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Aulirean Gates #1
Gates of Hope
The Watcher shattered the gates. Now hope must arise from the shards.
Five hundred cycles ago, the Watcher closed the gates between the world of Lieus and its moons to end a war. Since then magic has been hidden, relegated to childhood tales. On the outer moon of Tebein, any human showing magically aligned traits would sentence their entire community to death at the hands of the native awldrin overlords.
For awldrin are immortal and their memories long.
Even peace is transient, and on Lieus, invasive monsters are encroaching on Caldera, leaving Darin and his bonded moonhound to face nightmares made real. As the creatures spread their wings, Suriin’s father is injured, and she must delve deep into the secrets of the Black Palace to try and save him.
Elissa’s magic could not have bloomed a a worse time on Tebein, as the awldrin are roused, and now she must run to save everyone she loves.
Far more than the fate of their loved ones is at stake, but will any of them see it in time?
Five hundred cycles ago, the Watcher closed the gates between the world of Lieus and its moons to end a war. Since then magic has been hidden, relegated to childhood tales. On the outer moon of Tebein, any human showing magically aligned traits would sentence their entire community to death at the hands of the native awldrin overlords.
For awldrin are immortal and their memories long.
Even peace is transient, and on Lieus, invasive monsters are encroaching on Caldera, leaving Darin and his bonded moonhound to face nightmares made real. As the creatures spread their wings, Suriin’s father is injured, and she must delve deep into the secrets of the Black Palace to try and save him.
Elissa’s magic could not have bloomed a a worse time on Tebein, as the awldrin are roused, and now she must run to save everyone she loves.
Far more than the fate of their loved ones is at stake, but will any of them see it in time?
492 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 11, 2023
About the author
J.E. Hannaford
8 books54 followersJ E Hannaford is powered by coffee, dragons and whisky. She teaches Biology in the real world and invents fantasy beasts to populate her own.
She lives in Suffolk, UK, and pines for the coast and mountains of Wales.
A love of nature and the ocean washes through the pages of J E Hannaford's stories and pours out of the characters who live in it.
Her debut adult series is The Black Hind's Wake Duology, a futuristic folklore fantasy.
Her epic fantasy trilogy Aulirean Gates starts in 2023 with Gates of Hope.
She lives in Suffolk, UK, and pines for the coast and mountains of Wales.
A love of nature and the ocean washes through the pages of J E Hannaford's stories and pours out of the characters who live in it.
Her debut adult series is The Black Hind's Wake Duology, a futuristic folklore fantasy.
Her epic fantasy trilogy Aulirean Gates starts in 2023 with Gates of Hope.
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September 15, 2024
My SPFBOX review of Gates of Hope is published at Before We Go Blog.
“Committing a once immortal race to slow, unstoppable death was never an aspiration of mine, but sometimes we must do what is right, not what is comfortable. Today, we choose the lives of many over the longevity of a few.”
Thus begins J.E. Hannaford’s masterful epic fantasy, Gates of Hope, which combines a beautifully written story with a Brandon Sanderson level of worldbuilding. The quote above is an excerpt from the last recorded communication of the Watcher—a giant space dragon who is revered as a deity by the human population—just before destroying the gates that connect the Aulirean System, viz., the planet of Lieus and its two moons. The larger moon, Mythos, is home to the Watcher and other dragons, while the tiny outer moon of Tebein has been colonized by humans who, without the gates, are now stranded in an inhospitable climate, living in fear of both starvation and Tebein’s race of warrior aliens known as awldrin.
The planet of Lieus is not much better: its main continent of Caldera was once lush with vegetation but became marred by deep craters following an event known as the Rending. Communities are largely confined to living inside the craters, as the upper surface of Lieus poses too much danger. The far eastern Edgelands of the continent are especially fearsome, teeming with monstrous beasts that are invasive species from the sibling moons.
There are three point-of-view characters in Gates of Hope. First up is Darin, a young man from Caldera who possesses rare magical abilities in a world where magic is dominated by women. Darin becomes the first male in recent memory to bond with a moonhound, large shaggy dogs with magical powers. The moonhounds choose which humans to bond with through their doggie dream magic. The relationship between Darin and his moonhound, Star, is one of my favorite aspects of the novel. They form a deep psychic bond where they can share images and emotions with each other. As a man, Darin’s own magic expresses primarily through song, which he struggles to master:
“Music, he had been told, was inseparable from magic. And, judging by his first singing lesson the previous night, it was going to be a long journey before he had mastery of either.”
Darin’s adventure sends him deep into a secretive society that controls Caldera, as well as a hidden group within that society.
The second point-of-view character is the lilac-haired Suriin, a teenaged girl who lives in one of the deep craters on the continent of Caldera. The color of Suriin’s hair is a visible indication of magical powers in women. She has led a sheltered and privileged youth and seeks to experience the world on the surface:
“I wish I could get out of this crater and meet new people. I wish for new experiences.”
However, Suriin blames herself for a potentially fatal injury to her father after disobeying his advice. Suriin trains to master an emotion-based magic ability and will do anything to save her beloved father, even if the path toward salvation involves unintended consequences.
The final point-of-view character in Gates of Hope is Elissa, a young woman struggling to survive on the outer moon of Tebein. Elissa is targeted by the awldrin for her lilac-colored hair. She and the other magically endowed women of Tebein are labeled as Untouched and must hide their hair color by wearing headscarves or by dying or shaving their hair. The Untouched are not allowed to have children or enter into any romantic relationships. Elissa spends her days hiding in a small nook within a circuitous cave, but one day she accidentally gets a magical crystalline shard embedded in her foot. This crystal may provide the only hope for the stranded humans on Tebein to return to their home planet of Lieus.
J.E. Hannaford takes worldbuilding to the next level in Gates of Hope. There is some clear inspiration from Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive but without ever becoming derivative: Hannaford’s universe is every bit as intricate and inventive as Sanderson’s Cosmere. At the same time, Hannaford’s writing is unfailingly elegant and accessible. Unlike many of Sanderson’s novels, there are no awkward info dump chapters in Gates of Hope. The worldbuilding and magic system are revealed organically through the experiences of our three main protagonists.
The magic system in Gates of Hope truly captured my imagination, spanning dream magic, emotion-based magic, crystal magic, and even plant magic. The flora and fauna in the novel are a particular delight, such as the plant known as “love-lies-weeping” used in magical glow lamps. The dragons in Gates of Hope are truly awesome: beyond the Watcher, other dragons are devoted to specific emotions, e.g., Hope, Regret, and Sorrow. Other fantastic fauna include the flying xotryl, which are reminiscent of poisonous pterodactyls. I also enjoyed the giant birds and the large horned creatures known as rhinocorns.
Altogether, Gates of Hope filled me with a sense of awe and wonder from the first page to the last. J.E. Hannaford knocks this out of the park, combining exceptionally innovative worldbuilding and magic with well-realized, relatable characters and beautiful, accessible writing. Upon finishing Gates of Hope, I immediately wanted to flip back to the beginning of the book to read it again. Like the best of the genre, Gates of Hope is the type of book where you can discover new details each time through.
Gates of Hope will restore your faith in epic fantasy. I am confident that it will rank among the most-loved books from this past decade of SPFBO competitions, right up there with Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft, Legacy of the Brightwash by Krystle Matar, and The Sword of Kaigan by M.L. Wang. I am delighted to nominate Gates of Hope as a semi-finalist in SPFBOX and encourage everyone who loves epic fantasy to pick up this gem of a novel today. The story continues with book two of the Aulirean Gates series, Gates of Sorrow, which was published earlier this year.
“Committing a once immortal race to slow, unstoppable death was never an aspiration of mine, but sometimes we must do what is right, not what is comfortable. Today, we choose the lives of many over the longevity of a few.”
Thus begins J.E. Hannaford’s masterful epic fantasy, Gates of Hope, which combines a beautifully written story with a Brandon Sanderson level of worldbuilding. The quote above is an excerpt from the last recorded communication of the Watcher—a giant space dragon who is revered as a deity by the human population—just before destroying the gates that connect the Aulirean System, viz., the planet of Lieus and its two moons. The larger moon, Mythos, is home to the Watcher and other dragons, while the tiny outer moon of Tebein has been colonized by humans who, without the gates, are now stranded in an inhospitable climate, living in fear of both starvation and Tebein’s race of warrior aliens known as awldrin.
