Malice by John Gwynne

 Malice by John Gwynne
4.5 Stars
Book 1 in the Faithful and the Fallen Series

This was a book completely outside of my comfort zone! I really enjoyed it. High fantasy isn't always my genre but it worked here. While it has a lot of characters and world building thrown at you for the first 50%, after you get there...you ARE THERE and you enter...I NEED TO KNOW territory!

Malice takes place in the Banished Lands which is a world of rival kingdoms, uneasy alliances, ancient legends and a growing conflict between good and evil. Our main character is Corban, a young boy who begins the book being bullied and entering training by a stablemaster, Gar. His coming of age story is connected to something much larger...A prophecy hangs over everything.

Many other characters we follow their POV:

- Corban is easy to root for as an ordinary farm boy with extreme growth as he ages and trains
- Nathair is charming, ambitious and complicated....
- Veradis is loyal to a fault....admirable but frustrating.....
- Cywen is spirited and one of my favs.....
- Evnis is not a good guy right from the start....

Among many other smaller POVs enter the story too. 

While secular in nature, this book had some noticeable biblical themes and influence in the prophecy, spiritual warfare and conflict between a creator figure and a fallen power. These ideas are tied in the fantasy world.

As far as the pacing, it is certain a slow burn story, especially at the start. Gwynne takes time to introduce you to kingdoms, relationships, rivalries....history....everything. While this can feel dense, it is needed to get the scene set. It took me a while to get on with everything but once the action started....man I was HERE.

I am already looking forward to book 2. Glad I read this with Tay, Tammy and Lindsay!

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy classic epic fantasy, large casts, coming-of-age stories, morally complicated loyalties, political conflict and a lot of fantasy battles. 

Content: I will list these I found online below for reference. But honestly, nothing really bothered me in this book, it was just super intense with the violent battles. But as always, listing these below for your reference to decide. 

Violence and gore: Frequent, detailed battle scenes, sword fighting, bloodshed, serious injuries and graphic deaths. Death and murder: Multiple character deaths, including the deaths of loved ones and parental figures. Animal cruelty and animal death. Bullying: Harassment, intimidation, and cruelty toward characters. Abuse: References to physical and emotional abuse. Kidnapping and captivity: Characters are abducted and placed in dangerous situations. Torture: References to torture and physical suffering. Grief and trauma: Loss, bereavement, and the emotional effects of violence. Mild language

Amazon: https://link.amazon/B065TtjYi
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