FeaturedEpic Fantasy

Orb and Arrow: Exploration

By

Worth reading 😎

A refreshing take on a classic fantasy with an interesting master-apprentice duo.

Orb and Arrow is a book about a healer and archer, Brillar, who manages to free a mysterious man from the dark magic that binded his powers. These two strike a master-apprentice deal and thus begin their journey together.


When I first picked up this book, I didn't know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised as I turned the pages. This was a classic fantasy--our heroine stumbles into an injured man, frees him from bondage that also goes against what she has been taught, and in turn, becomes his apprentice to set on a battle against the forces of evil. It had a straightforward approach, and I do like how there was already high-paced action in the first few chapters--Brillar's rescue of Elden--and that drew me in to read more of the story.


As for the setting, the book had an immersive atmosphere, and the world-building gives a clear picture of what was happening in the narrative. The magic system was also interesting--with the different designations of the Mages--though admittedly, I was confused at first. I also liked the action scenes in the book. They were well-executed and described, giving me a vivid picture of the characters' movements while they fought.


While this was a classic fantasy tale with Brillar undertaking her own journey, it was also nice to read about a headstrong heroine with realistic struggles. Brillar's conflict on choosing the right vocation--whether being a healer is still something she wants to do despite the actions she committed or risk everything in order to unlock a hidden potential within herself--was something that resonated with me.

Brillar and Elden's relationship as master-apprentice was interesting and amusing.


All in all, this is definitely a good read if you're looking for a dose of fantasy in your mundane routine. While I did find some parts pretty predictable, I enjoyed reading this one and this was a good pick-me-up to ease me out of the fantasy reading slump.

Reviewed by

A girl with an insatiable curiosity and a habit of losing her glasses in the most random of places. If she's not raving about her current J-Drama hyper fixations or drowning out the rest of the world with her nose buried in her books, she is chasing down plot bunnies for personal writing projects.

Prologue

About the author

V. L. Stuart is the author of the epic fantasy series, Orb and Arrow. Why? Well, playing an MMORPG for 16 years helped. She didn’t start out to write novels but she moved to Costa Rica where she lives between two volcanoes - with too much time on her hands. What's a woman to do? view profile

Published on June 07, 2019

Published by

90000 words

Contains mild explicit content ⚠️

Genre: Epic Fantasy

Reviewed by