Ashes of the Sun by Django Wexler

Ashes of the Sun by Django Wexler is the first book in the Burning Blade and Silver Eye series and it is one of the best fantasy books of the year! Gyre and Maya are siblings who were separated at a young age when one of the powerful magic wielders for the empire, known as a centarch, took Maya away from her family. This event stoked a lifelong hatred for the empire in Gyre. Now Maya herself wields magic for the same empire her brother seeks to bring down.

Two storylines, one following each of the siblings, paint a picture of the empire and its history from opposing viewpoints. Maya and her mentor seek to use their gifts to better the lives of the empire’s citizens and protect them from the dangerous creatures leftover from the war between the now-departed Chosen and the Ghouls. Maya has largely avoided the politics of the empire but when that no longer becomes possible she is desperate to prove that the beliefs of her mentor's faction are the only way forward. Meanwhile, Gyre knows that the Ghoul nearly defeated the Chosen once before. He is desperate to find clues and potential weapons in the ruins of an ancient Ghoul stronghold. With their secrets, he hopes to bring the empire he hates to its knees. Swirling plotlines bring them ever closer to one another with stakes that ratchet up page by page.

Wexler has created brilliant characters in his main protagonists of Maya and Gyre and surrounded them with a treasure trove of other compelling characters. His world-building is fascinating, creating a thriving civilization built from the destruction of an old one. This creates the feeling of a very lived-in world as well as one with a tangible history. Alternating chapters between Maya and Guyer paint a complex picture both of the current empire and the one that came before it. Each character's story is so compelling that you hate to leave it at the end of the chapter and then you are immediately drawn into the other's story.

Wexler storytelling is filled with vivid characters and action and intrigue leaping off of every page. It is almost like two books in one. Everything works in this story and Wexler doesn't strike a single false note. Ashes of the Sun is destined to be one of the best books of the year and the start of a powerful new series. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is simply fantastic!

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher.

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