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The Sharded Few #1
The Umbral Storm
A thousand years ago the Heart of the World was shattered, its fragments scattered across the lands.
In the chaos that followed, martial orders arose to gather the shards, for it was found that great powers were granted when these pieces were bonded to the flesh of the chosen. These are the Sharded Few, warriors imbued with the divine energies that once coursed through the Heart, driven to absorb enough fragments to claim godhood.
Deryn has known nothing in his life except suffering. Orphaned at the edge of the realms, indentured to a cruel slaver, he has little hope of escaping his circumstances. But elsewhere, ancient powers are stirring, new alliances threaten the peace of the old order, and against all odds, Deryn will find himself a player in a game unlike anything he could have imagined.
In the chaos that followed, martial orders arose to gather the shards, for it was found that great powers were granted when these pieces were bonded to the flesh of the chosen. These are the Sharded Few, warriors imbued with the divine energies that once coursed through the Heart, driven to absorb enough fragments to claim godhood.
Deryn has known nothing in his life except suffering. Orphaned at the edge of the realms, indentured to a cruel slaver, he has little hope of escaping his circumstances. But elsewhere, ancient powers are stirring, new alliances threaten the peace of the old order, and against all odds, Deryn will find himself a player in a game unlike anything he could have imagined.
656 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 20, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 160 reviews
June 10, 2022
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The best parts of Wheel of Time meet the best parts of Cradle in this absolutely marvelous epic progression fantasy debut.
WOW! I had no idea what to expect when going into this book as I have never read a book by this author before, but I am absolutely astounded with what he was able to accomplish here. And while this is by no means a perfect book, the things that didn't work here were so overshadowed by what did work - they are hardly even worth mentioning.
The worldbuilding in this book is done with perfection. Alec Hutson was able to create a very living and breathing world complete with ancient history that feels equal parts understandable and deep - with the wonderful mix of characters understanding their past and misunderstanding it. I am always impressed when an author clearly puts the effort into creating a solid backbone of their world that the reader just begs to get lost within, and this book delivered this in spades. From literally the first few pages I was sucked completely into this world and did not want to leave, and am truly left disappointed that I do not have the next book in front of me to begin immediately.
There are 3 POVs in this book, and each of them focus on a character that feels unique and believable. They each have different motivations that you can connect with, and I did not find myself liking any more than the other. And while the characters all stay in close proximity to each other and you don't get that sprawling view of the world you get with some other epic fantasy books, they are all very important and get a much richer view into the political machinations of the events currently transpiring.
The magic system is possibly the best part of this book, and is wonderfully unique and addicting to read about. I do not want to ruin any of it for you, but it has a very video-gamey feel to it with the progression aspects that is completely addicting to read. I was in awe of the inventiveness that Alec Hutson put into the different powers and how they are used, and can't wait to read more as I feel it is really only scratching the surface.
There were some minor things that I disliked that I want to touch upon. I felt that the "extra" materials in this book were weak. Maybe it was just my copy of the book, but the map had tiny text that was extremely difficult to read - and there was no appendix detailing the characters or the powers. I found I had to take notes while reading to really get the full enjoyment out of the magic system, and I kept desperately wishing that it existed.
I also found the plot to progress a bit too quickly in the first 1/3 of the book. There were too many info dumps that, while interesting, felt that it would have had a deeper impact on me if they were slowly revealed throughout the book. And I felt like the main characters cultivated their power a bit quickly for my taste. Ultimately though, these are minor concerns that don't detract from what was a joy to read, and my favorite fantasy book I have read so far released in 2022.
Thank you to the author for giving me a copy of this book, in return for an unbiased review.
The best parts of Wheel of Time meet the best parts of Cradle in this absolutely marvelous epic progression fantasy debut.
WOW! I had no idea what to expect when going into this book as I have never read a book by this author before, but I am absolutely astounded with what he was able to accomplish here. And while this is by no means a perfect book, the things that didn't work here were so overshadowed by what did work - they are hardly even worth mentioning.
The worldbuilding in this book is done with perfection. Alec Hutson was able to create a very living and breathing world complete with ancient history that feels equal parts understandable and deep - with the wonderful mix of characters understanding their past and misunderstanding it. I am always impressed when an author clearly puts the effort into creating a solid backbone of their world that the reader just begs to get lost within, and this book delivered this in spades. From literally the first few pages I was sucked completely into this world and did not want to leave, and am truly left disappointed that I do not have the next book in front of me to begin immediately.
There are 3 POVs in this book, and each of them focus on a character that feels unique and believable. They each have different motivations that you can connect with, and I did not find myself liking any more than the other. And while the characters all stay in close proximity to each other and you don't get that sprawling view of the world you get with some other epic fantasy books, they are all very important and get a much richer view into the political machinations of the events currently transpiring.
The magic system is possibly the best part of this book, and is wonderfully unique and addicting to read about. I do not want to ruin any of it for you, but it has a very video-gamey feel to it with the progression aspects that is completely addicting to read. I was in awe of the inventiveness that Alec Hutson put into the different powers and how they are used, and can't wait to read more as I feel it is really only scratching the surface.
There were some minor things that I disliked that I want to touch upon. I felt that the "extra" materials in this book were weak. Maybe it was just my copy of the book, but the map had tiny text that was extremely difficult to read - and there was no appendix detailing the characters or the powers. I found I had to take notes while reading to really get the full enjoyment out of the magic system, and I kept desperately wishing that it existed.
I also found the plot to progress a bit too quickly in the first 1/3 of the book. There were too many info dumps that, while interesting, felt that it would have had a deeper impact on me if they were slowly revealed throughout the book. And I felt like the main characters cultivated their power a bit quickly for my taste. Ultimately though, these are minor concerns that don't detract from what was a joy to read, and my favorite fantasy book I have read so far released in 2022.
Thank you to the author for giving me a copy of this book, in return for an unbiased review.
May 24, 2022
4.75/5
The Umbral Storm by Alec Hutson, the first book in the Sharded Few series is a stellar Epic/Progression fantasy novel with outstanding world building, memorable characters and intriguing magic system.
PLOT
The Umbral Storm is about Deryn, a late teen who was sold as an indentured labor to a local noble by his mother and it's about Alia, a good natured soul who lives in the wild with her ill father and it's about Heth, son of a slaver/noble with good intentions but had to do the things he despise to impress his father. The main plot is about how all these character's fate interviene and found themselves in the midst of a brewing war between the sharded factions and ancient powers.
WHAT WORKED FOR ME IN THIS BOOK
Worldbuilding: Without hesitation I can say the Worldbuilding in this novel is simply ASTOUNDING. One of the finest I've ever read. The lore, ancient history, contradictory facts from the past everything is just 👌. You can see the tremendous amount of work went into creating this world from Alec Hutson and it paid off really really well IMO.
Magic System: Another area in which the author just knocked it out of the park. Magic in the world comes from the shards of the the vastly powerful crystal (?) named Heart of the World which was broken into a thousands of pieces in the past. Absorbing the shards increases one's magic capacity and they can develop their own technique based on their Shard nature. In this book, the focus was mainly about Shadow sharded but I'm pretty sure the future books are gonna focus on many other sharded factions like Flame, Wind, Storm and so on.
Characters: From the blurb I assumed all most all of the chapters are going to focused on Deryn but that's not the case. Even though Deryn has the main focus, a lot of spotlights were given to Heth and Alia. Each of them are written with distinctive characteristics and I loved how all of them deal with theirs inner conflicts in their own unique way.
WHAT DIDN'T WORK FOR ME IN THIS BOOK
Info dumps were without a doubt one of the very intresting aspects of this book but at some times it felt like a little too much.
The book started out in a slower phase which I think was the intention from the author but my intrest was starting to wane a bit but after the 30% mark the book fell on to a brisk phase and it was smooth ride till the last page.
FINAL WORLD: I've read about hundred of Progression/litRPG books and The Umbral Storm is definitely going to be on the very top of my favourite progression fantasy list. Hoping for an even better sequel real soon.
The Umbral Storm by Alec Hutson, the first book in the Sharded Few series is a stellar Epic/Progression fantasy novel with outstanding world building, memorable characters and intriguing magic system.
PLOT
The Umbral Storm is about Deryn, a late teen who was sold as an indentured labor to a local noble by his mother and it's about Alia, a good natured soul who lives in the wild with her ill father and it's about Heth, son of a slaver/noble with good intentions but had to do the things he despise to impress his father. The main plot is about how all these character's fate interviene and found themselves in the midst of a brewing war between the sharded factions and ancient powers.
WHAT WORKED FOR ME IN THIS BOOK
Worldbuilding: Without hesitation I can say the Worldbuilding in this novel is simply ASTOUNDING. One of the finest I've ever read. The lore, ancient history, contradictory facts from the past everything is just 👌. You can see the tremendous amount of work went into creating this world from Alec Hutson and it paid off really really well IMO.
Magic System: Another area in which the author just knocked it out of the park. Magic in the world comes from the shards of the the vastly powerful crystal (?) named Heart of the World which was broken into a thousands of pieces in the past. Absorbing the shards increases one's magic capacity and they can develop their own technique based on their Shard nature. In this book, the focus was mainly about Shadow sharded but I'm pretty sure the future books are gonna focus on many other sharded factions like Flame, Wind, Storm and so on.
Characters: From the blurb I assumed all most all of the chapters are going to focused on Deryn but that's not the case. Even though Deryn has the main focus, a lot of spotlights were given to Heth and Alia. Each of them are written with distinctive characteristics and I loved how all of them deal with theirs inner conflicts in their own unique way.
WHAT DIDN'T WORK FOR ME IN THIS BOOK
Info dumps were without a doubt one of the very intresting aspects of this book but at some times it felt like a little too much.
The book started out in a slower phase which I think was the intention from the author but my intrest was starting to wane a bit but after the 30% mark the book fell on to a brisk phase and it was smooth ride till the last page.
FINAL WORLD: I've read about hundred of Progression/litRPG books and The Umbral Storm is definitely going to be on the very top of my favourite progression fantasy list. Hoping for an even better sequel real soon.
January 28, 2023
I see the appeal. It's well written epic fantasy thru and thru.