The planet of Lieus is not much better: its main continent of Caldera was once lush with vegetation but became marred by deep craters following an event known as the Rending. Communities are largely confined to living inside the craters, as the upper surface of Lieus poses too much danger. The far eastern Edgelands of the continent are especially fearsome, teeming with monstrous beasts that are invasive species from the sibling moons.
There are three point-of-view characters in Gates of Hope. First up is Darin, a young man from Caldera who possesses rare magical abilities in a world where magic is dominated by women. Darin becomes the first male in recent memory to bond with a moonhound, large shaggy dogs with magical powers. The moonhounds choose which humans to bond with through their doggie dream magic. The relationship between Darin and his moonhound, Star, is one of my favorite aspects of the novel. They form a deep psychic bond where they can share images and emotions with each other. As a man, Darin’s own magic expresses primarily through song, which he struggles to master:
“Music, he had been told, was inseparable from magic. And, judging by his first singing lesson the previous night, it was going to be a long journey before he had mastery of either.”
Darin’s adventure sends him deep into a secretive society that controls Caldera, as well as a hidden group within that society.
The second point-of-view character is the lilac-haired Suriin, a teenaged girl who lives in one of the deep craters on the continent of Caldera. The color of Suriin’s hair is a visible indication of magical powers in women. She has led a sheltered and privileged youth and seeks to experience the world on the surface:
“I wish I could get out of this crater and meet new people. I wish for new experiences.”
However, Suriin blames herself for a potentially fatal injury to her father after disobeying his advice. Suriin trains to master an emotion-based magic ability and will do anything to save her beloved father, even if the path toward salvation involves unintended consequences.
The final point-of-view character in Gates of Hope is Elissa, a young woman struggling to survive on the outer moon of Tebein. Elissa is targeted by the awldrin for her lilac-colored hair. She and the other magically endowed women of Tebein are labeled as Untouched and must hide their hair color by wearing headscarves or by dying or shaving their hair. The Untouched are not allowed to have children or enter into any romantic relationships. Elissa spends her days hiding in a small nook within a circuitous cave, but one day she accidentally gets a magical crystalline shard embedded in her foot. This crystal may provide the only hope for the stranded humans on Tebein to return to their home planet of Lieus.
J.E. Hannaford takes worldbuilding to the next level in Gates of Hope. There is some clear inspiration from Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive but without ever becoming derivative: Hannaford’s universe is every bit as intricate and inventive as Sanderson’s Cosmere. At the same time, Hannaford’s writing is unfailingly elegant and accessible. Unlike many of Sanderson’s novels, there are no awkward info dump chapters in Gates of Hope. The worldbuilding and magic system are revealed organically through the experiences of our three main protagonists.
The magic system in Gates of Hope truly captured my imagination, spanning dream magic, emotion-based magic, crystal magic, and even plant magic. The flora and fauna in the novel are a particular delight, such as the plant known as “love-lies-weeping” used in magical glow lamps. The dragons in Gates of Hope are truly awesome: beyond the Watcher, other dragons are devoted to specific emotions, e.g., Hope, Regret, and Sorrow. Other fantastic fauna include the flying xotryl, which are reminiscent of poisonous pterodactyls. I also enjoyed the giant birds and the large horned creatures known as rhinocorns.
Altogether, Gates of Hope filled me with a sense of awe and wonder from the first page to the last. J.E. Hannaford knocks this out of the park, combining exceptionally innovative worldbuilding and magic with well-realized, relatable characters and beautiful, accessible writing. Upon finishing Gates of Hope, I immediately wanted to flip back to the beginning of the book to read it again. Like the best of the genre, Gates of Hope is the type of book where you can discover new details each time through.
Gates of Hope will restore your faith in epic fantasy. I am confident that it will rank among the most-loved books from this past decade of SPFBO competitions, right up there with Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft, Legacy of the Brightwash by Krystle Matar, and The Sword of Kaigan by M.L. Wang. I am delighted to nominate Gates of Hope as a semi-finalist in SPFBOX and encourage everyone who loves epic fantasy to pick up this gem of a novel today. The story continues with book two of the Aulirean Gates series, Gates of Sorrow, which was published earlier this year.
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August 9, 2025A finalist in the 10th annual SPFBO contest!
10 finalists were chosen from the 300 books entered this year.
10 finalists were chosen from the 300 books entered this year.
August 12, 2024
Gates of Hope is the first book in this new trilogy by J.E. Hannaford called Aulirean Gates.
Full disclosure: I read an early version of this book, and I'm friends with the author, but my review is fair and all thoughts are my own. I will be buying this upon release for my collection.
I'm simple. I hear the word "gates" (portals? I love portals! Give me portals! More portals, please) and I see a hint of a good boy, and perhaps some dragons in space, and I'm there.
Looking at the cover, you'll spot Star, the Moonhound, and you'll be pleased to hear that he is indeed a very good boy. I feel like when it comes to the magic, you mostly need to know one thing: it's possible, at least for some people in this world, to telepathically connect with the Moonhounds.
Surely, that alone makes this a must-buy?
While the worldbuilding is fascinating, and I do so love the concept of gates connecting worlds, Hannaford's newest effort is primarily character-driven.
There are three main characters, Darin, Suriin, and Elissa. Two of them are quite young, only just embarking on their journey, and as a result I'd call Gates of Hope a coming of age fantasy. And because I'm rather old and grumpy, my favourite character turned out to be Elissa.
Elissa is strong, stubborn, grew up in captivity, but never let it break her spirit. My kind of character.
This isn't a dark book, that's not to say bad things don't happen, but overall the tone remains hopeful and it reminds me of the adventure stories I used to devour as a child.
I can't wait to see what's in store for these character and am eagerly awaiting the sequel.
Full disclosure: I read an early version of this book, and I'm friends with the author, but my review is fair and all thoughts are my own. I will be buying this upon release for my collection.
I'm simple. I hear the word "gates" (portals? I love portals! Give me portals! More portals, please) and I see a hint of a good boy, and perhaps some dragons in space, and I'm there.
Looking at the cover, you'll spot Star, the Moonhound, and you'll be pleased to hear that he is indeed a very good boy. I feel like when it comes to the magic, you mostly need to know one thing: it's possible, at least for some people in this world, to telepathically connect with the Moonhounds.
Surely, that alone makes this a must-buy?
While the worldbuilding is fascinating, and I do so love the concept of gates connecting worlds, Hannaford's newest effort is primarily character-driven.
There are three main characters, Darin, Suriin, and Elissa. Two of them are quite young, only just embarking on their journey, and as a result I'd call Gates of Hope a coming of age fantasy. And because I'm rather old and grumpy, my favourite character turned out to be Elissa.
Elissa is strong, stubborn, grew up in captivity, but never let it break her spirit. My kind of character.
This isn't a dark book, that's not to say bad things don't happen, but overall the tone remains hopeful and it reminds me of the adventure stories I used to devour as a child.
I can't wait to see what's in store for these character and am eagerly awaiting the sequel.
August 6, 2024
In the prologue of Gates of Hope, a dragon—the Watcher—destroys the gates, the only link between the planet Lieus and its two moons. This leaves the people on the moons stranded without any means of getting back to their home planet. The three protagonists of Gates of Hope live in this shattered setting.
Elissa is trapped on Tebein (one of the moons of Lieus) under the tyranny of the awldrin, the sworn enemies of humanity. The intragalactic war between humans and awldrin was the conflict over which the Watcher closed the gates. She becomes the hope of Tebein when she stumbles upon a shard of one of the old gates, which could enable escape from the awldrin’s rule.
Darin and Suriin live on Lieus. Darin, a mage (or So’Dal) in training, is one of the rare men to have been chosen as a bondmate to a moonhound. Suriin is a child of So’Dal, raised in isolation, who takes it upon herself to find a cure for her father after he was gravely injured defending her life.
The world of Gates of Hope is quite creative. The magic system is unique, with songs and emotions as the roots of magic. For example, in the process of mastering her power, Suriin must learn to understand and control her feelings.
This is a solid novel, but it never pulled me in. Although I felt as if the ending of Gates of Hope were only the middle of the rising action, I still thought the book was too long, perhaps because the plot moved slowly thanks to the division among three point-of-view characters, all of whom had their own stories. This phenomenon was compounded due to the frequent repetition of similar scenes. I love a slow book, but I didn't think there was payoff at the climax that would justify the length of this one.
