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AC Andrews

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Descent of Ravens (Bel's War Book 1) Kindle Edition

by A.C. Andrews (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

189

Book 1 of 2: Bel's War

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An LGBTQ+ Epic Fantasy:
The old covenant of the gods is broken. Will the world break, too?

When an army of vampires invades the island of Trosika, Rio and Turi must fight for their future. Rio is a healer and a priest of Astara who suffers severe self-doubt and a growing crisis of faith; even his goddess cannot stop the forces arrayed against them. Turi has long buried a secret about himself that he fears could upend everything.

When Rio unseals a centuries-old tomb, releasing the immortal and cursed prince Philip, he discovers that he has a bond with Philip that stretches across lifetimes. As Turi grapples with his secrets, he is recruited by the terrifying goddess Mormo and gifted with necromancy for reasons he does not understand.

Rio and Turi must contend with bloodthirsty mages, battle an endless army of vampires, and confront the truth of who Turi truly is; most of all, they must rely on their unshakable friendship to survive. As they struggle to protect each other, their religion, and their island home, the fate of an empire hangs in the balance.

Descent of Ravens is an epic fantasy with gay, trans, and non-binary protagonists, rich world-building, and dark adventure!

Book 1 of 2

Bel's War
Print length

472 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publication date

August 30, 2021
File size

5564 KB
Page Flip

Enabled
Word Wise

Enabled
Enhanced typesetting

Enabled
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From the Publisher

In the midst of invasion . . .

"He saw two figures framed against the brightening morning sky. He knew that they, like him, were refugees now, survivors of a war that should never have come to these shores."

An ancient love reawakens,

"Somehow, Rio understood him. Philip’s breath evened out, and he smiled, feeling weightless and happier than he could ever remember. This, too, was light."

And a curse is broken.

A voice in the crowd spoke up. “Who is he? You call him Philip? Nobody names their children Philip.”

May the dead keep in the Light.

Astara help us all . . .

Editorial Reviews

Review

What readers are saying about Descent of Ravens:

"A veritable buffet of the paranormal, and I haven't even started on the MCs yet. Suffice as to say that I've given the story five hearts - I loved them too." - Reviewed by Taylin Clavelli for Love Bytes

"Descent of Ravens is a sweeping epic fantasy that is a roller coaster of emotion. ...The sweeping tale embraces high fantasy and runs with it, creating a richly detailed world in which a reader can immerse themselves." - Reviewed by Kris for Joyfully Jay LGBTQ Romance Reviews

"An exhilarating tale . . . set in a richly imagined world."—Independent Book Review

"Andrews crafts a sleek series opener bolstered by consistent action, a straightforward magic system, and strong LGBTQ+ representation. . . . A crafty, well-paced LGBTQ+ fantasy series opener."—Kirkus Reviews

"AC Andrews' DESCENT OF RAVENS is skillful, splendid storytelling. ...a near-perfect fantasy featuring superb world-building and excellent storytelling that will be compelling for any audience that enjoys epic fantasy. "—Ellen Graham for IndieReader

"An original and identity-affirming tale, Descent of Ravens is a dark and masterful YA novel. The combination of classic fantasy elements and contemporary cultural themes results in a thought-provoking and norm-challenging story that is both deeply intimate and broadly appealing." —Self-Publishing Review, ★★★★½

"The holy grail of fantasy for the m/m /lgbtq sub-genre. ... this one is in my top 5 books for the year." - Boyslove, Goodreads Reviewer

"One of the best fantasy reads I have encountered in ages." - Charneen, Goodreads Reviewer

"Exciting, fast flowing and extremely well written. A.C. Andrews has created a world and mythology infused with a rich history." - Mark Lucas-Taylor, Goodreads Reviewer

From the Author

Descent of Ravens is a love letter to a younger me, and to everyone who—like I did back then—just wants somebody to write them on the page. So naturally, this is a book about vampires. ~AC Andrews, October 2021

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B098PMD7K7
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Amazon Digital Services (August 30, 2021)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 30, 2021
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 5564 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 472 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ B09CQY66FS

