Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the ARC.

It's a fairly standard epic fantasy, with someone who has insight into the devastation of humanity trying to bring together a group of warriors who would have the ability to commune with the Ancient Beasts and fight against the forces of evil. But it does the usual really well. The recruiting seems like it will be spread across multiple novels, so we can focus on our first two guys: a cowardly kid from the slums and a nobleman with a thing against magic of all kinds. Neither wanted to be chosen, but they're stuck with the job. You really get into their past and their motivations, so even when they can be insufferable, you still want to know what happens next. Kayden, as the new leader of the Order doing the recruiting, is fairly sympathetic as she tries to prepare them and the common people without panicking them; she has the gift/curse of future sight, literally blinded when she sees a vision of the end of the world, and it looks pretty bleak. She's fighting nonetheless, like all good protagonists do. The story ends with a dramatic cliffhanger-no spoilers- that left my jaw on the floor. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it doesn't need to. I can't wait for the next book.

Excellent worldbuilding, the characters are well developed and the story was well written. I was never bored, it was a hard book to put down!

I enjoyed reading this book from the beginning. It is the first book I have read by this author, and I was not disappointed. I think the author did an amazing job world building and creating the characters in this novel. I think this would be a good read for fantasy lovers. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you Net Galley ARC and Books go social

I really enjoyed this as a fantasy novel, it had that element that I wanted and enjoyed the overall feel of this. It did a great job in bringing this world to life and made me invested in what was happening with the characters. Ann W.T. has a strong writing style and I hope there is more in this world.