Pages: 462
Published: December 2022
Summary
Betrayed. Hunted. Left for dead. But not even death itself can keep the last ranger from vengeance.
Leiyn “Firebrand” is no stranger to a fight. A brash ranger of the Titan Wilds, she takes up her bow to ward against the colossal spirit creatures known as titans, ever a threat to the colonies she has sworn to protect.
But no amount of skill can guard against treachery.
When tragedy strikes the rangers’ lodge, Leiyn vows to avenge the fallen. But if she is to succeed, she must embrace a power within her she has long denied.
Power to move mountains and rivers. Power over life and death.
She did not choose this path, but Leiyn knows her duty. For if she fails, the legacy of the rangers dies with her—and all the Titan Wilds will fall into shadow.
My thoughts
This is a unique world where humans share the land with Gasts and Titans. And by share I mean that there is a long history of war and colonisation, which provides a very delicate political landscape.
I love when the books I read are filled with political intrigue and are multi faceted. Never quite knowing where the alliances are and who’s lying. So many situations that appear as one thing but are actually another. So in that area this book was a winner for me.
The world building was very interesting
The descriptions of the world and landscapes, and all the unique creatures inhabiting them are very atmospheric and interesting. From the first chapter I could feel the tension and anxiety of moving through the Titan Wilds, and the real danger that is posed. It also helps to add context to the role of the ranger and the lengths they go to, to protect their lands and the people within. They put themselves continuously into harm’s way and so they need to be trained in body and mind to be able to face these creatures and live to tell the tale.
It reminded me of Attack on Titan meets The Witcher so I was really excited going into this book. We hear a bit about the tragedy that strikes the ranger’s within the summary. It does take a while to get there as the start has a slower pace, but once it gets there my emotional wellbeing was at risk. I was not okay. Well done Rosell for putting another crack in my heart.
“The Ranger’s Oath always came first: to perceive, preserve, and protect the people of the Titan Wilds, as only they could.”
Found family with no hint of romance
Our main characters are one of the strengths of this book. These are two sisters not of blood but of sisterhood, that are travelling this journey together. They are stuck to one another and it was so heart warming watching their relationship blossom in a platonic way. Not all fantasies need their main characters to have sexual tension. It’s almost if Frozen was more adult, I just love a familial bond and would like to read more stories like that – give me your recommendations if you have any that you love! That being said this book has no romance whatsoever, so if that’s your jam, you won’t find it here. It was very refreshing to read because in times of such hardship and danger, who has time for love? It felt a bit more realistic to the plot at hand.
Let’s talk about magic
This book is routed in magic as it’s the source of Leiyn’s power but also what causes her the most turmoil. It is a clink in her armour and what she spends most of the book debating about. Leiyn has personal morals, and she is at constant odds at herself on how she moves forward.
The magic here is relative to the Gasts, and so by having this magic she is closer to the Gasts she despises so much. The magic is interesting from what we can piece together however we know so little about it. I had many questions as I read through this book but very little gets explored. Leiyn had so much opportunity to ask, learn, but she chose not to. I say chose lightly as it doesn’t even occur to her to ask. She’s using her magic, she’s struggling but she doesn’t think about leaning on others and asking those that should know. She squanders the information that she does get and its to the detriment to the reader. It made for a confusing and illogical reading experience as Leiyn behaved in ways that doesn’t make sense given the situation she’s found herself in.
“Ignoring a thing doesn’t make it go away. When you face a difficulty, face it head on.”
Leiyn’s character had a lot of potential
This book is an entirely first point of view from Leiyn’s perspective. Which is both an opportunity and this book’s biggest challenge. We get a real sense for the ranger aspect of the story, with its focus on survival and combat skills. This would have been more successful if I was able to grow an emotional connection to Leiyn, but unfortunately, by the end of the book I still did not care for her.
Being told solely from her perspective meant all the internal monologue was infuriatingly repetitive. She is a character that is entirely set in her ways and continuously disregards real evidence because it doesn’t align with her deep prejudice, which of course, even when it’s flagged to her multiple times from multiple characters, she still believes she’s always right. It was tiring and I grew bored of her. She is a ranger. She has been trained tirelessly for years under one of the greatest rangers, she has been taught the ways of the ranger, she should be better placed to manage and broaden her thoughts otherwise where did all that training go?
“There is nothing righteous about ignorance, youngling. It only makes you blind. You cannot hide from yourself; you cannot cut your vital parts away. Rather than build walls, why not span the chasms of all that you are? Only whole can you become who you must.”
She does eventually change her mind at the end of the story, however it feels very jarring because she just one day ups and decides to think entirely differently. It should feel like a gradual realisation over the course of the story but she’s very much stuck to her guns on her opinions until she does a dramatic 180 and just changes her mind. I wanted more development from Leiyn but what I got felt like something else entirely.
I want more titans
I feel this book opened us up to the world of the Titans and their possibilities. There is still so much mystery surrounding them and there’s definitely much more to learn and see. I want more Titan lore and to see them in action. I wonder if they can speak or what there purpose is on this land. Definitely one to keep an eye on and I hope I get to read more about in the next book!
Would I recommend?
Yes, I would. It was a good book with good writing. It felt immersive and it was a different take on magic and magical creatures. There were pieces I didn’t enjoy as much but Leiyn changed by the end and although I’m not sold on her development arc, there is definitely more to come and I want to see her overcome her barriers. This is a long series and so I would like to see how the story progresses and our characters develop.