I really loved the language used in this book. The lyrical style really matches the story and the reading experience. The character, setting and the story was very much enjoyable but the language used is the highlight of this book. If anyone wants to read beautiful and lyrical language, please read this book.

As of pacing, this is a very slow paced book and it doesn't needs to be fast by any means. The pacing perfectly matches with the story and the language. It was very vivid and we can picture everything happening in this book like we are living in this world and watching them happening in front of us.

Highly recommended.

Absolutely LOVED this book. Stories within a story with extra stories added on top for good measure. Great magic system. Characters are brilliant. Sarcasm & humour level are on point. Highly recommended!

I fell instantly in love with the lyrical language R.R. Virdi uses in "The First Binding". I enjoyed everything about this book (the story, setting, characters), but the writing glowed in my mind. It's nothing short of beautiful. This is a slow-paced book, but it really doesn't need to be any faster. This is one to sink yourself into and simply enjoy the ride. I hope book 2 won't be too far in the future.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Orion books for granting me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I want to start out by saying that R.R. Virdi has created a world with deep characters, an interesting magic system and an expansive fantasy world.

However, the framing narrative is just not for me. I got about 45% through this book and I just found that it was moving too slow. The exact same thing happened when I read Name of the Wind a few years ago.

The First Binding is clearly a great book with a gripping story and a fantastic author. This is clear from the countless other reviews I've seen. I know I should love this book but unfortunately it just didn't click for me.

I would still strongly urge other fantasy readers to check it out. I will be giving the audiobook a chance when it's released, because I think that will make it more digestible for me.

Thank you Orión Publishing Group and NetGalley for the arc of The First Binding by RR Virdi in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Firstly, don’t let the size of this book at 850+ pages put you off. RR Virdi has created an enthralling tale that totally pulls you in and doesn’t let go.

The book itself is an analogy of stories, that takes you through Ari’s life in a totally immersive manner. And yes, I can’t deny the sense of similar fantasies such as Name of the Wind, that others have referred to. However, Virdi is a master at building the tension in a gentle, unhurried manner that has you wondering if you’re about to reach the peak, that he then diffuses beautifully, pulling you back in until once again you are at the brink…and yes, those analogies do come to mind. 😂

This is not a book to hurry, this is a book to savour, to cruise along gently and take time to enjoy the sights and stories, and subsequently reflect on them and discover the subtle nuances of the stories, the world building and the overall structure.

If you’re looking for a book that will pull you along like a roaring wildfire or crescendo of noise, this isn’t the book you are looking for, but if you are looking for a high fantasy filled with fantastic world building, a multitude of multi-faceted stories, characters with depth, myth, mystery and more, then I urge you to pick this book up.

I’m already totally invested in Ari and I can’t wait to see what comes next, but please for the love of Brahm RR Virdi, include a summary at the start of the sequel.

An absolute 5 star read for me!

As a reader I'd say I'm pretty used to my routine when it comes to physical books and ebooks - I start the story and regardless of size it usually takes me a couple of days *maybe* a week to get through a book. The First Binding has taken me almost a month to finish. Now I know this is being marketed as one thick book and a lot of people are very excited for the prospect of thwacking an 800+ pager down on their desk and getting to work. But some people might be feeling a bit intimidated or feeling like they don't have the time to delve into this one and so I want to say that while this book is THICK and long and winding and has stories stacked within stories it is nonetheless so worth reading. This is a fantastic story (or set of multiple stories) in an immersive world where you really do want to keep going. It has a lot of the things I have really liked about other similar fantasy (Name of the Wind came to mind a lot while reading) but it also has a new kind of structure or pacing where things feel intentionally winding and you can never quite tell if you're at the climax of the book or if you're just on the precipice of something new happening. Where some books sweep you along in white water rapids this book felt more like a gentle river cruise with a delightful tour guide telling you interesting things about the various sights along the bank - both are good and I hadn't quite appreciated how much I was in need of the latter until I picked up The First Binding.
I would urge people to pick this up alongside their other reading, to allow themselves some time to read and to savour RR Virdi's work alongside everything else they are reading. To not try and power through all in one go but to allow yourself some time to stew in the story (I've used too many metaphors now I had better stop).
With a book as long as this it can be hard to rate because 200/800 pages might be five stars and another fraction a different rating so I've tried to capture my overall feelings as best I can.
I have but one request from RR Virdi as this series continues - for the sake of those of us who read to review please include a small recap at the start of the sequel!
My rating: 4/5 stars
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley - all opinions are my own.

