Soleri
- Author: Michael Johnston
- Published: June 13th, 2017
- Publisher: Tor
- Ratings: 4.5/5
Book Synopsis
The ruling family of the Soleri Empire has been in power longer than even the calendars that stretch back 2,826 years. Those records tell a history of conquest and domination by a people descended from gods, older than anything in the known world. No living person has seen the family for centuries, yet their grip on their four subjugate kingdoms remains tighter than ever.
on the day of the annual eclipse, the Harkan king, Arko Hark-Wadi, sets off on a hunt and shirks is duty rather than bow to the emperor. Ren, his son and the heir, is a prison in the capital, while his daughters struggle against their own chains. Merit, the eldest, has found a way to stand against imperial law and marry the man she desires, but needs her sister’s help, and Kepi has her own ideas.
Meanwhile, Sarra Amunet, Mother Priestess of the sun god’s cult, holds the keys to the end of an empire and a post betrayal that could shatter her family.
Detailed and historical, vast in scope and intricate in conception, Soleri bristles with primal magic and unexpected violence. It is a world of ancient and elaborate rites, of unseen power and kingdoms ravaged by war, where victory comes with a price, and every truth conceals a deeper secret.
My thoughts
Ok, this is not a review but a Gush, I LOVED THIS STORY! from beginning to end. If you like political intrigue, betrayals and a bit of violence then this is the book for you. The story follows five different alternating POVs with their own agendas. These five characters are the members of the Hard-Wardi family each with their own view of how to ruled a kingdom. I found myself rooting for two of the characters Ren and Kepi and hated Merit the older sibling the one left in charge while the king goes off to some hunt.
Soleri is the first book in a new epic fantasy series with an ancient Egypt setting, check out this Author’s Link to read about how Michael Johnston talks about the idea on writing Soleri, it is a very interesting read so I say go check it out for yourself. Now how many books will be in this new series I don’t know, goodreads only shows two books and there’s not date or title for the second book so I guess we will have to wait and see.
The world building was great, including an underground city. The story kept me hooked but I have to say I found the chapters with the Sun Priestess a bit dragging but other than that the story was great and well paced. There are some twists to the story and some secrets were reveal that I was like wow! NO Way! but it was so so good.
If you like Game of Thrones then give this book a try, yes there’s violence and some explicit scene but if you like GoT then you’ll be fine with this one as well.
Thank you to the Publisher for providing me with a copy of this book, in exchange for a review. ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN.
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