But I am just so not in the mood for an info dump on the worldbuilding and the slow pace. I know nothing is really happening in a book when it takes me 2 weeks to read 100 pages of it. Then, I skipped to 90% to see if it sped up, and saw no significant difference in the plot or tone.
And so I'm acting on my goal to DNF more books
But I am just so not in the mood for an info dump on the worldbuilding and the slow pace. I know nothing is really happening in a book when it takes me 2 weeks to read 100 pages of it. Then, I skipped to 90% to see if it sped up, and saw no significant difference in the plot or tone.
And so I'm acting on my goal to DNF more books
Read
May 20, 2022My latest book, the start of a new epic fantasy saga. Elemental warriors contesting in the shadow of dead gods and the ruin of an ancient empire.
October 13, 2022
3.5 but I reserve the right to round the score up in the future.
I dunno. The beginning tired me with a ton of exposition and introduction to the world, but I had fun reading the last 40% or so. The characters are average and the plot ;layers tropes on top of tropes. In the end, though, it's rather fun.
I dunno. The beginning tired me with a ton of exposition and introduction to the world, but I had fun reading the last 40% or so. The characters are average and the plot ;layers tropes on top of tropes. In the end, though, it's rather fun.
September 1, 2023
+ Fresh magic system
+ Subtle progression that weaves in with the plot naturally
+ Smorgasbord of character types
+ Court dynamics meet elemental magic with a twist
First of all, this book has tree crabs in it. That was a great hook. I never knew I wanted a book with tree crabs in it until I started reading this one. And now I ask myself why there aren't more tree crabs in fantasy novels.
All partial joking aside, this book was a major surprise to me. I went into it with no preconceived ideas or expectations and came out the other side really impressed and upset that the second book isn't out yet. This novel felt fresh and interesting throughout, and offered a variety of intriguing characters set in a world that utilizes a magic system that is refreshing in its unique spin.
Our trio of main characters are a good mix of personalities. I think in some cases I would've liked to have seen more from each of them in terms of depth and nuance. I think Heth was the one I found most intriguing as the book went on.
The magic system and sociopolitical atmosphere of the story is really where this book shines, in my opinion. The elemental magic is woven into a progression style advancement throughout the plot that never seems heavy-handed. This would be perfect for a reader who is looking to try progression fantasy without jumping into the deepest waters.
Hutson also does a good job weaving in characters and events that add to the history of the world and the general ancient feel of the magic system. There is a fairly impressive side cast of characters that I really enjoyed reading, and the twists and turns along the way surprised me. Most of those were good surprises, with the exception of a couple that I wasn't sure how I felt about, particularly toward the end.
Overall, I am really looking forward to book two of this series, and I can completely understand why Hutson achieved a finalist position in the SPFBO8 competition. There is a lot of uniqueness to this story and I'm super glad that I went into it as blind as I did.
+ Subtle progression that weaves in with the plot naturally
+ Smorgasbord of character types
+ Court dynamics meet elemental magic with a twist
First of all, this book has tree crabs in it. That was a great hook. I never knew I wanted a book with tree crabs in it until I started reading this one. And now I ask myself why there aren't more tree crabs in fantasy novels.
All partial joking aside, this book was a major surprise to me. I went into it with no preconceived ideas or expectations and came out the other side really impressed and upset that the second book isn't out yet. This novel felt fresh and interesting throughout, and offered a variety of intriguing characters set in a world that utilizes a magic system that is refreshing in its unique spin.
Our trio of main characters are a good mix of personalities. I think in some cases I would've liked to have seen more from each of them in terms of depth and nuance. I think Heth was the one I found most intriguing as the book went on.
The magic system and sociopolitical atmosphere of the story is really where this book shines, in my opinion. The elemental magic is woven into a progression style advancement throughout the plot that never seems heavy-handed. This would be perfect for a reader who is looking to try progression fantasy without jumping into the deepest waters.
Hutson also does a good job weaving in characters and events that add to the history of the world and the general ancient feel of the magic system. There is a fairly impressive side cast of characters that I really enjoyed reading, and the twists and turns along the way surprised me. Most of those were good surprises, with the exception of a couple that I wasn't sure how I felt about, particularly toward the end.
Overall, I am really looking forward to book two of this series, and I can completely understand why Hutson achieved a finalist position in the SPFBO8 competition. There is a lot of uniqueness to this story and I'm super glad that I went into it as blind as I did.
May 4, 2023
3.5 stars
The Umbral Storm was the SPFBO8 finalist that I wanted to save for the very end, because I was equally excited and nervous to check it out. I mean, I love me some good epic fantasy, but I wasn’t so sure what to expect from the progression fantasy aspects of this story. So, I decided it would be best to just go in with an open mind and let myself be swept away on this epic fantasy adventure. And whew, what an adventure it was.
The story mainly follows two young boys, Deryn and Heth, who couldn’t be more different from each other. Denryn is an orphaned indentured labourer, while Heth is the cocky and self-important son of the noble overlord who ‘owns’ Deryn. However, their lives are quickly turned upside down at the start of the book and from there we follow them along on a dangerous yet engaging fantasy adventure full of magic, prophecies, chosen ones, ancient evils, questing, a magic school, and found family! And even though there is nothing particularly groundbreaking or surprising about this plot, the story somehow still feels quite exciting and fresh.
I think the main highlight of this book is the magnificent world building. Every single aspect of this world is so well-developed and tangible, these lands truly feel lived-in and I love that! This story and world is just filled with intrigue and there’s so much to sink your teeth into; from the deep history and lore, to the unique flora and fauna, to the intriguing magic system, to the rich cultures and differing political factions, and finally to the fascinating fantastical creatures that are present in this world! If you like expansive fantasy worlds that you can totally get lost in, then this story will be a real treat for you. I personally loved exploring this world through our characters’ eyes as they travel these lands and level up in their powers, because it was really fun to learn about all the intricacies and mysteries of this world and the magic system along with them.
Now, as much as I adored the world building, I personally need more from a story to stay fully engaged. And sadly, the other aspects of this book didn’t manage to really win me over.
My biggest struggle here was the character work, which I just wasn’t a fan of. At no point did I feel invested in the characters and I found the two male POVs to be nearly indistinguishable from each other. In my opinion, the characterisation was rather weak and I ended up just wanting more from these characters. More personality, more introspection, more emotion… more of everything, really. There was some interesting character-development and a bit of a role-reversal situation with Deryn and Heth, but we didn’t really dig into that enough for me to really enjoy it. Also, supposedly traumatic events didn’t seem to have a lasting emotional impact on these characters at all, which really hindered my own emotional investment.
Luckily for me, one of the side characters (who was my favourite character right from chapter 1) finally got her own POV around the halfway mark and that helped some with my enjoyment. Her storyline was much more intriguing to me and I would probably have liked this story a fair bit more if we had gotten more chapters from her perspective.
All that said, I actually didn’t have a bad time with this book at all. It’s somehow just extremely readable, fun and addictive, which makes it super easy to fly through this rather chunky book. The plot is always moving and there are lots of engaging action scenes to keep the tension high. Heck, even the progression fantasy aspects ended up working quite well for me, I was just so gripped by the whole concept of the levelling-up magic system! Oh, and any time you give me a magic school setting, you can guarantee that I will be highly entertained.
In the end, I think this is a fast-paced and fun epic fantasy that will satisfy both the newbies and veterans of the fantasy genre. If you are looking for an immersive and engaging fantasy tome that you can totally get lost in, then The Umbral Storm is a great one to pick up.
The Umbral Storm was the SPFBO8 finalist that I wanted to save for the very end, because I was equally excited and nervous to check it out. I mean, I love me some good epic fantasy, but I wasn’t so sure what to expect from the progression fantasy aspects of this story. So, I decided it would be best to just go in with an open mind and let myself be swept away on this epic fantasy adventure. And whew, what an adventure it was.
The story mainly follows two young boys, Deryn and Heth, who couldn’t be more different from each other. Denryn is an orphaned indentured labourer, while Heth is the cocky and self-important son of the noble overlord who ‘owns’ Deryn. However, their lives are quickly turned upside down at the start of the book and from there we follow them along on a dangerous yet engaging fantasy adventure full of magic, prophecies, chosen ones, ancient evils, questing, a magic school, and found family! And even though there is nothing particularly groundbreaking or surprising about this plot, the story somehow still feels quite exciting and fresh.
I think the main highlight of this book is the magnificent world building. Every single aspect of this world is so well-developed and tangible, these lands truly feel lived-in and I love that! This story and world is just filled with intrigue and there’s so much to sink your teeth into; from the deep history and lore, to the unique flora and fauna, to the intriguing magic system, to the rich cultures and differing political factions, and finally to the fascinating fantastical creatures that are present in this world! If you like expansive fantasy worlds that you can totally get lost in, then this story will be a real treat for you. I personally loved exploring this world through our characters’ eyes as they travel these lands and level up in their powers, because it was really fun to learn about all the intricacies and mysteries of this world and the magic system along with them.
Now, as much as I adored the world building, I personally need more from a story to stay fully engaged. And sadly, the other aspects of this book didn’t manage to really win me over.
My biggest struggle here was the character work, which I just wasn’t a fan of. At no point did I feel invested in the characters and I found the two male POVs to be nearly indistinguishable from each other. In my opinion, the characterisation was rather weak and I ended up just wanting more from these characters. More personality, more introspection, more emotion… more of everything, really. There was some interesting character-development and a bit of a role-reversal situation with Deryn and Heth, but we didn’t really dig into that enough for me to really enjoy it. Also, supposedly traumatic events didn’t seem to have a lasting emotional impact on these characters at all, which really hindered my own emotional investment.
Luckily for me, one of the side characters (who was my favourite character right from chapter 1) finally got her own POV around the halfway mark and that helped some with my enjoyment. Her storyline was much more intriguing to me and I would probably have liked this story a fair bit more if we had gotten more chapters from her perspective.
All that said, I actually didn’t have a bad time with this book at all. It’s somehow just extremely readable, fun and addictive, which makes it super easy to fly through this rather chunky book. The plot is always moving and there are lots of engaging action scenes to keep the tension high. Heck, even the progression fantasy aspects ended up working quite well for me, I was just so gripped by the whole concept of the levelling-up magic system! Oh, and any time you give me a magic school setting, you can guarantee that I will be highly entertained.
