Book Review: A Wizard's Forge by A.M. Justice

Book Review: A Wizard’s Forge (The Woern Saga #1) by A.M. Justice
 
This science fiction fantasy mash-up blends both genres, but errs more on the fantasy side (IMO!). It’s a sweeping tale of survival and revenge that spans many years. Told from the point of view of Victoria, it follows her as she is forced to continually evolve in order to survive. ​

Vic is a happy scholar in her peaceful fishing hometown. She’s a keeper of the logs – the diaries of the first people who crash landed on their planet – and is the youngest to have ever been awarded this position. But on the eve of a festival, the town is raided by slavers and Vic is captured and taken to a city in a country far away that favours pleasure and excess.
 
Once there, she is sold as a sex slave to a powerful man, Lornk. He psychologically abuses her and attempts to break her from her former self and shape her into someone else called Kara. But Vic resists and escapes, only to find herself amongst his enemies.
 
With a taste for revenge against her former master, she reinvents herself into a warrior fighting against his armies for the country he is attempting to invade and destroy. Shaped by the trauma of being a sex slave, Vic is on a mission. But when her new love interest is captured, she must go back to the city – and the man – that enslaved her.
 
But along the way, we learn that her destiny – and the name Kara – might be bigger than she could ever have imagined. And this is why Lornk will never give her up.
 
The writing is excellent. I found it fluent and the descriptions vivid. The characters are well rounded and distinct, and I was rooting for Vic throughout. I found the pace to be ‘medium’, not fast/not slow, and the action to be well choregraphed. I particularly loved a scene where the soul of one character ends up inside another character – I thought that was brilliantly done.
 
If you like epic fantasy that’s a bit grittier or that has an element of sci-fi mixed in, enjoy strong female characters, and longer plot timelines then this is for you!
 
My rating: 4/5
 
Goodreads | Author website
 
>> The first two books in my grimdark epic fantasy trilogy In the Heart of the Mountains are out now. Book three is COMING SOON! Melokai (#1) is available at Amazon, Kobo, iBooks, Google Play Books and Barnes & Noble. Violya (#2) is available at Amazon, Kobo, iBooks, Google Play Books and Barnes & Noble. Read more about my books here. <<
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