“That afternoon, in the dormitory as Thain and I sat opposite each other on arm chairs, I let myself unravel. I spoke for hours on end. I told Thain everything. Once I started, I found I couldn’t stop. It was like picking at a thread in a woven rug, and before long the structure I had held so rigid was reduced to loose yarn in my hands, and I couldn’t make sense of the start or end.”
A healer forced to become a killer for an empire that would grind his country to dust.
Kehlem, the sickly son of a widowed physician, has devoted his life to learning his father’s craft. Wanting to finally step out of his father’s shadow, he embarks on a project of his own, seeking out the help of Themia, the town’s newly arrived Alchemist and a rare wielder of magic.
But Themia has secrets of her own, secrets carried from the heart of the empire itself, secrets that would steal Kehlem away from his home and into the empire’s Academy for magic users.
The Isale Academy beckons, but can Kehlem survive the academy and its brutal regime? And if so, what would he have to become?
If you haven’t picked up a copy of The Soul’s Aspect by Mark Holloway here is your reminder to do so.
This book is just another example of why I was foolish in my early reading life to think that indie/self-published authors were somehow less or not as good. I’m so glad that there are so many amazing indie authors out there, like Mark Holloway, whose books slap me in the face and remind me I was wrong. Haha
I can honestly say it probably took about 3 pages for me to be hooked on this book. I instantly was drawn into the life of Kehlem and was excited and curious to see where the story would take him. One aspect (lol) of this book that I loved was the fact that we got a school arc. I don’t know what it is about characters in fantasy books going to school to learn magic, but it is always amazing. I feel like it has something to do with being able to learn the magic system along with them as well as getting to see how the main character compares to other magic users. That combine with the friendships that are formed along the way is always a winning choice.
I am hoping that The Soul’s Aspect is just the start and that we get to spend a lot more time with Kehlem on his journey. I enjoyed the whole book from start to finish and I can’t wait to dive into the second book.
The Shadow Library 