The Wulver’s Library’s Review of The Return of the Knights by Gregory Kontaxis
Publication Date: 9 May 2023
Series: Book 1 in The Dance of Light
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 408 pages
Rating: 3 stars
Publishers Blurb
The Palace of the Dawn will soon be stormed. The most ruthless man of all time is one step away from assailing on Iovbridge and dethroning Sophie Delamere. The Queen of Knightdorn is now alone, with neither allies nor an army capable of rebuffing the enemy which is approaching her city. Everything appears to be over, until a mysterious young man, Elliot, makes his appearance.
Entangled in a web of lies and politics, Elliot will try to draw Walter away from Iovbridge and face him in the stronghold of Wirskworth. He will attempt to rekindle relations and revive the old alliance between the Queen of Knightdorn and Syrella Endor, the Governor of Wirskworth. Elliot’s mission will take every fibre of his will and if he fails, so shall the kingdom.
Review of The Return of the Knights
I am always on the lookout for new stories so when I saw the cover for The Return of the Knights, I just had to look up the blurb and hear what this was all about. Gregory has put out an amazing epic fantasy debut for his The Dance of Light series that is filled with epic battles, political intrigue and magic that makes for a brilliant first novel. There are drips of emotional intensity that spark the imagination that can be a tad overwhelming but the more we explore this world, the more I can see this becoming a fantastic series.
There are foundations laid here that do need work. The story is interesting and unique and has the potential to build on a classic base of characters, but some felt 2D when they should have gotten more spotlight. The suspense and mystery were perhaps my favourite part and the messages that Gregory conveyed throughout were handled well. This is a story that feels familiar but knocks some of those tropes out the park.