In the end, I think this is a fast-paced and fun epic fantasy that will satisfy both the newbies and veterans of the fantasy genre. If you are looking for an immersive and engaging fantasy tome that you can totally get lost in, then The Umbral Storm is a great one to pick up.
February 12, 2023
The Umbral Storm is a big sprawling epic fantasy, which is reflected in its pace. You either love the world building and discovering all the new lands, cultures, magics, creatures and mysteries, or you'll probably find this a slog. I personally quite love some big tomes with a really deep feel to it, so I fell straight into this story and devoured all the backdrop and information.
The characters are a bit of a mixed batch for me. I found the two male main characters interesting and especially enjoyed seeing them change with their surroundings and circumstances. Alia, the female main character did grow a bit over the course of the story, but felt more like the glue to have a connection between the boys. I really hope she'll get more agency and importance in the sequel.
The side characters? I liked some, but others felt a lot like walking tropes, or two dimensional. I'd definitely have liked a smaller named cast, but those more fleshed out.
The pacing and plot were fine, though at times a little bit disjointed. As I do love learning with characters, I was still easily hooked and never got bored, even in the slower parts.
There's a classic feel to this, but with a fresh prose that avoids it feeling dates. A progression layer adds some quick gratifications, without being dragged down by whole pages of stats. Now add in a few intriguing mysteries, like a random old woman, who I can't wait to learn more about, and you have a gripping and entertaining read!
The characters are a bit of a mixed batch for me. I found the two male main characters interesting and especially enjoyed seeing them change with their surroundings and circumstances. Alia, the female main character did grow a bit over the course of the story, but felt more like the glue to have a connection between the boys. I really hope she'll get more agency and importance in the sequel.
The side characters? I liked some, but others felt a lot like walking tropes, or two dimensional. I'd definitely have liked a smaller named cast, but those more fleshed out.
The pacing and plot were fine, though at times a little bit disjointed. As I do love learning with characters, I was still easily hooked and never got bored, even in the slower parts.
There's a classic feel to this, but with a fresh prose that avoids it feeling dates. A progression layer adds some quick gratifications, without being dragged down by whole pages of stats. Now add in a few intriguing mysteries, like a random old woman, who I can't wait to learn more about, and you have a gripping and entertaining read!
Want to read
May 23, 2022مدیونید اگه فکر کنید واسه خاطر جلد خفنش میخام بخونم😂👀😂
November 2, 2022
Over all rating = 4.5 stars
Full review can be read over at Fantasy Book Critic
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: The Umbral Storm was one of my most anticipated books when I heard its description from the author last year. Since then my anticipation was only increased and when I first saw the fantastic cover, I could only count the days until I got my hands on the ARC.
However once I did get it, I was a tad apprehensive way as to how the book would overcome the amount of anticipation I had built up in my head. There was also the element of Progression fantasy as the author had mentioned that this was his attempt at writing progression fantasy. I am new to this sub-genre and I’ve had my share of hits and misses with it. One thing however was a given, IMHO Alec Hutson’s writing is one of the best to be found in epic fantasy and he really standouts with his characters and world building. Hence, I dove in with apprehension and anticipation but still sure that it would be a worthwhile read, boy was I wrong about that!
The Umbral Storm begins with Deryn, a late adolescent sold for indentured labour by his mother to a noble. He’s forced to climb Skyspear trees wherein a certain crab like creatures inhabit and capture them for their precious meat. On one of these arboreal sojourns, he comes across a strange girl whom he takes pity on and acquiesces to her request. His noble overlord however takes him to task for his momentary kindness. It is at this point he meets the second protagonist Heth Su Canaav. This is all that I can reveal without getting into spoilers and so I’ll stop here.
If I had to capture my feelings about this in one word, the only word that comes to my mind is MAGNIFICENT! This story is magnificent, the characterization is magnificent, the world building & magic system doubly so!!
This is why I was so wrong about this title being a worthwhile read. It simply is much more than that. Firstly, this book is just over 190K words and the main thing is that almost all of them flew by so quickly that I could not believe it was such a lengthy book. The second incredible thing about this book is its incredible world and magic system. The world is a very eclectic one and the author has a lot going on with an inter-dimensional rift, para-dimensional creatures and a hidden world history that just is manna for worldbuilding aficionados like myself.
I’ve compared it to The Way Of Kings (Stormlight Archive) and here’s why:
- The author has come up with an incredible world history wherein in long lost past, an incredibly violent imperial ouster occurred and that has lead to the world being changed forever.
- That event has given rise to a type of magic that depends on the bodily assimilation of a certain type of stone.
- These stones have led to the rise of several martial orders, which have become nation-states in the current day. The bearers of these stones and the powers they ascribe to are called as the Sharded Few and they are the superhumans of this world.
Possessing a wild variety of powers, these Sharded warriors are rightly feared and they have done great good and some evil as well. The author really gives us an incredible world wherein everything has been shaped by these stones. It is easily apparent that he has given great thought to it and developed these powers. We are shown the absolute different types of shards & the powers they grant (Shadow, Wind, Flame, Storm, Wave, Blood, Sand, Soul, etc.) It is a phenomenally inventive magic system and in this regards, Alec Hutson can proudly rub shoulders with the worldbuilding titan that is Brandon Sanderson.
Going on to the next spectacular aspect of this story, the characters. A fantastic world and magic system can only enchant a reader for so long. Solid characters are the lifeblood of any good story so considering this is an Alec Hutson story this is not surprising. But here’s the kicker, we only get three POVs in this huge story and it is to the author’s credit that all three of them are complex, endearing and very exciting to read about:
- Deryn with his rags to (spoilers) story,
- Alia with her mysterious past and her pacifist approach
- Heth learning all about his noble ways and re-learning what it means to be a better human
These three characters power the story and keep the plot from stagnating. Each of them comes from a particular background and it helps that all of them are very charismatic. The blurb focuses only on Deryn and while he has the majority of the POV chapters. Heth and Alia are no less vital, enticing the readers with their mysteries and providing a rich counterfoil to Deryn’s ones.
I believe the author clearly has grand plans for all three of them and I can’t wait to read what their futures hold. But here’s the other kicker, there are a few non-POV characters who are incredibly charismatic as well. For me Rhenna, Initiate Kaliss and lord Kilian were all fine examples of the author bringing his A-game to the secondary character cast. There is also a cameo by someone called the Elowyn and I’m very curious as to who they might be.
Lastly, the plot is a straightforward one as it follows the progression fantasy module however with the author’s epic fantasy infusion; we get a unique combination of progression and epic sub-genres. This leads to a multi-dimensional story where there are many things going on. The author bring the plot threads begun in this story to a good conclusion while leaving tantalizing bits for the sequels. For those progression fantasy fans, there's a proper magic school system and there's all the magic levels (Sardor, Kenang, Famdhar, etc.) based on the number of shards one can assimilate and the powers developed. This book deals all about the Shadow shards and I can't wait to see the other Sharded powers that might be explored in future volumes.
The story also has some superb action sequences and the way the magic system is intertwined with the action is incredibly fascinating to read. I loved a certain action sequence that very much reminded me of Elric of Melnibone. Also that gorgeous cover is just one of the best I’ve seen in the S-P era and at this point, highlights how good self-published books have come to be. Seriously that cover can proudly stand with some of the fabulous stuff from Orbit, Tor & Gollancz.
I always do my best to point out deficiencies in every book that I review. But I had next to no complaints with this series starter. If I really have to stretch myself, I would say that one of the POV characters can feel like a Gary Stu (to a partial degree), but not always. In addition, while the characters ages aren’t really clarified, you get the sense that they are in their late teens. Hence, we have to stretch our imaginations at their antics but this is fantasy after all. I really thought long and hard and yet I could not contemplate anything else that might even come close to a drawback. So make of that what you will.
CONCLUSION: The Umbral Storm is a stunning epic fantasy story that opens up an incredible world and magic system that is sure to become an absolute future classic. For me, it combined the epic world feel of The Way Of Kings while also providing the superb character rich story of Blood Song. Alec Hutson has written a magnificent story and in my mind, this is the best book of 2022 that other titles will have to overcome to win the top spot in our year-end lists.
Full review can be read over at Fantasy Book Critic
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: The Umbral Storm was one of my most anticipated books when I heard its description from the author last year. Since then my anticipation was only increased and when I first saw the fantastic cover, I could only count the days until I got my hands on the ARC.
However once I did get it, I was a tad apprehensive way as to how the book would overcome the amount of anticipation I had built up in my head. There was also the element of Progression fantasy as the author had mentioned that this was his attempt at writing progression fantasy. I am new to this sub-genre and I’ve had my share of hits and misses with it. One thing however was a given, IMHO Alec Hutson’s writing is one of the best to be found in epic fantasy and he really standouts with his characters and world building. Hence, I dove in with apprehension and anticipation but still sure that it would be a worthwhile read, boy was I wrong about that!
The Umbral Storm begins with Deryn, a late adolescent sold for indentured labour by his mother to a noble. He’s forced to climb Skyspear trees wherein a certain crab like creatures inhabit and capture them for their precious meat. On one of these arboreal sojourns, he comes across a strange girl whom he takes pity on and acquiesces to her request. His noble overlord however takes him to task for his momentary kindness. It is at this point he meets the second protagonist Heth Su Canaav. This is all that I can reveal without getting into spoilers and so I’ll stop here.
If I had to capture my feelings about this in one word, the only word that comes to my mind is MAGNIFICENT! This story is magnificent, the characterization is magnificent, the world building & magic system doubly so!!
This is why I was so wrong about this title being a worthwhile read. It simply is much more than that. Firstly, this book is just over 190K words and the main thing is that almost all of them flew by so quickly that I could not believe it was such a lengthy book. The second incredible thing about this book is its incredible world and magic system. The world is a very eclectic one and the author has a lot going on with an inter-dimensional rift, para-dimensional creatures and a hidden world history that just is manna for worldbuilding aficionados like myself.
I’ve compared it to The Way Of Kings (Stormlight Archive) and here’s why:
- The author has come up with an incredible world history wherein in long lost past, an incredibly violent imperial ouster occurred and that has lead to the world being changed forever.
- That event has given rise to a type of magic that depends on the bodily assimilation of a certain type of stone.
