The Bookwyrm's Review of Mystic Reborn by Jeffrey Speight

 

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Rating: 9.75/10

Plot Synopsis

Some paths are meant to be walked alone.

Mystic Reborn is the continuation of Paladin Unbound, the award-winning start of the Archives of Evelium.

After embracing his destiny as the last of the Paladins, Umhra the Peacebreaker is granted ancient powers by the gods. When he returns to the ruins of Antiikin to fulfill a promise, he embarks on a journey that will push the limits of his abilities.

As the Grey Queen's arrival heralds the fulfillment of a prophecy that could mean the end of humanity, the kingdom of Evelium desperately needs a hero. Can Umhra once more rise to the challenge and save mankind from annihilation?

Review

After reading Paladin Unbound, the first book in this series, I was hoping a sequel would follow quickly. Luckily, Mystic Reborn makes that happen. I have to say, the author set himself a high bar to meet in terms of story, characters and quality, and he definitely brings his A game to this sequel. 

The world building expands upon the world in the first book. We get a closer look at the internal workings of the kingdoms involved in the original story, with some dirty secrets revealed along the way, especially in the royal families. With the legend of a curse hanging over one of the royal families, they take drastic actions to avoid the possibility of it coming true, up to and including murder. How this bit of world building progresses ties into the greater world and the movement of nations and armies in their bids for power is smoothly done. Ancient forces are also rising parallel to these actions, bringing a whole new possible civilization level threat to the people of the various nations. We also get a look into the world before, when gods and demigods still walked the surface of the world before they ascended to Kalmindon, the home of the gods. 

The characters are again a real strength. The main protagonist is once again Umrha the Peacebreaker, half-orc paladin who has basically become a demigod, although since he's the only one left, he has no one to train him in the use of his new abilities. Add to this the fact he still faces discrimination and distrust because of his parentage, and it's a wonder he hasn't gone to the dark side. He still truly cares about people, though, because he was raised and trained by a truly good man. It's interesting to see how he reacts to his growing abilities as he discovers someone who can help grow his abilities.

That someone is Spara, a demigod from the previous age, who saw the last of the gods ascend to the next plane, but was left behind, blinded, and thanks to Umrha, has the chance to ascend herself if she can make certain things happen with Umrha's help. In exchange, she helps Umrha learn to use his new abilities, and even how to grow in power. It seems like she really cares about his growth, but you get the feeling there is more beneath the surface, something that could effect more than just Spara and Umrha. The rest of the secondary characters get their own arcs as well, with betrayal and conspiracy drawing them into kingdom wide issues. Its an impressive bit of characterization.

The villains are revealed throughout the story, although some of them might not be quite the villains you expect, as later events reveal. On of the true villains is an ancient horror that was supposed to be long gone from the world, but whose appearance will turn the continent on it's head. They are the culmination of decisions made thousands of years earlier, and their appearance is now a harbinger of death and destruction for the humanoid races. It's amazing what a misread prophecy can bring about.

All in all, this story is a very worthy sequel to the Paladin Unbound. It continues the story in some totally unexpected directions, with the stakes just as big as in the first book, if not bigger. The character work is consistent with the first book, and the expanded world building adds some interesting new layers. I highly recommend this book, and the series as a whole for anyone who likes epic fantasy. You wont be disappointed.