THE HAND OF THE SUN KING

I will say that I mostly picked up this book because I was initially attracted to the cover, look at it, it’s so pretty! Then, Petrik Leo did a review of this and I was convinced that I could definitely like this one. He hasn’t failed me in his recommendations so far. So, I requested it and I am so glad I did! This is a brilliant debut and I can’t wait to read the next books in the series. It also might have been the timing and the kind of book I needed at the time I picked it up, who knows?This is the first book in the Pact and Pattern trilogy and it starts with a story of a young boy being introduced to the push and pull of his life very early in his life. Wen Alder or as his grandmother named him, Foolish Cur, has always had the disadvantage of being born from the marriage of two warring factions. The father’s side of the family can trace their ancestors back to being the right Hand of the emperor and the mother’s side of the family has always rebelled against the emperor’s everlasting grip of the lands they called their own. From a very young age, he is tutored by his grandmother of the older magic and by his family-appointed tutor who taught everything a young man from a prominent family should be learning. During this period, he started to yearn for a third way to get away from the shackles of both sides of his family. He wants to be free from both sides of his family who continuously put pressure on him to be the best.Wen Alder thinks that the first step to get rid of the expectations would be to become the Hand of the Emperor, only then can he dream of having the kind of freedom he craves. He would find a middle path and for that, he needs to pass the Imperial Examinations. I think you can see where this is going, there’s a certain charm to this coming of age fantasy because the tropes of school, magic and calligraphy are done so well. Tropes when done well can be the best things ever and this is one of those instances. There’s friendship, there’s heartbreak, there’s betrayal and a fascinating magic system. Everything I love in a book.This is from only one POV, that of Wen Alder and while that can sometimes be a con for books, luckily, for this one, it worked well. Wen Alder’s personality and his growing up trying to find a way around his family’s expectations. He’s privileged and he is mostly aware of it but he sometimes forgets and then is reminded by people around him. He’s kind hearted and at the same time, foolish with his heart. There’s the natural thirst for knowledge which blends well with his natural gift of actually being great at magic. Sometimes, his thirst for knowledge doomed him and it woven in so well, too! Just when he starts getting a little too comfortable with himself, he’s brought down again and again. Misery becomes his friend a little too many times but the character growth from that was amazing to see. His relationships with the people around him were written so well. He loved the people but he also had so many problems with the people he loved. It was just so good to read about the side characters and their interactions with Alder.The world building is done so well that the world feels lived in. The author did really well in revealing different parts of this world. The cultures and traditions felt real, lived in and their struggles and magic also worked around the environment they lived in. It made sense for the magic to have evolved the way it did in those locations. There’s always a sense of impending war in this book, the loyalties that always feel divided in Alder’s mind. I loved the way Alder’s mind opened up as he travelled and so did ours. Our understanding of the world changed along with Alder’s. It was the most joyous journey but it made for a great story. The magic system, its branches spread around and evolved depending on the land people lived on. There’s ancient gods, magic systems that sound super cool, brutal scenes that could potentially break your heart the way they did mine. The way battles are written in this book feel tense and we can’t help but want to read what happens next. There’s not many battle scenes nor is it action packed but the battles that do happen tend to leave bruises and scars behind. So, be prepared for that.Overall, I think I loved the book. It is immersive, the characters are interesting and Wen Alder’s journey towards adulthood is worth reading about. I can’t wait to read the next book because I have to know what happens next.

I don't read many fantasy books anymore these days, but this one really grabbed my attention. I had such a hard time putting it down! The prose is incredibly strong and contributes to the sense of immersion and mystery. The writing manages to be artful, distinctive, and contributes to the sense of scenery and place even as it is perfectly clear and easy to read. The story engages with common human experiences like being torn between dual loyalties like a family and career and between conflicting notions of justice and order. The world of many diverse cultures provides a setting where the book can engage themes of colonialism in a fresh way. Near the end are deep philosophical and literary themes about social constructionism and the nature of magic that seem to foreshadow even more imaginative magical developments to come.

A classic plot, with a lot of magic and all that I look for in a fantasy novel. Ends properly, and I can't wait to start reading the second book

Lange nicht mehr ein so interessante Geschichte gelesen.

I found myself really sucked into this world and its characters, though some parts were slow moving I found that they really added to the build up and immersion of the world.This world and it's magic and characters seemed real in their flaws and limitations and even though I found myself frustrated with the protagonist on occasion, his mistakes made him seem all the more real and I likely would have made many similar ones had I been in his position.I found myself crying on occasion because of how real some of the moments came across.I can't wait to read the next one and see what happens next!A truly wonderful and well written book, I highly recommend.

This was a terrific debut novel told from a first person POV. I am not the biggest fan of single POV books because there is so much out of view that could be written about, that we miss out on. Nevertheless, this was still a fantastic story. I thought the narrator, Jeremy Ang Jones did a tremendous job with the many different voices that he gave us. None of them were too similar to be mistaken for another voice, and also one voice sounded a bit like Kit Harington.“My name is Foolish Cur, grandson ofBroken Limb, nephew of Harrow Fox,known to the Sienese as Wen Alder” Isaid. “You may have heard of me.”The author holds a BA in history and philosophy with a minor in Asian studies which plays in masterfully to his writing as he builds a very natural feeling world with an immersive story steeped with political intrigue and complex characters. Wen Alder is the main character and we follow him from early childhood as he learns magic and to a young man as he tries to become a hand of the emperor.“Suffering is inescapable, for it is thedusk that must follow every dawn. Butcruelty…cruelty is a human invention,justified by doctrine and canon, but farfrom necessary.”This was a 5 star book if you only read it or only listened to it, and I would suggest that you do one or the other. I have 2 reasons why I only gave it 4 stars, and both have to do with the audio:1. Despite the great voices, Wen Alder’s voice was too mellow for me and rarely ever changed. I found myself at times getting a bit bored when I had to hear his voice for a long stretch uninterrupted.2. Because I listened & read with Kindle Whispersync, my view is a bit different. I’m not sure if the narrator was given a different script, if the author made changes after the narrator had already recorded, or if the narrator made changes himself. Either way, it was annoying to see a sentence written one way and read with different words, fewer words or more words.