Gen is a bard's apprentice growing up in a small town and getting into mischief with his friends. He is a decent young man who pines for the prettiest girl in the village and gets in trouble for playing pranks on the local nobles, that is until his somewhat idyllic life is ripped away from him in an instant. Shadan Khairn is a war monger, and master swordsman, who's army invades Gen's small town unexpectedly during the winter. Shadan's goal is simply to establish a unexpected foothold in Gen's country for a larger summer invasion, but this invasion results in Gen going from bard to prisoner over night. Things only get worse for Gen when Shadan quickly becomes bored in this nowhere town, and he decides to train Gen to be a sword fighter. He does this mainly for the sick pleasure of inflicting one devastating injury after another onto Gen, and then magically healing him of his wounds so he can do it again the next day. This process of repeated beatings changes Gen at his core, and puts him on a much different trajectory in life.

This fantasy series has a world with many layers including ancient gods, religious prophecies, and various forms of magic. The story is told from two main points of view, one being Gen and the other being the Chalaine, a young woman bred over generations to be the most beautiful woman who ever lived. The Chalaine is the ultimate fulfillment of an ancient prophecy and she is destined to give birth to the god Eldaloth, returning him to the world. Of course this prophecy is rather detailed about who will be the father and when the child will be conceived, so her enemies know exactly when and where they need to be to try and stop it.

Although some of the plot felt a little rushed, I did enjoy the twists and turns of the story that eventually brought Gen together with the Chalaine, and I became invested in wanting them both to come out on top. Unfortunately, this book doesn't satisfy in the outcome department as it is nowhere near a complete story. It is merely the first of four books in the Trysmoon saga, and it leaves you wanting more. At this point though, I am happy to continue in order to find out what happens next the the characters.

Simon Vance narrates the audiobook version of the series and he is an awesome narrator, so I fully endorse listening to this series over reading. If you do choose to read though, I do like that the author has provided a pronunciation guide on his website.