In my opinion, Gates of Hope lacked character development that was firmly connected to the themes of the book, resulting in a feeling of disjoint that pervaded the story. I didn’t experience a sense of motion and momentum, and I think that’s because the characters didn’t feel essential to their own stories. I would have liked a wider view of the characters’ journeys, with each chapter conveying something meaningful and active instead of getting stuck in the minutiae. Each page must truly count in a book following three separate stories.
I hoped for more memorable, complex side characters. The lack of them, especially in Elissa and Darin's chapters, made the world feel flat to me. There were many opportunities for interesting relationships that I wish were explored.
Although Gates of Hope wasn’t for me, I still appreciated the polished writing and enjoyed reading about Suriin in particular. This is a novel with appeal to a wide audience of all ages and preferences in the fantasy genre. There was clearly a lot of thought put into Gates of Hope, so I hope the book finds its people in this SPFBO run.
This is a review for the tenth Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off. More SPFBOX reviews can be found at Before We Go Blog.
Elissa is trapped on Tebein (one of the moons of Lieus) under the tyranny of the awldrin, the sworn enemies of humanity. The intragalactic war between humans and awldrin was the conflict over which the Watcher closed the gates. She becomes the hope of Tebein when she stumbles upon a shard of one of the old gates, which could enable escape from the awldrin’s rule.
Darin and Suriin live on Lieus. Darin, a mage (or So’Dal) in training, is one of the rare men to have been chosen as a bondmate to a moonhound. Suriin is a child of So’Dal, raised in isolation, who takes it upon herself to find a cure for her father after he was gravely injured defending her life.
The world of Gates of Hope is quite creative. The magic system is unique, with songs and emotions as the roots of magic. For example, in the process of mastering her power, Suriin must learn to understand and control her feelings.
This is a solid novel, but it never pulled me in. Although I felt as if the ending of Gates of Hope were only the middle of the rising action, I still thought the book was too long, perhaps because the plot moved slowly thanks to the division among three point-of-view characters, all of whom had their own stories. This phenomenon was compounded due to the frequent repetition of similar scenes. I love a slow book, but I didn't think there was payoff at the climax that would justify the length of this one.
In my opinion, Gates of Hope lacked character development that was firmly connected to the themes of the book, resulting in a feeling of disjoint that pervaded the story. I didn’t experience a sense of motion and momentum, and I think that’s because the characters didn’t feel essential to their own stories. I would have liked a wider view of the characters’ journeys, with each chapter conveying something meaningful and active instead of getting stuck in the minutiae. Each page must truly count in a book following three separate stories.
I hoped for more memorable, complex side characters. The lack of them, especially in Elissa and Darin's chapters, made the world feel flat to me. There were many opportunities for interesting relationships that I wish were explored.
Although Gates of Hope wasn’t for me, I still appreciated the polished writing and enjoyed reading about Suriin in particular. This is a novel with appeal to a wide audience of all ages and preferences in the fantasy genre. There was clearly a lot of thought put into Gates of Hope, so I hope the book finds its people in this SPFBO run.
This is a review for the tenth Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off. More SPFBOX reviews can be found at Before We Go Blog.
January 21, 2025
Read for SPFBOX as part of team Fantasy Book Critic. This is just my opinion, group verdict may differ widely.
6/10
Well, I don’t know what I was expecting from Gates of Hope, but I am pretty sure nothing could have prepared me for the wildly imaginative epic sci-fantasy adventure it turned out to be. It’s got dystopian landscapes and societies, completely unique flora and fauna, a magical academy and secret societies, at least six types of mystifying magic, planet hopping portals, and, hear me out, space dragons. What’s not to love… right?
From the very first page, I found J.E. Hannaford’s bold storytelling and rich prose to be incredibly immersive. Yes, we are dropped into quite a deep pool of unfamiliar fantasy terminology and complex history and lore, but the way that this entire world (or should I say universe?) unfolded through the three distinctly unique POV characters’ eyes felt wonderfully organic to me.
Whether it was Darin with his dream/song magic, dangerous secret society shenanigans, and newfound psychic moonhound bond (Star is the MVP!!), Suriin with her emotion magic and desperate lust for an adventure to take her outside the deep crater communities of Caldera, or the outcast Elissa all the way over on the moon of Tebein discovering outlawed magical powers that could save her entire race from the tyrannical rule of the alien awldrin overlords, if they don’t eliminate her first; I am not kidding when I say that every single chapter contained some type of new marvellous piece of revelatory world building that just filled me with awe.
However, as interesting and intriguing as I found the events unfolding throughout these characters’ increasingly wild lives, I have to admit that I never truly connected to any of them, and I soon found myself struggling to stay engaged by the almost slice-of-life storytelling. To me, Gates of Hope lacked a strong overarching conflict/plot pulling everything together into a cohesive whole, and it felt like everything was happening TO these characters rather than because they took any decision driven by personal motivations, which made it quite hard for me to really root for them.
Maybe I was just hoping and expecting this story to be something it was never meant to be, and ultimately I truly can’t deny that Hannaford’s ambitious vision for the Aulirean Cycle is beyond impressive. While this first book in the series failed to truly hook me at any point, I think the explosive ending showed a lot of potential and set up the sequel(s) in a very strong way. So, if you are looking for an exceptionally slow-burn and character-driven epic sci-fantasy adventure that is simply bursting with imagination, emotion, and heart, then I definitely recommend Gates of Hope.
6/10
Well, I don’t know what I was expecting from Gates of Hope, but I am pretty sure nothing could have prepared me for the wildly imaginative epic sci-fantasy adventure it turned out to be. It’s got dystopian landscapes and societies, completely unique flora and fauna, a magical academy and secret societies, at least six types of mystifying magic, planet hopping portals, and, hear me out, space dragons. What’s not to love… right?
From the very first page, I found J.E. Hannaford’s bold storytelling and rich prose to be incredibly immersive. Yes, we are dropped into quite a deep pool of unfamiliar fantasy terminology and complex history and lore, but the way that this entire world (or should I say universe?) unfolded through the three distinctly unique POV characters’ eyes felt wonderfully organic to me.
Whether it was Darin with his dream/song magic, dangerous secret society shenanigans, and newfound psychic moonhound bond (Star is the MVP!!), Suriin with her emotion magic and desperate lust for an adventure to take her outside the deep crater communities of Caldera, or the outcast Elissa all the way over on the moon of Tebein discovering outlawed magical powers that could save her entire race from the tyrannical rule of the alien awldrin overlords, if they don’t eliminate her first; I am not kidding when I say that every single chapter contained some type of new marvellous piece of revelatory world building that just filled me with awe.
However, as interesting and intriguing as I found the events unfolding throughout these characters’ increasingly wild lives, I have to admit that I never truly connected to any of them, and I soon found myself struggling to stay engaged by the almost slice-of-life storytelling. To me, Gates of Hope lacked a strong overarching conflict/plot pulling everything together into a cohesive whole, and it felt like everything was happening TO these characters rather than because they took any decision driven by personal motivations, which made it quite hard for me to really root for them.
Maybe I was just hoping and expecting this story to be something it was never meant to be, and ultimately I truly can’t deny that Hannaford’s ambitious vision for the Aulirean Cycle is beyond impressive. While this first book in the series failed to truly hook me at any point, I think the explosive ending showed a lot of potential and set up the sequel(s) in a very strong way. So, if you are looking for an exceptionally slow-burn and character-driven epic sci-fantasy adventure that is simply bursting with imagination, emotion, and heart, then I definitely recommend Gates of Hope.
April 17, 2023
I since posted a full length review in Fantasy Faction, to be found here: http://fantasy-faction.com/2023/gates...
I already loved Hannaford's first duology, so when I was offered an ARC for the first book in her new series, I jumped at the chance!
This is very different in tone and style to The Skin, but I enjoyed it at least as much, if not even a tiny bit more.
At first the book seemed to be on the lighter end of stories. However, the setting grows and the world building gets ever deeper the farther you go. Once again I adored all the little details about flora and fauna, that made this an immersive world you could really walk into, and get lost in, while not being so much it hampers the plot progression.
We start out with three different POVs who I all liked right away. They are quite different to each other, which offered a nice contrast.
