This review is based on an ARC copy. The author edited the book before publishing.


I didn’t hate the book. I finished it, and that was quite the task. But I was frustrated by it. There are 6 main characters, and we are introduced to them all right away. And they have fictional fantasy names. And there are newly invented races of people. And they have colored skin and hair that is significant, but I couldn’t keep up with that and the fantasy world, and the fantasy religions/Gods, and the names I couldn’t remember because I’ve never seen anything like them before (who names a horse Dilsaeth and a goat Teffnut). This is the first book in a series, so all 5 billion pages felt like exposition. That being said, I like the characters. There’s an echo of cozy fantasy mixed with epic fantasy, mixed with a mythology epic. There is a great story buried in here. I don’t know if I will come back for the sequels. But I can say, I have no idea where this series is headed.

3.5🌟

I’m glad I found this book by chance!

The story follows Fionn, Arsene and Eckart as the main characters and their journeys. As their interests align, their paths dissect. The interwoven POVs aid in creating a richer and more expansive world and just generally makes the story feel lived in.

Since finishing my read, the book has been published and now includes a map and a glossary. Whilst reading an advanced copy, this was something I’d wished I had. I have purchased my own copy and would love to reread with all this in mind!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC :)

This is a great debut novel by Author Riley Knight - the worldbuilding is intriguing and well thought out ,
with characters the reader can be invested in , full of twists and turns ( although a little slow at times ) .
It was nice to read a book with quite a degree of originality but the plot needs tightening up somewhat
to make the book flow better .
Also I am not a fan of instant love without any build up but this can perhaps be addressed in the next book
I look forward to the next in the series to see where Author takes us next

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Thank you to Riley for allowing me to read this early!

First off, A Song in the Storm is creative and immersive. Riley does a great job at setting the scene- this is not a romantasy. This is a fantasy book with interesting relationships between complex characters.

Second, there is a lot of jumping between character perspectives and time in this book which can be jarring for some readers. I enjoyed it. though it did take me a while to understand each jump in terms of plot.

The concept behind the story is truly unique. The world is vast and explored in-depth through the characters' travels; however, I do believe the story could have been a bit more streamlined. There were times where the plot seemed to drag and the multiple POV did become distracting.

I enjoyed this read overall and would recommend to those readers looking for a complex adventure!

A Song in the Storm by Riley Knight is a phenomenal debut. I literally can’t wait for book two.
Knight‘s writing is captivating. She knows how to pull the reader into a magnificent and intriguing place.
The story was absolutely engaging and the work that went into the settings was noticeable and superb.
The attention to details in her writing really set the scene and tone.

Overall a lovely story with lots of turns and obstacles, even though the end goal remains unclear.
Definitely a book to get the brain cogs turning!

The story centers a sad, lonely bard with a mission set by her patron who stumbles upon some unlikely friends on the way. The characters are lovable and most of the connections between them are heartfelt.

The story was a bit slow and confusing at the start and middle -with it following multiple characters it can bit a bit overwhelming but you soon get the hang of it. To be honest there was still some stuff towards the end where I had no idea what was happening and sometimes it took me a while to see who’s pov I was seeing.

I feel like the relationships between the main characters could have been delved into a lot more. People are instantly ‘lovebirds’ without much preamble or build up of the connections, the same with some of the friendships.

I started reading the original book but was gifted the updated and amended one by the author which some bulk was removed and that helped the story flow a lot better.

I think you’d like this book if you’re a fan of found friendships/family and underdogs.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ARC Review ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Thank you to Victory Editing, Riley Knight, and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book 1 of the Leviathan’s Call series starts off with the kidnapping of a royal infant. From there we divulge into multiple POV’s with characters who each have their own unique backstories and driving forces for why they are doing what they’re doing in this world. This book was a fun read and Riley clearly spent a lot of time fleshing out her world building and character development prior to putting pen to paper.

This is a very fantasy heavy start to a series. If you are a romantasy person, this may not be the book for you. Romance is a very minor subplot, and you can easily get bogged down in the details. If you’re someone who loves a good epic fantasy with lots of magic, unique lands, and different characters abilities, this is the book for you.

I’ll admit that I struggled through the first half to get into the story. The characters are very well written and their interactions were incredibly fun to read. But other than that and the world building, at times it felt like the plot wasn’t going anywhere. But the characters were so well fleshed out I couldn’t help but find myself forced to continue reading because I was falling in love with these well developed people and needed to know how their stories end.

