Book Review #32: Dependents: The Mending War Cycle Book One by E.J. Peninger

Hello Dear Reader!

Welcome to another book review! Today, I’ve got another indie book that’s packed with a ton of fantastical world-building, so if you’re into that, stick around!

But before I get into that, here is the summary (from Amazon):

Haunted by the accidental death of his young son, Kam walks a razor thin line between madness and sanity. When a stranger arrives in his simple town bearing news both of an otherworldly threat and the possibility of his son’s survival, Kam is forced on a journey to discover the truth. Set in the outskirts of the fallen Greek Empire, Book One of the Mending War Cycle takes you through a struggle for justice, compassion and ultimately, peace.

This synopsis has me wishing I can write back-cover summaries as short as this one. Anyway, time for the review!

There are a few main protagonists of this story, but the very first one that’s introduced and serves as the main hero of this book is a broken man named Kam Hearthstone. Kam is introduced as a man who lost his son. As for how he lost him, I won’t spoil that. A loving and caring husband to his wife Laurl and a hard-working farmer, Kam is a man who longs for peace and a simple life; however, that turns upside-down when he receives a message that he’s been summoned by the oracle. This turn of events presents a whole new side to his personality, a side that made me dislike him a bit in the first half of this book. He’s shown to have quite a temper and pretty close-minded. Also, a lot of his words and actions at the beginning of the book are said and done mainly for his own benefit and those he thought were necessary to his journey, ultimately putting the “unnecessary” members of his party down. Now, while I say these qualities made me dislike him, that doesn’t make me think he’s a bad character. I just think it makes him more realistic this way, and I love that the author was able to make me dislike some aspects of the main character.

The main supporting cast of characters in Dependents are diverse both in personality and in the different races of this fictional world. The names and races of these different creatures are heavily Greek-influenced, and it makes for a very unique setting. There are species such as the winged Eagloni, the dragon-like Maisorvantii, and the stealthy creatures known as the Greefadth. My personal favorite are the Maisorvantti, because who doesn’t like dragons? Also, the magic in this world is really unique. Not to mention some of the more powerful forms of this magic revolve around songs that have been passed down from generation to generation, which I absolutely love! These creatures and magic along with the vast world Peninger has created infuse the story with magic that reminds me of the fantasy stories I’ve read when I was a little kid, and it was super refreshing. It was like transporting me back to when I was ten and reading nothing but fantasy books late at night when my parents were asleep.

Not to mention this book has a map, which is really cool! The setting of this story was easily my favorite part of the book, and I wish I was able to immerse myself in more of it.

Even though I absolutely loved all the vast world-building and all the races it had to offer while I read, there were a few things that poked at me while reading, and these are mainly just my personal preferences. The story was almost too fast-paced, and I felt like a few of the scenes, especially the more emotional ones, could’ve been drawn out a bit more. The emotional scenes themselves didn’t hit me really hard, but just from the pretty direct and concise style of writing, I’m not sure if they were meant to be. Still, despite these things, it did make for a very enjoyable read.

So, Dependents rating:

8/10 and definitely recommend, especially if you like fantasy books with vast world-building and a classic adventure!

Thanks for reading!