The Awakening Fire (Ancient's Blood #1), by Cassidy Faline

26 May 2023

The Book

The Awakening Fire
Series: Ancient's Blood
Pages: 362
Age Group: Young Adult
Published on 17 Nov 2022
Publisher: Self-Published
Genres:
Science-fantasy
Available on:

Synopsis:

Even though the Ancients have been gone from the world for nearly a thousand years, their law still holds sway over the minds of men. Three men hold a claim on the kingdom's empty throne, each jockeying for power with their own conflicting ideology. With unrest brewing among the citizenry, violence breaking out between the lords, and a dark secret kept just under the palace floors, can the kingdom of Retall survive another war of the Ancients?

My Review

The Awakening Fire is the first installment in the Ancient's Blood series, a science-fantasy proposal by Cassidy Faline. A brilliant story where we will be following three men fighting for the throne of a city, each one with his own reasons to reclaim it, and that grabs you and doesn't let you drop the book until the ending.

The first character we get to meet is Hieronymus Porvus, the bastard son of a Lord. A believer in the Ancients' practices, which are forbidden, and who is working to make the common people rally against Reta's King, removing him from the throne and letting people choose a new one.
Gannon Teris is the son of Lord Teris, whose family used to be the rulers of Reta before the throne was usurped by Lord Reta. He's trying to recover the throne for his family, and with this in mind, he initially forges an allegiance with Hiero, as he looks closer to the common people, intending to use his influence to restore the Teris family to the throne.
And our third character is Lamont Reynard, half-brother of Hiero and nephew of King Reta. A faithful follower of the king, who has earned his respect, even engaging in some activities that could be called questionable.

From the POV of those three characters, we see how a common folk rebellion is started, initially instigated by Hieronymus, who against the odds becomes the leader, a treason in the eyes of Gannon. As a consequence, King Reta is dethroned, being Hiero appointed as the ruler by the Council of Lords; Lamont is named successor by Reta, watching his end close.
But if something is prone to happen during revolts, is that other actors might see an opportunity, as Lord Teris, planning to invade the city and recover the throne. A situation that puts Hiero between the sword and the wall; in the meanwhile Gannon lands into another difficult situation, becoming captive of a slaver Lord.

At the same time this complex plot is advancing, Faline slowly introduces more details about the world: how the Ancients disappeared but left behind some secrets, Reta got control over the throne from Teris family, and how the city Lords worked as the power in the shadows. 

Some extra POVs are added in the middle of the story, getting secondary roles, but helping to make it all cohesive. One of the virtues of Faline is making each POV a way to convince you of its beliefs, making you cheer for the three aspirants for the throne while you are reading his story.

Overall, a really solid debut, a fast-paced science fantasy book, with a character-driven story that I enjoyed a lot reading. If you are doubting what to read, I can totally recommend you The Awakening Fire, as it is the start of a promising series.

The Author/s

Cassidy Faline

Cassidy Faline

Cassidy Faline has been building fantastic new worlds since she was in highschool. She is the author of five books (all of them in queue to be published), with the first released in November 2022.

Cassidy has lived in three countries, and eight US states. She has found that the more real world she explores, the more real her worlds become.

She is currently living in Tampa, Florida, with her husband, baby boy, and two fluffy dogs. On top of writing she enjoys roleplay games, cooking, hosting baby playdates, and spiked lemonade.