- These stones have led to the rise of several martial orders, which have become nation-states in the current day. The bearers of these stones and the powers they ascribe to are called as the Sharded Few and they are the superhumans of this world.
Possessing a wild variety of powers, these Sharded warriors are rightly feared and they have done great good and some evil as well. The author really gives us an incredible world wherein everything has been shaped by these stones. It is easily apparent that he has given great thought to it and developed these powers. We are shown the absolute different types of shards & the powers they grant (Shadow, Wind, Flame, Storm, Wave, Blood, Sand, Soul, etc.) It is a phenomenally inventive magic system and in this regards, Alec Hutson can proudly rub shoulders with the worldbuilding titan that is Brandon Sanderson.
Going on to the next spectacular aspect of this story, the characters. A fantastic world and magic system can only enchant a reader for so long. Solid characters are the lifeblood of any good story so considering this is an Alec Hutson story this is not surprising. But here’s the kicker, we only get three POVs in this huge story and it is to the author’s credit that all three of them are complex, endearing and very exciting to read about:
- Deryn with his rags to (spoilers) story,
- Alia with her mysterious past and her pacifist approach
- Heth learning all about his noble ways and re-learning what it means to be a better human
These three characters power the story and keep the plot from stagnating. Each of them comes from a particular background and it helps that all of them are very charismatic. The blurb focuses only on Deryn and while he has the majority of the POV chapters. Heth and Alia are no less vital, enticing the readers with their mysteries and providing a rich counterfoil to Deryn’s ones.
I believe the author clearly has grand plans for all three of them and I can’t wait to read what their futures hold. But here’s the other kicker, there are a few non-POV characters who are incredibly charismatic as well. For me Rhenna, Initiate Kaliss and lord Kilian were all fine examples of the author bringing his A-game to the secondary character cast. There is also a cameo by someone called the Elowyn and I’m very curious as to who they might be.
Lastly, the plot is a straightforward one as it follows the progression fantasy module however with the author’s epic fantasy infusion; we get a unique combination of progression and epic sub-genres. This leads to a multi-dimensional story where there are many things going on. The author bring the plot threads begun in this story to a good conclusion while leaving tantalizing bits for the sequels. For those progression fantasy fans, there's a proper magic school system and there's all the magic levels (Sardor, Kenang, Famdhar, etc.) based on the number of shards one can assimilate and the powers developed. This book deals all about the Shadow shards and I can't wait to see the other Sharded powers that might be explored in future volumes.
The story also has some superb action sequences and the way the magic system is intertwined with the action is incredibly fascinating to read. I loved a certain action sequence that very much reminded me of Elric of Melnibone. Also that gorgeous cover is just one of the best I’ve seen in the S-P era and at this point, highlights how good self-published books have come to be. Seriously that cover can proudly stand with some of the fabulous stuff from Orbit, Tor & Gollancz.
I always do my best to point out deficiencies in every book that I review. But I had next to no complaints with this series starter. If I really have to stretch myself, I would say that one of the POV characters can feel like a Gary Stu (to a partial degree), but not always. In addition, while the characters ages aren’t really clarified, you get the sense that they are in their late teens. Hence, we have to stretch our imaginations at their antics but this is fantasy after all. I really thought long and hard and yet I could not contemplate anything else that might even come close to a drawback. So make of that what you will.
CONCLUSION: The Umbral Storm is a stunning epic fantasy story that opens up an incredible world and magic system that is sure to become an absolute future classic. For me, it combined the epic world feel of The Way Of Kings while also providing the superb character rich story of Blood Song. Alec Hutson has written a magnificent story and in my mind, this is the best book of 2022 that other titles will have to overcome to win the top spot in our year-end lists.
May 15, 2022
The very first paragraph draws you into the immediacy of the story. Alec Hutson paints a tale so beautifully with well chosen words descriptively arced across the pages of his newest epic. Derwyn's journey, both geographically and internally as a maturing character, keeps you turning the pages to share it with him. Obstacles, friendships, magic, new skills, and personal searches enrich the story and drop tantalizing foreshadowings. Derwyn has help along the way and the layers of his growth are earned without convenient magic wands like so many fantasy stories. By the end of this first installment of The Sharded Few adventure we have learned a great deal but are also aware that there is so much more to this world than what we have learned so far. Actions, trust, and betrayal along with forgiveness and respect unite a small group closely tied to Derwyn and this band, now armed with a variety of magics and skills, will confront the challenges of book 2, and the ominous message in the epilogue about someone dear to Derwyn.
I appreciated that the word 'umbral' means shadow, or threshold, and the role that shadows * and one particular shadow * play throughout the story both to reveal and conceal.
This is a terrific story with likeable characters and is enjoyable standing alone - but I have to admit that I am struggling with knowing that I have to wait for the next book to find out what happens next - and you will be too!
ARC copy with no contingencies
I appreciated that the word 'umbral' means shadow, or threshold, and the role that shadows * and one particular shadow * play throughout the story both to reveal and conceal.
This is a terrific story with likeable characters and is enjoyable standing alone - but I have to admit that I am struggling with knowing that I have to wait for the next book to find out what happens next - and you will be too!
ARC copy with no contingencies
March 20, 2023
I ended up really enjoying this one! It is doing a lot, but the world was super intriguing and the magic very cool. I did struggle a little with the dialogue, especially in the beginning, but felt that got better as we went. I'm hoping for a lot more character development in the future books especially from some of our main characters. The princess was by far the most fleshed out.
Perk: shadow companions!
Perk: shadow companions!
December 27, 2023
Sadly, I didn't have the greatest of times with this one. I read it as part of my read through of the SPFBO8 finalists, and as I had high hopes, I saved The Umbral Storm for last. It might then have been that there was just too much for it to live up to.
I did enjoy the worldbuilding, which had some good aspects to it, but it was the writing that didn't really work for me. I found the first hundred or so pages were too slow for me and I really struggled to get into it. The first couple of chapters set me on my way with a bit of an introduction to the world, the characters, the main magic of the series, and I was just getting bored.
The first two chapters in particular really bored me and I just didn't get anything in the rest of the book that helped it to recover from that, if I'm honest. I thought the magic was the best thing in here—it's something that I've seen before, so it wasn't unique to me, but I definitely preferred it here to where I'd seen it before.
However, the main thing that I didn't like was the writing. It didn't do anything for me, being too slow to start with and not catching fire from there. It does show for me that no matter how good a book is, no matter how good the idea is, if you don't hook me from the start, you're fighting an uphill battle, and sometimes those hills are just too big to climb.
I did enjoy the worldbuilding, which had some good aspects to it, but it was the writing that didn't really work for me. I found the first hundred or so pages were too slow for me and I really struggled to get into it. The first couple of chapters set me on my way with a bit of an introduction to the world, the characters, the main magic of the series, and I was just getting bored.
The first two chapters in particular really bored me and I just didn't get anything in the rest of the book that helped it to recover from that, if I'm honest. I thought the magic was the best thing in here—it's something that I've seen before, so it wasn't unique to me, but I definitely preferred it here to where I'd seen it before.
However, the main thing that I didn't like was the writing. It didn't do anything for me, being too slow to start with and not catching fire from there. It does show for me that no matter how good a book is, no matter how good the idea is, if you don't hook me from the start, you're fighting an uphill battle, and sometimes those hills are just too big to climb.
December 16, 2022
I had a really fun time with this one!
It has a cool magic system, where you level up powers with every shard you get. Which led to cool conversations on what makes some one powerful!
We do follow a lot of tropes and archetypes you'd expect in fantasy, but I found that there were so many unique elements in this story that added to it.
I loved the world building and the small genre blend of sci-fi and horror brought to this book.
It had lovable characters and a magic system that worked for me.
Keeping it from a five star, the although lovable the characters were hard to distinguish from each other st times. Although I enjoyed the world there is a LOT of stuff going on and things to learn. I felt like maybe a little too much was done. And at times the dialogue wasn't as smooth as I wanted.
But I really enjoyed this and can't wait for book two!
If you want more in-depth thoughts. I read this in my SPFBO 8 finalist reading vlog
https://youtu.be/ahEh6DSSDQM
It has a cool magic system, where you level up powers with every shard you get. Which led to cool conversations on what makes some one powerful!
We do follow a lot of tropes and archetypes you'd expect in fantasy, but I found that there were so many unique elements in this story that added to it.
I loved the world building and the small genre blend of sci-fi and horror brought to this book.
It had lovable characters and a magic system that worked for me.
Keeping it from a five star, the although lovable the characters were hard to distinguish from each other st times. Although I enjoyed the world there is a LOT of stuff going on and things to learn. I felt like maybe a little too much was done. And at times the dialogue wasn't as smooth as I wanted.
But I really enjoyed this and can't wait for book two!
If you want more in-depth thoughts. I read this in my SPFBO 8 finalist reading vlog
https://youtu.be/ahEh6DSSDQM
July 18, 2022
The fractured pieces of the Heart of the World are much desired. The power granted immeasurable. Three individuals will soon enter the deadly political game. That of the Shattered Few. Some great characters here! Love the premise. Great stuff!
December 17, 2022
I read this for SPFBO. My review only. More about the contest and links at the bottom.
Despite the bit of buzz upon its release, Umbral Storm, is one of those books that without SPFBO, I probably wouldn’t have gotten around to reading. The page count alone was daunting and for whatever reason I had it in my head that it wasn’t going to be “my thing” even though I am generally a fan of the classic feeling fantasy. But brains are weird and luckily, I had a chance to read it.
And I am happy to report, that I enjoyed the heck out of this book. It wasn’t the nearly 700 pages of grind that I feared, but instead took some of the classic feeling stuff that I love, and can never get enough - epic, chosen one etc. and blended it with touches of the more modern feel of the progression fantasy.
There was always something going on or interesting to learn, and the story didn’t stay at one area for too long, making even some of the tropes (like magic school) that I am not usually as much a fan of- much more palatable.
*
The story mainly follows three characters- Heth, Deryn and Alia. This is one of those tropes I do like- the gathering of the group from the different walks of life and them learning to work together.
Heth, is the kind of character I love. I enjoyed his journey and his choices were a lot more difficult than Deryns- at least so far. What I liked most about Heth was the fact that you could see how circumstances were moulding him into the person he was, and you wanted him to not be that person. He was quite despicable in the beginning, but the opportunities are there to let him become something better if he would just break away from that influence.