By the end of the book, I was hooked! I will eagerly await the continuation of this series to see where we are going from here. I loved the unique magic systems present in the book (two main distinct ones in the human and cefran races). The characters felt very realistic. And the world is massive with so much happening in every corner of it.

Pros:
-World building
-Unique magic system
-Well developed characters

Cons:
-At times plot lacked drive
-Very detail oriented, may be hard to follow if you’re not a heavy fantasy reader!

This wasn't bad, just not the vibes I was looking for at the moment. I'll try to be objective in spite of that because there was a decent amount of pros and cons.

You will likely enjoy this book if you're looking for:

🌍 Unique worlds, heavy on world building
🗡️ Emphasis on fantasy adventure aspects
🙅‍♀️❤️ Romance is not a focus
📖 Story arc is multilayered/many perspectives

I felt a little lost in the first half or more of the book as there's not much explanation to how the world works or how all the pieces fit together initially. You pick it up slowly over time. It took me further into the last half of the book to truly feel I had a handle on the world/situations. This made it a little hard to connect but if you're willing to put in the time investment the payoff is a unique and beautifully written world with richly developed characters and relationships.

There's virtually no romance in this and absolutely no spice if that's something that you're looking for. This is primarily a good old-fashioned fantasy adventure. I will say that they take a lot of time building relationships in a meaningful way so I feel perhaps there might be some advancement in the romance department in the next book but based solely off of how this book read I can't be sure and it likely won't be a focus.

It was clear Fionn/Wulf had a connection and interest in each other yet the best banter award definitely goes to Fionn/Arsene (again towards the very end). And it's their dynamic (for better or worse), not Fionn and Wulf's, that had me intrigued to see played out and itching for the next book.

In summary, I think the next book will be the determining factor for me on if this time investment truly cashes out. The last chapter had me REALLY hoping it does.

Thank you Net Galley/Riley Knight for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you, Netgalley and Riley Knight, for this ARC.

Sadly, this book wasn't for me. It's such a bummer cause I really liked the blurb and was so excited to read this. It was just so confusing at times with the multi POV's, and the book was too detailed.

I did love the different species in this story and how every character has a different kind of magic. I especially loved the bard, Fionn. I always looked forward to her POV! She was just so intriguing. And I liked the action.

This book could be shorter and less POV's. I also wished there would be more romance in this book.

Don't let this demotivate you to read this story! You might like this one!

Rating-
DNF 12%

Genre-
Fantasy

Thoughts/Would I Recommend This?-
I honestly stared at this book wanting to start it for weeks and then when I did start it I felt confused and then looked if there was a book before this one. There was not, and so then I was left wondering what the heck was going on. Long story short, I tried to push on and read it anyways and failed…so I apologize, but this is a dnf that I tried not to dnf but could not get through it and I felt it would honestly be a waste of my time and the authors to continue on with this book. I do feel others could maybe understand and like this book a lot more than I did and so if you want I suggest you look into this and give it a try.

(Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review)

A Song in the Storm by Riley Knight, is not for the faint of heart. Based on this first book this series will be a commitment. With the slow deliberate complex world build of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series, and the multiple POV style of Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Tyrant Philosopher’s series, Knight’s ambitious debut shows great promise. The first chapters remind me of that difficult first hump of the first you go through with the introduction of the Wheel of Time series, but my gut feeling tells me the payoff will be just as rewarding as Wheel of Time or Tyrant Philosopher Series’. I will definitely be readding the next installment of this series.

Thank you to Amazon KDP for the opportunity to read this eARC. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 4 stars
Pub Date: Mar 26 2025

Tags:
#AmazonKPD
#ASongintheStorm
#LeviathansCallSeries
#RileyKnight
#YarisBookNook
#netgalley

A Song in the Storm by Riley Knight is a fantasy book unlike a lot of what is out there right now, it’s fun and mysterious with characters that feel both real and likeable with great chemistry between them and fun banter throughout.

My favourite part about this book is definitely the rich culture and world building, the descriptions of everything were very detailed and it was so easy to imagine and picture every scene. I also loved the magical elements and really enjoyed how every characters magic reflected parts of themselves, it would give little hints about who the character is before we actually find out.

