What happens when heroes are as broken as the world they must reforge?A mad king’s genocide destroyed Alea’s home and left her sanity in tatters. Wracked with grief, she now faces a lonely life in a strange city. The war has other plans. Caught in the crossfire between the gods and their creators, Alea’s new friend Arman abandons his idyllic jeweler’s life—and his humanity—to protect them both … humanity—to protect them both from the coming terror.
Across enemy lines, bastard lieutenant Brentemir Barrackborn is horrified by the blood on his hands. If he has any hope of redemption—or surviving the war—he must choose between his newfound family and the gods he worships.
As Arman and Brentemir’s sacrifices grow, Alea realizes that only the darkness inside her can end the bloodshed.
Smoke and Rain won New Apple Literary’s Excellence in Independent Publishing Award in 2015 and a Literary Titan Gold Award in 2020
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As a new to me author, V.S. Holmes did impress me with her writing skill. Smoke and Rain is a well-written story and does its part to stand out in the epic fantasy genre.
The characters are fleshed out and developed in a way that you do care about what’s going to happen to them throughout the story. The book took its time to introduce them before the main action begins, which I liked but it also led to some parts being a little slow. I struggled a little bit in the middle because the first half was already kind of slow but I flew through the second half of the book. I still appreciate the fact that I got to know the characters and care for them thought.
The world is what I loved the most in this book. There was a lot of history and depth into the world that made the book as a whole so much more immersive. The magic was also very interesting and it seems that they’re going to be many layers that we’ll get to explore in later books. The ending was very interesting and I’m curious to find out what happens next.
Other than the few issues I had with the pacing, Smoke and Rain is a very good book and a worthwhile read.
Honest review of an arc reader…That being said I believe you will love the book as much as I did , wash up the gore ,get acclimated to the survivors guilt, and Start the action . Magic , sword play, and resentment for the refugees keep you turning the pages and demanding the next book in this series.. hang on and make sure you put it down to sleep.
For the record, I received an Advanced Review Copy (ARC) of this book with the request that I leave a voluntary honest review for other potential readers. That having been said, here is my honest opinion and review of this book. What an interesting plot line. The intricacies of the story mixing so many different subplots with twists, turns and surprises is wonderful. Creators, Gods and Mortals battling amongst themselves for the survival of the world. With incredible world building and character development, this story comes to life as you read it. Arman, Alea, Bren and the other characters (both good and bad) just jump off of the pages into your minds eye as you read about them. This is what an epic fantasy is supposed to look like. I loved it. The book is absolutely worth the time it takes to read it. I am looking forward to reading the sequel.
Smoke and Rain (Reforged #1), my first read from author V.S. Holmes. Extremely well written, the characters are well-developed with an attention-grabbing storyline. If you quickly judge a book by its cover, this cover does not do the book justice! It needs a new cover; if I were to select my read based on the cover this book wouldn’t make the cut. I’m a character reader, I get into the characters. Who and what they are. Why they do the things they do. The things that make the reader get invested into the characters and thereby the story. I’ll be reading more from this author! Better yet this is the first book in a multi-book series that I look forward to reading. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 – July 24, 2018).
This book has been on my TBR list forever! So glad I finally was able to read it. It was amazing! This is the first of four books, and is what looks to be a well laid out series. So don’t expect any resolution in this first installment.
The character development in this book is on point, we get to know the main players and really get drawn into who they are as individuals before we get to why they will be important to the story, which I LOVE. No one is an insta-hero, or whatever, and there isn’t any insta-love or insta-solutions.
The plot is dark yet the characters are very real about dealing with the parts they play, so very much engulfing. I about throw my phone when I go about 80% in, so serious worth reading! I can’t wait to read book 2!
I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The main character is Alea, dealing with survivor’s guilt in the aftermath of a tragedy and equally important is Aman, a weapon designer that becomes her guard. Both are troubled characters, easy to sympathize with, yet frustrating at times. There is no instant romance threatening the plot, which is awesome because it makes their relationship believable. It’s all based on friendship and loyalty.
The world building in this novel was exquisite and immersive. The descriptive passages, which I sometimes find boring in other books, were epic in “Smoke and Rain”! You don’t have to take my word for it, here a random description:
“The trees were leafed in brilliant green and blossoms began to peek from vines. She did not see them. Instead, she saw shadow creeping into her thoughts. It hovered on the edge but she felt it grow.”
V.S. Holmes is more than a writer; a wordsmith would be a more suitable synonym. The way she describes things makes reading a very vivid and visual experience. Here’s another phrase (unimportant in the grand scheme of things) that caught my eye:
“Venom and fear soured his glare at Alea as he obeyed. She hoped he could not see her skin crawl”
“War brought legends and monsters scuttling out like wood roaches after a storm.”
Read the whole review here: https://www.summonfantasy.com/book-reviews/book-review-smoke-and-rain-by-v-s-holmes
Likeable characters although sometimes names were confusing.