Deryn, an indentured servant is the goody-two shoes chosen-one kind of character. He tries to do the right thing and usually succeeds- impressing people with his skills and easily making friends. Everyone likes a nice guy. Or at least I do. I’m a nice person and I need someone I can root for. He is a little boring but judging by the growth I saw in Heth, I think that will change in the next book, where I wonder if the kind of influences that made Heth, who he was becoming, will also mould Deryn into someone less perfect- adding more dimension to his personality.
Alia, is kind of the catalyst to events that tie the two men together, and also later helps to keep their stories relevant to each other. She also gives us an eye on a different side of the world- rounding out our world view quite a bit. She isn’t doing much yet, as a maid to one of the strongest young mages but was getting stronger in personality as the story progressed and I have ideas about where her character is going to end up and the role she may play later.
There is a large memorable cast, and I had plenty of favourites outside the main three- namely Killian, Rhenna, and Kaliss, that I am eager to see where they go from here.
It's the character work that I saw in this book that makes this story fun for me, and the promise of more of it to come that makes me interested in coming back to this series.
I really enjoyed this story.
It feels like old school fantasy adventure in the set-up with enough surprises along the way to make it new. The world was exciting- lots of cool creatures, a broad pool of races, neat magic and its well-thought out, without going too overboard with stats or other things that sometimes come with progression. Umbral Storm never felt like the 700 pages it was. Even when it fell to the wordier side with descriptive scene-setting and added details/history (that I could have easily done without) it still managed to keep me interested, asking myself questions about the world, the magic and most importantly wanting to know what would become of these characters.
It was just a lot of fun, and a strong, memorable back-end made me very excited to continue with the series.
spfbo score-8 or 4 stars
Learn more about the contest here-
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
Phase one is here-
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
Finalist board is here
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
Despite the bit of buzz upon its release, Umbral Storm, is one of those books that without SPFBO, I probably wouldn’t have gotten around to reading. The page count alone was daunting and for whatever reason I had it in my head that it wasn’t going to be “my thing” even though I am generally a fan of the classic feeling fantasy. But brains are weird and luckily, I had a chance to read it.
And I am happy to report, that I enjoyed the heck out of this book. It wasn’t the nearly 700 pages of grind that I feared, but instead took some of the classic feeling stuff that I love, and can never get enough - epic, chosen one etc. and blended it with touches of the more modern feel of the progression fantasy.
There was always something going on or interesting to learn, and the story didn’t stay at one area for too long, making even some of the tropes (like magic school) that I am not usually as much a fan of- much more palatable.
*
The story mainly follows three characters- Heth, Deryn and Alia. This is one of those tropes I do like- the gathering of the group from the different walks of life and them learning to work together.
Heth, is the kind of character I love. I enjoyed his journey and his choices were a lot more difficult than Deryns- at least so far. What I liked most about Heth was the fact that you could see how circumstances were moulding him into the person he was, and you wanted him to not be that person. He was quite despicable in the beginning, but the opportunities are there to let him become something better if he would just break away from that influence.
Deryn, an indentured servant is the goody-two shoes chosen-one kind of character. He tries to do the right thing and usually succeeds- impressing people with his skills and easily making friends. Everyone likes a nice guy. Or at least I do. I’m a nice person and I need someone I can root for. He is a little boring but judging by the growth I saw in Heth, I think that will change in the next book, where I wonder if the kind of influences that made Heth, who he was becoming, will also mould Deryn into someone less perfect- adding more dimension to his personality.
Alia, is kind of the catalyst to events that tie the two men together, and also later helps to keep their stories relevant to each other. She also gives us an eye on a different side of the world- rounding out our world view quite a bit. She isn’t doing much yet, as a maid to one of the strongest young mages but was getting stronger in personality as the story progressed and I have ideas about where her character is going to end up and the role she may play later.
There is a large memorable cast, and I had plenty of favourites outside the main three- namely Killian, Rhenna, and Kaliss, that I am eager to see where they go from here.
It's the character work that I saw in this book that makes this story fun for me, and the promise of more of it to come that makes me interested in coming back to this series.
I really enjoyed this story.
It feels like old school fantasy adventure in the set-up with enough surprises along the way to make it new. The world was exciting- lots of cool creatures, a broad pool of races, neat magic and its well-thought out, without going too overboard with stats or other things that sometimes come with progression. Umbral Storm never felt like the 700 pages it was. Even when it fell to the wordier side with descriptive scene-setting and added details/history (that I could have easily done without) it still managed to keep me interested, asking myself questions about the world, the magic and most importantly wanting to know what would become of these characters.
It was just a lot of fun, and a strong, memorable back-end made me very excited to continue with the series.
spfbo score-8 or 4 stars
Learn more about the contest here-
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
Phase one is here-
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
Finalist board is here
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
October 19, 2022
The Umbral Storm is one of Team Queen's Book Asylum's SPFBO 8 semi-finalists. Our group review can be read on Queen's Book Asylum, and our overall rating was 7.4/10.
My personal rating is 7/10.
The Umbral Storm was the first semi-finalist I read (after mine, of course), partly because its length, and partly because I wanted to be over it as epic fantasy is not my favorite subgenre. As it turns out, this year I learned that progression fantasy isn’t my favorite either. Oh well. The good news is, I did read The Umbral Strom from start to end, so at least there is that. I wouldn’t say I’m familiar with Hutson’s work, I believe I read a short story in an anthology from him a couple of years back. All in all, I went in with expectations between low and zero.
Some of my early impressions were confusing because on one hand, it was easy to read and it was clear that Hutson is a talented writer. On the other hand, I either didn’t like or didn’t care about any of the characters. Some of them kinda redeemed themselves, and some interesting side characters got introduced along the way, but one of my biggest complaints about this book is definitely the characters. To me, that was the weakest point of the novel, although I did like what Hutson did with some of their story arcs. Especially Heth’s. And while I became okay with Heth by the end, Deryn pissed me off more than not. I just wish the more likeable and relatable characters (like Alia) got much more spotlight than these two.
The Umbral Storm builds on familiar tropes which gives a cozy feeling to the reader and thus definitely will appeal to a broader audience, but it also made me think that I read this book before. For me, it didn’t bring anything new to the table. Which is not necessarily a criticism, it’s just that I tend to look for books that surprise me. I found this one quite predictable, and even though the last 20% or so – which was by far the most interesting – made up for it, it still ended up being rushed and underwhelming. A shame as it had the potential to be something great.
The Umbral Storm surely will appeal to an audience who likes epic fantasy built on familiar tropes, but for me, it felt more like a generic book that tried to check boxes – and didn’t always do well, as my fellow judges explained above. It was entertaining and kept me engaged, but ultimately not enough to make me want to return to this world.
My personal rating is 7/10.
The Umbral Storm was the first semi-finalist I read (after mine, of course), partly because its length, and partly because I wanted to be over it as epic fantasy is not my favorite subgenre. As it turns out, this year I learned that progression fantasy isn’t my favorite either. Oh well. The good news is, I did read The Umbral Strom from start to end, so at least there is that. I wouldn’t say I’m familiar with Hutson’s work, I believe I read a short story in an anthology from him a couple of years back. All in all, I went in with expectations between low and zero.
Some of my early impressions were confusing because on one hand, it was easy to read and it was clear that Hutson is a talented writer. On the other hand, I either didn’t like or didn’t care about any of the characters. Some of them kinda redeemed themselves, and some interesting side characters got introduced along the way, but one of my biggest complaints about this book is definitely the characters. To me, that was the weakest point of the novel, although I did like what Hutson did with some of their story arcs. Especially Heth’s. And while I became okay with Heth by the end, Deryn pissed me off more than not. I just wish the more likeable and relatable characters (like Alia) got much more spotlight than these two.
The Umbral Storm builds on familiar tropes which gives a cozy feeling to the reader and thus definitely will appeal to a broader audience, but it also made me think that I read this book before. For me, it didn’t bring anything new to the table. Which is not necessarily a criticism, it’s just that I tend to look for books that surprise me. I found this one quite predictable, and even though the last 20% or so – which was by far the most interesting – made up for it, it still ended up being rushed and underwhelming. A shame as it had the potential to be something great.
The Umbral Storm surely will appeal to an audience who likes epic fantasy built on familiar tropes, but for me, it felt more like a generic book that tried to check boxes – and didn’t always do well, as my fellow judges explained above. It was entertaining and kept me engaged, but ultimately not enough to make me want to return to this world.
March 15, 2023
Wow, this was so much fun. This book was SO fast paced, and yet, the author did a great job at making each twist and turn make sense. Because wow wow wow did this plot have so many twists and turns. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, turning the pages as fast as I could to find out what was going on!!
We have epic and terrifying encounters with disgusting giant bugs, sky crabs, and shadow monsters. We have satisfying character development with strong themes of friendship and found family. We have cool and interesting school and training scenes for a fairly hard magic system. This magic system was SO COOL too. I loved learning about the shards and talents! And I can’t say too much, but there is a certain companion in here that is one of my favorite companions in any fantasy series!! I NEED to know more.
I do have some criticisms, but ultimately these criticisms did not affect my enjoyment. Because I rate off of enjoyment, this book gets a SOLID five stars. But, I did notice some clunky writing in both dialogue and description. There were moments where it felt like the author didn’t fully trust the audience, and had to explicitly mention that 1+1=2, instead of just saying 1+1 and letting us figure out that that equals 2. But, this was not a constant issue, just something that I noticed from time to time. I also think that due to the extremely fast pacing, a couple side characters in the beginning stages of the book were not well developed and felt like plot conveniences, not real characters. This issue did get much, much better as the story progressed, and I ended up with quite a few side characters that I am really interested in. BUT TO BE CLEAR, even with these criticisms, I still LOVED the book and highly recommend it to fantasy readers.
Overall, I had a fantastic time with this book and I can’t wait to continue on in the series. I’m also excited to check out this author’s other books.
We have epic and terrifying encounters with disgusting giant bugs, sky crabs, and shadow monsters. We have satisfying character development with strong themes of friendship and found family. We have cool and interesting school and training scenes for a fairly hard magic system. This magic system was SO COOL too. I loved learning about the shards and talents! And I can’t say too much, but there is a certain companion in here that is one of my favorite companions in any fantasy series!! I NEED to know more.
