Really great fantasy/action book. I loved that it was clean, but not boring or slow in any way.
First read by this author
The book starts with Kye, a downtrodden human slave. He accepts his life as the slave to a goblin master who treats him badly all the time. But one day things kinda fall apart. He realized that his master has a “stone” that is quite important and powerful to the elves. But one day, there is a big dinner thrown and a special guest, Arden is invited. There are plans to give the stone, actually a magic imbued gem to Arden. However Kye finds out that Umbee, his master is actually planning to kill Arden so he can keep the gem. When Kye hears those plans, he heads to Arden to warn him. Things move quickly at that point, by Kye knows a secret way out of Umbree’s castle basement. When Kye becomes seriously injured in the escape,Arden saves him.
When they return to the elven world, neither one is welcomed with open arms. However, they is a healer than saves Kye’s life. Arden decides he will take Kye under his wing and teach him magic, something forbidden to humans— as inferior beings. Kye is pulled into a new way of life that he could never image himself. Buckle up because it is a fantastic ride. I received a digital ARC from the publisher through NetGalley. This doesn’t affect my honest, freely given review.

I was intrigued by this book based on the cover. The lighting profile really felt dark but bright at the same time. I was curious about these two characters, in more ways than one.. Having read the book, I can say this is much more a fantasy story than a romance story. That's okay. Sometimes I need that. I enjoyed the worldbuilding and the characters were exciting to me. As a fan of epic fantasy and romantasy, this was a nice bridge between those two genres.

I love me a good, non-romance focused, politically intriguing, adventure-esc fantasy and this book was just that.

I really enjoyed how the story unfolded. A good amount of backstory about the main character and the world was given, the magic system was well explained and the story was, for the most part, fast-paced. The characters were also very likeable (and hateful if you know what I mean) and I liked that we got scenes with different character perspectives.

If you’re someone who’s interested in reading more high/epic fantasy but are a little intimidated by series like Lord of the Rings or Robin Hobb’s Realm of the Elderings, I think this is a wonderful place to start. The writing style is simplistic, easy to follow and does not contain complex language. I found the writing at the start of the book to be a little blunt and abrupt and made getting into the story a little difficult but as the story went on, the writing started to flow more and more.

All in all, a great debut novel!

Thank you NetGalley and the author/publisher for the eARC!

Sulara Anor

First part of the book provides the backstory and world building, then it gets more into the development of the plot and the action.

The world building is really good and the plot is engaging and interesting. It was easy to read, and had a hint of potential romance and some humour.

The plot and characters seem to have a good scope to develop further in future books. I want to learn more about the characters back stories, as well as see how the story ends

I believe this is the first in a trilogy and would read the next one.

I truly enjoyed the premises of this book! It had elfs, magic, and kind of a academic environment.

The main character is likable and I truly enjoyed seeing him grow. however as it is written in third person I felt like we didn't get as deep into the character as i would have liked to.

The book did feel perhaps quite predictable and young, so as an adult reader I was perhaps finding myself wanting more depth to the story but feel like this would be perfect for a bit of a younger audience or someone who is just now getting into fantasy.

The magic system was interesting and relatively easy to understand. I would have loved to see more about the relationship between characters but perhaps we are getting more of that in book 2.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc! All thoughts are my own.

★★★★ A heartfelt fantasy with a lot of charm

This book really surprised me. I wasn’t sure what to expect going in, but I ended up really enjoying the story and the world Stacey Bureker created. Kye is such a likable main character—quiet, determined, and constantly underestimated. Watching him step into a role no human has ever held before was genuinely satisfying.

The relationship between Kye and Arden was one of my favorite parts. It’s tense and complicated, but also full of growth and trust. The world-building is solid, and the whole necromancer conflict added a nice layer of suspense without overwhelming the character-driven moments.

I gave it four stars because there were a few pacing issues, and I wanted a little more depth from some of the side characters. But overall, it’s a strong start to what feels like a really promising series. I’ll definitely be picking up the next one.

