Orb and Arrow

I loved this story! The cover initially drew me to this book but the excellent writing and characterisation kept me reading. The world building is brilliant and almost Tolkien-like, which I really enjoyed.

The only criticism I can think of is the pacing was not always on point, but this did not greatly impact my enjoyment of the book as a whole.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC.

Brillar from the Sisterhood of Laurenfell, Elden from the Brotherhood and a war mage. Up against Harrolen another war mage and previous friend, then against K'ish Potion Makers and lastly, befriending the Elfin. Great names, good story, it seems like my kind of book. For the most part it is, hence four stars.
However, there is a but...
The pacing is sooooo slow.
I nearly gave up several times. Great descriptions, full length dialogues, and a story that moves at snail pace. But, but, but… somehow I stayed with it. My fast and furious self gradually relaxed into the story and I began to enjoy it for what it is, which is a good story, full of interesting characters.

Tolkienesque, indeed! Orb and Arrow, Book I was such an enjoyable read, I could not put it down and consumed it with fervid abandon. The worldbuilding is filled with diverse locale, varying trades, guild-like orders, a plethora of fantasy races and creatures, and an interesting magic system.

The book begins with an overview of fantasy terms accompanied by their definitions and pronunciations, which was so thoughtful to even consider providing the readers. At first I was speculative that I would enjoy this book assuming it may be riddled with an overabundance of confusing naming schemes, but that wasn't the case at all, the prose wonderful and fluid.

Perspective is split between our two main characters: Brillar of Laurenfell, a fiery Archer / Healer Mage of the Life Sisterhood, and Garnelden of Torennwood, Mage of the Four Powers of the Brotherhood. I had little issue with this, only that there were times where perspectives momentarily jumped mid-paragraph with no indication very suddenly, such as when the other character had a strong reaction, and I had to re-read some passages.

I love the characters, and the slow-burn maybe-romance. Brill is 22 or so in years, and Elden perhaps almost double her age, so for much of the story they keep up the pretense that they are "niece" and "uncle" while traveling together in spontaneous apprenticeship, which at times came off as kinda gross and is really the only issue I had with their dynamic. Where Brill is passionate and willful, Elden is calculative and sharp-eyed, both matching in wit and charm. I am shipping them so hard. Note that (view spoiler).

Side note: If I could cast a VA for Elden, it'd be Jay Hickman (specifically, Jouichirou Yukihira) hands down.

Their adventure went about rather slowly, and the plot(???) dragged. In honesty, I'm unsure of what the plot even is, simply feeling that it's more so about the MC's attraction and need to be near the other, which isn't awful as I adore their complimentary personalities and connection to the other but I wanted more. There are moments where both MC's pasts come into play, though encounters were rather brief which utterly killed any and all suspense and in that they seemed disjointed from the story, especially in regards to Elden.

One thing that really bothered me is the few sexual scenarios scattered throughout. First, (view spoiler). I found that fairly problematic. Then there's this situation later on (view spoiler) which wasn't handled very well, the whole ordeal detracting from the story and simply remaining uncomfortable besides. Despite that, I did take notice and appreciate how Brill was never written in any over-sexualized manner.

The back of the book held some information overviewing the Sisterhood and the Brotherhood, which was a really nice supplement that helped flesh out these orders and hint towards certain aspects of the MC's and the worldbuilding, though it would probably have been wiser to have this in the beginning of the book so as to keep the information in mind while reading.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this, and I'm looking forward to reading the next installment to see what kinds of shenanigans this mage-ic duo get themselves into next.

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of ORB AND ARROW (Book 1) by V.L. Stuart in exchange for an honest review. Brillar has escaped her elite school, family, and all of the expectations of her school and family. Brillar wants to explore the world, meet other species, and see all the sights. In her travels, she comes across a pair of kidnappers who attack her at first sight. After successfully defending herself, she finds an ensnared mage among their belongings. Removing the magical snare is tricky and results in her travels being slowed as she is now responsible for the mage’s recovery. The mage is Elden, a war mage skilled in four powers and a person being hunted by an unknown party. Elden further entangles Brillar in his drama by forcing her to become his apprentice. Together, Elden and Brillar will have to confront their individual pasts before being able to move on to the future.

I really liked this story and the new world built by this first book. I went ahead and bought the next two books. I recommend this book to fans of high fantasy.

#OrbandArrow #NetGalle

Thank you to NetGalley and author V.L. Stuart for the chance to review this advanced reader's copy of the book.

I will definitely be buying the books in this series!

The book focuses on two primary characters, the elder male Garnelden of Torennwood, who is a middle aged male mage, and Brillar of Laurenfell, a young adult female noblewoman novice healer and mage. After Brillar saves Garnelden's life in the opening of the book, she nurses him back to health, and then agrees to apprentice with him for a year. The author presents the relationship as evolving over time, with the reader left with the impression that they will become a couple, but are starting as a teacher and student. While I have concerns about this theme, especially in this era of concern of power relationships over women, I think the author makes a save in the way she introduces the pair. Brillar is a powerful and confident individual, who meets Garnelden at his nadir and in need of rescue. So, while she can learn from him, she is not without her ability apart from him and she is not reliant upon him for identity, purpose, and validation. The author nailed it, as far as I am concerned. The book then follows as Garnelden takes care of some unfinished business, they save each other, and then upon their respective recoveries, they enter the Wild for training Brillar specifically requested.

While the book is clearly part of a multibook series, the author found a good stopping point. The story can continue with separate books, but no serious plot points are left unresolved at the end of the book. While there are topics including romantic content and violence, there is neither sexual content nor gratuitous violence. While there are scenes of violence described, the violence is not graphically described such that it would warrant a "trigger warning" or withholding from adolescents, in my opinion. This is written such that an adolescent through an adult can read and enjoy the book.

V.L. Stuart - you have a new fan : )

This was a very good, fun read. The story and it's characters snapped me up from the first chapter and I couldn't put it down til I finished the book!

Good story. Well written. I really enjoyed reading this book. I will definitely be reading more in this series. V.L. Stuart is a great author and has a new fan of her work! Glad I chose this book

Ooohhh I would love to read more in the series!
A 3,5 star for me as it felt a bit unfinished but I am hopeing I will get more of the world building in the next books to come!
Thank you Netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Such a great beginning to a fantasy series. Interesting and exciting. A lot of action as the characters move from one adventure or challenge to another. You have one character who is young, caring, and passionate, and another who is older and has seen more of the difficulty life and people create. She brings hope and he brings realism. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

this had what I was looking for in a fantasy novel, the characters were great and I really enjoyed reading this book.

Enjoyable fantasy filled with magic and intrigue. Brillar's skills place her in the path of a decision that will change the course of her life. Her desire to preserve life leads her to take another and to do something no one before her had done. The consequences of this action leads her down an unknown path. A great coming of age story.