Despite my favourite thing being the expansive world building, this book was quite hard to get into at the start, it’s multiple POV’s and every character has a different and unique background, and while that definitely is a plus later on in the book, it is just a bit confusing at the start. I did struggle quite a bit to understand everything during the first third of the book and it did take me quite a bit of time to read this.

However, once getting into this book, it more than made up for it and the ending has definitely left me hanging and wanting the next book ASAP and overall it was a very enjoyable book to read. It’s perfect mix of a dnd campaign-esque plot and a heist with so many plot twists and hidden meanings it will make your head spin. I definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an E-Arc in exchange for an honest review!

What an incredible debut book. There was action and twists from the first page to the last. The whole thing was large puzzle to sort out, all while loving the characters and their POVs. From the different kind of magic systems to religious and political intrigue, you never knew which piece of the puzzle was going to fit into place next or who to truly trust. With one person, I kept going back and forth. After that last chapter/epilogue, whelp there's my answer. Now for the others I have questions about...cannot wait for book two!

Reading this as an ARC from NetGalley was a treat. the story is interwoven with so many characters that at times the beginning can be confusing. I would suggest a glossary for the next book to help. With that said, this was such a pretty story that proves each indivuals experiences vary so much but are still interlocked in some way. the descriptions of landscape, people, and magics was beautiful. I would give anything to actually hear Fionn sing.

A Song in the Storm is a strong debut that will appeal to readers who enjoy slow-burn fantasy
While the pacing may falter in places, the book is still an enjoyable read for those looking for an epic fantasy experience.

Thank you to NetGalley for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The book cover caught my eye, it's truly beautiful! This definitely has a rich world building and is a complex high fantasy, so I highly recommend this book for people who enjoy the genre. Unfortunately I just couldn't get into this book. The pacing was slow and I was sometimes confused with which characters' POV I'm reading from. I felt that the book might be a tad too long. But just because this book wasn't for me, doesn't mean it cannot be for you.

This one just wasn’t for me. Riley Knight has a real talent for descriptive and beautiful prose but I couldn’t get invested in the plot or any of the characters.

I read A Song in the Storm by Riley Knight as an ARC.

At first I had a bit of difficulties to follow because of the switching of the POV's but afterwards it's like a world and people you got to know where it all starts and how it ends in this first book.

I am pleased to say it intrigued me and I kept on reading. And before I knew it, the book was finished. I love the magical world and all the building around. Also it was well written and I am up for book 2 when it will come out.

Thanks to Netgalley to give me the opportunity to read this as an ARC. Also congratulations on Riley Knight for writing this unbelievable book.

Definitely a 4-star read.

EArc provided by NetGalley
3.9 stars
Tettiena is evil lady goals which I loved. She did after all set up her own son to take the fall for her which is brutal beyond belief.
Eckart is my sweet boy mostly because feeling like never enough is a mood as a mixed kid.
The end felt a little rushed but I read this in a reading slump which could have resulted in this feeling as I do have a tendency to skim during those.
Will have to try give this a reread once I'm out of my slump.

This story was a very pleasant surprise for me!
It is the kind of epic fantasy that slowly pulls you in until you’re completely hooked.

It starts with the kidnapping of an imperial heir, setting off a chain of events that throws a mix of characters (each with their own secrets and struggles) into a world of warring factions, ancient mysteries, and supernatural forces.

The way the world is created & explained to us is one of my favourite parts of this story.

There are so many different lands, cultures, and magical elements it can be hard to follow at first, but if you keep with it, it slowly comes together forming a very real & lived in experience.

The way this book has been written, brings everything to life, from sweeping landscapes to eerie, magic-filled places where danger is always lurking….. it kept me on the edge of my seat… making it extremely hard to put this book down.
The way the magic system has been created is fascinating ~ it’s not just something characters use; it’s woven into the world in a way it becomes obe with nature.

The pacing is a little slow at times, but the layers of mystery and how everything unfolds kept me hooked. There were plenty of surprises, and I loved watching the characters get tangled in something much bigger than they ever expected. If you’re into epic fantasy with rich worldbuilding, complex characters, and a story that keeps expanding in unexpected ways, this is definitely one to check out.

Thank you to NetGalley & Amazon KDP for a copy of this eARC.