* A young man who has led a pretty sheltered life so far, and learns there's so much more out there than he ever knew. He starts out pretty naive, and I enjoyed seeing him find his feet.
* A woman who is an outcast in her own society, who all live a hard life at the whims of another species. Trust is hard to come by, when you spent your whole life hiding, and afraid.
* And a girl who gets to go on an adventure, which doesn't turn out the way she thought it would.
* And we can't forget a personal favourite of mine - the furry companion! You can see Star on the cover, and I just adore this ball of enthusiasm and canine weirdness.
I already loved Hannaford's first duology, so when I was offered an ARC for the first book in her new series, I jumped at the chance!
This is very different in tone and style to The Skin, but I enjoyed it at least as much, if not even a tiny bit more.
At first the book seemed to be on the lighter end of stories. However, the setting grows and the world building gets ever deeper the farther you go. Once again I adored all the little details about flora and fauna, that made this an immersive world you could really walk into, and get lost in, while not being so much it hampers the plot progression.
We start out with three different POVs who I all liked right away. They are quite different to each other, which offered a nice contrast.
* A young man who has led a pretty sheltered life so far, and learns there's so much more out there than he ever knew. He starts out pretty naive, and I enjoyed seeing him find his feet.
The land was dotted with fallen debris, some old and moss covered while others had not been free of the cliffs long enough for their angry, angular edges to have softened.
* A woman who is an outcast in her own society, who all live a hard life at the whims of another species. Trust is hard to come by, when you spent your whole life hiding, and afraid.
Elissa’s scars shone various shades of red through to silver – a map of her life, of the sharpness of life in Dragonsbreath.
* And a girl who gets to go on an adventure, which doesn't turn out the way she thought it would.
If I couldn’t see this, what else in these tunnels has been hidden in plain sight?
* And we can't forget a personal favourite of mine - the furry companion! You can see Star on the cover, and I just adore this ball of enthusiasm and canine weirdness.
Star cleared the small fence with ease and knocked his feet out from under him, enveloping Darin in a happy, wagging sensation.
January 21, 2025
Sometimes, a book feels like it’s going somewhere, only for you to realize you’ve been waiting for things to happen and they still haven't. Gates of Hope is one of those books. It’s clear J.E. Hannaford poured her heart into building this world (interplanetary dragons, magical moonhounds, and a system of magic fueled by emotions and music), but all that effort doesn’t quite translate into an engaging story.
The premise is solid: a war-torn world, magical gates destroyed by a dragon, and three protagonists dealing with the fallout. But rather than picking up speed, the plot crawls. Elissa struggles under alien rule on one of the moons, Darin bonds with his moonhound while learning magic, and Suriin works on controlling her powers. They all have potential, but their stories don’t really connect, and for most of the book, it feels like nothing significant happens.
The pacing is the main culprit. It’s practically at a standstill for long stretches. The book spends so much time on small, everyday details and repetitive scenes that the plot barely gets a chance to move. Even when things finally pick up near the end, it feels too little, too late.
The characters also didn’t do much to save the story. While there’s some charm - Darin’s moonhound, Star, is a highlight - the protagonists themselves feel flat. Their personal growth and struggles should’ve been the heart of the story, but instead, it’s like watching three separate, slightly dull movies that never quite come together.
That said, the world-building is impressive. You can tell Hannaford put a lot of thought into creating her universe, and for readers who love rich, detailed settings, this might hit the spot.
If you’re patient and enjoy slow, slice-of-life fantasy, Gates of Hope might work for you. Otherwise, it’s a bit of a slog - a lovingly crafted world where not enough actually happens.
The premise is solid: a war-torn world, magical gates destroyed by a dragon, and three protagonists dealing with the fallout. But rather than picking up speed, the plot crawls. Elissa struggles under alien rule on one of the moons, Darin bonds with his moonhound while learning magic, and Suriin works on controlling her powers. They all have potential, but their stories don’t really connect, and for most of the book, it feels like nothing significant happens.
The pacing is the main culprit. It’s practically at a standstill for long stretches. The book spends so much time on small, everyday details and repetitive scenes that the plot barely gets a chance to move. Even when things finally pick up near the end, it feels too little, too late.
The characters also didn’t do much to save the story. While there’s some charm - Darin’s moonhound, Star, is a highlight - the protagonists themselves feel flat. Their personal growth and struggles should’ve been the heart of the story, but instead, it’s like watching three separate, slightly dull movies that never quite come together.
That said, the world-building is impressive. You can tell Hannaford put a lot of thought into creating her universe, and for readers who love rich, detailed settings, this might hit the spot.
If you’re patient and enjoy slow, slice-of-life fantasy, Gates of Hope might work for you. Otherwise, it’s a bit of a slog - a lovingly crafted world where not enough actually happens.
January 8, 2025
I have been challenging myself to read all the SPFBO finalists the last couple of years. I am in no way associated with the competition, but I find these a good way of discovering new Indie authors. This is the third of the finalists I have tackled this year (SPFBO 10).
This is the starting book of an epic fantasy series, with all the associated sprawl and grandeur. The world building here is pretty fascinating. We have 3 worlds (Lieus, Mythos and Tebein) which were previously linked by magic gates (the titular Aulirean Gates of the series name). Each world had its own dominant species, Humans on Lieus, Dragons on Mythos and Awldrin on Tebein. When they were linked together an initial trade between the humans and the awldrin eventually spiralled into conflict - the dragons of Mythos sickened by this destroyed the gates, trapping some humans on Tebein. There is definitely a Sandersonian note to the world building, but JE Hannaford puts her own distinctive take on it so it never feels derivative.
We have three main POV characters whose paths only lightly cross if at all in this first book, although it is possible to see how they will be linked in the future. The characters are all human So'Dal - a kind of secret order of magic users. 2 of them are enrolled in a kind of training school on Lieus (Darin and Suriin). The third is part of a repressed human enclave on Tebein (Elissa). Darin is not aware of his magical nature when he comes to be assessed as a guard, but when he bonds with a moonhound he quickly finds himself a member of a very select group within the So'Dal organization. Suriin comes from a family with So'Dal and is more aware of her abilities, but is extremely headstrong and lacking in trust despite her cushy upbringing. Elissa is completely unaware of anything to do with the So'Dal until she accidentally steps on a crystal and bonds with it. The magic system itself is nicely varied, with different elements being incorporated, from dream magic, to plant magic to magical bonds with animals. The characters are mostly pretty engaging, although I did find Suriin frustrating to read at times!
This is classic Epic Fantasy with its own distinctive flair. The prose is well constructed without becoming to purple. The world building is truly spectacular and the multi-POV characters all have their own engaging voice. The book sets up perfectly for a sense of peril coming for all the characters and I cannot wait to dive into the next book in the series!
This is the starting book of an epic fantasy series, with all the associated sprawl and grandeur. The world building here is pretty fascinating. We have 3 worlds (Lieus, Mythos and Tebein) which were previously linked by magic gates (the titular Aulirean Gates of the series name). Each world had its own dominant species, Humans on Lieus, Dragons on Mythos and Awldrin on Tebein. When they were linked together an initial trade between the humans and the awldrin eventually spiralled into conflict - the dragons of Mythos sickened by this destroyed the gates, trapping some humans on Tebein. There is definitely a Sandersonian note to the world building, but JE Hannaford puts her own distinctive take on it so it never feels derivative.
We have three main POV characters whose paths only lightly cross if at all in this first book, although it is possible to see how they will be linked in the future. The characters are all human So'Dal - a kind of secret order of magic users. 2 of them are enrolled in a kind of training school on Lieus (Darin and Suriin). The third is part of a repressed human enclave on Tebein (Elissa). Darin is not aware of his magical nature when he comes to be assessed as a guard, but when he bonds with a moonhound he quickly finds himself a member of a very select group within the So'Dal organization. Suriin comes from a family with So'Dal and is more aware of her abilities, but is extremely headstrong and lacking in trust despite her cushy upbringing. Elissa is completely unaware of anything to do with the So'Dal until she accidentally steps on a crystal and bonds with it. The magic system itself is nicely varied, with different elements being incorporated, from dream magic, to plant magic to magical bonds with animals. The characters are mostly pretty engaging, although I did find Suriin frustrating to read at times!
