A queen (in this land, the ruler is called a “Kinninger”) has been having a long-term secret love affair that has produced a child. She finds that her mother also did the same. They are both part of the Onagros family of rulers. Her official consort, from a different family, wants to be sole ruler and is willing to risk a civil war to get it. Then there are the consort’s power-seeking mother and sister, his murderous Chief Sword, a cowardly Roll-Keeper, the Roll-Keeper’s more intelligent wife, their daughter who was adopted in a mysterious way, a wandering prince, a storyteller, a blacksmith, an island-bound witch, a seer, and a shapeshifter. All are point-of-view characters. Finally, there are four gods who comment on and sometimes participate in the action: Tortoise, Dragon, Unicorn, and Phoenix. (This seems odd in the opening chapter, but just go with it. The reasoning becomes clear by Book 3.)
In *The Fall of Onagros*, Allen has chosen to tell her story in a kaleidoscopic style, giving us parts of the story several times, through different eyes. Every few chapters she jumps back or ahead in time, almost restarting the plot with someone else who has one piece of the picture to fill in a blank spot of our knowledge. The plot sequence is confusing for a while, until you catch the flow. This is extremely complex, but the multiple viewpoints allow for a much deeper perspective. Because of Book 1’s title, there is no plot spoiler in stating that bad things happen to the long-time ruling family, which gives the throne to the consort’s Sarpa family.
The writing itself is frequently beautiful and emotional, which is important in order to keep you going through the early time-line confusion and the unusual system of character names. Since this is the first of three books, it ends in cliffhangers of several story lines. You won't want to stop with the first one.
While many of the individual characters and events seem familiar from folklore and fairy tales, Allen’s combinations and style are truly unique. I recommend preparing to read all three together, so you can keep everything straight. If you are willing to take on a little challenge in your reading, I think you will really like these.
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Top reviews from other countries
eppingstrider
Beautifully written fantasy which revived my interest in the genre
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 2, 2020