The Staff of Fire and Bone

by Mikko Azul

CEdron, already isolated as the Regent's son, has a ShAeli demon for a mother. Approaching manhood, his demonic powers manifest. Blamed for the earth shakes ripping through the land, CEdron must flee, hunted by those who would kill him and others who will exploit his powers. He races against time to find the real cause of the destruction. CEdron has to become a hero or join the great demon and embrace his true heritage.

Genres: Fantasy

569 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 30, 2018

About the author

Mikko Azul is the award-winning author of Askari and The Staff of Fire and Bone. An avid fan of both Clive Cussler and Terry Brooks, Azul mixes fast-paced action and epic high fantasy to brilliant effect.

AWARDS

First Place: San Francisco Writer's Conference

Bronze Medal: Moonbeam Children's Book Awards

Reviews

[Carole P. Roman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cédron Varkasa is an unwelcomed half-breed. While his father is the Regent, his mother is a powerful Shäeli demon. He will soon inherit abilities that frighten the people of Muralia.
Cédron is desperate for acceptance and jealous of his half-brother's status as the favored warrior. He seeks his father's approval.
When a natural disaster threatens his home, Cédron runs away. He must choose between the forces of good and evil and find the right place in his world.
Excellent world building with diverse characters, The Staff of Fire and Bone is a thrilling fantasy. Filled with action, likable characters, and enough otherworldliness to satisfy young and old, the book will appeal anyone from 12 to 100.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. A review was not expected, and any thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Karen Eisenbrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a review copy of the e-book from the publisher.

The Staff of Fire and Bone is a thrilling tale of a misfit with a destiny to save the world of Muralia—and the power to destroy it. Cedron is the son and presumptive heir to the Regent of Dulnat, but he is hated for his mixed parentage in a world where the four peoples prize racial purity. It doesn't help that he has recently manifested uncanny and barely controlled magical power. When he is blamed for a disaster during a festival, Cedron escapes the city pursued by enemies, but soon gains allies—and knowledge of his destiny to right an ancient wrong, a destiny that requires the very lack of racial purity for which he has always been hated.

Cedron is an appealing hero. He wants to do the right thing, but he's young and doesn't understand his power. He can be a hothead and makes mistakes as he learns to use it without letting it use him for darker deeds. His quest for the sacred stones that will help him save the world involves narrow escapes, battles with enemies (and future allies), heartbreaking losses, and courageous sacrifice. But it's not all dire. There's plenty of the kind of comic business to be expected when adolescents have an adventure, as well as philosophical reflections on what power is for and what destiny really means.

Like the best fantasy settings, Muralia feels both familiar and deeply strange. Its mountains, plains, and sky are full of colorful giant birds and tusked herd beasts. The deities of sun, moons, and earth literally inhabit those orbs, and sometimes appear to Cedron in times of great need. Cultural practices of the various peoples feel rooted in long history.

My one (admittedly minor) complaint is that characters are constantly noticing, realizing, and deciding things. I'd rather these verbs were reserved for occasions when a character at long last makes an important decision, or notices something crucial for the first time, or finally realizes a critical truth that has been overlooked till now. The rest of time, don't tell me he noticed; show me what he noticed; don't tell me he decided; show me the action. This is my own pet peeve, so it stood out in any otherwise well told, imaginative tale.

But for the staff of the title, I would award 5 stars even if not for anything else. I can't say much without spoiling, but it is the most shocking and beautiful magical object I have encountered in 40+ years as a fantasy reader.

[Benjamin Gorman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent adventure. I got to read an advance review copy, and I loved it. There's so much to enjoy here, it's hard to know where to start. The world of Muralia is vast and richly conceived. Its different races of people are culturally distinct and wary of each other, and they struggle to come together when faced with a common foe, adding a layer to the challenge faced by the main characters who are charged with uniting the various peoples and saving this world from impending doom. The forces working to bring the ultimate evil back to life are also complex and have distinct motivations. One of my favorite things about this novel is the way it plays with fantasy conventions, satisfying readers with some of the archetypal elements of a hero story while dodging a lot of the cliches of Western European fantasy. These aren't the dragons and elves and orcs of so many derivative fantasy works. The Staff of Fire and Bone is an exciting debut because it is so original while still providing a deeply satisfying narrative. Every fantasy fan should check this out!

