Description

In a world where love can be a death sentence, some bonds are worth dying for.

Mikhail never expected his seven-year pilgrimage to change everything he believed about his people, his world, and himself. But when he encounters Anora—a half-goblin woman scarred by cruelty and cast out by her own kind—their forbidden connection ignites a love that challenges the very foundations of their society.

In the Northern Kingdom, humans and goblins are sworn enemies. Their relationship is not just taboo—it's treason. As word of their bond spreads, Mikhail and Anora find themselves hunted by those who would see them destroyed rather than allow their love to exist. Friends become enemies, sanctuaries become traps, and every step toward freedom leads deeper into danger.

From the hidden valley of Aldernhor to the burning streets of Cedarcrest, their journey will test the limits of loyalty, sacrifice, and the terrible price of defying a world determined to keep them apart. When ancient powers emerge from the shadows and cosmic forces collide, Mikhail and Anora must face a devastating truth:

Sometimes love isn't enough to overcome the darkness that shapes the world.

This my first book in an epic fantasy series about the courage to love in the face of hatred, and the cost of standing against forces greater than yourself.

Community Reviews(1)

EltrionRoyal Road

★★★ 3.0

It's okay, there's something here, but it's spread far too thin. The interesting moments are too infrequent, with long descriptions of mundane actions, recounting of things that just happened, or pointing out that Anora is a very beautiful goblin with curly red hair for the twentieth time.
The prose is a bit stiff, and marred by the occasional odd word choice, but not really an issue when compared with how little new information it sometimes communicates to the reader.
Our main character Mikhail is rather bland. He's nice to Anora and shares his food with her, is on a pilgrimage, rides an elk, and has a spear, and that's all we're given for the first eight chapters.
Anora is a bit too much of a woobie, and too much of her character is derived from being abused by everyone who isn't Mikhail.
The world is dry with a bit of character here and there, but much like the characters, we wait far too long before the interesting things happen.
Overall, this work would be much improved by trimming a lot of fat early on and instead weaving in more lore and characterization.
Possibilities include details about Mikhail's village, his status as an Elk rider, and it's relationship with the outside world. It is obviously somewhat Isolated, but this isn't really expanded upon.
Mikhail's father, and his work as a blacksmith. We know that the Spear was made by his father, but for such an important item, not much is explained about it. More details about the spear, Mikhail's father and the role of blacksmithing in this world would go a long way towards characterizing the world, and Mikhail as a (presumably) apprentice blacksmith.
The status of magic in this world. Through the first several chapters, the world is presented as low fantasy, with goblins and presumably other non-human races, but nothing is mentioned of magic, making it presumably very rare.
Then abruptly, we find out that powerful magic that seems to run on fairytale logic is being used by cultists and slavers... It's a bit