In another part of the world, Elena Anborn has pledged her life to protect the royal family of Javon, fighting off the assassination attempts and conspiracies masterminded by her former lover Gurvon Gyle, who works for powerful political enemies. I would say that once you're into the story the pages fly by and it's a fairly fast read overall (for a 650+ pg book anyway! A solid 5* book and I am very, very happy that I have got the second book waiting for me to read it.

Sweeping conflicts, clashes of cultures, political and personal entanglements, rich and in-depth magic, and mighty warriors dot the landscape. His POV chapters were some of the best but unfortunately his chapters get the least amount of screen time. Each person has an important role to play though, and this was made clear by the climax and the ending, which is in a word incredible. The different story line all touch each other and yet their collisions will be in the future books of the series.The way they slowly start to interweave with each other is beautifully crafted and doesn't feel at all forced.

When looking for a new epic fantasy series, I am always on the prowl looking for a story that has the humongous world building we see from Steven Erikson and combine that with the wonderous magic systems we are always treated to with Brandon Sanderson. Slowly, as we read on, it becomes apparent what is happening in the grand scheme of things and how are all three arcs related to each other.

Ramita is set to marry Kazim and live happily ever after until one day a mysterious Mage comes to claim her as a wife. Other than a stereotypical love triangle situation, her story was very refreshing and I feel confident in saying that she has been the best female POV character I’ve read since Arya from Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. I can only give Mage’s Blood average marks, but if you are into fantasies that are a classic good vs. The magic system here is cool at times, but ultimately disappointing due to the fact that the mages have limitless power.

Kazim Makani, Ramita's fiancee, son of an Amteh warrior who became blood-brother with Ispal in Hebusalim during the terrible 904 - as in our history, Lakh is ruled by an Amteh emperor with the majority locals coexisting uneasily with the Amteh invaders and converts. Magi are born of Mage’s Blood and the purer the blood the stronger the mage, Elena is a powerful mage and a skilled fighter in the pay of her former lover, Gurvon Gyle, tasked to protect the Javon monarch and his family. Oh no, I've written myself into a corner BUTT WEIGHT the character with all the answers conveniently shows up at the protagonist's house. Alaron Mercer is studying to become a Mage and we get to see his final months of study at the famed Mage’s school. There's a little something for everyone here - conspiracies, political backstabbing, high magic, swordplay, a smattering of romance, and more .And with 3 teenage protagonists there is also a lot of character development going on as we see the events of the world shape these 3 characters. The story is told from the viewpoint of three main protagonists and several other key characters, all are excellent but it is the detail and depth of the story that captures the imagination. At first the continents of Yuros and Antiopia started trading, but eventually -as humans are- the nations of Yuros under the yoke of the Rondalian empire started crusades against the people of Antiopia. Nevertheless, it makes for a slower start, when an author has to cycle through the perspectives while introducing all the main players, and the first couple hundred pages were dedicated to this task. It’s probably a case of my expectations being too high from the high ratings and from several glowing reviews that I only skimmed over.