between the two vastly different cultures. These characters were incredibly well-fleshed out; they have distinctive voices, different struggles, and I found myself invested in their journey. Kazim Makani, Ramita's fiancee, son of an Amteh warrior who became blood-brother with Ispal in Hebusalim during the terrible 904 - as in our history, Lakh is ruled by an Amteh emperor with the majority locals coexisting uneasily with the Amteh invaders and converts.Most of the nations and cultures in this book bear marked resemblances to those in our reality -- even when it comes to religion and geography. Simply describing one side as always bad and the other as always good and then never deviating from that template doesn’t do it for me.

Info-dump aside in the first half of the novel aside, I think readers will do themselves good knowing that the world of Urte doesn’t feel like a completely new world; it felt like reading historical fantasy to me. In Noros, Alaron Mercer a young adept of gnosis (Harry Potter fans will love the very Hogwart’s like chapter about end of the year exams) with two of his friends rather clumsily stumble upon a mystery greater than everything they ever dreamed (a proof of just how dangerous academic work can be!His story is in large part the typical coming-of-age one from fantasy, but in a nice twist, Alaron is still a quarter blood mage so not quite the usually powerful "boy of destiny", but he compensates with his agile mind and intense curiosity. These citizens are led by Elena Anborn, former Yuros assassin turned guardian and chief councilor to the most influential royal family in Antiopia. She’s grown to love them and her new home, so contemplates leaving the life of a spy and becoming her own woman.