Runebinder by Alex R. Kahler is a dark and thrilling entry into the young adult fantasy genre, blending elements of dystopian fiction, magic, and LGBTQ+ representation to create a unique and compelling story. Set in a world ravaged by war and plagued by monstrous creatures known as Howls, Runebinder offers a fresh take on the fight for survival in a post-apocalyptic landscape.

The novel follows Tenn, a teenager who possesses the rare ability to control the elemental magic of water. Tenn is a Hunter, one of the few remaining people trained to combat the Howls and other dark forces that have overrun the world. However, Tenn’s powers are both a blessing and a curse, as he struggles to keep his abilities in check while dealing with the traumatic memories of those he’s lost. As Tenn is drawn deeper into the conflict, he discovers that he is more connected to the world’s fate than he ever realized, and he must confront both external enemies and his own inner demons.

One of the standout aspects of Runebinder is its world-building. Kahler creates a bleak and atmospheric setting where danger lurks around every corner. The descriptions of the Howls—creatures twisted by dark magic—are vividly grotesque, adding a sense of horror to the story. The magic system in Runebinder is well-developed and intriguing, with each element—water, fire, earth, and air—holding its own unique strengths and challenges. Kahler’s attention to detail in crafting this world immerses readers in a reality where survival is never guaranteed.

Tenn is a complex and relatable protagonist. His struggle with his powers and the weight of his past make him a sympathetic character, and his journey is one of self-discovery and acceptance. Tenn’s sexuality is an integral part of his character, and Kahler handles it with sensitivity and nuance, making it a natural part of who Tenn is rather than a defining trait. The inclusion of LGBTQ+ themes in a fantasy setting is refreshing, and it adds an additional layer of depth to the story.

The supporting characters in Runebinder are also well-developed, with their own motivations and backstories that enrich the narrative. The dynamics between Tenn and his allies, particularly his complex relationships with Jarrett and Tomás, add emotional stakes to the story. These relationships are central to Tenn’s development and the choices he makes as the plot progresses.

Kahler’s writing is engaging, with a fast-paced narrative that keeps readers hooked from start to finish. The action scenes are intense and well-choreographed, and the sense of danger is palpable throughout the novel. The tension builds steadily as Tenn uncovers more about his role in the world’s fate, leading to a climax that is both thrilling and emotionally charged.

However, while Runebinder excels in many areas, some readers might find the world’s mythology and magic system a bit overwhelming at times, as Kahler introduces a lot of information about the world and its rules without much exposition. This can make the novel feel dense, especially in the early chapters, as readers work to piece together the details of the setting. Additionally, while the novel sets up a compelling story, it leaves many questions unanswered, clearly setting the stage for future books in the series.

In conclusion, Runebinder by Alex R. Kahler is a dark, imaginative, and engaging start to a series that holds great promise. It offers a unique blend of fantasy, dystopian elements, and LGBTQ+ representation, making it a standout in the young adult genre. Tenn’s journey is one of survival, self-acceptance, and the search for hope in a world overrun by darkness. Fans of gritty fantasy with complex characters and high stakes will find much to enjoy in Runebinder, and the novel’s cliffhanger ending will leave readers eagerly anticipating the next installment.

This had me hooked straight away and I adored it. I need to know what happens next. The characters were well constructed and I wanted to know more than was on the page as they felt like they had more to give.

I absolutely adored the magic and mystery in thie LGBT fantasy. The main character Tenn is a hunter who battles monsters as well as depression. I liked the world and the lore about the gods, but some of it was a little confusing. The plot was compelling and intense. The amount of death and violence was captivating. A book without a hint of mystery is like a character without personality. It builds suspense and drives the reader forward.

This was a real disappointment with a poorly thought through and confusing story.
The idea of magic could have been so much better leaving the characters lacking depth.
First book of the year for DNF.

I was provided with a copy of this book via NetGalley for honest review.

"when magic returned to the world, it could have saved humanity, but greed Bd thirst for power caused mankind's downfall instead"

This is a fantasy based after magic has come back to the world and rendered all technology obsolete and I've never read anything like it! It's based on earth but has necromancer, witches and elemental magic plus and lgbt main character,

What more could I have asked for! I'll definitely be picking up the next book in the series!

