Review: The Bearer of Secrets (Dark Legacy Book 1) by Kyle Belote

Review: The Bearer of Secrets (Dark Legacy Book 1) by Kyle Belote

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When it comes to writing reviews, giving ratings has always been one of the most difficult parts of the process for me because I try to look at the story and experience as a whole. Even if I see things I don’t like, if my overall experience with a story is positive, the rating reflects that. I am coming away from Kyle Belote’s The Bearer of Secrets with a lot of positive emotions, but I also feel like my head is spinning because of just how much there is to unravel in my mind. 

While I did see things that didn’t work for me, I still found myself captivated by the plot and waited anxiously to see how it would play out!

Before I get into the reasons for that, however, let’s look at what this story is actually about. 

Summary

The story opens with a young woman named Julie being rescued from a monster. Unable to remember anything about her past, Julie takes refuge with one of her rescuers, a veteran named Judas Lakayre, in a realm called Ermaeyth. Meanwhile, Judas is aware that an old enemy of his from a previous war in Ermaeyth is on the verge of breaking out of imprisonment with the goal of assuming control of Ermaeyth.

As Judas and Julie set off to stop him, however, Julie finds herself questioning where her loyalties lie, as she grows tempted by what Xilor is after in his quest for power. 

With the threat of another war growing, will Julie be able to find her place in the conflict?

Thoughts

I find the ideas driving this story fascinating! I think what hooked me was the vast worldbuilding, allowing the reader to fully experience the setting and learn about Ermaeyth and its inhabitants along with the conflicts shaping this world. The possibilities feel endless, and I love how the story kept me asking questions. The magic system is particularly interesting, allowing many ways for it to be used which in turn results in several captivating situations! 

I also find the setting’s history interesting. The Wizard’s War ended up being something I wanted to know as much about as possible because of how much it is emphasized in the story! I also found myself wanting to know more about several other characters and background that is introduced in this story. I feel like there is so much to this world and I was intrigued by it from the very beginning!

These are just two key aspects of the narrative that felt rewarding to me and they made me want to know more immediately!

Anyway, now that I’ve gotten those random thoughts out, let’s talk about characters!

Characters

Judas Lakayre 

I think there is a lot to like about Judas as a person. His arc is fascinating and uncovering his past alongside the main storyline left me on the edge of my seat! Seeing how he goes about trying to help others despite the clear risk to himself made his altruistic qualities clear. However, I also like how his flaws come out as the story goes on. His actions show that he makes mistakes, and they have clear consequences that left me extremely concerned for both him and those around him. 

I also can’t end his section without discussing the main relationship the narrative focuses on. His concern for Julie provides one of the most interesting dynamics in this story. Through his relationship with her, he shows that his desire to put others before himself guide him. This is the case even when he ends up doing things that cause damage rather than help. While his relationship with her is far from perfect, he shows that he cares about her and has good intentions despite his flaws. 

In the end, I found Judas’ journey gripping and feel he is just one of many fascinating characters in this story. 

Now that I’ve discussed Judas, let’s move on to Julie. 

Julie

Julie is also a very intriguing character whose journey is easy to get wrapped up in, but for very different reasons. As more of her personality is revealed, the inner conflict guiding her becomes more pronounced. I was concerned as this was uncovered, but it also made her even more interesting to follow. There is some degree of her trying to find herself, and that comes with its own consequences that kept me invested! I found myself hooked on her arc, wondering what she would do next. 

Despite her gripping journey, there are clear flaws to her character as well, taking her on a path with temptations and choices that highlight the impact of her inner conflict. These decisions fueled both my desire to see what would happen next and how she would be affected. I found myself wondering what impact her decisions would have as she continued to try and reach her goals. 

Overall, while Julie’s journey is dark in places, there is a lot to get wrapped up in while following her as her story unfolds. 

Now that I’ve discussed characters, let’s talk about the story’s structure!

Structure

I find that setup and payoff work wonders in this story! They are both handled beautifully! The setup for certain situations made me ask questions, only for the payoff to deliver in the most satisfying way possible. This kept me hooked and asking even more questions! This is also what contributed to the setting feeling so rich, because I got the sense that every piece of information I learned could potentially play a role later. I absolutely love when that happens, and I was waiting to see what would come next!

However, there is an issue with the structure that I can’t neglect to mention. I feel that the vocabulary being used didn’t work for me as it was most likely intended to. There is a glossary in the book and even a character list, but the character list was easier to smoothly integrate into the story because the characters stick out. A lot of the definitions were difficult for me to remember once I came across them in the story. I think this is because the definitions the book gives for these terms is an exact amount of time, so putting them into context for this setting was more difficult. I kept forgetting exactly how much time each word signified because there were several definitions to keep track of.

Overall, I think the structure worked beautifully in terms of setup and payoff, but I would have liked to see the glossary terms utilized in a way that made them easier to remember when they were used in the story. 

Now that I’ve gotten those thoughts out, let’s talk about the writing. 

Writing

I love the prose in this story! It takes on certain characteristics depending on whose point of view is being shown which works wonders for fleshing out characters’ personalities. Mood and tone also contribute here, with the prose reflecting the significance of the events. The writing comes alive, making it easy to get wrapped up in whatever is happening! I often found myself on the edge of my seat whenever the tone changed!

In the same vein, the pacing is handled very well, too! For the most part, it moved very quickly and kept me engaged with what was happening. This is especially prevalent in the action sequences that occur. The pacing perfectly encapsulates the tension of the events! This resulted in my hanging on to every word in these types of scenarios. 

In the end, I really enjoyed the writing and feel it worked beautifully in crafting the story’s plot. 

Well, I think I’ve covered everything I was aiming to. Let’s wrap this review up!

Conclusion

I really enjoyed this! Kyle Belote has created a fascinating world, the characters are interesting, and the plot is gripping from beginning to end! While I did catch a few elements in the story that didn’t always work, I still greatly enjoyed it despite that. In the end, I can’t wait to see how this story continues in the sequel and look forward to visiting this world again soon!

For all these reasons, I will be giving this story four stars.