This is classic Epic Fantasy with its own distinctive flair. The prose is well constructed without becoming to purple. The world building is truly spectacular and the multi-POV characters all have their own engaging voice. The book sets up perfectly for a sense of peril coming for all the characters and I cannot wait to dive into the next book in the series!
October 20, 2024
I had a great time with this and it only doesnt get a five because i give them out too easily! Besides the second book is meant to be even better!
A SPFBO finalist if the standards this high then theres some great finalists and books.
Oh if only i could get hold of someone who breeds moonhounds. But dont tell my cats!
A SPFBO finalist if the standards this high then theres some great finalists and books.
Oh if only i could get hold of someone who breeds moonhounds. But dont tell my cats!
April 14, 2023
Full text link: https://jamreads.com/reviews/gates-of...
Gates of Hope is the first book in the new epic fantasy series, Aulirean Gates, by J.E. Hannaford. A character-driven story, with three POVs, set in the Aulirean System, full of mythical creatures, and a world that has suffered a big change and whose fate was altered by decisions taken a big time ago.
As said, we are going to be following three different characters (well, I would say four), different between themselves, but whose stories are somewhat related, even intertwined.
Darin has traveled to the Red Pike, where the Black Palace, a school for magic users, is situated. While he has not sure about the tests and all, being one of the few who bonds with a moonhound, Staramine, makes him apt to practice the magic; starting his formation and with time, getting into the secrets of the Howlers, those that were able to bond with the hounds.
Suriin has also traveled to the Red Pike, but while Darin had a relatively easy journey, Suriin's group gets attacked by a xotryl, hurting her father. From this moment, Suriin will try to learn as much as possible to cure him, entering into contact with forces she cannot comprehend, and that will manipulate them using her hopes against her.
Elissa, the third POV, is really different. While Darin and Suriin POVs' are situated on the planet of Lieus, Elissa is a slave of the awldrin on the moon of Tebein. The link between those two locations was smashed by the Watcher, a powerful dragon, many years ago in order to stop the war between humans and awldrin, trapping humans in Tebein. As her hair is lilac colored, she's able to use magic, but she doesn't understand it until she enters in contact with others that can train her.
With those premises, we will be following the journeys of our four characters (yes, I'm going to count Staramine as one), either physically or metaphorically. And with this in mind, we can see how the worldbuilding made by Hannaford takes the spotlight, becoming the aspect that shines the most.
The magic system is certainly original, with several ways it is manifested, depending also on the sex of the user. We can see how Darin is trained into singing, as the base of his powers; while Suriin's powers are based on emotions; the education at the Black Palace is sex-segregated (in reality, the whole is segregated by sex).
The bond between Star and Darin will be a central point in their plot, and we will see how a trust and friendship relationship is created between both, communicating between themselves via telepathic images, and it's one of the most affecting aspects of the book.
The island of Caldera, where Darin and Suriin subplots are situated, is really well built, with special attention to many aspects related to the flora and fauna of the place. Many creatures and plants are created and well described, creating a really immersive effect.
The pacing is in a good spot, but it certainly feels slow until we get all the details of the worldbuilding. Not really a problem, as Hannaford has done an excellent job creating a world that you want to explore in the meanwhile.
Gates of Hope is an excellent starter, setting the foundations for a big series. If you like worlds that are different, and characters you end up appreciating, I would totally recommend you this book. I'm definitely waiting for the next installment of the Aulirean Gates series!
Gates of Hope is the first book in the new epic fantasy series, Aulirean Gates, by J.E. Hannaford. A character-driven story, with three POVs, set in the Aulirean System, full of mythical creatures, and a world that has suffered a big change and whose fate was altered by decisions taken a big time ago.
As said, we are going to be following three different characters (well, I would say four), different between themselves, but whose stories are somewhat related, even intertwined.
Darin has traveled to the Red Pike, where the Black Palace, a school for magic users, is situated. While he has not sure about the tests and all, being one of the few who bonds with a moonhound, Staramine, makes him apt to practice the magic; starting his formation and with time, getting into the secrets of the Howlers, those that were able to bond with the hounds.
Suriin has also traveled to the Red Pike, but while Darin had a relatively easy journey, Suriin's group gets attacked by a xotryl, hurting her father. From this moment, Suriin will try to learn as much as possible to cure him, entering into contact with forces she cannot comprehend, and that will manipulate them using her hopes against her.
Elissa, the third POV, is really different. While Darin and Suriin POVs' are situated on the planet of Lieus, Elissa is a slave of the awldrin on the moon of Tebein. The link between those two locations was smashed by the Watcher, a powerful dragon, many years ago in order to stop the war between humans and awldrin, trapping humans in Tebein. As her hair is lilac colored, she's able to use magic, but she doesn't understand it until she enters in contact with others that can train her.
With those premises, we will be following the journeys of our four characters (yes, I'm going to count Staramine as one), either physically or metaphorically. And with this in mind, we can see how the worldbuilding made by Hannaford takes the spotlight, becoming the aspect that shines the most.
The magic system is certainly original, with several ways it is manifested, depending also on the sex of the user. We can see how Darin is trained into singing, as the base of his powers; while Suriin's powers are based on emotions; the education at the Black Palace is sex-segregated (in reality, the whole is segregated by sex).
The bond between Star and Darin will be a central point in their plot, and we will see how a trust and friendship relationship is created between both, communicating between themselves via telepathic images, and it's one of the most affecting aspects of the book.
The island of Caldera, where Darin and Suriin subplots are situated, is really well built, with special attention to many aspects related to the flora and fauna of the place. Many creatures and plants are created and well described, creating a really immersive effect.
The pacing is in a good spot, but it certainly feels slow until we get all the details of the worldbuilding. Not really a problem, as Hannaford has done an excellent job creating a world that you want to explore in the meanwhile.
Gates of Hope is an excellent starter, setting the foundations for a big series. If you like worlds that are different, and characters you end up appreciating, I would totally recommend you this book. I'm definitely waiting for the next installment of the Aulirean Gates series!
May 18, 2023
an intriguing first book
We have three points of view here. Darin discovers he has magical talent and is the first male to bond with a moonhound, Star. He joins a secret group called Howlers who have very few members. He learns how to control his magic with music. Suriin has lilac hair which distinguishes those who have magic from others. She travels to others to learn more. And Elissa has the lilac hair which she kept hidden and was a laborer for the awldrin, an alien group who rule on her land. She has stepped on a strange magical shard which breaks off and a piece lodges in her foot. The other she holds on to.
Through these characters we discover this world and its strange beasts. We get a good sense for what is going on. Exciting events happen to leave you wanting more at the end. For me this feels like a blend of sci-fi and fantasy. But it’s very well done and written.
We have three points of view here. Darin discovers he has magical talent and is the first male to bond with a moonhound, Star. He joins a secret group called Howlers who have very few members. He learns how to control his magic with music. Suriin has lilac hair which distinguishes those who have magic from others. She travels to others to learn more. And Elissa has the lilac hair which she kept hidden and was a laborer for the awldrin, an alien group who rule on her land. She has stepped on a strange magical shard which breaks off and a piece lodges in her foot. The other she holds on to.
Through these characters we discover this world and its strange beasts. We get a good sense for what is going on. Exciting events happen to leave you wanting more at the end. For me this feels like a blend of sci-fi and fantasy. But it’s very well done and written.
November 21, 2024
This grabbed my interest as it is a finalist for the SPFBOX competition. Besides that I didn't know much about the story so my expectations were kept at a minimum. Still this felt kinda disappointing.
I can't say that I found anything particularly bad about it, but almost nothing stood out for me.
The pacing was really slow. The story felt like it didn't evolve as much as it should have. This combined with the writing which focused too much on little details about the everyday stuff of the main characters made me struggle at times.
The characters also didn't present anything new or interesting and I couldn't connect with any of the three MC's stories.
The above characteristics added up, at least for me, in a completely "funless" and bland experience.
There is some potential to the worldbuilding (many and interesting creatures for example) and the history of the world, but wasn't enough on it's own to raise this above the "just ok" level.
5,3/10
I can't say that I found anything particularly bad about it, but almost nothing stood out for me.
The pacing was really slow. The story felt like it didn't evolve as much as it should have. This combined with the writing which focused too much on little details about the everyday stuff of the main characters made me struggle at times.
The characters also didn't present anything new or interesting and I couldn't connect with any of the three MC's stories.
