I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
“The village hunters never even went close to that menacing forest, and if their prey happened to make its way through the treeline, they gave up the chase. There was nothing worth a trek into Yrecep Forest, or at least, there hadn’t been until today,” (Berry).
Taken in by the Coven as a young child, Pesdari hopes for a chance to escape one day. Though she has been taught in the ways of magic, she has also witnessed death and sacrifice and the terrifying closeness of their gods. When she witnesses her only friend Thade doing something horrifying, Pesdari finds an opportunity to leave with two unlikely companions. But will Pesdari be able to find freedom or become the gods ultimate sacrifice?
This was such a wonderful read! The Executioner of Yrecep Forest uses many fantasy tropes in an expert way to create a quest for our protagonist that grips readers on the edge of their seats, keeps them engaged, and interested in the characters throughout. I worried at the start with the amount of characters being introduced, but each one has a purpose and no story is forgotten, each connected and intertwined in a way that pulls readers further into the story. The writing is strong and it’s easy to visualize what the characters look like, the foreboding forest of Yrecep, and really see the other settings of the novel. Berry also does an excellent job creating some truly horrific moments. I’m not good with body horror, and while it was unexpected Berry did an excellent job of it and I’d love to see her explore horror writing.
Pesdari was an intriguing protagonist to follow and I also liked Thade, despite everything. A little more information on her motivations would have been nice, but I still liked what we were given. Capar and Anicen were wonderful and made my heart ache multiple times.
It’s a very short book, my PDF copy was 121 pages but the printed appears to be 164. Overall, the pacing was very good until the end where things were wrapped up a little too quickly, especially I felt the main conflict. The book is a perfect example of a quest, and I would have loved to see Berry stretch this our further. While the pacing is strong for most of the novel, I would have loved more detail into this world. As fantasy quests go, many avenues could have gone on longer or been explored a little deeper. I really enjoyed the world Berry created and would love to see more books set in this land. I was very intrigued by the character Cigma and would love to see the details of her backstory!
The Executioner of Yrecep is an epic fantasy novel. I hope Berry continues writing in this world and would love to see a longer novel coming in the future.
Publication: August 4th 2023
Publisher: Indies United Publishing House
Pages: 121 pages (PDF)
Source: From the Author
Genre: Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy, Horror
My Rating: ⛤⛤⛤⛤
Summary:
Pesdari grew up in the Coven, a place of murder, ancient magic, and sacrifice. When an opportunity arises to escape she must make a choice — betray her only friend for a chance at freedom or face the threat of becoming a sacrifice to the gods?
Sarah O'Connor 