The Great Hearts by David Oliver
"My name is Calidan Darkheart. I am what the Emperor made me. Monster."
The Great Hearts is a dark coming of age story about two friends that have everything they love taken from them. While this story was a bit cheesy for my taste in certain parts, I loved the mix of darkness and innocence that this book has. The first chapter starts in the present with our main character Calidan and his best friend Cassius hunting down a criminal in some unnamed forest.
"I casually strolled to the fire that lit up the frozen, forested landscape. A large figure sat silhouette by the flames, fire light dancing across his polished armor. Nearing eight feet tall, Cassius was a hulking monstrosity, my one true friend and utterly, completely, insane."
But like any killing duo, Calidan and Cassius weren't always this awe inspiring, once upon a time they were just village children living normal, day to day lives. It's when they're both eleven years old, playing in the forest on the outskirts of their village that the real story begins.
"There was a strange smell in my nostrils, metallic. Similar to when the hunters came back with a fresh kill. I shook my head, trying to remove the smell and that's when I heard the first scream. Looking at it now, with a professional's eye, the mastermind behind the attack on the village did an excellent job."
After Cassius and Calidan escape the village, we spend the rest of the book following their adventures into adulthood. Both boys get trained to become soldiers for the emperor (called Imperators), but along the way Calidan gets bonded to a giant panther or Great Heart named Seya. She is by far one of my favorite parts of this book. If you enjoy well rounded animal characters, I think you'll have a lot of fun with Seya.
There's a lot that happens after we meet Seya, more than I could or should talk about, but the entire experience was a lot of fun. David Oliver gives us a story that has all the well loved charms of a classic academy/coming of age story, but with the teeth of a grim dark novel and if you happen to enjoy audio books, the narration is surprisingly good as well. The perfect blend of hopeful and dark, I can't wait to see what David Oliver has to offer up next.
The only real complaint I have is that I felt like certain parts were a bit rushed, especially near the end of the book. This is hard to explain without giving away certain plot points, but you'll know what I mean when you get to it. The story still worked and flowed fine, I just would've liked a little bit more. It also would've been nice to see a little bit more introspection from Calidan and Cassius, both of whom go through some incredibly traumatic events. We get to a glimpse a little bit of the feelings behind the characters, but it's never the focus for more than a quick moment. That being said, this is a debut novel and the first in the series, so there's a decent chance I'll get the moments and answers that I'm looking for in future books. If you like books that include unique animal characters, academy/fighting school type settings, intriguing mysteries, and brotherly/best friend coming of age stories, this book is well worth checking out and I can't wait to see what happens next.
Where To Buy:
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