This was decently written, but I wasn't really able to care much for the characters or events. ( )

This was a good book. The story was original, the pacing and the plot were good and it didn't rehash any of the tired fantasy tropes. The only downside to the story is that in many places the characterization seems to be wafer-thin, almost stereotypical. We have a king who is a war monger at all costs, an evil general who will kill when his power is threatened, a spiritual prince who believes in peace - even the Gods get short shrift. Even the Black God of the title isn't fully explained until the last pages of the book. That said, there is enough of a story here - enough ideas, action and adventure, not to mention magic to make it a page turner from beginning to end. The juxtaposition of Western and Eastern based religions battling it out for the power to be right is an interesting concept. Though some subtle commonalities were included, something more substantial would be great. The concept for the book is a good one and the book ends gracefully , instead of some of the ruder cliffhanger endings that I have been reading lately. Most of the questions are answered and there is a definite wrap up before the book concludes. An extra star for that. With greater characterization this could easily be a 5 star book. There are very few people who are sure of themselves 100% of the time. If they are they tend to be driven or obsessed. Add a bit of gray into these characters - you won't be sorry.

All in all, I would definitely recommend this book to people who love fantasy. This looks like it has the makings of a fine fantasy series and I will be reading the next one. ( )

Great story concept, with opposing forces being driven by incompatible ideologies. I really enjoyed the descriptions of battle, the references to their gods, and the different perspectives of the same events. The "romance" portion of the dialogue seemed more like a rough draft though, and I found that jarring, especially being in the midst of other writing that flowed well. It was almost like two different manuscripts were spliced together.

I also found the backwards words a little strange: "Haissem" and "Armak." I suspect that there might be more in the next (full length) installment, but I hope not. ( )

This novella was OK, especially for a Kindle freebie. It's made of a selection of 15 early chapters from an 85 chapter "epic." It was decently written, and there were some fun ideas in the book.

This particular selection of chapters centers around a brother-sister pair who are the leaders of a country and have been endowed with powers by their patron gods. Their country is involved in a holy war against another country (of non-believers, of course). The parallels between these gods and Greco-Roman mythology was a bit fun and I liked the involvement of the gods in the story.

It was decent, but I just couldn't really bring myself to get very invested in the characters. It just feels like something is missing. Ideas are OK, writing is decent, and I have read reviews that it got better, but I just have other things I would rather read. ( )

This novella was OK, especially for a Kindle freebie. It's made of a selection of 15 early chapters from an 85 chapter "epic." It was decently written, and there were some fun ideas in the book.

This particular selection of chapters centers around a brother-sister pair who are the leaders of a country and have been endowed with powers by their patron gods. Their country is involved in a holy war against another country (of non-believers, of course). The parallels between these gods and Greco-Roman mythology was a bit fun and I liked the involvement of the gods in the story.

It was decent, but I just couldn't really bring myself to get very invested in the characters. It just feels like something is missing. Ideas are OK, writing is decent, and I have read reviews that it got better, but I just have other things I would rather read. ( )