[Heather Ransom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly stunning coming of age fantasy tale – Staff of Fire and Bone is an epic account of friendship filled with imaginative characters and creatures. Azul’s amazing gift for description immerses us immediately in an intricately woven story where the corruption of power has bred sinister plots leading to prejudice and promises of exploitation. As Cedron’s story beautifully unfolds, we ache with his pain and hopelessness as he struggles to discover who he truly is and what is expected of him. In the face of overwhelming loss and uncertainty, Cedron must find a way to heal the land and restore the balance of power, even if it means sacrificing everything. From sinister demons and terrifying creatures to sacred stones and obelisk imps, Staff of Fire and Bone sweeps us away on an ever-shifting journey, reminding us of the importance of looking beyond someone’s race to appreciate the beauty, diversity, and power deep in all of us.

[Sang Kromah · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are so many books on my 2018 to-be-read list on Goodreads and I'm proud to say that all of those books are written by female authors. My goal is to read at least one book from that list a week and last week, I completed Mikko Azul's The Staff of Fire and Bone. I wanted to post my review immediately after completing it, but since today (January 30th) is the book's publishing birthday, I decided to wait and offer my review as a book birthday gift.

Read the entire review here http://www.projgirlspire.com/book-rev...

[J. Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

The characters were so bland and uninteresting that they made the book so boring. I dont care for these people, theres nothing to them and with the plot being so typical and the world just meh, there was nothing to really like here. It was just forgettable but not awful.

Plot-2.5
Characters-1.5
World Building-2
Originality-1.5
Enjoyability-2
Writing-2.5
Relationships-2
For a total of 2

[Emmett J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strong writing pulls me into this epic tale of a alternate world of lizard people, those bonded with great flying beasts and a protagonist half sorcerer half demon that is tasked to keep the evil demon locked away in the abyss.

Mikko weaves a tale where friends, allies and those forged in an uneasy truce have to work together to aid the young sorcerer-demon's quest to obtain the items from several God's that don't especially want to give them up. Can he get what he needs? If treacherous forces, invading armies and back-stabbers get their way, all peace loving people in the land will be decimated.

This is a must read. A page turner from start to finish.

Mikko Azul's second book will be coming soon to carry on the saga.

[Sydney Culpepper · Rating 5 out of 5]

First: this is not a standalone, as I thought when I first read it. Phew!

Azul has crafted a beautiful, intricate world with various races, cultures, and a beautiful magic system and religion. This tale is exciting, bringing new twists and turns as the story unfolds.

The characters have complex motivations, the action was thrilling, and the soft, tender, and at times devastating moments brought me to my knees.

The narrative easily switches between characters, beginning plots in multiple parts of this world until they merge together beautifully.

I am highly looking forward to the next one! #YearofPublishingWomen

(Also I definitely ship Cédron and Anéton)

[M.K. Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muralia is a place of mystery and wonder but the people who once untied to defeat the great evil threatening the world have become divided, fractured into different races until they are virtual cut off from one another. Enter Cedron, the mixed-race heir apparent to the Regent of Dulnat. Considered by some to be a demon because of his mother, Cedron's blossoming magical powers only serve to fan the flames of fear towards him. Meanwhile, his half-brother, beloved of the people, may or may not be angling to replace Cedron as regent-in-waiting - which is fine with Cedron. All he wants is to attend the Academy and learn to control his wild and powerful abilities. When Raesha, a girl from another race arrives bearing a dire prophecy and Cedron's black sheep of the family uncle turns up with an invitation to the Academy, Cedron must choose which to align with. He is thrust onto a much bigger stage. His quest is not just about finding his own place in a world where he'll never fit in comfortably, but also about facing an evil long assumed vanquished as he tries to unit peoples more interested in fighting each other than standing together to save the world.

Azul deftly interweaves questions about racial prejudice and destiny into a coming-of-age story. She's never preachy, but always thought-provoking.

[Braxton Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Staff Of Fire and Bone is an exciting and interesting novel. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone that enjoys reading and even if you don't enjoy reading this book will get you too.

[Dede Montgomery · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed reading this book, as I very rarely read this genre. At first I wasn’t sure, given that I rarely read fantasy, if I’d be able to stay with its length. However, I was impressed with the detail of plot and character, fascinated by the storyline and fully absorbed.

[Brody · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book is great for people who like adventure and stuff about demonic entity's this book is great at making you feel like your along the ride with all the characters having the right amount of detail to make us able to see in a 360 view of the world.

[Kris Younger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book written by a great person

[Dylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

a good book with a good twist and a good setting