One of my favourite reads of the year!

Is this book better than The Kingkiller Chronicle? Well, I don’t know because I haven’t read Kingkiller yet. But I will say that this book was a pretty good read. Let’s talk about it!

The First Binding is one of the most anticipated releases coming in 2022 and is being “marketed” as an Asian-inspired high fantasy, similar to The Name of the Wind. However, this review will not discuss whether this book is similar to Kingkiller Chronicle since I haven’t read that series yet. If you are interested in knowing whether those comparisons are fair, I recommend reading Petrik Leo’s review of this book. That being said, I really enjoyed my time with this book!

It took me about 100 pages to get fully immersed in this book. However, I am glad I didn’t give up on this book. Virdi has an astounding ability to write beautiful sentences, vivid scenes and compelling characters. It took me nearly a month to finish this book, only because I wanted to savour and enjoy each page.

The story follows Ari as he tells his life story to a singer named Eloine, and the story starts all the way back at Ari’s childhood. I absolutely LOVED how Virdi has set up this story. You have two main storylines, “present” and “past”, but within these two plotlines, we also learn about beautiful and heartbreaking folkore stories and mythology. While most of the story focuses on telling Ari’s story, the present plotline still has a lot of tension. Ari is not an old man when he tells Eloine his life story, and he is still on a quest which adds another layer of tension to the “present” plotline.

Consequently, The First Binding has multiple chapters where you have a story within a story within a story. Each story told is rich with detail, tension and riveting dialogue, which adds so much depth to this world. Although we don’t get that much insight into the greater world, this world felt so rich and real since Virdi intently fleshes out the tales about the Gods and the different supernatural beings. The magic system is also incredibly fascinating and rich with detail and plays a significant role in the story.

One of the reasons why this story worked so well for me is because it utilises a lot of my favourite tropes. The First Binding is, at its core, a coming-of-age/underdog story with the found family and pet companion trope (and LOTS more!). Consequently, this is an Asian-inspired fantasy, which is one of my current favourite subgenres in fantasy.

However, this book will not be everyone’s cup of tea. Virdi has a unique writing style, with many poems and beautiful sentences, and the pacing is incredibly slow. The First Binding is arguably the slowest-paced book I have read this year, and I have already read three Robin Hobb books!! The crazy part is that after finishing this 800+ page tome, it feels like the story is only just about to start. The pacing did not bother me since Virdi was able to get me fully immersed and invested in Ari’s story and this world. However, I could see readers either love or hate this book. Either this story will work incredibly well with you, or it won’t. However, I would suggest giving the first 100 pages a try before giving up on the story.

I could go on and on about this story, but I will end my review by saying this – if you enjoy slow-paced, character-driven stories with beautiful prose, this book will be for you! The First Binding is a new favourite of mine, and I can’t wait for the next book to come out!

4.5 / 5 stars

'There's a story behind everything and everyone - powerful tales, even if they don't seem it on the surface. There's power in stories. There's magic in them. And each person's life is a story itself, and with that, every person carries magic within them.'
The First Binding is an Asian inspired high fantasy that is intricate, compelling and enchanting. Essentially a story about the appreciation of stories, with rich world building, intriguing magic systems and diverse in religion and culture.
'It was said when Abrahm had been born, the sun and moon embraced, shrouding the world in a bright, dark light. A false midnight.'
The story starts with the building of anticipation within a tavern, as our main character Ari, the storyteller, sets the stage for a magical performance. Honestly, I felt like I was in the tavern and couldn't wait for the storyteller to begin! Virdi has such a way with words, they flow and ebb and it is just glorious to read. I feel so very lucky to have been given an ARC of this story.
Whilst in the tavern, Ari meets a mysterious singer named Eloine, who convinces him to tell her his story, his truth. We then embark on 2 separate (but joined) stories spanning Ari's life - his childhood and his present day. I struggled at first flitting from past to present as I was so engrossed in each story that I didn't want to be pulled out of them! There are so many stories within stories, adding layers and depth not only to the characters, but also the world and the magic.
The magic system is really fascinating. Built upon conviction, unwavering faith and strength of will, the Ten Bindings are more often than not believed only as myth. Some, very rare few, can actually master them. I loved learning about them - I would go into more detail but don't want to give too much away and spoil it!
Our main character Ari has such a troubled childhood. Each part of his life is filled with strife and hardship that no child should endure. You see firsthand how this shapes who he is as an adult - his personality, lifestyle, triggers, morality and motives. This book feels like it is setting the scene for an epic tale to come and I cannot wait - Virdi has me absolutely hooked.

