Shadow of the Spyre

This story is so good that I wanted to make sure and write a review so it is higher on the trending list.

Update as of Chapter 46 below.

A seemingly complex soft-magic system, characters with varied and interwoven histories, terrain that still has stories to divulge. This book so far has it all, and is grammatically well written to boot.

One of the best parts of the writing style is a propensity to SHOW instead of TELL. This is a massive breath of fresh air in the incredibly stale dungeon that contains most RR stories.

As long as you can palate a bit of a dark story that does not shy away from character death, give this world a shot. You will not be disappointed.

UPDATE:

I almost dropped this after reading half way through chapter 46. If you get there and there has not been a revision, you'll probably understand why.

Thankfully the author is quite receptive to feedback. See the ch46 comments thread for more details on the why.

Some reasons for why you should read Shadows of the Spyre : 

I like this story so far, it is objectively good. 

It has vivid details, the kind where you can close your eyes and imagine you are there. 

There's some nice art interspersed that is relevant to the story, and well placed.

I feel sympathetic for the characters, they're struggling a bit right now. 

The characters are likeable. At the very least, I like them. 

It's pretty dark, if you're into that. 

An addictive fantasy story full of intrigue and peril. We are introduced to a number of characters with unique abilities, their stories interwoven with in-universe history and prophesy. It feels like it could go on forever, but I hope that some mysteries get resolved sooner rather than later.  I want to see the characters I love reunited and piece together their stories, and undoubtedly a dangerous conflict in ahead. 

I cannot wait for the rest. 

Shadow of the Spyre is one of those fantasy books that will have an ensemble cast of some sorts. At the time of this review, it's still taking the time to build up everything, and the build up itself is the biggest positive of this review. 

The author does a good job at showing what is going on. The world is not being info dumped to you the reader as a wall of text. This book wants you to paint the picture with what paint it does give you, and speaking of paint, this is not a bright fantasy (though the title already says it all)

With characters and dialogue so far it's the foundation but it's a solid foundation nontheless. Perhaps the only recommendation I would give for the author is to maybe be consistent with the multple characters making up the ensemble cast, but I trust the author has it all planned out and I look forward to the future chapters.

I can no longer write reviews (brain no longer works that way; I get so frustrated my mind goes blank and I can't finish), but you really REALLY want to read this. It will rock your world and leave you slavering for more of this author's work. Not only that, but you'll be happy to PAY for said works on Amazon. Yep. 

The characters are likeable, unique, believable, and entertaining, so much so that I was able to ignore all their personal foibles and plotholes.

The world, while as-of-yet largly unexplored and unexplained (that should please you infodump haters!), is very unique and fascinating while treading much of the same ground as other western fantasy worlds.

The magic system is both similar to and different from other series' tropes, not using terms or exact concepts like 'magic', mana, or the 4 elements.  It's more reminiscent of Tolkien's, Stephen Lawhead's, or Raymond Feist's works than any of the cookie-cutter high fantasy or "litrpg" products of recent years.  The magic is tied to the lore, not a number system or god-alignment, and there are some very creatively unique (I know I've used this word a lot) powers that people have.

Also, the story is split up into multiple co-intwined plotlines by teams and timing, so be ready for it going in.  You may not hear from certain characters for 10 chapters or so at a time (like Tolkien or Wheel of Time), so do be aware, but, if you enjoyed any of the aforementioned series, you'll probably like this, too.

This series can go DARK sometimes, and the author is not afraid to

his cast, but the payoffs are quite worth it!

So there, by the simple fact that I bothered to type all of that out and my own inherent pickyness (as well as the fact that this is the first review I've bothered to post), you should know that this was an extremely unexpected gem for me and I truly hope that the author keeps typing for years to come!

I love fantasy in every form and this has got to be one of my favorites, gritty and realistic to human nature and choices. The imagery and descriptions are amazing and the formagic takes is interesting and unique.

Characters transition is easy and I can't wait to jump between them, or to read more! Keep it coming!

As of this writing I've only completed 16 chapters, but I can't get enough.   I've been hooked since the first chapter and can't wait to see what happens next.  I get a strong feeling that the Wheel of Time has mixed with Game of Thrones, and we get this fascinating story that I have to force myself to stop reading so I can function in society.  Maybe I can catch up this weekend!

The story has a nice flow between chapters even with changing characters often, its like its giving you a puzzle piece each chapters to slowly help you piece together the world they are building, anyway i imagine this will be top of rising stars if they do not burn themselves out of something unexpected doesnt't happen, if you are looking for a new story to actually delve into instead of no brain reading like most of us end up doing i suggest picking this one up!

It starts off with showing things instead of explaining them, giving interest as you try to puzzle your way in. It feels polished and already deserves to be a rising story. The only possible problems I see are multiple characters , and they all have been introduced equally so it's not too jarring switching to another pov. Beautiful work.