I do have some criticisms, but ultimately these criticisms did not affect my enjoyment. Because I rate off of enjoyment, this book gets a SOLID five stars. But, I did notice some clunky writing in both dialogue and description. There were moments where it felt like the author didn’t fully trust the audience, and had to explicitly mention that 1+1=2, instead of just saying 1+1 and letting us figure out that that equals 2. But, this was not a constant issue, just something that I noticed from time to time. I also think that due to the extremely fast pacing, a couple side characters in the beginning stages of the book were not well developed and felt like plot conveniences, not real characters. This issue did get much, much better as the story progressed, and I ended up with quite a few side characters that I am really interested in. BUT TO BE CLEAR, even with these criticisms, I still LOVED the book and highly recommend it to fantasy readers.
Overall, I had a fantastic time with this book and I can’t wait to continue on in the series. I’m also excited to check out this author’s other books.
November 5, 2022
Deryn, Heth, and Alia--three young people from different backgrounds--find themselves thrown together in the care of the Sharded, the powerful factions of wizards that rule the world.
The set-up shines here, with an interestingly-constructed world, with a detailed history and a fairly rigorous "hard" magic system. I ended up liking all three characters (Heth took a while) and all three of the principles showed development and growth. The plot, while fairly standard and predictable, was paced well and hit the right notes along the way.
I'm not a fan of progression fantasy, as it always feels too regimented for me. Also, I've read far too many "mage academy" books and the tropes employed here for the school, while presented well, were a little too well-worn for me to really get into.
But those are personal preferences. I'd call this "solid" and the first volume definitely leaves a lot of questions and seems an excellent set-up for the rest of the series.
Still
The set-up shines here, with an interestingly-constructed world, with a detailed history and a fairly rigorous "hard" magic system. I ended up liking all three characters (Heth took a while) and all three of the principles showed development and growth. The plot, while fairly standard and predictable, was paced well and hit the right notes along the way.
I'm not a fan of progression fantasy, as it always feels too regimented for me. Also, I've read far too many "mage academy" books and the tropes employed here for the school, while presented well, were a little too well-worn for me to really get into.
But those are personal preferences. I'd call this "solid" and the first volume definitely leaves a lot of questions and seems an excellent set-up for the rest of the series.
Still
February 19, 2024
I thought this was very good and I’m only sad that book 2 isn’t out yet! I’ll really be looking forward to it. As always, this author does a great job building worlds, especially their people and history. The Raveling series is one of my favorite of all time. It’s too early to say whether this one will be, but so far so good. (The only thing that bugged me were the fact that various talents had names that put me in mind of Pokémon attacks, but in fairness I’m not sure how else it could have been handled.)
May 29, 2022
Anyone who knows me, knows I am a huge Alec Hutson fan. So, when I heard he was turning his hand to progression fantasy in an epic fantasy world I couldn't wait to try it out.
The Umbral Shard did not disappoint and has all the hallmarks of a great Hutson epic. An intriguing new magic system, a world rich with history and lore, and awesome new characters to root for and villains to hate.
I can't wait for book two!
The Umbral Shard did not disappoint and has all the hallmarks of a great Hutson epic. An intriguing new magic system, a world rich with history and lore, and awesome new characters to root for and villains to hate.
I can't wait for book two!
August 15, 2023
I’m giving this one a “soft” 5. More if a 4.5. I really enjoyed the story and was definitely into it but I just don’t love the Progression genre and the only time I wasn’t really into the book was when the story stopped to explain things video game style. I just don’t love that feeling.
That aside Alec is a great writer and he fully deserves being a 2 time SPFBO finalist. I loved the Crimson Queen series. I felt like it was much like the WoT if it had been told from Lanfear’s side of things and didn’t describe chairs in rooms no one would ever sit on.
There will definitely be a podcast episode on this one. Last week if August or first week of September.
My Take: An Orphaned boy discovers he’s one of the Sharded Few who can be imbued with godlike powers and levels up like a video game.
Our Thoughts on the book itself:
Secondary world - Honestly feels a little grimdark but I don’t really think it’s supposed to be. The world has some bad elements but they've been stable that way for a thousand years prior to the story when an empire was shattered and the rebel lords who killed the emperor also shattered the Heart of the World into fragments and Houses have grown up around those hearts. I’ll describe those houses as part of the magic system.
In the lands around where the ancient capital and heart of the empire there are a rift was torn between worlds and Giant beasts called Rift Beasts can occasionally break out. Undead roam the shattered cities as well as other non human creatures.
There is at least one other non human sentient creatures called Zamani who are lizard men, probably more.
Now lets get into the magic system which will also help flesh out the world since the broken fragments of the heart are the centers of different holds ruled by the Sharded Few. The Sharded Few can take fragments of shards that seem to be able to still be given out in certain circumstances as well as be retrieved from dead bodies or even stolen out of a living body by stronger Sharded Few. The Sharded rule different lands generally broken up between a North and a South. In the North there is the Shadow hold who have shadow magics, There’s also Fire and Storm. Traditionally they all fought each other but Fire and Shadow have been if not true allies then friendly for a couple hundred years and the Storm who are on islands off the coast have been courted by Shadow for a while. 30 Years prior to the beginning of the story they had all united to defeat Sand who had grown incredibly powerful and was expansionist and a real threat. In the South now that Sand has mostly been wiped out there are the Blood Sharded who use blood magic and can heal and the Stone who we don’t see in this book. There are other holds who are in some ways mythical and mysterious and we will see a couple others as the book goes on but would be spoilery to talk about.
So there are 3 types of people, Sharded Few can have shards and depending on ability and genetics they can over time take more and more shards. Usually need 8 or more to get 2nd tier abilities. This is the part I don’t love. It really feels like video game style where you get certain abilities depending on your play style. If you’re more defensive minded you’ll end up with defensive abilities for example. Genetics matter because the purer bloodlines who can trace their lineage back to the rebel lords are almost all born with the ability to bear shards and are usually more talented as well. Hollowed are those who cannot bear a shard but can be in close proximity to the Piece of Broken Heart, those who aren’t will wither and die. Kinda makes me think of radiation.
Our 2 big PoV characters are Deryn and Heth. At the start of the book Deryn is an Indentured Servant who is with a group of slaves owned by Heth’s family. Almost immediately Deryn is flogged by Heth for giving up a giant Crab to a girl named Alia who will also play a large role as the story moves forward.
We find out pretty quickly that the houses send out Hollowed who they call Hounds who can sense Hollow and Imbued(those who can potentially become Sharded Few, about 50% fail to get their shard during the initiation and end up hollowed). If they don’t find those who can become Sharded Few then the imbued could find a shard on their own and become Unbound. A lot of those Unbound are real bastards and rob, steal, and kill so the Holds will kill those who don’t submit so they don’t cause too much trouble.
Recomendation:
Did we like it?
I really loved the story itself. I liked the characters, Heth grows up fast and so does Deryn and they aren’t out making stupid decisions all the time as I have mentioned is important for me to like a character. The story is action packed and the world building is done very well. Despite being a very large world and us seeing a fair area and number of towns I found it easy to imagine where the characters were. Each magic house feels very different and alive. Shadow lives in an extinct volcano and does a lot of stuff underground and when we see storm they’re brash and vibrant like one would imagine they might be.
The only thing I really didn’t like was the actual Progression element itself. When it’s being described it kind of took me out of that story in my mind as it made me think of an RPG computer game. You almost have different classes as you level up and i had several times where I just imagined the characters as video game characters rather than integrated into the story. It really did make me care less about the characters.
That aside Alec is a great writer and he fully deserves being a 2 time SPFBO finalist. I loved the Crimson Queen series. I felt like it was much like the WoT if it had been told from Lanfear’s side of things and didn’t describe chairs in rooms no one would ever sit on.
There will definitely be a podcast episode on this one. Last week if August or first week of September.
My Take: An Orphaned boy discovers he’s one of the Sharded Few who can be imbued with godlike powers and levels up like a video game.
Our Thoughts on the book itself:
Secondary world - Honestly feels a little grimdark but I don’t really think it’s supposed to be. The world has some bad elements but they've been stable that way for a thousand years prior to the story when an empire was shattered and the rebel lords who killed the emperor also shattered the Heart of the World into fragments and Houses have grown up around those hearts. I’ll describe those houses as part of the magic system.
In the lands around where the ancient capital and heart of the empire there are a rift was torn between worlds and Giant beasts called Rift Beasts can occasionally break out. Undead roam the shattered cities as well as other non human creatures.
There is at least one other non human sentient creatures called Zamani who are lizard men, probably more.
Now lets get into the magic system which will also help flesh out the world since the broken fragments of the heart are the centers of different holds ruled by the Sharded Few. The Sharded Few can take fragments of shards that seem to be able to still be given out in certain circumstances as well as be retrieved from dead bodies or even stolen out of a living body by stronger Sharded Few. The Sharded rule different lands generally broken up between a North and a South. In the North there is the Shadow hold who have shadow magics, There’s also Fire and Storm. Traditionally they all fought each other but Fire and Shadow have been if not true allies then friendly for a couple hundred years and the Storm who are on islands off the coast have been courted by Shadow for a while. 30 Years prior to the beginning of the story they had all united to defeat Sand who had grown incredibly powerful and was expansionist and a real threat. In the South now that Sand has mostly been wiped out there are the Blood Sharded who use blood magic and can heal and the Stone who we don’t see in this book. There are other holds who are in some ways mythical and mysterious and we will see a couple others as the book goes on but would be spoilery to talk about.
So there are 3 types of people, Sharded Few can have shards and depending on ability and genetics they can over time take more and more shards. Usually need 8 or more to get 2nd tier abilities. This is the part I don’t love. It really feels like video game style where you get certain abilities depending on your play style. If you’re more defensive minded you’ll end up with defensive abilities for example. Genetics matter because the purer bloodlines who can trace their lineage back to the rebel lords are almost all born with the ability to bear shards and are usually more talented as well. Hollowed are those who cannot bear a shard but can be in close proximity to the Piece of Broken Heart, those who aren’t will wither and die. Kinda makes me think of radiation.
