Earlier this year, I made a goal to read more. 15 books in one year. Now, for avid readers, that might seem to be a paltry number. But as a SAHM mom to a toddler who is active in her church community and also decided to buy 20+ chickens, my plate is rather full.
To me, 15 was an ambitious goal. But, I started the year with a fantastic fantasy trilogy that helped spur me forward.
Enter: Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne by Brian Staveley.
If you like detailed world building, sibling bonds, intricate and bloody fight scenes, assassins on flying giant eagles, and evil gods, this series is for you!
This trilogy features three royal siblings–Adare, Valyn, and Kaden (ages in that order). After their father is killed, the three must figure out how to keep their kingdom from falling apart all the while a mysterious race known as the Csestriim step from the shadows of history. However, all three are separated by duty and location, and so while they all have the same goal in mind, none of them wish to see it through the same way.
Adare is at the palace, working to maneuver the political landscape to her agenda, and hopefully that of her youngest brother, Kaden’s, to keep rule over the throne. She is pragmatic, if a little cold, but her deep desire is to keep their kingdom together.
Valyn, oldest brother, but not heir due to his dark eyes, is Kettral–part of a band of assassin/mercenary type fighters who serve the kingdom, but ultimately answer to each other. Brutally trained from a tender age, they ride giant eagle-like birds into battle and each “Wing” has several different duties. Leader, explosives, rider, leach, and archer.
Kaden is the youngest who was sent to live as a Shin monk at a young age. He remembers very little of palace life, as he is trained to give up his sense of self in the hopes of attaining vaniate–or the ability to empty himself of emotions and desires. Because of his flame colored eyes, he is heir to the throne once he completes his training.
Since their father’s untimely assassination, each of the three attempts to do what they think is right. Valyn disobeys orders and goes searching for Kaden to help him seize control of the throne, while Adare attempts to handle things at the palace itself.
The story is incredibly well-paced over the three book series. I found Valyn to be the most compelling main character, and would have read the entire series in his POV if I could. Adare was the weakest in terms of writing, and a lot of her motivation simply came off as irritating, even though she was supposed to be the oldest of three.
That was another gripe of mine. The three are apparently 21, 18, and 17 but all read as much older characters for the most part.
Keep in mind, despite their ages, this is an adult fantasy series. Between the swearing, crude jokes, and occasional vague/fade to black sex scenes, I’d say the series is for 18+. In book three, Valyn does end up in a BDSM-stled sexual relationship with a woman 50+. While he was *technically* an adult, it was still a very disturbing way to get across part of his key character growth in that book.
The Csestriim were fascinating villains. Basically human in every aspect but emotion, it was cool to see how differently they viewed the world, and how simply the lack of emotion made them chilling to witness. In contrast, the “gods” of this world were chaotic, insane, and oftentimes funny. Usually it’s the gods of a fantasy world that have that cruel, calculating aspect to them, so it was intriguing to see part of the “creation” (Csestriim) emulate it instead.
For a fantasy series, there’s very little magic. Gods can inhabit human bodies, thus giving their host power. “Leaches” are people who pull power from things specific to them (i.e. emotion leach, iron leach) and can manipulate the world around them through that. They are mostly reviled by people who consider them to be some sort of evil spirit. The Kettral are one of the few who welcome them into their midst. The Shin monks can also achieve vaniate, or the emptying of their minds. While not specifically magical, there are some key aspects to it (to avoid spoilers) that allow the monk utilizing it some pretty neat abilities.
Overall, the world-building is fresh and beautifully detailed, the characters compelling, the sibling bond both heartwarming and realistic, and the grand conclusion quite satisfying. Even the side characters will hold your interest. Again, my one word of warning would be that the humor is quite mature and vulgar, as well as the language. These didn’t bother me since the series was marketed as adult, but might want to be avoided by sensitive readers.
Have you read this series? What did you think?
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