I read a lot of fantasy, so I am used to all the archetypes that you find in this genre. The farm boy who is reluctant to accept that he has magical powers and is king of the world. The kingdom that is threatened by some unforeseen evil coming from the ancient past, that can only be conquered by a special key, stone or ring, and of course this device must be found through great difficulty. And the humans, elves, dwarfs, and ogres helping or fighting one another. Oh yeah, and it always takes place in a kind of medieval "Europe" sort of place.
This book is a breath of fresh air. Only humans here. But fantastical humans. They all come from groups that exhibit insect characteristics. The ant type (kindred) are telepathically linked to other ants in their ant group. Spider kindred are all good-looking, very charming and excellent climbers. Beatles are sturdy and hardworking. The book has about a half dozen other kindreds, just as interesting. If you are interested in finding out more about kindreds check-out http://shadowsoftheapt.com/category/world/kinden. Also, this is not your average medieval Europe. It is closer to a Steampunk type location. Wind-up cars, flying machines and Victorian industrial settings. The characters are wonderfully rich, interesting, complex and believable. I was always engaged with the story line. A great first book in a trilogy.

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