Our 2 big PoV characters are Deryn and Heth. At the start of the book Deryn is an Indentured Servant who is with a group of slaves owned by Heth’s family. Almost immediately Deryn is flogged by Heth for giving up a giant Crab to a girl named Alia who will also play a large role as the story moves forward.
We find out pretty quickly that the houses send out Hollowed who they call Hounds who can sense Hollow and Imbued(those who can potentially become Sharded Few, about 50% fail to get their shard during the initiation and end up hollowed). If they don’t find those who can become Sharded Few then the imbued could find a shard on their own and become Unbound. A lot of those Unbound are real bastards and rob, steal, and kill so the Holds will kill those who don’t submit so they don’t cause too much trouble.
Recomendation:
Did we like it?
I really loved the story itself. I liked the characters, Heth grows up fast and so does Deryn and they aren’t out making stupid decisions all the time as I have mentioned is important for me to like a character. The story is action packed and the world building is done very well. Despite being a very large world and us seeing a fair area and number of towns I found it easy to imagine where the characters were. Each magic house feels very different and alive. Shadow lives in an extinct volcano and does a lot of stuff underground and when we see storm they’re brash and vibrant like one would imagine they might be.
The only thing I really didn’t like was the actual Progression element itself. When it’s being described it kind of took me out of that story in my mind as it made me think of an RPG computer game. You almost have different classes as you level up and i had several times where I just imagined the characters as video game characters rather than integrated into the story. It really did make me care less about the characters.
October 21, 2023
I want to start by saying This book was so so so so so so amazing! I don’t believe in non-spoiler reviews so if you don’t want to be spoiled just know I loved this book and if you like Cradle and Bastion you will love it too. Just like those books, I feel like this story was specifically written for me in almost every way. It is definitely tied for my favorite book of the year between it, Bastion and Cradle 11.
Worldbuilding:
I love this world, it does something different than the traditional kings and queen medieval world structure. The different holds and realms were so fascinating, cause they all felt very different from each other and unique in their place in the world. The Shadow ruling from a mountain mostly secluded from their realm, to the point the most would never even see a sharded. Or how the Wind is split into various different tribes who protect the frayed lands or the Sand and its splinter kingdoms, the wave and its coral isles. They aren’t just normal kings sitting in big castle ruling over one piece of land, Its more nuanced than that.
The history of this world feels very lived in too, it does a good job of making everything feel lived in, like the story didn’t just start when the main characters got involved, things have been moving for a while, relationships have been changing, events have been developing, and machinations have been moving behind the scenes. For example, the attack by the unbounded king at the end didn’t feel like it came out of nowhere, it feels like the events that led up to the attack have been moving in the background for a long time and this is how it manifested. I find that very impressive since I don’t know how the author manages to show that so well.
The lore is super interesting, from the moment they mentioned the God king who was killed and his heart was shattered to the countless shards, I was entranced. An all-powerful King being toppled and his enemies taking his power is always super interesting (Storm light and Mistborn did it very well but I haven't seen it since then). The Hollow being connected to this old king makes a ton of sense and it’s weird I didn’t think of it sooner. I underestimated the book at first because I should have assumed that the hollow had more to them than we first thought. It feels like something Sanderson would do.
PLOT:
The Plot itself is more complicated for me to review. On one hand it had epic battles and heart pounding moments. On the other hand it had a slow start and the plot felt a little tiny bit meandering at times, like I never knew what the overall point on trajectory of the plot was until the very end. I didn’t even get invested into the story until Killian came and killed Gavin and the shards really started getting introduced. I think this book was a lot of set up for the overall story, it had a lot to establish. The thrust of the story was one of its biggest strengths though. Other epic fantasy books are usually so busy trying to introduce the world and the characters that it doesn’t have much time to actually start the global plot. This book felt different that we immediately went into the wider world and all its components. Spoiler for stormlight >!Even stormlight didn’t start the whole fight against the parshendi and their roles as void bringers until book 2 or 3),!< but I feel like we got the equivalent of that with the unbound king stuff and the introduction to the Eloywn.
I wasn’t sure where the main characters were going until the very end, it felt like they were just sitting around for a lot of the time while the plot moved around them. They spent a lot of time in the Duskhold just living their day to day, I was never bored or anything and like I said it was cut with big moments of action and worldbuilding, like Deryn falling in that chasm and seeing the big fights with Cael Shen and the storm sharded or when Azil saved them from that Rift beast. The last 100 pages were amazing though, the attack from the unbounded, Heith and Alia gaining shards, all the clues for the overall plot and the set up for the next book.
Characters:
Deryn: I liked him a lot, even though he does have the standard protagonist personality, I’m not tired of that yet so I like it. I thought the series was overpowering him a little too much at first and leaving his companions behind (finding 12 shards, finding a sharded weapon, bonding an elemental and then getting a 2nd tier talent so soon) but even that I didn’t mind so much, but by the end I think it evened out with Heith and Alia gaining shards.
Heith: Despite what you might think I liked him right from the start, from the moment we knew he was a protagonist I was invested in seeing how a slave owner like him could become a hero. I also Liked his personality more than Deryn. Though at some point he went from a sniveling spoiled brat to a great swordsman, I thought that shift was a little abrupt. I was sad when I thought he was going to get left behind by Deryn as far as power goes, I was hoping he would at least get a sharded weapon he could use but the reveal of the light shard was even better. His role in the story kind of reminds me of Alin from Travelers Gate.
Alia: I liked her a lot at first in the forest and when her dad died. But I started to think she was being the meek damsel in distress a little too much. But I still see the strength and fierceness and free spirited girl she’s supposed to be. So, I can’t wait till that comes out more in later books. I loved her relationship with Reheinna(can’t remember how to spell her name) it was so sweet and you can tell the daughter of shadow really needed it.
I loved all the side characters too, everyone had such diverse personalities that even if they were only there for a few pages you still got a good sense of who they were. Killian, Kaliss, Azil, Cael Shen, Nishi and a few others were very noteworthy. I actually wished we got to see more of Killian throughout the book, he’s one of my favorite characters. Nishi is definitely evil and I love the evil behind the smile trope.
Action:
As always, my favorite part of any story is the action and magic system. Unpopular opinion, but a book cannot be considered a top tier 5/5 book for me unless the action and magic system is amazing. I don’t care how good the plot and characters are. If I don’t look forward to the action scenes and the magic system doesn’t impress and entice me then the highest it can get is a 4/5.
I love the magic system in this book. At first, I was nervous reading this book because I normally hate elemental magic, I think it's overused and the action is normally super generic and nonspecific. Every fire user throws fire balls and flame throwers, every water user uses ice spikes and blades. That was not the case here. The emphasis on individual “talents” that utilize one specific attack or ability from the given element is super fun to me. It gives the fights that individuality between users that I like and it also naturally makes for some more unique abilities and situations. Crown of blades, Breath of the mother, mirror wraiths, are all some of my favorite abilities so far.
The shards themselves were a cool gimmick, making the progression system based on the number of shards you have was a cool idea. Although normally I don’t like numerical power lvls cause it can make the actual fights loose tension (it got dumb in DBZ for example) but it’s all about the execution. The number of shards don’t make you instantly stronger then lower number sharded, you just have access to more resources, a Subtle but major distinction, An 8 sharded can lose to a 6 sharded if the circumstances are right, or if you have more experience or just simply trained harder with your specific abilities. Not to say it doesn’t matter at all but the difference in power lvls isn’t as absolute as you might think. The fact that you don’t get a new ability every time you merge with a new shard helped a lot too.
Another thing I really liked about the magic system was its power scale. Even the strongest people in this world aren’t able to destroy moons and solar systems, and that’s very refreshing. Cael Shen was appropriately badass and intimidating but he was also grounded in a way I really liked. When he fought the Baleworym it didn’t feel like he could kill it with a flick of his wrist, he put some effort into it. He’s probably one of the strongest people on this earth but he didn’t feel like some God that couldn’t lose. Again, I find that very refreshing, it reminds me of the Phantom Trope from HunterxHunter. To be fair its possible we’ll meet people who are basically Gods later on and maybe Cael Shen just isn’t among the strongest in the world like I think, that was already kind of hinted with the Eloywn.
All in all I loved this book. One of my favorite reads of the year. I really hope something in hear convinces as many people as possible to read it. Its amazing. When is the 2nd book coming out??!
Worldbuilding:
I love this world, it does something different than the traditional kings and queen medieval world structure. The different holds and realms were so fascinating, cause they all felt very different from each other and unique in their place in the world. The Shadow ruling from a mountain mostly secluded from their realm, to the point the most would never even see a sharded. Or how the Wind is split into various different tribes who protect the frayed lands or the Sand and its splinter kingdoms, the wave and its coral isles. They aren’t just normal kings sitting in big castle ruling over one piece of land, Its more nuanced than that.
The history of this world feels very lived in too, it does a good job of making everything feel lived in, like the story didn’t just start when the main characters got involved, things have been moving for a while, relationships have been changing, events have been developing, and machinations have been moving behind the scenes. For example, the attack by the unbounded king at the end didn’t feel like it came out of nowhere, it feels like the events that led up to the attack have been moving in the background for a long time and this is how it manifested. I find that very impressive since I don’t know how the author manages to show that so well.
The lore is super interesting, from the moment they mentioned the God king who was killed and his heart was shattered to the countless shards, I was entranced. An all-powerful King being toppled and his enemies taking his power is always super interesting (Storm light and Mistborn did it very well but I haven't seen it since then). The Hollow being connected to this old king makes a ton of sense and it’s weird I didn’t think of it sooner. I underestimated the book at first because I should have assumed that the hollow had more to them than we first thought. It feels like something Sanderson would do.
PLOT:
The Plot itself is more complicated for me to review. On one hand it had epic battles and heart pounding moments. On the other hand it had a slow start and the plot felt a little tiny bit meandering at times, like I never knew what the overall point on trajectory of the plot was until the very end. I didn’t even get invested into the story until Killian came and killed Gavin and the shards really started getting introduced. I think this book was a lot of set up for the overall story, it had a lot to establish. The thrust of the story was one of its biggest strengths though. Other epic fantasy books are usually so busy trying to introduce the world and the characters that it doesn’t have much time to actually start the global plot. This book felt different that we immediately went into the wider world and all its components. Spoiler for stormlight >!Even stormlight didn’t start the whole fight against the parshendi and their roles as void bringers until book 2 or 3),!< but I feel like we got the equivalent of that with the unbound king stuff and the introduction to the Eloywn.