In terms of narrative framing, the best example of a well known book that is similar to THE FIRST BINDING is THE NAME OF THE WIND. The main story is being told by the person who's story it is, in a tavern setting. The main story is interspersed with returns to the tavern and the story being told in "real time."

It's an interesting framing method, but because this book is so big (over 800 pages) and very slow paced, it took a while to actually get to the "main" story. There are several meandering chapters of the narrator at a different tavern involved with telling world building stories and meeting the person he's going to tell his story too.

That really slowed down the pacing for me, particularly as I wasn't aware it was going to be a "I'm going to tell you a story" narrative framing. Thus I was struggling to find the hook or stake or goal of the book, as it did just feel like Ari was having fun telling tales without anything for me to invest in or root for. There is no threat or antagonist to play off, build tension, and hint at a plot progression, which are things I personally find important when getting into a book. Without those, I do struggle - which is entirely a personal narrative preference.

Once the story being told within the book begins, it starts off like a coming of age story. We go back in time to young Ari and watch him discover magic and begin learning about it. There was still no (major) antagonistic force, and it did just feel like a lot of "this is how magic works" explanation as he learnt.

I really enjoyed The First Binding. It's quite a long book but the it was immersive enough to draw me into its world and make me enjoy the journey.
This is mainly a coming of age story. I say mainly because in the book we follow the story of our protagonist Ari (who is around 30 years old) who is searching to find a specific story, but we spent most of the book with him narrating his story from a young age to now.
The strengths of this book are its prose and its worldbuilding. The prose is excellent with many quotes that leave a mark with the reader and some beautiful descriptions.
The worldbuilding also was successful with strong Asian influences (India came to my mind), rich lore and a satisfying variety of places our MC visits.
There is not a lot of action and the pace can, at times, be quite slow and that will discourage some readers.
Also the vast majority of the book is spent the narration of the past making the now part, feel less significant and less interesting as a result.
This was a great start to the series and I can't wait for the continuation.

I will update the review with a link to our blog closer to publication date.
I'd like to thank the publisher Orion Publishing Group, Gollancz and Netgalley for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review

beautiful and lyrical. the writing in this book was really good and i couldn’t put this down. i was so intrigued in the story that i read it in only a couple of sittings even though the novel is pretty long! the magic system, the representation, the characters, everything was just so fantastic. so excited to read the next books!

The First Binding is an unforgettable and memorable high fantasy debut by RR Virdi and a new highly anticipated series.

𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘴. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦. 𝘑𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵.
𝘐 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘳 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘯𝘰𝘸. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘥. 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘵. 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦. 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦. 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳.
𝘔𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘳𝘪.
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘐 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭.

This novel is a unique take on fantasy stories that holds firm in a genre where stories can become really stale really fast. My expectation of this shot up when it was compared to The Kingkiller Chronicles - a series that holds dear to me but Virdi has crafted a severe craving for this new story.

The lines are simply beautiful and the set up has sparked mystery from the very start. The chemistry between characters and the narrative context seep kindness, empathy and magic between every word. The way Virdi has concocted the time frames and highlighted these in the story itself is a highlight.

Virdi has astounded with his writing however the pacing felt slow at times. There was definite patience required when setting up the world and the lore but with a sentence that could be transformed. We see a master at their work setting up a mysterious and awe-inspiring story full of politics and magic.

Virdi has manipulated us into becoming invested in his own immersive performance. A lyrical piece that you should read and be drawn into itself. The Tales of Tremaine series is high on my anticipated list.

I really wanted to like this book. I really did. I made it through 30% which is over 200 pages and so take this review with that in mind. I’m sure the book gets better and maybe it will be for some people. It just isn’t for me. For me I need to want to continue the characters story but I just couldn’t.

The premise and whole idea was really appealing and I was so looking forward to being able to dive into this epic fantasy book, but it just didn’t give me that feeling and connection I was looking for. Don’t get me wrong there are a number of pros to this book - the writing style, the descriptions, world building to name some. I can see the potential it has to be a great book. But I just couldn’t seem to get that connection to make me want to read more. It was too slow and I still feel that not a lot has happened to draw me in.

