Ascension Trials Paperback: Illicitum #3
Ascension Trials Paperback: Illicitum #3
There may be four Illicitums, but only one can pass the trials.
Every 250 years, the four factions of Mastoperia send their elitist warriors to the Forbidden palace to become Illicitums—keepers of the peace, and protectors of the continent. But first, the four Illicitums must survive the ascension trials to prove they are worthy and choose their leader.
Only one can sit on the throne.
Rondai, Jihave, Evailen, and Kawan must go to a world they know nothing about to recover heavily guarded artifacts. Each is armed with the unique magic of their faction. Each crippled by a team of untrustworthy companions.
In this challenge of speed and precision, power alone is not enough, wit is not always the answer, and compassion is a risky maneuver. And then there are the secrets they didn’t expect to uncover, the truth about their hidden continent.
Who deserves the throne? Who will you root for?
(Can be read before books 1 & 2 in the series)
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Second book of the series. Of the 4 books, this is the best written! The romance blends in perfectly with the fantasy and the ending leaves you craving for more, as a Moud Adel's trademark.
Orantine is the best spy in her faction, the one they go to for impossible missions. But her next target is like nothing she has faced before, a high ranking official in a faction whose members can see the future.
Orantine has never failed before, but this time, she isn’t sure success is possible.
Armed with her faction’s genetic mutation, and the latest technology the world has to offer. Orantine believes she has found the perfect plan.
Nothing comes without a price, however, and this mission will push her to the edge, and further.
How far will she go to ensure success? And how far is she willing to go to prove she is the greatest in her world?
Honestly the nerd in me exploded reading this book. Also what a great concept of the seeds. Which are implants on the human body which can have and show different effects on you at different times. The amount of content in such a short book is ridiculous. For such a short page count it packs a lot. You literally cannot put this down. You need to keep reading it as every page has something going on. There is know let up. You immediately get sucked into this futuristic world and the get really involved and have an emotional attachment with the characters. The world and character building has been beautifully written. You are constantly kept on your toes the author has you guessing all the time. You think you've figured it out and a curve ball comes in and totally knocks you back to square one. I really can't say much more without spoiling the story which I wouldn't want to do. I'm really looking forward to the next book and hoping I can get my hands on it.
I will clarify first of all this is not my usual genre, I normally read crime or thrillers. But was asked if I would mind giving this a go I was given an ARC in exchange for my honest, fair and unbiased opinion. I was so glad I agreed. Because I absolutely loved this novella and was so disappointed when it game to an end, I needed more, I want more.
The writing of this is so well done, the ideas the plot. You can tell the author is and Egyptologist and his passion for world building certainly shows. The story is set on an island called Mastoperia it is divided into four factions which are united by The Forbidden City which sits in the middle and is the governing body of the factions.
The story is focused on two factions the Lunars and the Delphians. Each faction have special powers. The Delphians are able to read minds and can read up-to certain times In The future depending on their abilities. They are ranked by the colour of their collars.
The Lunars special powers are in seeds which are on different parts of the body and are different colours, the main seed used in this story is the blue one which sits on the forehead this works like a recorder, the seeds store memories.
Orantine is married to Bodya and they have a three year old daughter they are both Lunars. Orantine is to go on a spying mission to find out more about a Delphian known as Matso, but because he can read minds it is a dangerous mission for her, to go into as a spy. Matso has a brown collar meaning he can see things a decade ahead, they can only see their own future but there is an ability to manipulate that.
In order for Orantine to take on this mission she needs to have her memories wiped otherwise Matso will know she is a spy. Bodya is an inventor and he has made a set of 6 blue seeds each one can store a years worth of memories. The plan is for Orantine to go in with blank seeds so that Matso is unable to read her mind and then she has to change the seeds one at a time which will give her some of her memories back. Whilst spying on Matso she will be collecting information on the seeds planted that will then be swapped over. What could go wrong?
The ideas are brilliant the different abilities, I just loved it. But there is also some heartbreak, sacrifice and forgiveness all within this 140 page novella. I really look forward to more, I need to see what happens next.
The world building was very well done. I felt like I knew the world so well in just a few pages. This can be difficult to do in a short book. In this world, people have different seeds that connect to their bodies to control things such as emotions or memories. I think this is a realistic future development.
Most of this story is being told by the main character to an officer so that she can return to her homeland. It became a little confusing when there were flashbacks in her narrative, because I wasn’t sure what was happening in the present and what was in the past. The transitions between these parts could have been a little clearer.
I really enjoyed this story. I’ll definitely have to look for more stories set in this world.
Thank you Breakeven Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
An intense and dramatic story full of emotion and heart. And all of this is surrounded by a fantastical world and wonderful characters I have come to know through Adel's other stories, yet at the same time, there is so much yet to learn.
I can't wait for the next in this series!