A fun read, full of found family moments and intriguing characters. There were points where I felt things were over described, but the characters keep me interested. For fans of characters-driven, cozy/adjacent fantasy.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc of this title in exchange for this honest review.

This book started promising, but then i completely lost interest, not sure why, and had to drag myself through it.

I liked the story very much. The overall feeling of old Greece/Rome was very present and helped the story. The writing, however, often felt rushed. Sometimes it seemed more like a draft of a story rather than the finished version. Abrupt jumps and awkward sentences could have been smoother. That being said, the fast pacing was still very much enjoyable:)

Heliotrope by Palmer Pickering is a slow burn, epic, fantasy tale that is full of adventure, dangerous political intrigue, royalty and ofcourse magic.
Read it if you like-
-Sword and sorcery
-found family
-animal companions
-Magic system tied to solar events
-Slow paced
-Outlawed magic
This is a long tale with around 780 pages which might be lengthy for some, but I enjoyed it. You become familiar with the characters as they are your own friends. You get to dine with them, ride with them, play with them and spar with them. By learning who our characters are, the environments that they are in, you become more and more invested in the storyline no matter how fast we were moving through it.

The cover gave me the video game vibes to be honest. I loved the animal companions part the most. I yearn for one of them now. Each of them has so much personality which ranges from an irritable stag with an overactive libido to a majestic and knowledgeable hunting falcon. But the horses were the most incredible part (Blackjack I miss you!), they were charming, obstinate, devoted, and occasionally just plain funny, as the lovely animals can be in real life.
As far as magic goes, I loved the concept of a Heliotrope, it was new and i haven't read about it ever. So obviously I loved reading about it. A large collection of mage infused stone which has been formed into an enchanted pattern. I mean what's not to love in that!!??? Also don't get confused with the term dancing, it's a sword dance!!!
Definitely recommend it for people who love epic high fantasy and are not bothered by a lengthy tale.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

this got a 4 start for me . I did really enjoy following the characters and the bits of action that we got but i feel that we spend so much time in between the action that the pacing felt a bit off. I don't mind quiet periods in a book where we get to know characters more but i feel these sections could have been shortened a little bit in order to keep the interest and pace of the book more consistent.

Mages. That hooked me. I love a good mage.

The characters were so well developed in this book and I really enjoyed their journey/adventure. The magic system was great and the worldbuilding was exactly what I love. A lot of people are describing Heliotrope as an epic fantasy and I have to agree! The fantasy is so well written, and the adventure just grips you and keeps you interested from start to finish. Which is impressive considering it’s just shy of 800 pages.

I’m not a huge fan of “outlawed magic” … it feels overused and boring to me.. But Pickering did back it up with good reasoning and I can appreciate that.

I would highly recommend it to other readers who enjoy a deep dive into adult fantasy, and aren't intimidated by thick books!


Thank you to NetGalley and Barbara Palmer Pickering for sending this book for review consideration! All opinions are my own.

This was a pleasant surprise. Heliotrope is at once accomplished in presentation with a grand foundation in characterization.

I was never a fan of detail writing due to some exposure to English writers that tend to belabour the mundane. In this instance, that minute attention with every character in concert with consistent movement, expanded the story line in breadth. Really artfully done. I felt shorted by the pacing, then wished this story would never end. A contradicotry flight of emotion, sated by fantastic writing.

In short this was f'ing really good, and am happy to add Palmer to my fave list of authors.

Teleo is a retired soldier who has put war and fighting behind him. He wants nothing more than to live a quiet life as a farmer and stonemason after discovering the murder of his wife and daughter. His young son went missing and he spent many years trying to track him down without success. After he is caught up in a rebellion against the ruling Royal family coup, Teleo finds himself on the run with his skilled cousin and nearly acquired foster kids. What transpires thereafter is a tale of magic, mages, love and coming of age.

I had mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand it is a creative story with well developed characters and good world building. I was interested to find that the author embeds constant references to crystals, of which play a significant role in the story with regards to magic wielding. But although I found the book interesting, it was a very long book, very slow paced and very long-winded, due to the tremendous level of detail incorporated in this book. I definitely feel this book would benefit from further editing.

Overall, I think this book would be of interest to people who have a lot of patience, and like getting stuck into lengthy fantasy/magic books.

This book leaves me with contrasting opinions on its merits. I would rate this around three and a half stars. I'm rounding up to four.

The story is told from the point of view of an older protagonist. He retired from the army after the last war. Upon coming home he learned that his wife and daughter were killed and his son is missing. He has spent many fruitless years searching for his son. Teleo still suffers from crushing grief at unexpected times, similar to real life. After a palace coup, he takes under his wing two orphans. They also have to wade through the surges of grief. His best friend and cousin assists, and they become a close surrogate family. It was very important to Teleo to become a good father figure for these two orphans.

The characterization in this book is terrific! Everyone had distinct personalities. The interactions and conversations were very lifelike. Even the animals had their own personalities: Marblehead the ram, Bo-Bo the ram lamb, BlackJack the horse with an attitude, the falcon,...the author did a great job in this respect.

