This has been THE fantasy read of 2025 for me so far! I finished this months ago and still think of it often.

This is such an awesome blend of fantasy, sci-fi, and African inspired culture. It feels like black panther and reads like the epic fantasy that it is.

Song of Legends Lost follows multiple view points and storylines with deep political drama and the exploration of what “truth” is. It all comes together in the most unexpected of ways. The story is complex and so are the characters. The ending has me waiting for more. Temi, Jinao, and Runt were the most rich of all the characters to me. I felt drawn to their storylines and couldn’t wait to get back to their chapters to watch how they developed. Though Jinao comes from a wealthy and powerful family, Temi comes from a family just making it by, and Runt is truly a street urchin, their stories all align in the same quest for truth and their attempts to improve the world that they know.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I really tried to read this one, but I just gave up 20% in as I wasn't following and couldn't comprehend any part of the 9 lands or spirits or anything. I know it was just my own mindset as the book seems to be really great.

I enjoyed this one! In depth fantasy world, and the integration of tech and magic is fun I think. I was definitely more invested in certain perspectives than others, which is why the pacing dragged just a bit for me at times.

This book was a great debut and a great read for those who are newer to epic fantasy. The world and characters were both amazing, but it did struggle with some pacing and plot issues.

This book has lush, complex world building that felt real, a massive cast of 3 dimensional characters, and really epic moments and battles, would very much recommend for fans of epic fantasy

Ever since I finished this book, I think about this book constantly. I love it more and more, which is crazy because I was confused most of the time but in a good way. This was fresh and different as far as epic fantasy goes. There was no romance, which was refreshing. I enjoyed the side quests and the world building and magic were unique. There were some pacing issues in some places and there were some character’s POVs I preferred over others but I am excited to see what happens in the next book. 4.5/5

Very ambitious book.
There were too many characters and the storyline was repetitive. I was having a hard time connecting with Jinao(?). He’s clearly insecure but his growth wasn’t progressive; he seemed stuck and he kept repeating himself about his mommy issues. His mommy issues were also not nuanced and kind of confusing. He also read very teen and immature. Temu seemed like she was in a totally different book and I could not connect to her either.

There so much info and stuff, it was difficult to keep track.

I’ve mentioned science fantasy a lot in these reviews, since it is one of the main chords of my SFF upbringing and development. We’ve seen books in this space where the science fantasy was anything but simply fantasy without even a hint of anything beyond that. Other novels have not mentioned explicitly they were science fantasy at all, but in the final analysis, clearly are.

For me, science fantasy works best and makes me happiest when it is essential that the two genres work and mix together. Science fantasy stories that are more than, oh look there is a raygun in this fantasy world. Or, oh look, in this science fictional world, there is the barest hint of something supernatural. But when the story surely can’t work without both elements, where the story feeds on being in this borderland, that’s when science fantasy works the best for me.¹

And so we come to A Song of Legends Lost by M.H. Ayinde, first in a prospective trilogy.

"What are any of us, if not a collection of memories?"

I have mixed feelings about this book.

This is rather unique from anything that I have read so far, which I have been eager for lately. I really enjoyed the link to the ancestors and both the traditional ceremonies and the abilities that come with being an invoker. There were a couple of characters that I enjoyed, and it was refreshing that there was no romantic storyline.

I had a hard time connecting with the "techwork" and what the limitations of this magic were. I also get annoyed when a word is repeated frequently, and according to my Kindle search, it was used 241 times (approx 2.4 times a page).

Although I did connect with a couple of characters, there were a lot of characters I did not connect with. Then, given the fact that we don't see certain characters for large sections of the book, I was itching to get back to them - and to understand when these many POVs were going to connect.

If you are looking for a unique high fantasy with some badass battles, you may enjoy this one.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the eARC.

4.25 stars.

Now this is what I've been looking for in a new epic fantasy series!

It has everything I love:

✅ Interesting and flawed characters
✅ BIPOC rep
✅ Queer rep
✅ Angry, powerful (and petty) ancestor spirit gods
✅ Immersive battle scenes
✅ Surprise! horror fantasy
✅ Sci-fi influences (dare I say Terminator?)

Reader, I ate this UP.

The novel was written in such a way that I could easily picture it as either a video game or a film. (Granted, I have a very vivid imagination, so this isn't really an issue.) But I was locked in in a way that I haven't been in a while.

The one huge thing I disliked was the slightly erratic narrative. I'd be invested in one POV character's journey, and then the next chapter would jump to another character and the momentum would be lost. It was a bit frustrating at times.

The beginning was also very confusing. There wasn't a lot of handholding here, so you're thrown into the story with no context or infodumps to explain the world or its systems.

But honestly, neither of my complaints bothered me as much as they usually do because the novel was so engrossing. On the bright side, this gives me an excuse to re-read/listen to the audiobook before the sequel drops.

I'm not easily impressed by most of my reads these days, but MH Ayinde is definitely on my radar now. I can't wait for the sequel and anything else the author has in store for us.

Thank you to S&S/Saga Press and NetGalley for the arcs.

Thank you @sagapressbooks for the gifted ARC of one of my most anticipated fantasy releases this year! This book, for me, was the epitome of “you use it or lose it” because I haven’t stretched my high fantasy brain muscles in a long time and my brain was verryyyyy slow in processing this epic fantasy!!! I paused and restarted at least 3 times before I was really able to get good momentum going and that is simply because the fantasy part of my brain has atrophied.

