Stormwielder (The Sword of Light Trilogy Book #1)
Author:  Aaron D. Hodgens
Release date:  December 1st, 2015
Rating: 3.5 stars
Format: eBook (495 pages)

Genres: YA fantasy, Magic, Adventure

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Synopsis:

For five hundred years the Gods have united the Three Lands in harmony.
Now that balance has been shattered, and chaos threatens.

A town burns and flames light the night sky. Hunted and alone, seventeen year old Eric flees through the wreckage. The mob grows closer, baying for the blood of their tormentor. Guilt weighs on his soul, but he cannot stop, cannot turn back.

If he stops, they die.

For two years he has carried this curse, bringing death and destruction wherever he goes. But now there is another searching for him – one who offers salvation. His name is Alastair and he knows the true nature of the curse.

Magic.

 

Review:

When I began this book, I was expecting Eric’s character to be connected to or be one of three things: Humanity’s last hope/sole savior from the coldest and darkest of all evil, a descendant of the gods or gifted with the power of the mythological power of the unstoppable Greek fire. When I finished the book, I was certain that two of these three things were not true and for the third, only time will tell preceding the release of the remaining books in this series.

I gave this book three and a half stars because I liked the story’s concept and most of the characters in this book. I immediately liked Eric’s character and genuinely felt his sadness and fearful state of mind he was stuck in since discovering his ‘ability’. It is really easy to connect to Eric in this book as the reader is able to learn about him and Alistair’s true quest through Eric’s eyes.

Although my opinion about Inken eventually changed by the end of the book, I wanted to also mention that I liked her character’s introduction (pretty visually graphic and memorable). I didn’t much care for her character once Eric started to crush on her character though because then her character was no longer independent from Eric’s storyline. Her character, in my opinion becomes a prop for Eric’s character development and I would have liked to have seen a neutral friendship form in this book between these two characters as they forged on against Archon instead of the two of them falling for one another right away.

A few things I really liked the most about this book were Alistair’s character, the magic elements and Archon, who is consequently the bad guy (but I have a reason for it). The main thing these three points have in common with each other were their consistency throughout the book. Alistair’s character seemed to take on the role of the father-figure, mentor and hero in the book. He was truly a force to be reckoned with; kind of reminded me of a Merlin-type character and I loved the bond he and Eric shared in this book. I also liked that the further I got into the book, the more the story revealed about the world and how those with magic are connected to it.

I even liked the parts with Archon’s character (up until the last quarter of the book) who had a clear presence and motive in the book that was easy to follow. His darkness truly came across as something to be feared as it was unwavering and forever progressive (always a step or two behind the heroes). In fact, I liked the initial set-up the book has with Gabriel and the shadow-wolf and I was hoping for a payoff confrontation with Eric, but that never happened.

Which leads to my slight disappointment of the lukewarm ending. That and the ungodlike Gods in the book, i.e. Antonia, who more or less came across as being upper-level Magicker humans rather than Gods. However, I think the biggest attribute the story offered was perseverance as above all else and against all the odds, sheer will power (and faith) has kept Antonia, Jurrien, Alistair and all the people of the three nations fighting against Archon’s dark, cruel power for centuries.

Although I still had a handful of questions by the end of this book, I think Stormwielder does a great job of setting up the world of the three nations, its history and the dark path the main characters are set to face in the next two books. I also have a few predictions about Eric and Enala’s future and possibly an answer to the disappearance of Darius.

This book is content heavy, but if you are a Lord of The Rings fan or like magic, monsters, beasts conjured by dark magic, dragons and earth-walking Gods, then this is the book for you.

About the Author

Aaron Hodges was born in 1989 in the small town of Whakatane, New Zealand. He studied for five years at the University of Auckland, completing a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology and Geography, and a Masters of Environmental Engineering. After working as an environmental consultant for two years, he now spends his time traveling the world in search of his next adventure.

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As always, thanks so much for reading.

Until next time,

Gia.