Under an Azure Sky (Elysia Dayne #1), by Wil Chan
7 Jul 2024The Book
Synopsis:
Elysia Dayne is a renowned hero, mercenary, and monster slayer famed for killing a dragon in single combat. At least, that's how the bards tell it. However, there was a time when she thought that dragons were beautiful.
The jaded sword master accepts a job along the unforgiving borderlands to rescue Princess Isabella Solemaine, a prisoner of goblins in the Black Fort. With meticulous planning, nothing can possibly go wrong...
It goes wrong, pitching the pair into a sprawling wilderness. Short of supplies, they have to fend for themselves and each other. Can love blossom under such harsh conditions?
Meanwhile, a group of Niemirian raiders led by their psychotic leader, Varya, are dedicated to hunting down and killing the princess and her protector.Join Elysia as she traverses an ugly yet beautiful world, exploring the nature of the human condition. The precarious nature of her present is finely balanced, interwoven with a past timeline where a young Elysia faces dangers of a different kind.
What is she ultimately willing to sacrifice? An emotional journey fraught with action, and suspense.
My Review
Under an Azure Sky is the first book in the epic fantasy series Elysia Dayne, written by Wil Chan, which is part of the SPFBOX. In this first novel, we have multi-timeline story, exploring how Elysia ended becoming a mercenary, and her current task trying to rescue the princess Isabella; an interesting and thrilling adventure to read with dashes of romance.
Told from the perspective of Elysia, we can see the difference between the legendary mercenary and the real character; even she doesn't give full credit to the stories told about her. Don't get me wrong, she's competent and definitely is suited for the job, but she's still flawed, and that is what surprises the people when they know her. Rescuing a princess might not be easy, but it only becomes really difficult when you are being persecuted by a criminal band.
The fragmented timeline structure helps a bit, easing the tension of the main storyline, building Elysia's past and giving us hints of how she became this kind of mercenary; it also gives us a breath (especially at the start) of Isabella's complaints, which become a bit annoying. However, Isabella slowly grew inside me as character, probably at the same time the love sparks between both of our characters.
The writing is accessible, making this a really fast read, which, paired with the relative fast pacing, it makes it fly. While the world-building is not exactly mold-breaking, I found that how the story is told made it definitely worthwhile.
Under an Azure Sky is a great fantasy adventure, dashes of romance, and perfect if you are looking for a more escapist perspective in your reads. Elysia is a solid character, and I'm curious to see how her story evolves!
The Author/s
Wil Chan
Surely the least interesting part of writing is information about the writer!
Wil Chan (that's me in third person by the way...every serious author seems to like their bio being in third person as though it was written by a biographer, so here goes!) was born in Hong Kong, but moved to the UK whilst still a toddler. He doesn't remember it being of his own accord. There is currently this movement called #StopAsianHate, but whilst growing up in England, hashtags weren’t in fashion, and neither was the word ‘stop’. The important thing was that he also learnt English, which would prove useful in his future quest towards creative writing.Anyway, he graduated in Engineering and mastered in Computer Science, neither subject having anything to do with English. He spent years as a telecoms engineer before returning to Hong Kong to run a small online business.The thing is, he had always aspired to become a writer, maybe in the same way that some people dream of becoming an astronaut, or living on Mars. It was always a pipe-dream. Unattainable. Until one day, he decided it wasn't, or at least it shouldn’t be.The route he took was long and meandering. Writing didn't come easily but he had always had a vision in the back of his mind that slowly gestated into Azure Skies and Elysia Dayne. It never got further than being in an embryonic state because the protagonist of the would-be story was never a fully imagined and rounded character. He could never capture the essence of the character properly until he chanced upon a secret muse. The writing became easier. He is hopeful…