The world-building and magic systems in this world are unlike anything I’ve experienced before. The magic system is raw and keeps the reader on their toes trying to figure out the rules and parameters.

There is a full cast of characters with their own unique motivations, and I found Temi and Jinao as the “standout” characters. I was thankful for the glossary to help keep track of the plentiful examples of race-class world building.

This book will definitely keep you on your toes and if, like me, you haven’t read a high/epic fantasy story in a long time then you are in for a treat!

When a desperate kingdom launches a doomed campaign to end a war that has raged for generations, reluctant hero Temi discovers a terrifying power buried in the bones of history. Her accidental invocation of a forbidden spirit sets off a chain reaction of secrets, betrayals, and reckoning that could unravel everything the Nine Lands believe about their origins—and their enemies.

This blistering debut is perfect for fans of The Poppy War and The Rage of Dragons, weaving brutal battles, tangled loyalties, and a rising rebellion into a world where ancestry is weaponized and the line between savior and destroyer is razor-thin.

With unflinching prose and a cast of unforgettable warriors, mages, and monsters, this is epic fantasy at its most powerful: raw, rage-filled, and unafraid to challenge the stories we’re told—and the ones we tell ourselves.

WHAT A DEBUT. This book was the perfect blend of fantasy and science fiction, and my curiosity would not let me put it down. I was so refreshed and impressed with how unique this story was. I had no favorite POV, which is very rare for me, so I was so excited to jump right into the next chapter and uncover where we last left off. I loved uncovering that past, powerful ancestral magic, the unique magic system, political intrigue, and complex characters. I cannot wait for Book 2, and more from M. H. Ayinde.

What a unique and rich fantasy novel! Adventurous prose and intriguing characters. You can tell the author was heavily influenced by a variety of fantasy media and mythology (like Horizon Zero Dawn). But despite it feeling familiar, it remained unique.

It comprised of a lot of POV changes and at times that was hard to follow…but

Other than that I am excited to see where the story goes because this book definitely set itself as the build up for the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Saga Press for the digital galley in exchange for my honest review!

Finally, some good fucking food!!! I haven’t enjoyed a new epic fantasy this much in forever. Properly epic in scope, but the cast of characters is really compelling and gives the reader a nice variety of perspectives on what’s going on — nobody knows the whole picture and the author trusts you to figure it out from the pieces, which is super refreshing. Highly recommend, especially if you like fantasy where the magic is actually science that most people have forgotten.

This was so good! The ancestral magic system was SO cool and I love an interesting magic system. The characters were complex and I really enjoyed the writing.

The only thing I struggled a little with was the jumping back and forth of perspectives, but I'm a very impatient person so this is usually true for me.

I thought this book was really fascinating and well written. Perfect for fans of N.K Jemisin and Tracy Deonn., it gives us an extremely compelling and addictive story full of cultural heritage, war, and a bit of a sci fi feel (at least to me personally).

This chunkster of a book took much longer than I'd like to admit to read, not because it was bad, but because I'm such a slow reader.
I'm a sucker for a well developed magic system and this book hit the mark! The world building was fantastic too!! definitely looking forward to more from this author.

This debut novel is a rich African inspired epic fantasy with some sci-fi twists. It follows five POV characters as their paths twist and tangle in unimaginable ways. Both the world and the characters were so well developed that you couldn’t help but be sucked into the story.

I really loved that this was a queer normative world and that there was a wider variety of representation than gay and lesbian. I also loved the diversity of the POV characters, they represent various genders, ages, regions, social classes, and motivations. The class conflict between the rulers, warriors, and commoners also adds an additional layer of complexity to the story

This book is perfect for those that like emotionally charged stories, epic cinematic battles, and mysterious not cats. I know I can’t wait for the sequel because there is clearly still so much more of this story to discover.

What a debut. A Song of Legends Lost by M.H. Ayinde is a rich, immersive, and deeply thoughtful entry into epic fantasy that’s going straight onto my “must recommend” list.

Set in the Nine Lands, a fantasy world reminiscent of pre-Columbian cultures, this story blends ancestral magic, political deception, and identity with a deeply rooted sense of place and history. In this world, only nobles are believed to be able to summon the spirits of their ancestors to fight in battle. But when Temi, a commoner from the slums, accidentally invokes a powerful spirit, it sets off a chain of events that unravels everything we’re told about the war, power, and legacy.

The book unfolds through multiple POVs, and while the sheer number of characters could have been overwhelming, it never is. Each voice brings something vital to the story, and together they form an intricate web of relationships and motivations.

The world is expansive but never impenetrable. It’s a true feat of worldbuilding, layered and specific, with its own politics, religion, history, and culture. It’s also completely queer-norm with beautifully integrated representation across gender identities, relationships, and pronouns (including neopronouns), as well as deeply resonant mental health representation, particularly PTSD, that adds weight and humanity to the narrative without slowing it down.

My ONLY critique would be the noticeable absence of Temi’s perspective through a large portion of the middle of the book. As the central character featured in the blurb, I expected her arc to be more consistently present. While the other POVs are strong and compelling, the extended gap without Temi’s voice created a bit of distance from what felt like the emotional core of the story.
The cover might suggest something closer to a male-dominated, grimdark military fantasy, but the actual tone is much more in line with books like The Final Strife or Black Sun. It is bold, character-driven, and emotionally layered, with themes of revolution, identity, and personal agency. I can’t wait to see what Ayinde writes next!