What happens after the evil is vanquished? Just because the villain has been beaten doesn’t mean the crisis is over. In The Council of Athyzia by D.H. Hoskins, the land of Jenor is recovering from a war that lasted twenty-five years, leaving much to rebuild including trust and alliances. Unity saved them all, but can it remain as they attempt the first Council of its kind? Find out more about this political fantasy in my full review below!

This book was provided for free by the author in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to D.H. Hoskins for the opportunity to read this book!

Content Warnings

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This book contains scenes of death, war, violence, blood, gore, stalking, drugs, alcohol, smoking, gaslighting, mistreatment and prejudice of a fictional race (elves), prejudice, discrimination, oppression, radicalization, tyranny, military threats, extortion, witch burnings (off page), torture (off page), witch hunting, fearmongering, slurs (for fictional races), lynching, and the control of knowledge.

There is a reference to rumours of blood rituals involving young girls being sexually assaulted, and the organs of babies being eaten, however, nothing graphic happens in the book. It is just someone relaying rumours.

This book is set after a brutal twenty-five war and while the war happened off page, details about it are discussed on page. These include; undead armies raised from the dead, blighted land and crops, mass death, death of loved ones, controlling people by magic, and blood-letting.

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A land divided, Jenor was ripe for The Osseomancer and his armies. He took full advantage of the divisions between men, elves and dwarves, catching them off guard for over twenty years until they worked together to banish him. Even though his reign of terror has ended, the impact of the war has been felt wide and far. There’s much to rebuild, physically and figuratively.

Snorri, one of the mages of Athyzia, the Academy of Mages, fought in the war alongside men, elves and dwarves from their various kingdoms. He saw first-hand what was achieved by working together and saw what great things could continue to be achieved after the war. With the help of his former apprentice, Nauveena he drew up a plan for a Council, the first of its kind.

Invites were sent out, discussions were had, and Snorri made his case to those unsure about the idea. Some declined the invite, some didn’t answer at all, but many did, and the Council’s first day soon arrived. Excited to tell everyone his full plans, Snorri’s good mood is instantly derailed by a complaint from one group, leading him to make a hasty allowance as an apology.

As the Council starts to make an agenda of topics, Nauveena starts to realise that while her mentor has good intentions, some of those intentions are naive. There was also a lot more happening in Jenor that they weren’t aware of when they planned the Council, which would have affected much of their planning. Struggling to play catch up, Nauveena finds an unlikely friend as she realises that she faces a battle as difficult as protecting Athyzia from the Osseomancer’s armies.

The Council of Athyzia by D.H. Hoskins is a very different beast of a book than I’ve read before, and I’m delighted that I accepted the opportunity to read it, as it’s brilliant! I’ve seen a few fantasy books use the setting of post-war now, which intrigues me a lot. It’s such a rich environment for writing and character development, and this is what Hoskins develops spectacularly throughout the book.

At the start of the book is a list of ‘Attendance’, detailing all the attendees and the people they represent. Normally I skim through lists like these and don’t pay them much attention; names mean little to me without the details the story provides me. However, for the first time, I was drawn to such a list. What made this one interesting to me was how much thought Hoskins had put into each group and their titles. Rather than the usual fare of Kings/Queens, Dukes, Leaders, Emperors/Emperesses etc., there was a wide range of titles listed. There are, of course, Lords and Kings, but among them, a Poet, an Amasadoress, a treasurer, a Burgomaster and many more that caught my attention.

This gives you just a brief inkling of the diverse political setting of The Council of Athyzia. I’ve seen others call this a political fantasy, and I agree with that categorisation. However, do not let that put you off. There is plenty of action in this book, and while there are some stuffy discussions, they are still very interesting and included with tongue-in-cheek narration that they’re boring.

I liked that Hoskins didn’t avoid those topics, as it balances the book so well. He does a fantastic job of pacing the book, after all, much of it is about a group of sitting down and talking at length about politics. I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t think of anything more dull, and yet I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Hoskins has perfectly captured the balance of including just enough of the Council’s discussion to show what is happening and summarising the rest through Nauveena’s narration to stop it from overwhelming the book.

Nauveena is a great narrator who offers vulnerability, suspicion and frustration. She was left behind to guard Athyzia during the war and therefore, does not know the attendees just like the reader. She is in the perfect position to be the narrator, introducing them and learning about them. Nauveena is young enough to be a little naive, but old enough to stand on her own two feet from her mentor, Snorri. This leads her to still seek out his advice while following her instincts and making alliances of her own.

It isn’t easy to have such a large cast of characters and make them all memorable, yet Hoskins manages to do just that. Every attendee of the Council has a unique personality and due to the nature of the plot we get to meet them all. While the overall plot of the book is the politics of the Council, be prepared for some extra surprises along the way!

The Council of Athyzia is a political fantasy that draws on traditional swords and sorcery fantasy and European history to bring an intriguing story of what happens after the evil has been vanquished. With a dash of mystery and plenty of unique world-building, this debut from D.H. Hoskins is not to be missed!

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Thanks for reading my book review for The Council of Athyzia by D.H. Hoskins! It is due for release on 21st June 2024 and is currently available for pre-order from Amazon.

Don’t forget to check out the rest of my reviews if you’re looking for some more book recommendations 🙂 You can also now sign up for my newsletter to get an email each month with a list of my new reviews!

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