Virtue and Vengeance

Empire of Cinders Series, Book 1

The capital city of the Anirian Empire simmers with unrest. The emperor stands as the last scion of the imperial dynasty, but at 16, the boy is powerless against an oppressive regent who seeks to tighten his hold on the throne. As sides are drawn and conspiracies are set into motion, six individuals emerge to carve a foothold for their own ambitions....

A self-exiled warrior fueled by vengeance. A lowborn courtesan driven to rule. A once powerful general turned reclusive cripple. A gifted strategist intent on treachery. An idle hero and his honor-bound brother.

Six individuals in a whirlwind of conflict, deception, lust, and murderous intrigue. Six individuals and only one can raise the four-century-old empire out of the ashes of collapse.

The magic of the cloudfalls will show the way....

©2018 M. A. Liguori (P)2018 M. A. Liguori

A Good Fantasy

This was my first experience with M. A. Liguori's work and it had moments that were entertaining. There was a lot going on with this story, and one had to pay attention as it jumped from character to character. I had two issues with this tale. The first issue was that there was no major character that I felt was worthy of my respect or that I liked. The proclaimed heroes committed questionable acts and the villains had back stories that made their acts somewhat understandable. The second issue was that there were a couple of times that the author put in descriptive sex scenes. It just seemed that they were there for titillation and were otherwise unnecessary. There was a minor character that I liked, and this character played a more pivotal role in the epilogue, so I am looking forward to the next book in the series. D. C. Newman's narration was great, and his performance added to the story's entertainment. I was given a free copy of the audiobook, and I have voluntarily posted this review.