Review: Blood and Flame

Liliyana.Shadowlyn

1 year ago

Blood and Flame

The Quinate’s Faithful Book 1

by Brendan Corbett

Initiates Dara and Wynne face their Rite of the Faithful with a shared determination to succeed. However, their motivations could not be more different.

Dara’s every day is haunted by her former life as a miner, when days were spent toiling in the dark with calloused hands. To pass the Rite and ascend as a Blood Mage will mean leaving her past behind for good. Meanwhile, Wynne’s eyes are ever on the future. Becoming a Flame Mage will free her from the expectations of her high-status birth, allowing her to spend her days serving as a healer.

Their unusual rite – to stop the mysterious slaughter of a village’s livestock and investigate rumors of an impossible source of mana, the fuel used for magic – sends them on a journey across the world of Llendshold. As they traverse the Nomridian Forest, land the Fae, sail through the treacherous Zanerian Archipelago, and delve deep underground to the Dwarf city of Yuvsgrend, their loyalty to the Quinarium, the institution which promises to see their dreams come true, is shaken to the breaking point.

Will they complete their Rite and ascend as the Quinate’s Faithful?

Blood & Flame is book one of The Quinate’s Faithful, a fantasy trilogy filled with powerful mages, action packed adventures, and a touch of slow-burn romance.

REVIEW

5 out of 5

This book will capture your interest from the start, take your heart, rip it into tiny pieces, and then hold it hostage til the very end. That said, when do we get book two??? Corbett does a great job with his unique world-building and magic system, and the vivid descriptions place the reader right in the thick of it. Your heart will truly go out to Dara as you see her story begin to unfold. But her determination in the face of overwhelming odds is truly heartwarming. Wynne comes from the opposite – but at the same time is also looking for freedom. The difference being her cage is gilded and comfortable. Watching them interact, grow and develop is a delight, even though the story itself can be quite dark and heartbreaking. The story itself is tense, with plenty of twists and action to keep you reading. I really can’t wait to see what book two has in store!

LEARN MORE

Amazon | Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brendan Corbett was raised in a southern, Korean, military family. As a child, he moved more than a dozen times and his professional career has followed a similarly roving path. His career took him from job shop operator to STEM curriculum developer, Fortune 500 engineer to nonprofit director. Through all these experiences books were a constant source of escape and adventure, leading him to writing a series about an outcast finding their place in the world.