Paul Wright Jameson

The book does have a lot going on, and the world-building can sometimes feel like being handed a map, a history textbook, and a sword manual all at once. But there’s a genuinely interesting story underneath it all. The further the characters travel, the more the book shifts from “humans versus monsters” into something much more complicated.

I really enjoyed Jalinda as the central character. She’s young, but she isn’t written as some fearless superhero who magically knows everything. She questions the world around her, especially the way her people treat the pelanda, and she’s genuinely curious about what lies beyond the little world she has always known. That curiosity gives the story some extra depth beyond the sword fights and adventure.

One scene that really stuck with me was Frellith’s encounter with the frightened pelanda in the cabin. She charges into battle expecting an enemy, only to find several unarmed pelanda, including children, huddled together in fear. Suddenly, the whole heroic warrior thing gets a lot less shiny. She realizes this isn’t a battle at all, and she simply can’t bring herself to kill them. That moment says quite a bit without needing a giant speech about morality. It also shows how the book gradually gets you questioning who the real enemy actually is.

As for the most likeable character, I’d give that one to Frellith. She has enthusiasm, humor, and enough self-awareness to make her feel human rather than like another perfectly polished warrior. Her reaction in that cabin scene also makes her stand out because she’s willing to stop and question what everyone else is doing. Jalinda is probably the character I found most interesting, but Frellith is the one I’d happily have sitting around the campfire.

And that ending? Let’s just say the adventure is very much not over. The warparty heads out after the Channel with a whole new world waiting beyond what they thought they knew.

Overall, this is a fun choice if you like fantasy/sci-fi adventures with unusual technology, plenty of action, and characters who slowly start realizing that the world is considerably bigger and stranger than they were taught.