In the realm of Telluth, a young woman named Annalyn “Anna” Hale loses all hope after the tragic death of her beloved father. With her mother forced into debt after his passing, Anna sells herself out to the government’s troops. Despite her inexperience and limited fighting ability, Anna is soon specially requested by those in charge to embark on a secret reconnaissance mission: The savage Vasbrute have recently violated the land’s peace treaty, and she—alongside her fellow soldier and newfound friend, Pyran, and a handful of other recruits—must secretly follow their trail into the forest to determine if official military intervention will be necessary. What seems like a dangerous but straightforward mission soon devolves into a tangled web of hidden political machinations, unexpected alliances, and the unveiling of a sinister plot that could change everything. The only thing that can save the group is Anna’s newfound ability to unleash the power of the Son of Death himself—a power she must learn to wield herself. Taylor has crafted a vivid and imaginative world crammed full of favorite fantasy beings, from elves, dwarves, and mages to necromancers and monstrous beasts that roam the forest: “His dark eyes flashed red in the sunlight…He crossed his arms and angrily bared his teeth, exposing pointed white teeth that fit together like a dog’s.” It is also LGBTQ+ friendly, with Taylor subtly working in a same-sex relationship and a character who is referred to with they/them pronouns with no fanfare. While the pacing can drag a bit toward the midway point of the 500-plus-page story, this is but a small blip in an otherwise mesmerizing novel that manages to balance plenty of action with deep and thoughtful character-building.
