Review: Exile by A.J. Calvin
Blurb:
Andrew grew up in the royal palace of Novania, the eldest son of the queen. He went on to achieve fame and glory as a renowned soldier, and was eventually named commander of the king’s army. The kingdom believed he would be named heir to the throne, but he has long known he is ineligible. The king is not his father.
The truth of Andrew’s lineage is only partially known to the king; the identity of his father is a mystery that even Andrew is unaware of. He knows only that his father was a dragon-mage, and the dragons have fled to another world. Andrew is a skin-changer, but the laws of Novania forbid his very existence. If the king were to learn the truth of what he is, he would face a death sentence.
The laws are equally hostile to humans born with the Mark of the Magi and the ability to wield magic. Andrew’s younger half-brother, Alexander, bears the Mark. The pair keep one another’s secrets into adulthood…Until the king dies unexpectedly and Colin ascends the throne.
When Alexander’s Mark is revealed for all to see, Andrew is faced with a choice: To watch his brother be killed, or reveal his true nature in an effort to save him from the headsman’s axe.
Review:
‘Exile’ had been on my radar for quite a while. The cover had really caught my attention, and the premise hinted at “family” being a strong theme/aspect of the book, which I was excited to read about. Also, who doesn’t like a nice dragon-based fantasy adventure, right? Luckily enough, my wish was fulfilled when ‘indiebooktours’ announced that ‘Exile’ was in line for their upcoming book tour taking place in April, 2024. And to no surprise whatsoever, it didn’t take me long to sign-up for it either! Hence, I would take this opportunity to thank them for organizing the tour, and also express my gratitude to the author for providing me with a review copy.
Welcome to Novania! A kingdom which adheres to, and is proud of their ancient and equally strict laws. The king is getting old, and is planning to hand over the responsibilities of the throne. The laws state that only the eldest son can succeed the king, and by default, that would be none other than Andrew. Well, at least, it should have been him. But there is more to Andrew than meets the eye…
Danger. Power. Death.
Was it possible the former Hive-queen knew what I was? Her final words were innocuous and vague, much to my benefit, but I could not be certain if the Corodan knew the truth of what had transpired— the truth about me.
Andrew, whose first-person POV we follow throughout the book, is the commander of the king’s army, and is respected by many not only due to his exploits in warfare, but also because he always strived to do the right thing (he also loves running/raking his hands through his hair!). Being the eldest of the royal sons, he is naturally the next in line for succession to the throne. Or is he?
Andrew harbors a secret… one which makes him ineligible to sit on the throne. Simply put, the king is not his real father. The king knows about this, and will have to make it public soon enough, much to their dismay. But what the king, and the kingdom as a whole, are not privy to is the fact that Andrew is not just any other normal human. Andrew is a “half-breed” … a “skin-changer”. Half human, and half… dragon! I was not truly human, nor truly dragon, but could assume the form of either. With this heritage came rapid healing, greater strength, keen eyesight even in darkness, and an immunity to the most frigid temperatures.
Andrew’s unique physiology also eliminated the effects of aging, and the change occurred almost instantly… in an eye blink! The kingdom is unaware of his secrets, and he intends to keep it that way for as long as he possibly can. But even though his “other-half” granted him power and a special set of abilities, Andrew was still unaware of his real, true potential. Dragons had left their world a long time ago, and Andrew is seemingly the very last of his kind. Novania permitted sport hunting of the dragon-kind and sanctioned execution for those deemed sympathetic. Those were the laws. And that… was a big problem for Andrew, as he was about to find out very soon…
With the king finally making a public announcement about Andrew’s true parentage, he is no longer heir, and also loses almost everything that he once had – the royal surname, his rank as a commander, and even his power hungry wife. To make matters worse, the heir, the actual eldest son of the king, who is now set to ascend the throne, is his spiteful half-brother – Colin. ... my half-brother was stubborn, petulant, vain, and often unreasonable. Colin’s foul temper had gained him an unsavory reputation amongst many of the nobles, and his petty scheming won him few friends.
Andrew fears that his already sour relationship with Colin would get even bitter once the latter starts his rule, which eventually does happen when the king passes away suddenly. Andrew is now without pretty much everything and everyone to care for, except for Colin’s younger siblings (and his own half-brothers) – Alexander and Thomas. They both share a deep relationship with Andrew, and consider him nothing but family, unlike Colin who hates and despises them all. Thomas is the youngest of the four; is a bit shy and anxious, and loves to spend most of his time in the library. Alexander, on the other hand, is a totally different personality altogether. But like Andrew, Alexander is not without secrets either, for he holds one which is equally dangerous…
Alexander had been born with the ‘Mark of the Magi’, which permits the bearer with magical abilities… something which is against the laws of Novania. Both the brothers’ secrets have been kept since long from everyone, and their mother, the queen, made sure that they would look after each other… no matter the cost. With Colin now ascending the throne, both their lives are about to take a turn… for the very worse…
When Alexander’s Mark is eventually found out, Andrew is finally forced to reveal his true nature for the whole world to see… an event which will have dire and irreversible consequences for everyone involved. With Colin’s madness and tyranny taking over and growing out of hand as the days go by, nobody is safe anymore… not even their own family. Hunted and on the run, the duo travel south hoping to find refuge in the Southlands, which are guarded and protected by the ‘Mage’s Gate’ and its ‘Gatekeepers’. Will the brothers be accepted for who and what they are? What awaits them and their respective destinies in the unknown lands that lay beyond?
What follows is the brothers’ very first introduction to the Southlands where they will encounter mysterious tree people, travel to the Citadel, and meet the Oracle in search of some much needed answers. Why did the dragons leave their world? Who was Andrew’s father, and what secrets does the dragon-kind hold? What is the true meaning of Alexander’s Mark?
A journey must be undertaken… a pilgrimage laden with dangers and difficulties, if the foretold upcoming war of death and destruction is to be stopped…
“… Once you start along this path, you cannot stop until you have mastered your power. Such is the way of magic.”
The good:
The characters are very well-written, and the author makes sure that you either love them, or hate them like no other! Colin as a villain is like the epitome of pure evil!
The writing was very good; nice and simple to follow. The emotions that it managed to bring out of me several times was testament to it – anger, joy, sorrow/grief, etc. The theme of “family” is pretty strong and very well depicted throughout as well.
The world building was more prominent in the second half, and so was the magic system (one where different magical abilities have a particular smell/scent attached to them!), and I am excited to learn more about it all for sure.
The plot was good overall, enjoyable, and intriguing (especially from the second half onwards). The ending was very satisfactory, and paves the way for the sequel nicely – The Caein Legacy continues with Guardian. I am certainly eager and excited to continue it!
A nice map of ‘Novania and the Southlands’ is present at the start, which is a bonus! (I love me some maps!).
The “not so” good:
My only “criticism” would be that the first half was a little bit slow paced for me, mainly due to focusing on character developments and their relationships. But it does pick up pace in the second half, and doesn’t let go from there.
The conclusion:
A very good, solid start to a dragon-based epic fantasy series with family as a strong theme. The characters are well-written (with a super evil antagonist!), and the writing altogether is pretty good. And although the first half was a bit slow paced for me, the second half was extremely enjoyable and equally intriguing. I’m very much looking forward to the sequels, and to see where this journey goes. This was my first-ever entry into the author’s work, but it most certainly won’t be the last. Had a fun time with it!
