The Rise of Nazil


Fiction - Fantasy - Epic
549 Pages
Reviewed on 04/27/2016
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Aaron-Michael Hall is an award-winning author residing in Georgia. She writes classic epic fantasy with a grimdark edge and science fantasy romance. Since August 2015, she has written nine full-length novels and published five. Her first novel, The Rise of Nazil has won numerous reader awards.

Now, when she is not interviewing indie authors on her Desu Beast Blog, being super mom, wrangling stampeding miniature dachshunds, or managing her 9 to 5, she is interweaving genres, creating languages, and adding just the right edge to keep you turning pages.

Aaron-Michael created the Mehlonii language for her diverse Epic Fantasy series. Along with intriguing characters, multilayered plots, new species, deities, and creatures, the Mehlonii language adds that fantastical element missing from most modern Epic/High fantasy. You can listen to samples of the spoken Mehlonii language on her website’s Mehlonii page.

When asked why she wrote this series, Aaron-Michael simply said, “It needed to be written.”

It is her hope that the readers enjoy the wonders of Faélondul and Ahmezurhran even more than she enjoyed writing about them.

http://www.aaronmichaelhall.com

    Book Review

Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite

The cruel Nazil rule the land of Faélondul in The Rise of Nazil by Aaron-Michael Hall. They are terrible rulers, known for their pale complexions and hair. They enslave humans and treat them worse than animals. Pentanimir is the First Chosen and the leader of a military force that demands all his attention. But he is distracted when he meets Brahanu, hurt and alone in the forest. He is now torn between duty and desire and he knows which one of these feelings will win, no matter how hard he tries. But this encounter changes his perception of what he believes and what is the truth. Can he perform his duty with blind faith, or will he let his heart make decisions for him?

The Rise of Nazil by Aaron-Michael Hall is the novel for anyone who craves great action and drama. This book was a pleasant surprise. I was certainly not expecting something of this caliber. Boy, did this novel change my perspective. This is a complex plot at its best. The character development is perfect; the characters grow and develop right in front of your eyes. The novel is explicit and graphic, but this is all part of its charm. You certainly cannot read action without it being graphic. The style of writing fits perfectly with the theme of the novel. The cover is amazing. This is definitely a series that I would love to read and keep on my bookshelf.

Book 1 is good, books 2 & 3 are epic!

I got the first book at a convention. It took a minute to get to it, but once I started, I had to grab the other two.
This is a phenomenal and diverse series. Not only are the characters, plot, and worldbuilding amazing, but the lyrical styled prose and descriptions too. I fell in love with Itai, Symeon, and Dani. There’s so much going on with so many characters, I couldn’t stop reading. Don’t even get me started writing about super-bad Thalassa and the awesome battles.
Are there dragons? No. The dessu beasts and giants more than make up for that. I only wish there was more of them and their origins in the 1st book. After meeting Arinak and Zandi, I wanted them to do some serious damage to a few people.
The Nazillians turned out differently than I originally thousht. They rule Falondul and even enslave some of the human population. But when you get into it, you see most of them are fairly good people, but the leaders would put Ramsey Bolton to shame. Yeah, they like flaying, too.
One thing I really liked was the magic, or lack of too much magic. I hate reading fantasy when magic gets people out of everything. It gets boring. The nazil books have magic, but the real magic lies in the characters and the struggles they go through to overcome or try to overcome some serious situations.
Naturally, it can’t be all good. I thought book 1 dragged in the beginning. I get that you have to set things up, but it took several chapters to get there. Maybe it was worse because Brahanu got on my nerves with her conflicting inner thoughts and behavior. I’m team Itai all the way. Pentanimir is great, but Itai is my man!
It's hard to sum up this trilogy in a review. So many things happen that you can't focus on just one event or character. It's a unique work with elements reminiscent of The Game of Thrones, The Wheel of Time, Lord of the Rings, and even Shakespeare. This isn't just epic fantasy. The Nazil series encompasses several genres, blending the best of each into a magnificent story.
The characters are unforgettable, and there's even a language created for the books. The author touches on every aspect - epic battles, cool beasts, political intrigue, new deities, diverse fighting styles & weapons, magic, romance, betrayal, treachery - you name it and it's in there. I haven't read a book in years with this kind of depth in every facet.
If you enjoy unique and intense epic fantasy, this would be a great series for you to try. It's not light fantasy you can speed-read through. Each chapter builds the story and the characters connect. There are a lot of twists and surprises too.