Highlights
The magic system
The runes
The LGBT romance
 The Story
The storyline was a straight line from pretty much from start to finish. There are not that many subplots but the book does change between present day and the past especially as Tenn’s magic is water which can drag up memories quite often. It brought a great insight to the past, how things came about and why these things are this way.
I felt Tenn had it easy sometimes. Somethings just fell into his lap, while other times he walked straight into it expecting it to fall into his lap and it didn't. However, it would always sort itself out to his benefit.
Also, I'm not sure about the witches. I understand their importance in this world and with the magic system. But for Tenn's purpose, they knew what he wanted and what he needed and gave it, without questioning of wanting anything in return. Too easy. So why are they there? Apart from that, I did like them as people. But the gap between how the twins acted and how the witches responded to them was miles long and deep.
 World building
I needed a bit more world-building, to be honest. The world felt a bit small. There wasn't much reference to outside of the US or of many other states.
As I said it felt a bit small, and I'm not sure how to explain that statement. It was limited, like a village instead of a city, if that makes sense.
Having said that, I really liked the idea of our world going under due to the presence of magic. It would have been nice with more info about how it affected technology and stuff. Again I enjoyed it but it was limited and smallish.
 Magic system
I really enjoyed the magic system in this book with a mixture of runes and elemental magic. The detail of how it worked was well done with the different locations of the spheres for each elemental magic and the limitations. At the same time, I felt Tenn had it easy with magically knowing the runes without knowing them and also with the limitations of the magic not really applying to him, making him special. But that's the purpose of the story. He did suffer a bit with is own elemental magic as it was a bit wild.
 The Characters
Tenn is, firstly a great name for a wizard, and secondly a character I really liked. He’s not your typical hero. He is more of an emo nerd and a softer male character. I don't often come across soft male heroes (apart from Newt Scamander and his fantastic beasts) so when I do I really enjoy it. Tenn is not a Newt Scamander, not a jock, but something in the middle. He is soft and caring, but brave and kills monsters without thinking too much about it. All he wants is for this nightmare world to end so he can get a husband and a log cabin somewhere in the woods. And Jarrett fits that bill.
Jarrett is the jock type guy, second in command at one of the outposts around Chicago. As the love interest, he sure knew he was and used Tenn as his escapism from the brutal monster-filled world they lived in. I haven't made up my mind yet whether I like him or not, I need some time to think about it.
 Romance
I read somewhere that there was some instalove in this book. I don't really agree with that. Tenn and Jarrett have already met in the past and it never really gets serious in this book. However, it does go quickly from their first meeting to feeling normal around each other and discussing their nonexisting future. Of all the instaloves I have read about, this is not bad.
 LGBT+
Only one time in the entire book was there any negative references to LGBT people. It came from a religious group (some sort of Christianity) promoting the end of the world being near or something, and their leader says ”oh the queer boy is back” as Jarrett comes into view. But that is it for negative comments. The characters decide to ignore them and basically, the whole book decide to ignore such attitudes.
The lack of explaining their orientation and the lack of negative attitudes towards them was really nice. It made it feel normal and natural which is how it should be. It was apparently a conscious decision by the author and it succeeded.
 Writing
I didn't have too many issues with the writing of this book apart from two things. One, there were a few areas where the writing jumps to conclusions before it's ready. Two, the fast pace areas we're too fast for me, too brief and too short. Those pieces of bone needed some meat.
 Overall
I enjoyed this book. I really liked the LGBT romance and the magic system. But I'm not sure if I will continue with the series or the author at this point.

In a world destroyed by magic and greed, and monsters stalking alleyways, only Hunters remain with the powers to challenge them. But they’re fighting a losing battle. Can Tenn fulfill his destiny as the chosen one, and save the world? Or is a seductive promise from the evil Kin tempt him to destroy it?

On reading this, I was expecting an epic fantasy with some fantastic minority representation but unfortunately I was a little underwhelmed, and ultimately confused.

The magic system and world building is woefully underdeveloped, and little is explained fully. We never know where, what or how people acquire power etc. and the wider world is neither explored or explained. I think the author went too ‘big’, and perhaps over exerted their ability to recreate such complex new world system. I think this would have worked better if it had more of an ‘urban fantasy’ or modern setting, or a smaller world that wasn’t so complicated. In addition to this, we also never really see why Tenn is chosen for his task. It’s as though as the reader we just have to accept things for what they are, without delving any deeper into the ‘why’ of things - which I found frustrating. It was very one dimensional and vague.

Tenn I also found a little underwhelming. He’s intense, and not in a good way, and a victim of the all consuming ‘instalove’ I hate in novels. I want characters that develop a connection over time, with a shared experience. What I don’t want is instant lusting and swooning after spending less than a day with the subject of your affection. Unfortunately that was the case here, and I admit I sighed heavily. I want more creativity in my characters relationships and more complexities. That said, I loved the LGBT aspect.

The writing style I also found a little off putting, with an overuse of analogies that grated with me and left the flow of the story a little stilted. I struggled, even though I found the overall plot interesting enough. It’s a very ‘typical’ quest type fantasy, that normally wouldn’t bother me, but I just found these characters couldn’t really hold their own on an adventure.