“fear could be a sword or a crutch depending on how it was wielded.”

i honestly don’t have too much to say on this one. all in all i enjoyed it! i have in fact been in the worst reading slump of my life these past two months, but when i was actually sat down and reading this i was having a good time.
it was definitely not what i was expecting going into this, and i was pleasantly surprised by the direction of the story.

definitely agree that it kind of felt like if lord of the rings/the hobbit meets harry potter.

the pacing of the story was good, and the writing was simple & easy - there were some inconsistencies with the dialogue (mainly the tone in which they spoke), but nothing major and not something hugely bothersome, so do with that what you will.

i enjoyed kye as a main character, and i loved seeing him gradually stand up for himself after years of being belittled and treated like (pardon my french) absolute crap. arden was also such a fun character, the sass!! i was laughing every time he spoke.

if you like a good character driven YA fantasy, i definitely think you should give this one a go. it was a fun time! i don’t think it’ll stick with me much going forward, but i enjoyed it and would consider picking up the next book in the series.

(also if i’m not mistaken, this was a debut novel? 👏)

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC! This will be releasing later on this week, on Aug 29
I had such a fun time while reading this. Bureker creates a fantasy world that manages to feel both familiar and new. The common tropes applied to fantasy things like mages, elves, dwarves and the like are all familiar enough to just roll with it without further explanation, which allows for more time to focus on the magic system explanations and the plot at hand. The characters were another high point here, I liked Kye, Arden, and Saiyah a lot. In addition, I liked Kye’s openness to learning new things and his interactions with the new (amicable) characters he was meeting. I did find some of the side characters to be more one-note, but this is book 1 in a series so they may be fleshed out in a later book. Specifically, some of the other elven mages who Kye has some issues with don’t feel like they have anything else going on beyond not liking humans. The biggest complaint I do have with this is that Arden’s dialog doesn’t really mesh with everyone else’s. It’s far more casual and almost modern both in tone and word choice, where almost every other character sounds more ye olde times. I think this walks the line between young adult and new adult very nicely, not necessarily in terms of content but more the way we see through the character’s eyes. This is definitely something I’d recommend for people who like older fantasy novels but with a modern style to them

Beyond the Cobbled Road: Fading Light by @staceybureker is a high fantasy YA that surprised me in the best way. The main character, Kye, is quietly strong, a character you immediately root for from the firstchapter. The world around him feels alive and detailed, with a magic system that’s simple but enjoyable. I loved the sense of found family and friendship.

This book has a lot of promise, and I’m genuinely excited to see where the next book goes.

If you enjoy magical worlds, relatable heroes, and stories about loyalty and courage, this one is worth picking.
thank you @NetGalley & the author for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟.5

“There was never meant to be, a cobbled road for me, A straight and even path to wander by.”

my ARC review of Beyond the Cobbled Road: Fading Light by Stacey Bureker, the first in its series (though for the life of me I can’t figure out what the series is called 😅).

“You must first admit your weaknesses in order to realize your strengths.”

this book is a really beautiful diamond in the rough. there are so many elements to it that stood out so much & so well. the MC Kye is well fleshed out, easily lovable, & a rare character archetype in this day & age: quiet, soft spoken, gentle, warm & humble & kind, but with a spine of steel and a penchant for selflessness. the world building is top tier. I could absolutely see and feel this world & wanted to dive into it (though maybe not as a human). the underdog aspects are like catnip to me, & the magic system was simple but fun.

the only things I struggled with were the shifting POVs with no warning, the juvenile/immature writing (it’s a YA, yes, but the writing was still often clunky & awkward, even for a YA), & the modern speech in a high fantasy novel (threw me out of the story every. single. time.).

“Don’t disregard fear, it can be a sword or a crutch, depending on how it’s wielded. The trick is to allow it to sharpen you without allowing it to cripple you.”

as rough as this diamond may be (just a little!), it is still a diamond & imo definitely worth the read (it releases on KU on 8/29!). I’ll just hold out hope that the author grows & develops as a writer because she really has a lot of promise, talent, & imagination and I cannot WAIT for the second book ❤️❤️

🌕 high fantasy YA
📚 underdog
🌕 humans are the weakest link
📚 third person, multiple POVs (it kind of switches at random, which can be a little bit jarring)
🌕 very YA- feeling vibes/writing
📚 found family of misfits
🌕 elemental magic system
📚 the writing style is engaging in its simplicity
🌕 slave to mage acolyte pipeline
📚 academia
🌕 spells & potions & species-ism, oh my
📚 maybe the littlest bit of a love story (although I kind of hope not, tbh. I like the platonic friendship/found family aspect)

thank you to the author & Netgalley for the ebook in exchange for an honest review!