The above characteristics added up, at least for me, in a completely "funless" and bland experience.
There is some potential to the worldbuilding (many and interesting creatures for example) and the history of the world, but wasn't enough on it's own to raise this above the "just ok" level.
5,3/10
March 11, 2025
I read this for SPFBO. My review only. More about the contest and links at the bottom.
Gates of Hope was the one book I was really excited to read. I’ve seen this one around on the X for a while and everything about it had me intrigued!
The world of Gates of Hope is full and is just very cool all around. We immediately learn that the Gate was destroyed due to a terrible war, unfortunately stranding some from their homes for decades.
Being a Stargate fan, I was looking forward to seeing how Hannaford handled the gates/portal connecting worlds idea- which in this case they’re actually gates to the moons around a single planet. I really liked how that made this set-up seem more self-contained and to the fantasy-side of things while allowing us to skip a million details on how the gates all work. Don’t ask me about my reasoning behind what’s acceptable to handwave away but to me it just seems easier to buy this sort of scenario on the small scale, especially with the help of that guardian/gatekeeper dragon.
Anyway,
The summary gives us a fair view of what to expect so I'll skip the recap.
The story is told through three pov’s and through them we learn about the people, world, the war, and the various types of magic.
The characters’ journeys did feel more to the coming-of-age side of things– especially Darin and Suriin’s who are both at an academy. Our last character Elissa is an older woman, which honestly took me near half the book to realize. I think because of her circumstances and always trying to stay hidden, I assumed she was young like the other two.
I’m generally not big on the whole magic school setting, but there are always exceptions and here it didn’t feel too schoolish. It helped too, that the characters had such different learning atmospheres - shaking things up adding variety in their lessons.
I like the magic system set-up; Surriin’s was about using emotions, and Darin’s was musical based. I found it very cool and easy to understand.
I also (quite surprisingly) enjoyed Darin and his newly bonded to moonhound Star, who can speak to one another through images. I sometimes feel like the animal companion scenarios have been done to death, but I liked the way this bond was shown. It wasn’t forced and felt very natural and reminded me of Sniegoskis’ Remy Chandler and his dog Marlowe.
Despite all that I liked about the story, I found I really struggled to finish Gates of Hope.
First of all, I didn’t fall in love with the characters for a very long time. I am a person who needs that extra love for the characters, and a desire to cheer them on to sit through details. Basically, if there isn’t some greater mystery or a lot more action to keep me invested in that slower to fall together world-building, like we have in the Gates of Hope, then I need to love them enough to read about them eating their cereal.
So, while I generally don’t mind a slow book, without that love to keep me invested for so long, the biggest culprit here becomes the pacing. The waiting for a character to reach a point where I understood not only them as characters, but also how they relate to others and to world around them became too bogged down in the attention to the day-to-day details of each character. And with three mpov’s it takes a while to iron out all the wrinkles and see the big picture. Of course, this is only my opinion and what doesn’t work for me is bound to work for someone else.
That said, this feels like the kind of story that fans of Robin Hobb would enjoy. I also feel this is one of those stories that is really going to pay-off in the next book, since most of that heavy-lifting of the world-building has been taken care.
spfbo score - 6.5 or 4
Learn more about the contest here-
Mark Lawrence: The Official Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off homepage #SPFBO
Phase one is here
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
Finalist board is here
Mark Lawrence: SPFBOX finalists - SPFBO 10
Gates of Hope was the one book I was really excited to read. I’ve seen this one around on the X for a while and everything about it had me intrigued!
The world of Gates of Hope is full and is just very cool all around. We immediately learn that the Gate was destroyed due to a terrible war, unfortunately stranding some from their homes for decades.
Being a Stargate fan, I was looking forward to seeing how Hannaford handled the gates/portal connecting worlds idea- which in this case they’re actually gates to the moons around a single planet. I really liked how that made this set-up seem more self-contained and to the fantasy-side of things while allowing us to skip a million details on how the gates all work. Don’t ask me about my reasoning behind what’s acceptable to handwave away but to me it just seems easier to buy this sort of scenario on the small scale, especially with the help of that guardian/gatekeeper dragon.
Anyway,
The summary gives us a fair view of what to expect so I'll skip the recap.
The story is told through three pov’s and through them we learn about the people, world, the war, and the various types of magic.
The characters’ journeys did feel more to the coming-of-age side of things– especially Darin and Suriin’s who are both at an academy. Our last character Elissa is an older woman, which honestly took me near half the book to realize. I think because of her circumstances and always trying to stay hidden, I assumed she was young like the other two.
I’m generally not big on the whole magic school setting, but there are always exceptions and here it didn’t feel too schoolish. It helped too, that the characters had such different learning atmospheres - shaking things up adding variety in their lessons.
I like the magic system set-up; Surriin’s was about using emotions, and Darin’s was musical based. I found it very cool and easy to understand.
I also (quite surprisingly) enjoyed Darin and his newly bonded to moonhound Star, who can speak to one another through images. I sometimes feel like the animal companion scenarios have been done to death, but I liked the way this bond was shown. It wasn’t forced and felt very natural and reminded me of Sniegoskis’ Remy Chandler and his dog Marlowe.
Despite all that I liked about the story, I found I really struggled to finish Gates of Hope.
First of all, I didn’t fall in love with the characters for a very long time. I am a person who needs that extra love for the characters, and a desire to cheer them on to sit through details. Basically, if there isn’t some greater mystery or a lot more action to keep me invested in that slower to fall together world-building, like we have in the Gates of Hope, then I need to love them enough to read about them eating their cereal.
So, while I generally don’t mind a slow book, without that love to keep me invested for so long, the biggest culprit here becomes the pacing. The waiting for a character to reach a point where I understood not only them as characters, but also how they relate to others and to world around them became too bogged down in the attention to the day-to-day details of each character. And with three mpov’s it takes a while to iron out all the wrinkles and see the big picture. Of course, this is only my opinion and what doesn’t work for me is bound to work for someone else.
That said, this feels like the kind of story that fans of Robin Hobb would enjoy. I also feel this is one of those stories that is really going to pay-off in the next book, since most of that heavy-lifting of the world-building has been taken care.
spfbo score - 6.5 or 4
Learn more about the contest here-
Mark Lawrence: The Official Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off homepage #SPFBO
Phase one is here
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
Finalist board is here
Mark Lawrence: SPFBOX finalists - SPFBO 10
November 24, 2024
“Stories not told are soon forgotten.”
This is a story told with love and I understood why when I read the Acknowledgements and realised JE Hannaford has been working on this series for years. This is a passion project which reads like a love letter to epic fantasy, a sense of craft and care woven into each and every page.
Hannaford works at immense scale in this novel, her world building encompassing the planet of Lieus and its two moons, Tebein and Mythos. The flora and fauna of each and their various properties are described in intricate detail. There are many strange fantasy magical creatures – some friendly and useful, others more inclined to eat you alive. We also have interplanetary space dragons, who took the decision to destroy the magical gates between this trio of worlds long ago to avert disaster as war raged. As a consequence these are dangerous fallen worlds, where outside the fortified settlements where humans now live survival skills are essential and no journey is undertaken lightly.
In addition, each chapter begins with an epigraph comprising excerpts from letters, books, poetry or songs. These serve to gradually expand the lore of the Aulirean system and help immerse the reader in the story.
This tale is told from the perspective of three different characters – Elissa, Darin and Suriin. Elissa is something of an outsider in her community, forced to disguise her lilac hair which marks her out as one of the Untouched. She is living in servitude on Tebein, scratching out a living, her people enslaved by the virtually immortal reptilian race known as the awldrin.
Darin and Suriin live in the land of Caldera on Lieus. Suriin is the daughter of So'Dal parents, the name given to magic users in this world. Her own lilac hair denotes she is magically talented and her parents send her to the town of Redpike to learn more. Suriin and Elissa therefore have similar gifts but their circumstances couldn't be more different.
Darin has travelled separately to Redpike where he discovers he has the gift of being able to bond with a young moonhound called Star. This magical ability enables moonhounds to form a connection with their human partner, collectively sharing their experiences in the waking and dream worlds. Both Darin and Suriin learn more about their gifts from their various tutors at the magic school called the Black Palace in Redpike.