I wasn’t sure where the main characters were going until the very end, it felt like they were just sitting around for a lot of the time while the plot moved around them. They spent a lot of time in the Duskhold just living their day to day, I was never bored or anything and like I said it was cut with big moments of action and worldbuilding, like Deryn falling in that chasm and seeing the big fights with Cael Shen and the storm sharded or when Azil saved them from that Rift beast. The last 100 pages were amazing though, the attack from the unbounded, Heith and Alia gaining shards, all the clues for the overall plot and the set up for the next book.
Characters:
Deryn: I liked him a lot, even though he does have the standard protagonist personality, I’m not tired of that yet so I like it. I thought the series was overpowering him a little too much at first and leaving his companions behind (finding 12 shards, finding a sharded weapon, bonding an elemental and then getting a 2nd tier talent so soon) but even that I didn’t mind so much, but by the end I think it evened out with Heith and Alia gaining shards.
Heith: Despite what you might think I liked him right from the start, from the moment we knew he was a protagonist I was invested in seeing how a slave owner like him could become a hero. I also Liked his personality more than Deryn. Though at some point he went from a sniveling spoiled brat to a great swordsman, I thought that shift was a little abrupt. I was sad when I thought he was going to get left behind by Deryn as far as power goes, I was hoping he would at least get a sharded weapon he could use but the reveal of the light shard was even better. His role in the story kind of reminds me of Alin from Travelers Gate.
Alia: I liked her a lot at first in the forest and when her dad died. But I started to think she was being the meek damsel in distress a little too much. But I still see the strength and fierceness and free spirited girl she’s supposed to be. So, I can’t wait till that comes out more in later books. I loved her relationship with Reheinna(can’t remember how to spell her name) it was so sweet and you can tell the daughter of shadow really needed it.
I loved all the side characters too, everyone had such diverse personalities that even if they were only there for a few pages you still got a good sense of who they were. Killian, Kaliss, Azil, Cael Shen, Nishi and a few others were very noteworthy. I actually wished we got to see more of Killian throughout the book, he’s one of my favorite characters. Nishi is definitely evil and I love the evil behind the smile trope.
Action:
As always, my favorite part of any story is the action and magic system. Unpopular opinion, but a book cannot be considered a top tier 5/5 book for me unless the action and magic system is amazing. I don’t care how good the plot and characters are. If I don’t look forward to the action scenes and the magic system doesn’t impress and entice me then the highest it can get is a 4/5.
I love the magic system in this book. At first, I was nervous reading this book because I normally hate elemental magic, I think it's overused and the action is normally super generic and nonspecific. Every fire user throws fire balls and flame throwers, every water user uses ice spikes and blades. That was not the case here. The emphasis on individual “talents” that utilize one specific attack or ability from the given element is super fun to me. It gives the fights that individuality between users that I like and it also naturally makes for some more unique abilities and situations. Crown of blades, Breath of the mother, mirror wraiths, are all some of my favorite abilities so far.
The shards themselves were a cool gimmick, making the progression system based on the number of shards you have was a cool idea. Although normally I don’t like numerical power lvls cause it can make the actual fights loose tension (it got dumb in DBZ for example) but it’s all about the execution. The number of shards don’t make you instantly stronger then lower number sharded, you just have access to more resources, a Subtle but major distinction, An 8 sharded can lose to a 6 sharded if the circumstances are right, or if you have more experience or just simply trained harder with your specific abilities. Not to say it doesn’t matter at all but the difference in power lvls isn’t as absolute as you might think. The fact that you don’t get a new ability every time you merge with a new shard helped a lot too.
Another thing I really liked about the magic system was its power scale. Even the strongest people in this world aren’t able to destroy moons and solar systems, and that’s very refreshing. Cael Shen was appropriately badass and intimidating but he was also grounded in a way I really liked. When he fought the Baleworym it didn’t feel like he could kill it with a flick of his wrist, he put some effort into it. He’s probably one of the strongest people on this earth but he didn’t feel like some God that couldn’t lose. Again, I find that very refreshing, it reminds me of the Phantom Trope from HunterxHunter. To be fair its possible we’ll meet people who are basically Gods later on and maybe Cael Shen just isn’t among the strongest in the world like I think, that was already kind of hinted with the Eloywn.
All in all I loved this book. One of my favorite reads of the year. I really hope something in hear convinces as many people as possible to read it. Its amazing. When is the 2nd book coming out??!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 4, 2023
The Good
I see and appreciate the conscious effort flesh out the main MC's personality.
The intrigue is decent.
The Less Good
The social commentary felt a bit heavy-handed.
The strokes of luck were a bit too convenient.
The world did not feel viable.
The book is too plot-driven and things are not given time to coalesce.
Characters lack actual depth and consistency, and just flip personality as the plot requires (my mistress?!)
The Bad
The magic system was this book's Achilles heel. I didn't buy it for a second, and that massively hurt the tale. Something about it was extremely cliché in an otherwise grounded tale.
The conclusion
I can't say this was a bad book. There's a lot that worked narratively. But it just wasn't enough to bring the book into "good" territory.
I see and appreciate the conscious effort flesh out the main MC's personality.
The intrigue is decent.
The Less Good
The social commentary felt a bit heavy-handed.
The strokes of luck were a bit too convenient.
The world did not feel viable.
The book is too plot-driven and things are not given time to coalesce.
Characters lack actual depth and consistency, and just flip personality as the plot requires (my mistress?!)
The Bad
The magic system was this book's Achilles heel. I didn't buy it for a second, and that massively hurt the tale. Something about it was extremely cliché in an otherwise grounded tale.
The conclusion
I can't say this was a bad book. There's a lot that worked narratively. But it just wasn't enough to bring the book into "good" territory.
February 1, 2023
4.5/5
I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait for the sequel. There are obviously some similarities to Stormlight Archive and Highlander but the storyline and magic system are well done. I appreciate how large the world feels, and the differences between the various characters and cultures.
This book is a huge improvement on the Raveling series in terms of characters and worldbuilding.
I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait for the sequel. There are obviously some similarities to Stormlight Archive and Highlander but the storyline and magic system are well done. I appreciate how large the world feels, and the differences between the various characters and cultures.
This book is a huge improvement on the Raveling series in terms of characters and worldbuilding.
May 4, 2024
4.3 🐉
This was interesting. Not really my usual read, but it was entertaining. I liked the characters. The world building not so much, but it’s not because I think it was bad constructed, it just wasn’t my cup of tea.
I liked seeing Deryn rise in ranks, and I bet seeing him in the later books as a fully developed shaders will be really satisfying.
This was interesting. Not really my usual read, but it was entertaining. I liked the characters. The world building not so much, but it’s not because I think it was bad constructed, it just wasn’t my cup of tea.
I liked seeing Deryn rise in ranks, and I bet seeing him in the later books as a fully developed shaders will be really satisfying.
March 16, 2023
Even though it had its tropes, I enjoyed this so much! I loved the characters, world and plot. Very excited for the sequel. 4.5 stars and rounding it up to 5 stars.
I read this for SPFBO (Cassidy's version). Watch my reading vlog with more thoughts here:
https://youtu.be/R6cVYShxAow
I read this for SPFBO (Cassidy's version). Watch my reading vlog with more thoughts here:
https://youtu.be/R6cVYShxAow
November 28, 2022
Insanely good!
An absolute masterpiece! Enjoyed it just as much as The Raveling. Epic worldbuilding. I can't wait for the next book!
An absolute masterpiece! Enjoyed it just as much as The Raveling. Epic worldbuilding. I can't wait for the next book!
April 30, 2023
FULL REVIEW TO COME
Easily the best book I've read this year. Wow! I devoured this in a couple of days and enjoyed it so much that it sparked a reading frenzy that has seen me finish 3 and a half books in just over a week.
I didn't think I would love a progression fantasy, I've kinda lost my taste for them. But this was just awesome. Deryn's progression is so well-handled and I love seeing his rise from an indentured labourer.
This book is dark and bloody. Usually, I've found progression fantasy to be on the light side. That's not the case with this.
The worldbuilding was incredible. So well-thought out and layered. Alec Hutson has clearly planned this out very deeply - and yet it was never overwhelming or too info dumpy. He built this almost post-apocolyptic land filled with warring tribes and unspeakable monsters and it was so richly imagined. It's something I would love to see on the screen.
The magic system is excellent too and really gives Hutson the potential to go to some very interesting places.
If you're looking for a dark, exciting and extremely well-thought out fantasy to sink your teeth into, I urge you to read this. Hutson deserves all the acclaim for the Umbral Storm, it's truly excellent and it represents everything that is great about the genre.
Easily the best book I've read this year. Wow! I devoured this in a couple of days and enjoyed it so much that it sparked a reading frenzy that has seen me finish 3 and a half books in just over a week.
I didn't think I would love a progression fantasy, I've kinda lost my taste for them. But this was just awesome. Deryn's progression is so well-handled and I love seeing his rise from an indentured labourer.
This book is dark and bloody. Usually, I've found progression fantasy to be on the light side. That's not the case with this.
The worldbuilding was incredible. So well-thought out and layered. Alec Hutson has clearly planned this out very deeply - and yet it was never overwhelming or too info dumpy. He built this almost post-apocolyptic land filled with warring tribes and unspeakable monsters and it was so richly imagined. It's something I would love to see on the screen.
The magic system is excellent too and really gives Hutson the potential to go to some very interesting places.
If you're looking for a dark, exciting and extremely well-thought out fantasy to sink your teeth into, I urge you to read this. Hutson deserves all the acclaim for the Umbral Storm, it's truly excellent and it represents everything that is great about the genre.
January 10, 2024
I have become a big fan of Alec Hutson after having recently read The Raveling series followed by the Swords and Saints trilogy. I have to say that Umbral Storm is my favorite Hutson book thus far. The ending especially kept me on the edge of my seat and left me wanting more. The only thing that upsets me is that I now have to wait for the release of the second volume of The Sharded Few. How long will you make me wait Alec?
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