This book is a prequel to a book I read years ago, expanding the backstory of several characters while also setting up new ones.

Battle Mage, the first book in the series, was released some 8 years ago as a standalone story of an orphan who became a hero despite facing prejudice, his own sickness, and treachery. And several times, the fear was voiced that Falco might follow in his father’s footsteps. Now, it’s time for the story of Aquila, Falco’s father. That said, given the long gap, I had re-read the first book before reading this one. Thus, I had a better idea of the setting, but I’d say this book works well enough so that starting with this one wouldn’t be a big issue.

While the main focus is on Aquila and his friend Simeon, a fair amount of attention is given to several other characters. One of them is Mathilda, a woman who’s gained a lot of skill fighting back the possessed, along with her two bodyguards and a young man who knows his way around horses and has the potential to be a good knight, if he’s given the chance and training. Her arc is a good support, as it shows that while heroes might fight the larger demons, it still takes armies to defeat the countless minions.

The scheming of the magi that comes to a head in Falco’s story has quite a good background shown, though the way it’s dealt with in the original book is relatively whole and thus this part is more a look into the backstory of some of those characters and their origin. That said, I think there could be more said as for the origin of their corruption.

Then, there’s another plot thread that follows a small tribe of villagers on the run from the possessed, and that plot feels a bit disjointed at first, but it’s revealed to be of potential significance in the future and a sequel that might be coming.

And, of course, it gives some further insight about the enemy – similar to the first book, this one has a major demon as the main antagonist. A good part of the main story is this demon and Aquila trying to outsmart each other, and the pacing and insight into both these characters is good.

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Read date: 10.-31.8.2025
Published: 14.12.2024
Goodreads/Amazon rating: 4,48/4,5
My rating: 95%
Length: 615 pages (Kindle Edition)
My highlights – unavailable because Goodreads is acting up once again, hopefully fixed

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Given the length of the book and the fact that my attention was torn between several things during August, it took me a bit longer to read, but it’s quite an enjoyable read. I admit I’m not sure whether I’d suggest a chronological order or publication order for reading this series, because one does inevitably give major hints about the other.