Promising fantasy, but too messy and confusing to really grab my attention.

Runebinder is a book I had my eye on for a while before seeing it on NetGalley fairly recently, and I’m so glad I requested it! I’ve always loved the cover, it’s just so dark and magical I think that’s why I felt so drawn to it. Essentially, it’s a dystopian fantasy, set in our world (USA) after a few magical changes. It has a special touch of lots of diversity so if you’re after a fantasy with lots of diversity in it especially then check it out!

Diversity is mostly from the main character being a gay male called ‘Tenn’, there isn’t any kind of explanation about it which I personally love as I don’t think anyone should have to explain why they feel how they feel. It’s a nice touch for the focus to be on the fantasy elements and story itself. One thing I’ll note about the diversity though is there was one case of homophobia in the form of signage, I think it was to make a group of people seem worse but honestly I feel it could have easily been left out? It’s only a small paragraph at the most but just as a warning…

One particular secondary character was my absolute favourite character in the story – Dreya. She has a twin called Devon but I don’t have much to say about him as honestly he rarely spoke throughout. There was a lot of focus on how Dreya cared for him though and she was just such a strong character that she could have easily been the main character. Initially I cared a lot more about her character than Tenn but as the story progresses he matures along with it and eventually I did find myself not quite as annoyed by him. He’s quite a whinging character at the beginning yet seemed to care little about people dying at the same time – which made me dislike him a little.

For the magic itself! People have essentially uncovered magic and within a short time some have taken to using it for evil means by creating monsters like ‘Howls’ and destroying the world as it was. As you might be able to imagine based off the title and cover alone, there’s a lot of elemental and rune magic involved. Essentially, they discover magic by realising how to use the runes to trigger it.

Considering this is a young adult book, this has a lot of swearing in it, along with a lot of violence and killing. So I definitely would not recommend this for those on the younger side of the young adult age range. Having said that, for anyone around 17 and above it’s a great read if you’re a lover of dark fantasy, and the way that the runes and magic are tied in with a post-apocalyptic story certainly makes for an intriguing read. There’s actually currently a short story available on Kindle which follows the events, I can’t wait to get round to reading that but I’m praying for more of Dreya being in the story still after this read!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/review/R1C15VQ19N19TO/ref=pdp_new_read_full_review_link?ie=UTF8


I received a free copy of this via netgalley for a honest review
A great start with magic in a post apocalyptic world with necromancers and monsters, i do find that some of the characters have some minor problems mentally though.

I found the love triangle between tenn jarret and tomas a little strained at time as though it was trying just a little too hard.

I really loved the twins they are the best part of the book, they are so powerful yet not as powerful as tenn, i found them to be great additions.

Personally i would recommend the book overall as i think that the author did a great job bringing this book to the fantasy genre, he highlighted many social issues as well as keeping me hooked from start to finish, all in all a great first book i look forward to what will come in the future, i know i will be waiting for them to find out what happens next

I heard about Runebinder last year before it's official release and it's been a book that I've been dying to read since. So when I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley in return for an honest review? I was super happy.

Runebinder is a book that feels like a mix between This Savage Song and The Immortal Rules. It was an interesting and very dark read but at moments it could seem a little slow. It focuses on Tenn, a boy whose water magic seems to be starting to control him, just as the Kin - human monsters who want to use him to help them win.

I quite enjoyed the characters in this book. Tenn was an interesting protagonist and I loved the twins. I'd have liked to find out more about them actually. Jarrett and Tomas were okay but I wasn't a huge fan of either of them. Jarrett was really sweet and a great love interest but that's also kind of where my problem came from.

My main issue with the book was how fast the relationship did seem to be happening which is a shame. The romance in this book felt like insta-romance. Jarrett and Tenn may have known each other in the past and their need for each other could come from the desperation to hold onto how things were...but it was just too much, too soon. I wanted more build up. They were still sweet and I was happy for them but yeah, just a little fast.

On a brighter note, the world building was so good. There was an interesting use of magic and this was a great post-apocalyptic setting. It fascinated me and I look forward to seeing more of the world.

Problems aside I was intrigued by this book and I do look forward to book 2.

A powerful start with magic in a post apocalyptic world. It felt slightly weakened with the relationship drama and I’ve come to the conclusion Tenn is a basket case, unable to decide whether he wants to be lion or lamb. In the beginning it felt like there was a princess peach vibe, except she isn’t emo and doesn’t have a death wish. I like the twins, I don’t think much of Jarrett, his intentions aren’t clear and it feels like he’s holding Tenn back and last of all you’ve gotta love Tomas, the seductive incubus with a hidden agenda. I enjoyed this one and will definitely be reading the next one.