Best Sellers Rank: #757,678 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #1,516 in LGBTQ+ Fantasy Fiction
- #3,361 in LGBTQ+ Fantasy (Kindle Store)
- #3,854 in Gay & Lesbian (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
189

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AC Andrews

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AC Andrews lives in the upper-Midwest along the shores of Lake Michigan. He enjoys aquascaping, gardening, and reading M/M romances, epic fantasy, and urban fantasy. He brings a background in folklore and a love of the supernatural to his writing, working to transform the stories in his head into something worth reading. He is committed to writing engaging fantasy with diverse LGBTQ+ protagonists.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

189 global ratings

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Amazon Customer

This is the type of book that got me into reading in the first place.

Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2021

Verified Purchase

This is the holy grail of fantasy for the m/m /lgbtq sub genre.

The author does a lot of things right
1. The world building is really good. I had a deep sense of the world I was reading and the environments around me.

2. Character development was good. We follow a few people throughout the whole book and I came to love them by the end. Even the side characters.

3. The combat and magic was really cool, and quite epic. Each battle/fight scene was exhilarating.

4. The lore about the gods/goddesses and their followers was very interesting. Each chapter we learn a little more.

5. There was a little romance in the book. It wasn’t all about the romance but it was just perfect for this story. Not too much but not too little either.

6 it does all of the things above and much more without info dumping or overwhelming/confusing you. I never felt like putting the book down because I felt like I had to slog through a bunch of back story or world building/lore. It all comes together smoothly.

What are some of the things this book could have done better?

Honestly, I was incredibly happy with the story. At this moment I can’t think of anything I was unhappy with. I think I found 2 spelling errors in the entire book so the editing was really good. I think maybe some people could say that they wished the sex scenes were more explicit. But I honestly don’t think the sex scenes were crucial to this story. We got the needed intimacy through other things like conversations.

All in all, this one is in my top 5 books for the year, and I can’t recommend it more for anyone who is interested in high fantasy type books in the m/m /lgbtq genre.

This book deserves a lot of attention, and even more importantly, you deserve the pleasure of reading it, so go give it a try!

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

James Seger

I'm surprised I'm rating this one at four stars.

Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2022

Verified Purchase

First, the author did a very good job of building and explaining his fantasy world. There was a rich mythology and enough of a history that it made the world feel real, that it wasn't designed just to tell this one tale.

The story is well paced. It never bogs down and also doesn't feel like it is rocketing past important plot points.

The characters are okay. Rio and Turi are slightly fleshed out, but not exceptionally so. The rest of the characters are a bit shallow. Not terrible, but his characterization could use some help. The main romance in the book was unconvincing. It was useful for the story, but it showed.

My biggest downside was the lack of description. Though the world was laid out very well, descriptions of the buildings/land/characters/etc. were sorely lacking. This is a story set in an imaginary world. What do the cities/towns look like? I don't need blueprints of every building. But is the capital, Tyr, made up of stone buildings? Log cabins? Grass huts? Were the streets paved? I dunno.

You could say these details don't matter, but you would be wrong.

Remember how the Dragonlance Chronicles started in Solace, a village built up in the branches of the trees of a forest? Or Bilbo's home in the Shire, with its gentle hills and homes built into them, with round doors?

Of course you remember these places, because the authors provided you with enough details that your mind was able to picture these places. That made them memorable.

That's missing from Descent of Ravens. The overall world is neat. But I'm not certain what the island of Trosika is like. Is it a tropical island, like Gilligan's? I'm sure the author pictured all this in his head. He just needs to be able to share enough with a reader so we are on the same page.

The same goes for the characters. I have a vague idea of what the prince looks like, and the brothers. But what does the main character Rio look like? Is he tall? Short? Slim? Muscular? Hair down to his shoulders? Or does he have a crew cut? Are his eyes blue? Green? Purple? You guess is as good as mine. It's all just too sketchy.

I did enjoy seeing such a breadth of orientations and genders represented and tying them in to the mythology of their gods and goddesses.

