Visions of Zarua

Visions of Zarua

by Suzanne Rogerson

3 out of 5

Synopsis
Two wizards, 350 years apart. Can they save the realm of Paltria from Zarua's dark past?

An ancient darkness haunts the realm of Paltria.
Apprentice wizard Paddren is plagued by visions of a city on the brink of annihilation. When his master dies in mysterious circumstances, the Royal Order of Wizards refuses to investigate.
Helped by his childhood friend, the skilled tracker Varnia, and her lover Leyoch, Paddren vows to find the killer.
The investigation leads Paddren down a sinister path of assassins, secret sects and creatures conjured by blood magic. But he is guided by a connection with a wizard from centuries ago - a wizard whose history holds the key to the horror at the heart of the abandoned city of Zarua. Can Paddren decipher his visions and save the Paltrian people before the dark menace of Zarua’s past is unleashed?



Review
Paddren's visions might be the key to stopping a dark wizard taking over Paltria. No matter what course he chooses, it will be a dark and dangerous path.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This story follows two wizards that are separated by 350 years, but are trying to uncover the source of the same dark magic.
Jago is a young man who was close with his brother, before he set out to travel the world and see all it had to offer. He returns to Paltria to find his brother has been murdered - although it has been ruled suicide, and the murderer has gotten away. He now has to work to uncover what secrets got his brother killed.

Paddren has been having increasing visions of Jago, as he hunts down those using dark magic to kill the good wizards of Paltria; and to discover what their final plan is.
With the help of his childhood friend, Varnia, and her lover Leyoch; they have to uncover the truth and avoid detection by the dark wizards.

Despite this starting off with the murder of Paddren's teacher, and the bombardment of dark magic, this story was slow-paced from the very beginning.
There is magic, and danger, and assassins, and intrigue on every level; but I found the narration slowed down with lots of contemplation. None of the characters had any real agency, they just drift along with the current of what is going on, which sapped any potential excitement.

The plot itself was great, with secret sects of wizards, political intrigue and danger at every turn.
It's just a shame I never really warmed to the characters.
The male characters aren't particularly distinct, with Paddren and Jago being almost interchangeable. To be fair, that might have been what the author was going for - after all, how can you have visions of a man, without taking after him a little.

Varnia started off great, a girl with a mysterious past and humble beginnings, that has made a life for herself. She is now the heir to a minor noble, a highly-skilled huntsmaster, and she has found love with Leyoch: a commoner, who is intelligent and loyal.
Unfortunately she ~minor spoiler~ discovers that she also has magic, and everything went downhill from there. She turns into a mardy little thing, who lashes out at everyone who cares for her, and I couldn't feel a scrap of pity for her situation.

Overall, there were some really good ideas, but not the book for me.

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