My problem was the uneven pacing and the extremely detailed passages. Starting with the latter, my gosh, the details. Did we really need to know the lineage of the two horses? That had no relevance to the story. And to list every single foodstuff, article of clothing, supply, etc every time they were loading up to travel elsewhere? That really could have been more brief. The cast travels to three different kingdoms, so there was a fair bit of packing saddlebags. The overly-detailed descriptions of every single day, no matter how dull, should have been edited out. All in all, I was drowning in details. They really made a decent book almost a chore to pick back up. After the halfway mark, the author lightened up on the bogging down.

The pace was really, really uneven. Excruciatingly slow for a monstrous amount of pages, then something significant would happen, then back to glacier speed again. Truthfully, I considered DNFing this it was so slow. It wasn't until the crazy queen came onstage that things moved along faster. That was about halfway through.

This is a very large book, almost 800 pages. I think it could seriously use some more editing. As I said above, it's a good story. Without all of the extraneous minutiae, it probably could have been half of that size.

I received this eARC courtesy of NetGalley and Mythology Press.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Heliotrope and I'm happy to rank it among my biggest "surprise fantasy reads". The reader enters the story in mid-stride in a rather unassuming setting. Once the action begins to unfold, it's made clear that there is more than meets the eye and aspects of the past begin to be revealed. Heliotrope's story slowly unravels, leading readers through an adventure that weaves loss and discovery into a colourful tapestry that is enjoyable to watch being made.

If there is one aspect that I struggled with, it is the ambiguity with which some matter is presented. What are stone guardians? Well, they're stone guardians. The nature of Heliotropes? We'll get to that. At times, I wondered if I had missed a prequel that better explored these concepts because they were initially presented with a sense of blunt familiarity that I was missing.

The world-building seems to lead towards the possibility of a series development; there are loose ends and unanswered questions. The very aspect of magic itself, it's limitations and the reason for its disappearance is not fully explored. There are other key storylines which are never fully resolved and I look forward to an opportunity to re-enter the world to see where they lead.

I thoroughly enjoyed the pace of the novel, the character development and the intricate detail with which the world was built. Following the read of Heliotrope, I plan on looking at Palmer Pickering's other works because I truly enjoy her writing style.

A fantasy book that sees a retired soldier forced to join the fight once again. The book explores the meanings of sacrifice, found family, and survival amidst a world filled with enemies.

This is a wonderful story.

The characters are well developed and the world building is everything you could wish for.

Although a bit violent in places this has everything from Sorcery, Romance, Friendship and loads of action.

I could not put this down

Good world building requires patience to appreciate. In the fantasy realm, magic has to have a system that is logical and has fairly clear rules. Author Pickering has done a good job creating a fantasy world where his characters can grow and thrive. His scenic descriptions help transport the reader into the world his characters inhabit.

This book feels like a couple of stories melded together. There are sub-plots that fit into the whole, but they read like separate tales. It could have been a series of shorter books, but I’m glad the author chose to go about telling his story this way. It’s nice to have a single POV for the reader to follow throughout the book.

Four stars is my rating. While the characters each have their own motives and backstories, only the protagonist is compelling to me. The bad guys are generically evil and lack depth or subtlety. Overall a book I enjoyed. My thanks to the author via NetGalley. All expressed opinions are mine and offered without recompense.

#Heliotrope #NetGalley #IfCatsCouldRead #RescuedIsMyFavoriteBreed #Bookstagram #Catstagram #BooksAndCats #CatsAndBooks #KindlesAllTheWayDown

What a great way to start the year. Amazing characters, great world building, slow instead of throwing everything at us in the first chapter. Packed with action, and animals that characters in their own name.

Teleo and his new found family were a pleasure to read and know.

Highly recommend it to fantasy fans, you will enjoy it!

This is one of the books that just feel good to read. I myself will be keeping any eye out for more works by this author. 5/5 great stuff

Palmer Pickering & and Netgalley.

Thanks so much for allowing me to discover wonderfully magical worlds and new authors! This story is a perfect example!

Pickering's intricately imagined world is a buzz with ideas of family, loyalty, & the concepts of true evil that turns people to slaves and steals their freedoms.

Teleo isn't your typical young, coming of age main character, but in many of the same ways, grows, as he is forced from his home. After losses from a previous war between valley's, he is thrust into a role of father figure & protector to two "orphans" that play a grand role in the scheme of the story.

The magic "system" is very cool because it presents as more of battle magic that enhances abilities & creates tools & products that far exceed the normal

I've never read anything Pickering has written previously, but would be very eager to read another epic fantasy in this world, because the world is detailed, the characters are real, with believable emotions, reactions or desires. I truly will miss many of the characters, like an old friend!
The book is very long, but only the beginning was a little slow. Once the action starts, you can't stop...reading!

This is a good book to read, filled with action, magic, betrayal and intrigue. The world building is fascinating and characters are easy to relate to. Interesting storyline with enough twists and turns to keep you turning the page.

the cover is what drew me in and it is beautifully done and worked well with the story inside. I enjoyed the adventure part and loved the magic going on. The characters worked so well in this universe and I really enjoyed getting to know them. I'm excited to see where this author will go and hopeful this universe will continue.

"They gathered the horses and sheep, and Jessum lured BlackJack back over the water with a handful of oats. They mounted the horses and crossed the ford single file. Cinnamon drove the reluctant sheep through the cold water, and the band headed south along the sandy bank into the dark red shadows."