My last grumble is that the characters seemed too modern in their speech. Not every fantasy novel needs to be written in fake 'ye olde tymey English.' But several times characters lapse into modern day slang that I think will age the book and also feels out of place by tying the use of language of this imaginary world too closely to modern day American English.

Sheesh! Over half of my review is griping. Like I said, I'm surprised I rated this one four stars. But in the end, for the problems I had with the book, it did tell an entertaining story. Three and a half stars would be more accurate, but I'm so happy to have gay characters leading the quest that I bumped up my rating. I will pick up the just published sequel.

If you are looking for a fantasy yarn that incorporates gay characters, you could do a lot worse. I do think the book is an enjoyable fantasy read even if you aren't seeking it out for it's inclusive characters. Give it a shot.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Suzannes219

Surprising and refreshing

Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2023

Verified Purchase

I really didn't want to read this book. You know how you think it couldn't be good or doesn't apply. This story is well told. The tale unfolds of good vs evil with surprises as to which is which. The love and friendships are true and refreshing. Be open to new things you may find you like them. I did!

Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2022

Verified Purchase

I really loved getting to know these characters and the believe system that leads to their mystical progression. Sometimes, it would remind me of some meditative belief systems while other times it would simply be so unique and lovely I just read it in a system. Hooked from the start. I love Oshi! Who wouldn’t? There’s no spoilers in this review. Just figured I’d let the author know I appreciate their work and Oshi a lot.

Helpful

Paul Dworschack-Kinter

Great Magic!

Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2021

Verified Purchase

This is an amazing read. Epic, yes. Fantasy, yes. MM Romance, yes. Strong and interesting LGBTQ+ characters, yup. Cool story. I could go on... but I hate long Amazon reviews. What blew me away about this book was the way magic was handled. When I read fantasy fiction I am most impressed when there is a well-crafted world and an interesting way magic works. This has both. Not just great for a first novel, just a plain great novel. I'm excited to read the next book!!

Helpful

James Honaker

A well-constructed fantasy adventure.

Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2021

Verified Purchase

While the steadily expanding cast feels sometimes unwieldy, the story moves at a brisk pace and with a believable enough cadence, and the main characters are all enjoyable. It's not flawless, but it's told well and benefits from a cast painted with many hues of the rainbow.

Helpful

Bryan

A fun read and an interesting world!

Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2021

Verified Purchase

I’m definitely looking forward to the next book! There has to be a next book from the way this story ended. I like the world, and the function of the gods with their Hali, the way magic and theurgy works ^w^ super fun book to pass the time with
Also love the characters and the inclusion going on in this book.

Helpful

Corinne Tagliarina

incredible world building

Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2022

Verified Purchase

I loved the world created in this series! The story was also really engaging and I love having a variety of queer characters to read about. I can’t wait to find out what happens next!

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Top reviews from other countries

Roy Algar

Amazing Story

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 4, 2022

Verified Purchase

This was an amazing story start of many I hope. Couldn't put it down read it in three days . Those are the books I like to read .
Rio was a scared young man who grew before your eyes along with his best friend .
Full of vampires and evil mages

Mark Lucas-Taylor

Descent of Ravens

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 26, 2021

Verified Purchase

This story delivers everything it promises in its blurb and more. I read it in one continuous sitting.
It is exciting, fast flowing and extremely well written. A.C. Andrews has created a world and mythology infused with a rich history.
I eagerly anticipate what I hope will be the next book in a series filled with vivid characters and situations.

Hugo

Amazing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 1, 2022

Verified Purchase

I think this became one of my favourite books. It's magical and if you are part of the LGBTQ+ community, you really feel trully represented. Finally a magical story where we can imagine ourselves being part of. I was trully immersed on it from beginning to end.

Kindle Customer

Amazing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 14, 2021

Verified Purchase

I Thoroughly enjoyed this author having never read any of their books before. I am look forward to the sequel.

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From the Publisher

In the midst of invasion . . .

An ancient love reawakens,

And a curse is broken.

May the dead keep in the Light.

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the Author

About the Author

Product details

Videos

About the author

AC Andrews

Customer reviews

Top reviews from the United States

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