Fezariu's Epiphany by David M. Brown

Fezariu's Epiphany is Book One in the Fantasy series, "The Elencheran Chronicles".

The story begins as a young man lies his dying comrade on the ground; the man is tired, hurt and can go no further.  As he lies there in the cold and snow, he remembers his past, waiting for his death to come.

Jessamine a.k.a. "Wild Jessamine", was but a young woman when she was found on the streets by rich and powerful brothel owner, Vincent Birchell.  He molds her into a high-priced prostitute and his most prized possession. 

Jessamine believes herself to be in love with Vincent and follows his direction in everything, that is, until she becomes pregnant by one of her many customers.  She is hidden away to await the birth of her child and as business dwindles, the greedy Vincent tells Jessamine that as soon as her bastard child is born, he will kill it and put her right back to work. 

Jessamine is horrified and believes she has no where to turn until Naira, an old prostitute at the establishment helps Jessamine to escape.  Naira steals money and with the aid of her friends, they sequester Jessamine out of town and across the sea to escape the evil clutches of Vincent.

Upon her arrival, she stops at a bakery to eat and ends up going into labour.  Peter, the owner, is a kind and benevolent man and helps Jessamine, after Fesariu is born, she stays with Peter and her life becomes idyllic.

Then one day, the Fates put Vincent back into Jessamine's path and through his manipulation, he steals her back to the White Oak brothel; leaving Peter to look after her son.  Fezariu dreams of the day his mother will return until he learns she has died of pneumonia.  His guilt continues to build as those he loves dearly die, he feels he can never love and becomes a mercenary for the Merelax Mercenaries, a highly honoured band of warriors who travel distant lands to aid those in need.

Through his campaigns, Fezariu begins to learn of his past and must come to terms with his involvement in everything around him.  He has many lessons in life to learn, however, the Fates have decided to throw many twists and turns and secrets to be uncovered.  Will Fezariu have the strength to deal with his inner demons and make the correct decisions or will he be swallowed in his misery to die a horrific death at the hands of another?

I thought this was a very well written book.  I quickly fell in tune to the characters and was easily transported to the lands of Clarendon and Odrica.  Though the names were different, there was an old medieval charm to the book that blended well with the characters and the scenery. 

I enjoyed how the author set up the ending of some of the chapters, giving the reader a hint of mystery, encouraging you to continue reading.  At times I found myself unable to put the book down, convincing myself I was only going to read just ONE more chapter.  For a debut novel, author David M. Brown, has what it requires to join the realms of Fantasy writing.  I'm thinking his writing style is only going to get better with more experience and folks like myself whispering in his ear.

I thought the print cover didn't describe the personality of the book very well.  It certainly didn't justify the story that was to be found within the pages.  I also thought that there could have been more oomph to the battle scenes, they fizzled in comparison to the rest of the novel.  I think with a few more realistic battle scenes instead the "Dungeon and Dragons" feel that the scenes did have, this series will be phenomenal. 

I would give Fezariu's Epiphany a four out of five stars.  It is a story about life and journeys, redemption and absolution, heartache, love, joy and pain.  The ending is well written, leaving the reader with a hint of mystery and imagination.  I look forward to continue to reading "The Elencheran Chronicles".

The World According To Dave

Book Trailer:  Fezariu's Epiphany

** Disclosure: I did not accept any compensation from the sponsors other than review copies, my views are my own, reviewed by me..as I see it~!! **