Masterful, incredible magic & loveable characters

A masterful story, with incredible magic and loveable characters. Heliotrope is a self-published Sword and Sorcery fantasy that has been carefully woven through the eyes of an endearing protagonist.

Teleo, a retired soldier, wants nothing more than a quiet life after years of war and spends his days working as a stone mason. After years looking for his kidnapped son and grieving the loss of his wife and daughter, he comes across a war orphan. Rescuing this orphan from the abuse of his caretakers, he takes him on as an apprentice. By request of the Queen, he begins working at the castle only to find himself in the middle of a coup. Thus, starting the journey to protect his new family and discover the ancient secrets of magic lost to time.

Teleo immediately captured my heart, his character often reminded me of a thoughtful and pragmatic father figure who must balance what is best for his foster family while keeping them safe. As the story is told through Teleo’s perspective, we get an in-depth look into his personality, and choices which helped create impactful scenes. With his pragmatic view to life, kind heart and willingness to do what’s right, Teleo made for a compelling character.

It's no secret that I love the found family trope and this was no exception. Each character felt distinct and their relationships are well built, adding a great dynamic between them. Palmer Pickering beautifully captured a family brought together through circumstance and tested those bonds in unexpected ways.

Overall, I appreciated that the characters growth and their relationships are built in meaningful ways. Through circumstances, action, and time, rather than necessity of the plot.

The story builds as we follow the characters on their journey, with every step bringing new threats and discoveries. Each development from the characters, world, and magic, felt natural to the stories progression with satisfying tie-ins throughout.

Let’s talk about the magic for a moment. Though magic in this world has been outlawed, it still lingers in the blood of the descendants and children’s tales. As a result, the characters know little of magic, and I loved being able to discover the magic system with them. With flying sword fighting mages and those who can weave magic into the world around them, the magic system felt unique and well built.

Now, Heliotrope is a chunky book at 784 pages with a slow burn for pacing. However, the story unfolds in a way that feels incredibly personal with heartwarming and gut-wrenching moments.

I ended up immersion reading the physical copy of the book with the audiobook. George Guidall was the perfect choice of narrator for Teleo, capturing the characters personality, and emotions in an effortless performance. From his rich voice, pacing, and tone this felt like a story being told by the fire. I’ll be looking for more audiobooks narrated by Guidall for future reads.

Overall, this was an immersive read, with endearing characters, found family, impactful scenes, compelling magic, and great battle scenes, all while creating a very human experience.

I’d highly recommend Heliotrope for any fantasy reader out there.

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