THE HALF KING

In Landers’ fantasy series starter, a young acolyte who lacks confidence goes on a mission to save her realm.

Nineteen-year-old Cerise Solon is following tradition as her family’s second child, by serving the goddess Shiera as an oracle, or Seer, in training. However, she’s yet to receive the gift of foresight. The Reverend Mother gets news while in a trance that the temple emissary to His Majesty Kian Hannibal Mortara has died, and she asks Cerise to replace her. After Cerise arrives in the kingdom of Mortara, the story of the Great Betrayal becomes more real for her; during that seminal event, the lords of the Allied Realm’s four lands attempted to murder Shiera, and she cursed the kingdoms as a result. Mortara’s curse includes the fact that King Kian lives a normal life during the day and vanishes at night, and he’ll disappear permanently on his 21st birthday, like many Mortara firstborns. After a rough start at the kingdom, Cerise finds herself falling for Kian, and the feeling is mutual. She resolves to find a way to break the curse, not just for Kian, but for her friend Daerick Calatris and her sister Nina’s unborn child. While on a mission to recover the Petros Blade, Cerise’s gift finally manifests, but she’ll need to master her abilities quickly to save the Allied Realms and those she loves. Landers constructs a winning fictional world for an intriguing new series, although much of the novel takes place in Mortara alone. She also deserves credit for expanding beyond the narrative device of Shiera’s curse in this first volume. However, there are still plenty of the Allied Realms to potentially explore in future installments. Landers also establishes a believable cast, beginning with Cerise, whose self-doubt is relatable; Kian and Daerick are shown to be living their lives as bravely as they can, despite what fate seems to have in store for them. The fast-paced narrative forces Cerise to grow up quickly, and later entries will likely explore intriguing new territory.

An engaging adventure and a promising beginning to a new fantasy series.