The magic system Hannaford has created is incredibly detailed and well thought out. It involves a fusion of herb lore, music and song, as well as the magical symbols you will find used throughout the book. Male So'Dal learn gardening, singing crafts and wefts. Female Soul Anchors use crystals and work with emotions and dreams. A partnership between a So'Dal and Soul Anchor enables them to blend and amplify their skills. However, following the closure of the gates the libraries and ancient texts have been divided along the male and female lines to deliberately limit the power of any one individual and avoid a repetition of the destructive past.
I thought it was interesting how the Soul Anchors use their crystals to focus the power of their emotions and the memories associated with them. Those emotions and memories fade in order to power their magic, thus coming at a cost. Darin's relationship with Star was very relatable and amusing and any fantasy novel with an animal companion is going to be a winning combination. This is definitely a book for dog lovers and their various exploits were my favourite passages in the book.
There’s much to love in this novel and I’m sure it will have its legions of fans. However certain aspects of the plot and structure didn’t work so well for me. This is a story grounded in character rather than action or plot. The experience of reading the book is a slow unfolding of this world as we follow the adventures of Darin, Suriin and Elissa. I don’t mind a character-driven novel but Gates of Hope falls more into the slice of life style of writing. All three characters find themselves in difficult circumstances at various stages but there's absolutely no character-driven conflict in this book, only a series of obstacles to be overcome in each chapter.
In addition, Darin and Suriin are both very young, so they are still discovering their abilities and purpose in life. Elissa is actually older and in her mid-thirties but her passages read as if she’s also younger than her years, perhaps due to her more limited life experience. Consequently they are all at the same general point in life and their stories don't intersect during the novel. This approach to telling the story slows down the pace of the book considerably.
For all three of them this book is one about their self-discovery and personal growth. Events driving the wider plot don’t really begin to move until around 95% in. There’s a big shift in that last 5%, which is a lot darker in tone than the rest of the story. The end of the novel leaves things perfectly poised for the second book in the series, Gates of Sorrow. However, I think I would have preferred things to have developed a little more quickly in getting to that point.
This book will appeal to fans of JRR Tolkien and Brandon Sanderson, who enjoy stories rich in history and lore. Gates of Hope is an immersive story, where you can lose yourself for hours in Hannaford’s incredible imaginary worlds. It’s epic fantasy in every sense of the word and this was clearly a story Hannaford had to tell, ensuring her intricate creation and the characters she loves so much will not be forgotten. I can see why this book was selected as a finalist for the Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off and I predict it will do well in the competition.
This is a story told with love and I understood why when I read the Acknowledgements and realised JE Hannaford has been working on this series for years. This is a passion project which reads like a love letter to epic fantasy, a sense of craft and care woven into each and every page.
Hannaford works at immense scale in this novel, her world building encompassing the planet of Lieus and its two moons, Tebein and Mythos. The flora and fauna of each and their various properties are described in intricate detail. There are many strange fantasy magical creatures – some friendly and useful, others more inclined to eat you alive. We also have interplanetary space dragons, who took the decision to destroy the magical gates between this trio of worlds long ago to avert disaster as war raged. As a consequence these are dangerous fallen worlds, where outside the fortified settlements where humans now live survival skills are essential and no journey is undertaken lightly.
In addition, each chapter begins with an epigraph comprising excerpts from letters, books, poetry or songs. These serve to gradually expand the lore of the Aulirean system and help immerse the reader in the story.
This tale is told from the perspective of three different characters – Elissa, Darin and Suriin. Elissa is something of an outsider in her community, forced to disguise her lilac hair which marks her out as one of the Untouched. She is living in servitude on Tebein, scratching out a living, her people enslaved by the virtually immortal reptilian race known as the awldrin.
Darin and Suriin live in the land of Caldera on Lieus. Suriin is the daughter of So'Dal parents, the name given to magic users in this world. Her own lilac hair denotes she is magically talented and her parents send her to the town of Redpike to learn more. Suriin and Elissa therefore have similar gifts but their circumstances couldn't be more different.
Darin has travelled separately to Redpike where he discovers he has the gift of being able to bond with a young moonhound called Star. This magical ability enables moonhounds to form a connection with their human partner, collectively sharing their experiences in the waking and dream worlds. Both Darin and Suriin learn more about their gifts from their various tutors at the magic school called the Black Palace in Redpike.
The magic system Hannaford has created is incredibly detailed and well thought out. It involves a fusion of herb lore, music and song, as well as the magical symbols you will find used throughout the book. Male So'Dal learn gardening, singing crafts and wefts. Female Soul Anchors use crystals and work with emotions and dreams. A partnership between a So'Dal and Soul Anchor enables them to blend and amplify their skills. However, following the closure of the gates the libraries and ancient texts have been divided along the male and female lines to deliberately limit the power of any one individual and avoid a repetition of the destructive past.
I thought it was interesting how the Soul Anchors use their crystals to focus the power of their emotions and the memories associated with them. Those emotions and memories fade in order to power their magic, thus coming at a cost. Darin's relationship with Star was very relatable and amusing and any fantasy novel with an animal companion is going to be a winning combination. This is definitely a book for dog lovers and their various exploits were my favourite passages in the book.
There’s much to love in this novel and I’m sure it will have its legions of fans. However certain aspects of the plot and structure didn’t work so well for me. This is a story grounded in character rather than action or plot. The experience of reading the book is a slow unfolding of this world as we follow the adventures of Darin, Suriin and Elissa. I don’t mind a character-driven novel but Gates of Hope falls more into the slice of life style of writing. All three characters find themselves in difficult circumstances at various stages but there's absolutely no character-driven conflict in this book, only a series of obstacles to be overcome in each chapter.
In addition, Darin and Suriin are both very young, so they are still discovering their abilities and purpose in life. Elissa is actually older and in her mid-thirties but her passages read as if she’s also younger than her years, perhaps due to her more limited life experience. Consequently they are all at the same general point in life and their stories don't intersect during the novel. This approach to telling the story slows down the pace of the book considerably.
For all three of them this book is one about their self-discovery and personal growth. Events driving the wider plot don’t really begin to move until around 95% in. There’s a big shift in that last 5%, which is a lot darker in tone than the rest of the story. The end of the novel leaves things perfectly poised for the second book in the series, Gates of Sorrow. However, I think I would have preferred things to have developed a little more quickly in getting to that point.
This book will appeal to fans of JRR Tolkien and Brandon Sanderson, who enjoy stories rich in history and lore. Gates of Hope is an immersive story, where you can lose yourself for hours in Hannaford’s incredible imaginary worlds. It’s epic fantasy in every sense of the word and this was clearly a story Hannaford had to tell, ensuring her intricate creation and the characters she loves so much will not be forgotten. I can see why this book was selected as a finalist for the Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off and I predict it will do well in the competition.
April 14, 2025
This is one I read for #SPFBOX as a judge.
I have to say, this one took a while to hook me in and I do feel like I was reading it for quite a long time before the story really grabbed me. It's a work which spans moons and and the planet Lieus. We have characters on each and they have vastly different starts to their stories, but it seems like the plan for the series is an epic world-spanning adventure.
The beginning of this book feels really slow, and I think that was the main detractor for me with this one. Although I enjoy a slow-burn sometimes, I found myself wishing something a bit more exciting would happen a few times in the beginning. I also couldn't help but realise that one of the characters I was enjoying far more than the other two.
We follow Darin, Suriin and Elissa. Darin's story was easily the one which I liked the most from the very start. He had a nice animal bond, which always helps, and he was a sensitive soul who suddenly gets a lot of responsibility thrust onto him. I feel as though he takes things in his stride well, and adapts to tricky situations which come up, and of course Star was a wonderful addition to the book, I really liked their developing bond and relationship. Darin has musical magic of a kind, and this felt like an interesting magical system to start us off, but there's a few other magical elements in this solar system.
Suriin was a character who's story grew on me as time went on. She felt quite naive to me at first, as she didn't seem to have much understanding of her magic and she just wanted to go on a journey and kind of start her life, and follow in her family's footsteps (without really knowing what that entailed or meant). She has a lot of sadness and fear in her story as time goes on, and it felt like a bit of a sombre tale, and she also has emotional magic, which pulls on each emotion to do things, and so she has to show a few different types. I personally found her a bit lacking in characterisation so I just wanted her to have a bit more drive, she did do some more dramatic things later, but it took a bit of a time for her to get there and she felt rather pushed into action.