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I didnt pay attention to this being YA, but I still read it and i liked it! The cover is absolutely beautiful and matched the feel of the writing. Give it a try!

I give this book an overall rating of 4 stars.
I enjoyed the book, especially the world building. It reminded me of the Lord of the Rings. This is my first time reading a fantasy where there was no romance, yet I was still captivated.
Thank you, Stacey Bureker, Net galley and the publisher, for granting me access to the e.ARC!!!

This book gave Lord of the Rings meets Harry Potter type vibes. A little different than my normal spicy trope, this one was a fun magical non-romance. It was an easy read, so maybe recommend it to YA who are wanting a fun book full of magic and friendship in an academic setting. Maybe a bit simple for heavy fantasy readers, but it was a fun adventure non the less.
Thank you NetGalley and Stacey Bureker for the advanced copy of this book!

The overall rating for this book was a 3.75.
I really enjoyed the premise. It was a semi cozy fantasy with Lord of the Rings vibes. Humans are seen as lower class and can only be slaves, and our main character Kye, had a pretty rough go of it during his life with people treating him horribly.
I loved Arden and his “don’t piss me off” attitude mixed with a “I will say whatever I want” mouth. His dialogue was the funniest.
The dialogue as a whole was a little bit clunky in some spots. I did feel like a couple of the characters fell a little flat, Umbree and Valor, but other than that I liked the book. The world building was cool and the magic system is good.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this e-ARC.

If you like Lord of the Rings, fantasy, and (sort of?) ya style writing then you will love this book!

Started off strong with good backstory and world building. It was really interesting from the beginning. We went right into action in the first few chapters, which of course I love, and then are introduced with more characters and plot lines. I have to say I really enjoyed how lots of little details you think aren’t going to be important tend to pop up later, and it works great!

The book just got better and better as it went on! I could tell the author got more comfortable with writing as the story progressed.

The ending was so strong, and I will 100% be reading book 2 when it comes out! Such a cliffhanger and leaves you wanting more and more from this amazing fantasy world.

Also- such a unique plot line. Humans at the bottom of species hierarchy, being born into slavery and looked down upon. I always love stories about the breaking of social norms so this was great hahha.

“ ‘Idiots are everywhere. I find it best to pay them no mind or risk becoming one of them yourself.’ “

Thank you so much to Net Galley and the publisher/author for giving me an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!!!

4/5⭐️

I'd like to thank the author and NetGalley for providing me with this eARC :)

I was very pleasantly surprised by this book! We had some rainy summer days this past week, and I have to say, this story couldn't have been more perfect for the occasion! Literally couldn't put it down! The pacing was very enjoyable, not too fast, nor too slow. It has a high fantasy plot with a cozy touch to it, which made it easier to digest than some of the popular books it reminded me of such as The Name of the Wind and The Lord of the Rings. It's a story about hope, determination, and friendship. I recommend this book to all the fantasy lovers who want a breath of fresh air in between their dense 1000p epic fantasies.

Plot:
We follow Kye, a human, who has been a slave to a powerful mage since he was a kid. Kye, fortunately, ends up in an unfortunate situation where he betrays his master in order to save an elven mage. Arden, the elven whose life he saved, in turn, saves Kye by making him his acolyte and teaching him how to become a mage as well. We see how Kye deals with the hardships of being the first ever human acolyte, which isn't very well-received by the Magi Council and fellow acolytes, while also anticipating his previous master's return to settle unfinished business.

Characters:
Kye is a very charismatic MC, he's easy to like and relate to. The development of Kye and Arden's relationship is very entertaining to witness. Arden comes off as very "je m'en fous", but is actually very deeply caring and protective over the ones he loves. It's nice to see Kye slowly warm up to his new master/teacher and friends, in contrast to the timid boy he was when he was enslaved. Although the main characters are solid and well-written, the side characters are what made this book whole for me. Not only the enjoyable side characters like Celeste, Mireen, and the dwarves, but also the annoying ones. I feel like a well-written bad guy should piss you off, and the ones in this book definitely did that!

