Back to fantasy! My next read was J.T. William’s book Half-Bloods Rising – the first book of The Rogue Elf series, though it’s a part of a larger story.

The very beginning of the book sets up a world largely divided – the elves live on their shrouded islands and seem to have little knowledge about the rest of the world. In this, the fact that the main characters – four half-elf siblings: Kealin, Alri, Taslun, and Calak – are even allowed to live here, as well as her human mother, is a major miracle. There’s little given about the humans as all…

At the start, the elves (including the parents of the main four) are sent to fight an evil brewing on the other side of the world. The elven shaman then has a vision, the four siblings embark on a journey to assist Dimn, the god of winds, whose home may become another front in the struggle that’s coming.

Thus, the three swordmaster brothers and their wizard sister embark on a journey through the northern seas. Clashing with mostly unfriendly dwarves and one friendly dwarf that is more than it seems. The dwarf, Valrin, owns an enchanted ship and a fair share of stories from his past and becomes their guide and friend despite being pursued by greedy dwarves.

From there on, the five are sent from one place to another on their way to Dimn’s temple, meeting several creatures where they may not know who is friend or foe but, if they’re to reach the end of their journey, they may have no choice but to assist them. Who was a friend and who was foe is, for some, revealed at the end of the book.

The final part of the book is then dedicated to defending Dimn’s temple as it comes under attack – and even wielding the god’s power may not be enough…

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Read date: 16.-26.1.2022
Published: 1.1.2021
Goodreads/Amazon rating: 3,79/4,2
My rating: 75%
Length: 322 pages (Kindle edition)
My highlights (no highlights shared for this book)

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One issue I had with the book is that I failed to really connect with any of the characters. As for why? I can’t really tell. For now, I’ll go on to book two, but I may leave the series unfinished if I don’t manage to care for any of the main characters.