&��ܴdz�;4.5⭐️

This book took me a little while to get into, I just want to make it clear that this is no way because of the plot or the writing...this book is actually written very, very well. When I did fully get into it, I got so lost in the story and did not want to put it down. The world building is absolutely amazing; the descriptions are very well thought out and well articulated. Also the plot is executed to a high standard, is interesting and unique. My normal genre of book to read is romance, but the overview of this book captivated me enough to make me want to take a chance on it and I am glad that I did. Jacob is such a diverse character and his development throughout this book is brilliant, as are the other characters involved. I honestly cannot wait for the next instalment of the triliogy! An absolutely outstanding piece of writing. Would most definitely recommend."

"Jacob is a man with a troubled past who wants to educate himself further and bring a library to his illiterate community of Tonto. To do so, he will have to move to the next village and work in the library there. He is at the tower contemplating his last night in Tonto when his brother Carl arrives and begs him to help look for their sister Lindina. He refuses but then changes his mind because he loves Lindina and Carl got the Silencers involved. And if Lindina was involved in what he believed he had to reach her before the Silencers did. Jairus (a voice inside of Jacob) tells him he is a fool and he should leave Lindina to her fate. Since Jairus and Jacob never agree on anything, Jacob catches up to Carl and agrees to search for Lindina until he has to leave for his new home and job. The world and characters build from there at a fairly slow pace. The chaos begins in the forest when he desperately searches for his sister to save her from herself. By the last quarter of the book I was invested in the characters and intrigued about the magic systems, the ancient peoples, the old ways and why certain philosophies were abandoned. Hope, love and forgiveness are powerful and I definitely am glad I pushed through to the end! I will await the next installment as I definitely recommend this book!"

"Huge thanks to Markus for copy of the ARC.

3-3.5 ��

A great and interesting high fantasy read with conflicting/complexish characters.

The plot is largely driven by Jacob's sense of responsibility and/or guilt towards finding his lost sister.

Jacob was an interesting character. I found him to be honorable but also selfish at the same time. A lot of his actions were quite conflicting and almost comedic with how careless he is. However, it does make him relatable in the sense that he's not your perfect protagonist/hero.

The voice continues to be a mystery for me and I hope I get the answers I crave in the next installment. His motivations were also adding to Jacob's conflicting nature.

The sister felt like Jacob's white rabbit that leads him to this path of madness. I thought that she was a very well written character. Epitomizing the loss of innocence. For some reason I just didn't expect her to be the age that she was.

I really struggled getting through the middle section. The pace really slowed down despite Jacob seeming to be forever running about. I'm not too sure if this was the intent but a great juxtaposition if so.

I also found the magical system to be a little confusing. I kept getting the Abyss and the Deep mixed up as they seem to be the same side of the coin.

There's definitely lots to flesh out as it seems we've barely scratched the surface of why magic is illegal. Definitely curious to see the next installment goes!"