MY ⭐️ RATING: 3.75/5
Format: Kindle eBook
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Ancient China.
Sixteen-year-old Chen Han, already an
accomplished warrior, is accused of a crime he did not commit. The woman who raised him vows to kill him for disgracing her clan.
Twelve-year-old Mu Feng leads a small army outnumbered four to one. Amidst the chaos, he discovers what he is capable of, but questions linger over what it means to obey authority.
Eleven-year-old Ah Go is a simple village boy who finds his world shattered by barbarian invaders. Everything he knows is destroyed. Would he grow up enslaved to them? Or is he destined to conquer?
Three boys. Worlds apart. One shared destiny.
MY REVIEW
So I stumbled onto this series from an ad targeted to me on Facebook a while back, and because it looked and sounded so fascinating to me, I decided to save it and add it to my TBR. Over the weekend as I was looking through my TBR spreadsheet, this popped out at me and since I haven’t read a lot of historical fiction based on this time period and of the people, I decided that I needed to at least give the short 58 page prequel a shot to see if I’d be interested in reading the rest of the series. Well… I’m going to read the rest of the series!
This is the of 3 characters we will get to know more about in book 1 and beyond. Chen Han who is a martial arts bad-ass, has to deal with false allegations that forced him to leave the only family he knows. Mu Feng, a young tactical genius who is questioning his faith to the emperor. And finally Ah Go, who witnesses everything he loves destroyed. I really like Han and Go’s stories as they are both being relegated to restart from nothing to find absolution and vengeance.
This got dark, and trigger warning, there is baby killing and rape scenes that are pretty graphic. While this is absolutely dark and horrendous, the author is showing a very graphic and honest picture of how the Mongols were when they raided and pillaged. This part may turn people off, but it is a major plot device for a character involved.
Wolfmantula.com 
I’m not usually one for “trigger” warnings, but I must admit, I do appreciate when reviewers let me know there is rape in a book.
You mention historical fiction. Is this actual historical fiction? Or like Eddings and his Belgariad and European history?
LikeLike
Yeah, I do t typically leave trigger warnings, but it’s graphic enough I felt it needed to be said.
I don’t know a lot about Chinese history, but I looked a few things up as I read to see if it was real places/names, and everything checks out. So I’d say actual historical fiction.
LikeLiked by 1 person