World building and magic system:
The story takes place in the Six Realms, where humans are seen as lowlives and are supposed spend their lives serving all other magical beings. Amongst those magical beings, some are mages. This world very much reminded me of Tolkien's Middle Earth with the orcs, dwarves, elves, wizards, lost magical artefacts,... Mages can travel through realms via portals, opened by the Magi Council when needed. Overall, the world building wasn't very extensive, especially if you compare it to other fantasy books, but it was enough to envision the setting. The magic system is nothing too complicated. It's easy to understand and follow along with.

Writing:
Very simple writing, which can be either a good or a bad thing, depending on your preference. In this instance, I found it to be a rather good thing. There aren't many fantasy books out there (that aren't romantasy) that are this easy to digest, so it was refreshing to experience the contrary for once! The length of the book, combined with the not overly descriptive language made it a fast-paced and easy read. There's no ambiguity, which made it a bit predictable at times, but thrilling nonetheless. It was nice to have different chapters or parts following different people, which really added a certain suspense factor that was very enjoyable. My only remark on the writing is that "Kye said, Arden said, he said, she said,..." became a little repetitive, and I wish the author was a bit more creative in expressing the character's dialogue.

I can't wait to see what happens next in Kye and Arden's story!

Join underdog Kai and his unlikely friends on a classic adventure of good versus evil. Beyond the Cobbled Road: Fading Light reinforces the familiar notion that great things, while not always what they first seem, can have humble beginnings.

As an experienced adult reader with a background in fantasy, I found the pacing and content mild and predictable at times, perhaps more suitable to engage a younger audience. With an ending that does eventually escalate and leaves big questions unanswered, I believe many readers will look forward to continuing the tales of our plucky human hero.

I received my copy as an ARC through NetGalley and leave this honest review freely.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book! Gives you everything you could ask for in a fantasy book! Intrigue, mystery, revenge, magic, other worlds, life or death battles, and a cliffhanger! Can't wait until the second book!

This book was a very, very fun read. Very character driven, which I personally am a huge fan of. I agree with other reviewers calling this Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit like, it absolutely is! I liked how atmospheric and descriptive the writing was. The plot-point of humans being the lesser beings in a magical world makes this book stand out in the crowd of tropes within fantasy. There are a very fun multitude of creatures to read about in this universe, such as orcs, goblins and elves. It felt very much like those old school punchy fantasy books. I throughly enjoyed the dialogue, it felt very natural and fun to read between characters, especially between Arden and Kye. My major complaint would that the pacing had me either tearing through the text or struggling to stay interested. Regardless, a good solid read, especially in today’s fantasy genre, and that I’ll definitely keep in mind to check out the next future release!

Thank you, NetGally and Stacy Bureker, for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

Final Verdict: 3.5 Stars.

I have mixed feelings about this one. This is one of those stories where the premise sounds good, and the worldbuilding and characters are interesting enough to match, but the writing just isn’t there yet to make it fully come to life. I’m pretty sure it’s just a me thing, but I found the writing quite clunky, and the voice was not strong enough to enrapture me.

One of the biggest pet peeves I have is how similar all the character voices sound to each other. There is very little distinction between them that shows their differences in class and personality. I’m not way that they are badly written characters, they’re not. However, I just couldn’t get attached to them as I should have because they didn’t feel like real people.

Additionally, I found the world-building to be interesting. This certainly isn’t your regular fantasy story, and it pretty much strays away from all known tropes. Again, I didn’t think the writing in its current state could fully encompass it. I did not feel drawn into the world in such a way that I could easily picture it and become immersed, which I found such a shame.

Now, this isn’t to say that this is a bad story. It’s not. In a world where most fantasy is romantasy, if you’re looking for someone who has deep relationships without romance being forefront, then this is your book.

This novel has a lot of good things in it. I simply felt the writing could not match its grand scope entirely, but it’s still worth giving a read!