But do try it for yourself as this is just my opinion. Maybe one day I’ll try it again and love it but for now I’ll rate this a 3 star read. Thank you for the e-arc!

It took me a while to read this because I was scared to read this hefty book. However, I was not disappointed. This book follows a storyteller named Ari and his encounter with Eloine, a singer, where he told her his stories. South Asian-inspired fantasy was definitely something I wish I could read more and I'm glad that The First Binding was my first South Asian-inspired fantasy read. The world-building was very extensive and so intricately written that I was lost in the moment most of the time whenever I read this book. The writing was very beautiful and I was a sucker for poetic tunes in the words. The magic system was very well thought out and everything is connected to each other. I just love it. I might just buy the physical copy after this.

Lovely.

Great writing and great massive expansive world building. Even though this is quite CHONKY, loved the most of it. Will definitely continue with the sequel !

4.5 stars

So sorry trying to read through this book just didn’t grab me. Something about the characters really made the book hard to become involved in. It isn’t often I stop reading but sadly in this case I did

My gratitude to Net Galley for this free uncorrected copy as I could not wait until the publication date in August.
"The First Binding" is a massive undertaking which takes a bit of patience, but once you get immersed in this wonderful South Asian- inspired fantasy world, you never want to leave it.
Ari is a great traveling storyteller and his encounter with the enchanting singer Eloine brings us many stories rich in lore, bright protagonists, religious history, diversity and hidden clues, all delivered in a misterious tone and atmosphere.
The language is absolutely gorgeus with poetic notes and with a soothing flow.
The magic system is tied into mythology, belief and storytelling which shapes the world.
This is a great start to the "Tales of Tremaine" and I am so excited to see what else R. R. Virdi will have in sore for us.

The First Binding follows Ari, a storyteller who weaves magic into his tales to spin a coin. In an inn, he captivates the patrons, but comes across an enchanting singer, Eloine. The story flickers back in time to Ari’s humble beginnings and his development of magic as he tells Eloine about his past and how he let loose the first evil. But the singer has her own past that she’s running away from, and history has a way of catching up to you.

I was drawn in by the cover. I am a huge fantasy lover and the First Binding features a style of magic I’d never come across before so that was exciting for me. However, the story is very long-winded with rich prose lavish in detail that detract from the actual story telling. The pacing was too slow for me. It took over a hundred pages for anything more than Ari monologuing within his own head at the tavern. Although the story flicks back to recount Ari’s past, we are stuck in the main tavern.

This book was not for me in the end, which was a shame as the themes had the makings of being a story I would really enjoy. It was too slow and I did not enjoy Ari’s character which meant I wasn’t invested in Ari’s story at all. I stuck around a little longer for Eloine, but this book took me over two months to read 350 pages which is where I decided to stop. I can usually read that size book in a few days if I'm invested in the story. It’s rare for me to ever give up on a book, but I slogged through it, without enjoyment, and it became more of an unpleasant task. I am sure that this is someone’s book – and other reviews have proved that it is enjoyable – but it was just not the book for me.

My thanks to Netgalley for providing an eARC for review.

It was great to read a competent South Asian protagonist in this story as I don't have so many still in fiction or even other media (Reader note: I am mixed, so this is important to me). We are so often seen as comedic relief or the nerdy type characters. Ari is not, and that is both inspiring and refreshing. He is gorgeously flawed, and you realize that the more you get through the book and the layers are peeled away from him. Why he acts the way does, what his masks are, and the beginnings of who he really is and how he came to be.

The story shifts to the past around the first ten chapters, and then you begin learning about Ari's past. We are taken to the Mutri Empire (what is Virdi's South Asian inspired empire). It was wonderful as a South Asian to see through his eyes and something familiar to me being done in fiction and on the epic fantasy size/scope (because this is a big book). The worldbuilding is phenomenal and I loved it, and the magic system is something I haven't seen before.

This book completely nails the idea of a traveling story teller, and another reviewer notes on that - comparing the performance the singer of Iron Maiden. These people were the rockstars of their day, but unlike many who indulge in the sex, drugs, rock and roll lifestyle, Ari, is not who he seems. There is the Storyteller, and then there is Ari, the man behind the performance in public. And as the story goes on, we get to see more and more behind that.