“Light has triumphed, the great war is won. Yet shadows linger in the darkness, and in the hidden corners of men’s hearts.”
Filled with big beasties, multiple types of cool magic, cutthroat political scheming, rich history and lore, and tons of stirring emotion, Eagles Fall is a riveting and revelatory prequel novella to L.R. Schulz’ dark and epic Bonds of Kin series.
Taking place long before the events of book 1, A King’s Radiance, this prequel novella gives a tantalising glimpse into the bloody history of Zapour. Through the eyes of the dragon rider Ward, we get to explore the fragile new status quo that has been established after the champion of the god Zur led humanity to victory over the dark Skae forces of the goddess Cova. But without a common enemy, civil war looms ever closer, and soon Ward finds himself caught in a deadly web of politics and ancient schemes, torn apart between duty and desire.
You know, with its sun magic, shadow magic, mystic magic, unique animal companion bonds, and just so much rich history and lore, it’s not like this world needed to get any cooler… but now here there be dragons! Schulz never fails to amaze me with his wild imagination, and I found it especially impressive to see just how much rich world building he managed to pack into so few pages. Whether it was in the main narrative or the intriguing excerpts of ‘The Book of Zur’, the revelations and easter eggs in Eagles Fall are just delicious.
Yet all that cool world building would not excite me so much without a strong emotional pull into the narrative, and Schulz absolutely delivers that with Ward’s moving and bittersweet journey. Not only do we get intimately familiar with the sun magic and the dragon rider bond through his perspective, but his relentless defiance and hope also serves as such a powerful guiding light through this dark narrative.
Moreover, I wasn’t expecting to end up swooning over a romance in Eagles Fall, but the star-crossed-lovers dynamic between Ward and the Eagle-flying mystic Breone was entirely too beautiful. In fact, while I think Schulz balanced and interwove all the different threads of this novella masterfully, I personally wouldn’t have minded getting a little more page time with Breone to really make all the emotional beats hit even harder.
That is not to say that Eagles Fall doesn’t pack a big punch though, because we’re talking about Schulz, after all. Ward’s inner conflict is written terrifyingly well, and the stakes are proven to be devastatingly high time and time again. If you like your heart to be ripped out and brutally stomped on a few times, then you have come to exactly the right place.
While Eagles Fall works brilliantly as an enticing first little glimpse into the Bonds of Kin series, I do think it might potentially take away some of the intrigue and mystery that made books 1 and 2 so addictive for me personally. Regardless, this thrilling prequel novella is honestly an absolute treat for both long-time fans and curious newcomers to the series, and it will leave you desperate for more in the best way possible.
Thank you to the author for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Eagles Fall is scheduled for release on July 31st, 2024 and will be free to download by signing up to the author’s newsletter.
