The Sign of the Sibyl
This is an adventure novel. While there are definitely fantasy elements to it, the bulk of the book is travelling, getting teleported, believing in myths/legends, and world building. I don’t mean any of this in a negative way at all, but I think readers should know exactly what sort of fantasy they are getting into before picking this up.
If you think of Indiana Jones with the lost city of Atlantis, then you might have an idea of what this book is all about. I think the way the book is written gives it a sort of old-fashioned feel to it, but the elements of adventure come in pretty quickly. We are almost teased in the beginning of the book as we toss the idea of discovering an ancient relic back and forth in our heads. Is it real?—like—is it actually the REAL thing?
I enjoyed the mystery behind the relic and the fair amount of doubt that was sewn into the story. It helped lead up to the big turning point where our protagonists are suddenly teleported to a brand-new world. I’d say that’s where the adventure really begins. My only complaint about the story is that the pacing is a little slow. Everything was written very well, it was entertaining, wordy without being dull, and felt like a book I could read at night right before bed. BUT I do think things dragged a little in the beginning. That may be because I was expecting a different sort of fantasy. As I said in the beginning, this is more of an adventure than a fantasy, but it has all the elements to be both.
The best part of this story was the underlying plot. At the surface, this is just a story about a few hopefuls falling into an adventure that’s much bigger than they ever expected. But beyond that is mystery, lies, and a twisting tangle of secrets and even the rise of a new and dark era. The more you read, the thicker the plot gets in this book and that is exactly how things should be. This is a great beginning of what seems like a dark and adventurous series. I look forward to reading what happens next.