Book Review for Seeds of Hatred by Christian Nadeau

Seeds of Hatred, Christian Nadeau, is an epic fantasy about political pawns endeavoring to survive in a world filled with the tragic beauty of war.

Marac is a former assassin who was hired to guard the blood sorcerer Elyas. Alex is a sheltered Lightbearer who must travel to Morador to warn the monasteries of the savage purges taking place. Soren is a young, naive military officer who becomes embroiled with the corruption of his own organization. Their seemingly distant stories come crashing down the moment three powerful organizations decide to attack one another, both on the war front and through polite society. Heartbreak after heartbreak, with betrayal lingering near, Marac, Alex, and Soren must use their wits to stay alive and bring down those who seek to ruin them.

I loved reading about these three characters, and how their interactions inadvertently affected one another. It was like I was looking through mirrors during a sunset, with the light bouncing against each surface, creating a kaleidoscope of colors that I could stare at for hours. Nadeau even shows just how important the supporting characters, from Elyas attempting to avenge his family, to Caras’s manipulative games. Each had something to offer to the story, and it helped the main protagonists with their development.

Not only that, but I also enjoyed what appeared to be a complex chess game between the nobles, the Fey, and the Brotherhood; characters like the noblewoman Laera, whose daughter was just murdered, and Aldazar, who had only wanted to live with his human bride, were all wonderfully written. Whatever side they were on, they all had loved ones, and they all had reasons for doing what they did. Nadeau illustrates just how convoluted war can truly be, where one side is neither truly right. Whenever I read about these characters, it was as if I was seeing at the various governments of the real world, whether that be from America or Russia. And personally, I saw a part of myself in each of them.

But while the book was good in those two respects, a major detractor was the fact that there were so many characters to keep track of. While their backgrounds were incredibly interesting, there were times I had to refer to my notes just to remind myself what character I was reading about. I also wanted certain character’s story lines to be a bit more fleshed out, and would’ve preferred reading more about the supporting characters, rather than the main protagonists themselves.

Nevertheless, I did like the book. The characters and political background was good, though I had trouble keeping up with the various characters. The prose was also vivid, so much so I could practically see myself walking alongside Marac, or being with Alex as she was ambushed. Thus, I would give this book a rating of a 3.8 out of 5 stars, and would recommend it to those who are fans of Flavio Santonocito and Jesse Teller.