The Spires Saga, Book 1
By Mortimer Langford
© 2022, Next Chapter
ASIN: B0BJZ3NYLY
Kindle Version, file size 2693 KB
What a fun story! Damian Spires is a smart-mouthed war mage who isn’t above skating the edges of legal magic for a variety of reasons—including poker. He’s pretty much prepared for anything that might crop up, except finding a woman with pointy ears in an alley.
I didn’t think of this book as Epic Fantasy, even though I can see how others might since it takes place in an invented world. For me, though, it felt more like urban fantasy. The author has included some classic tropes you’d expect to see in either genre—a lot of magic, a number of races (demons, war mages, Hell knights, werewolves, vampires, etc.), but it also has a lot of urban struggle, it takes place in the fringes of “normie” cities, and there were no quests, exactly. There were hints at sexuality, though nothing blatant, and the characters are varied. I found it to be quite engaging. While there isn’t exactly a cliffhanger ending, I can see how this is just the first book in a series that, hopefully, will feature Damian in each one. I liked his sass, and his blunt nature, as well as his charm.
Filled with magic, mischief, and mayhem, Damian’s adventure with the unknown elf starts out light, but as the story progresses, darker threads creep in. His character, as well as the others, definitely develop over the course of the story. I loved every minute, especially when we finally see all that Damian is truly capable of, and what he’s willing to sacrifice to protect his friends. The ending (no spoilers!) did not disappoint.
Elf is a fun, quick read that left me wanting more. I’ll be watching for the next book in this series. Definitely recommended.