The Blood Stones (Legends of the Bruhai #1), by Tori Tecken

The Blood Stones is the first book on the epic fantasy saga Legends of the Bruhai, an ambitious and solid proposal written by Tori Tecken. A novel that is a love chant to the genre, providing the foundations for what seems to be a complex story that will spawn for several books.

A novel that is really character driven, which can be divided itself into two storylines that share across some themes as the identity problems and the struggles to become part of a group; while seemingly unrelated, towards the end we will get a glimpse of what we can expect from forthcoming books.
The first of our characters will be Gehrin, a young boy who, against his father's wishes, decides to assist as witness to the execution of the man who murdered the prince; a crime that is punished with death and becoming a nameless, forgotten and erased from history. This act will leave a big impression on Gehrin, appearing in his dreams; but after not much time with this trauma, he's kidnapped and brought to a mysterious place, where they aim to wash away the identity of the boys trapped there, and carve into them a new one.
In parallel, we are introduced to the second main character, Syndri, daughter of a tribal chieftain, immersed in an unending cycle of violence between them. When a terrible act is committed, Syndri is stripped of her name and position; recovering it will become part of her own. A storyline that is much more political and action focused than Gehrin's one, slowly preparing us for the conflict that seems to come.

A plot that is seasoned with the addition of several secondary characters that add depth and complexity to it, such as Xaros, older brother of Gehrin, who has made a career out of military, and who wishes to be outside of the political game his family is in. While they don't have as much as importance as the lead ones, they help balance the story and introducing us to the multiple details of a world where Tecken has poured her soul.

We can't finish the review without giving a mention to how Tecken's delivers an excellent prose, rich in descriptions and that helps us to get a stunning image of the places included in this book. It's not a book heavy in fantasy elements, but changes it for adding more into character development and exploration of trauma.

The Blood Stones is an excellent first instalment of what seems to be an epic series; Tecken has proven her skill as author, putting the foundations for a second book that can't come soon enough.