About

Awakening Arte is the first book in the The Eldest Throne series written by Bernie Anés Paz.

Awakening Arte book cover

Blurb

Roun was born clanless, depriving him of a future in an empire where bloodlines and reputation mean everything. His only hope for escaping the life of an outcast lies in being awakened by the Eldest Throne and becoming a guardian of humanity.

But when his dream finally comes true, Roun finds himself stranded on the path to immortality with only a fragment of the spiritual powers he should have received. Roun, however, is used to making do with less—and will let neither rigorous training nor grotesque chimeras stand in the way of his ascension.

To find his own path, he will need to search for the answers hidden within. What he uncovers will forge him into a hero unlike any other—if it doesn’t leave him an abomination first.

Review

I've already read the author's debut Cradle of Sea and Soil, which I liked despite being darker than what I'm comfortable with. The Eldest Throne is set before the events of that book and as per the author the connections are intentionally vague. This post by the author has more details about the setting, inspirations, etc.

The book starts with two POV characters and their status in the society provided a nice contrast to the events that were happening. I'm not yet tired of orphan tropes and I love eccentric authority characters, so you could say this book fit well for me. I'd have loved it even more if the other POV characters and their abilities were more fleshed out (to be fair, they did get noticeable character development in the second half). There were also too many time skips for my liking.

I'd say the pacing was good for the most part, helped by mysteries about the magic system, characters, etc. The eccentric character's chapters often had me laughing despite the serious setting.

Overall, I enjoyed this one better. I'd recommend it for those who like school and progression fantasy settings.

My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟☆

What others are saying

From Thomas Gazda's review on goodreads:

Solid start to a series that introduces an interesting cast and world. The characters were distinct and the world felt unique. I'll definitely pick up book two.

Bingo

/r/Fantasy/ 2021 bingo categories:

  • Published in 2021
  • Latinx or Latin American Author (HM)
  • Self-Published