Finally we have Elissa who is part of a community on the moon, closed off from the others, where she is looked down on for having purple hair. The moon is ruled by aliens called awldrin and they have enslaved the humans, particularly those with purple hair have been outlawed, as they have magic (unbeknownst to them) which could really change their fate. Elissa is very powerful and when she find a crystal and activates magic her path is fraught with problems. Hers was a more interesting tale to me than Suriin for most of the book.
The overarching theme is kind of humans vs awldrin and the magical creatures and constructs they left behind, but because the planet and moon are divided and no gate exists between them now, there's an element of normalcy. However, things never stay as they are, and it looks like our three characters will likely be pivotal in shaking up the world and the moon.
In the end, the stories pick up a lot and the last section was a whole lot more exciting and dramatic than the first half. I found myself really liking the ending and the events which happen there, so I am very intrigued about where the next book would go, I think there's a lot of potential now. I would give this a 3.25*s which is 6.5* for SPFBO.
I have to say, this one took a while to hook me in and I do feel like I was reading it for quite a long time before the story really grabbed me. It's a work which spans moons and and the planet Lieus. We have characters on each and they have vastly different starts to their stories, but it seems like the plan for the series is an epic world-spanning adventure.
The beginning of this book feels really slow, and I think that was the main detractor for me with this one. Although I enjoy a slow-burn sometimes, I found myself wishing something a bit more exciting would happen a few times in the beginning. I also couldn't help but realise that one of the characters I was enjoying far more than the other two.
We follow Darin, Suriin and Elissa. Darin's story was easily the one which I liked the most from the very start. He had a nice animal bond, which always helps, and he was a sensitive soul who suddenly gets a lot of responsibility thrust onto him. I feel as though he takes things in his stride well, and adapts to tricky situations which come up, and of course Star was a wonderful addition to the book, I really liked their developing bond and relationship. Darin has musical magic of a kind, and this felt like an interesting magical system to start us off, but there's a few other magical elements in this solar system.
Suriin was a character who's story grew on me as time went on. She felt quite naive to me at first, as she didn't seem to have much understanding of her magic and she just wanted to go on a journey and kind of start her life, and follow in her family's footsteps (without really knowing what that entailed or meant). She has a lot of sadness and fear in her story as time goes on, and it felt like a bit of a sombre tale, and she also has emotional magic, which pulls on each emotion to do things, and so she has to show a few different types. I personally found her a bit lacking in characterisation so I just wanted her to have a bit more drive, she did do some more dramatic things later, but it took a bit of a time for her to get there and she felt rather pushed into action.
Finally we have Elissa who is part of a community on the moon, closed off from the others, where she is looked down on for having purple hair. The moon is ruled by aliens called awldrin and they have enslaved the humans, particularly those with purple hair have been outlawed, as they have magic (unbeknownst to them) which could really change their fate. Elissa is very powerful and when she find a crystal and activates magic her path is fraught with problems. Hers was a more interesting tale to me than Suriin for most of the book.
The overarching theme is kind of humans vs awldrin and the magical creatures and constructs they left behind, but because the planet and moon are divided and no gate exists between them now, there's an element of normalcy. However, things never stay as they are, and it looks like our three characters will likely be pivotal in shaking up the world and the moon.
In the end, the stories pick up a lot and the last section was a whole lot more exciting and dramatic than the first half. I found myself really liking the ending and the events which happen there, so I am very intrigued about where the next book would go, I think there's a lot of potential now. I would give this a 3.25*s which is 6.5* for SPFBO.
January 17, 2024
Diving into the world of "Gates of Hope" provided a welcome distraction during my recovery from a bout of seasonal flu. In the nuanced realm of fantasy, where character, plot, and worldbuilding dance intricately, Hannaford's creation makes an interesting foray.
The cast, presented through multiple viewpoints, is kind of a mixed bag. While about half of them resonated with me, adding layers to the otherwise conventional setup, the others felt somewhat lackluster. It's a subjective take, as the narrative's engagement largely hinges on how readers connect with this diverse ensemble.
The pacing is deliberate, requiring an investment of time and patience. The narrative, however, rewards this commitment with a progressively intricate storyline. The ebb and flow of tension, coupled with evolving character arcs, keeps the reader tethered to the unfolding drama.
Gates of Hope boasts a sturdy worldbuilding foundation. The author adeptly weaves the intricacies of this crafted world into the character-centric narrative. Dialogues contribute to the authenticity, though the atmospheric tension steals the show, lending a tangible weight to the reading experience.
Hannaford's prose is where the narrative finds its strength. It strikes a balance between evocative and straightforward, avoiding unnecessary embellishments. The descriptive language crafts vivid scenes, translating the written word into mental imagery with ease. The emotional undercurrents and atmospheric tones are conveyed without overwhelming flourish.
In summary, "Gates of Hope" offers a nuanced fantasy experience. It's not a flawless firs entry in a series, but it is nonetheless as a commendable addition to the genre, presenting a narrative that successfully weaves together the essential elements of character, plot, and worldbuilding.
In appreciated the immersive quality of Hannaford's writing style. The prose not only conveys the story but also reflects an emotional resonance, echoing the author's connection to the narrative.
In conclusion "Gates of Hope" is worth exploring. The sincerity woven into its fabric, the palpable passion behind each word, makes it a recommended read for those who seek more than just a story; they seek an author's heart laid bare on the pages.
March 17, 2025
Gates of Hope is very much a story that intends to keep the reader in the moment, with activities of academic, mysterious, magical and exploring kind of type. It also keeps the reader within scenes by providing a lot of detailed look&feel about the atmosphere, and the story itself is carried forward by a steady, calmly evolving string of events.
The three POVs were all very “meaty” character arcs, and they were all three interesting in their own right. At the same time, I feel the chapter by chapter changes in between the POVs broke the story too far and wide for me. When I wanted to spend time with Darin, the chapter was over and we moved to the next character. When I finally started feeling interested in Suriin, the setting broke again. Personally, I found Elissa the most “distant” to me. The most intriguing POV for me was Darin, followed by Suriin.
As a whole, I found my attention wandering. I knew this was all working up to something, but I think I was expecting that “something” a lot sooner. Quite a lot of setup in terms of characters spending time on learning their unique skills and finding their feet – it just all spread out too much for me in too much detail. That said, this is a personal preference and nothing to do with the writing itself.
Hannaford shows skill with being methodical in story structure and really presenting each moment to its full potential. Gates of Hope feels like a thorough set-up for things yet to come. The introductions are out of the way, the scene is set, and the story will likely really take flight to some epic heights.
The three POVs were all very “meaty” character arcs, and they were all three interesting in their own right. At the same time, I feel the chapter by chapter changes in between the POVs broke the story too far and wide for me. When I wanted to spend time with Darin, the chapter was over and we moved to the next character. When I finally started feeling interested in Suriin, the setting broke again. Personally, I found Elissa the most “distant” to me. The most intriguing POV for me was Darin, followed by Suriin.
As a whole, I found my attention wandering. I knew this was all working up to something, but I think I was expecting that “something” a lot sooner. Quite a lot of setup in terms of characters spending time on learning their unique skills and finding their feet – it just all spread out too much for me in too much detail. That said, this is a personal preference and nothing to do with the writing itself.
Hannaford shows skill with being methodical in story structure and really presenting each moment to its full potential. Gates of Hope feels like a thorough set-up for things yet to come. The introductions are out of the way, the scene is set, and the story will likely really take flight to some epic heights.
March 22, 2023
I received a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The cover was what really drew me to this book. This book is set in a world where there are psychic dogs, song magic, dragons, and ancient gates that used to act as portals. It almost had a scifi feel to it because of one of the POVs being on a moon with a shattered gate, which was surprising. There's a lot of lore and magic in this book that was both interesting and a little hard to fully understand. I wanted to know a bit more about how the different magics and abilities worked, along with the different orders of magic users. Elissa's POV was by far my favorite, although I did enjoy whenever Star appeared. There were some names toward the end that were a bit on the nose, but the appearance of the dragons was really cool. Overall this is a great book for YA readers and those who enjoy good fantasy stories.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 21, 2023
I have awaited Gates of Hope, Book 1 of J. E. Hannaford’s new epic fantasy trilogy Aulirean Gates, with the kind of relish reserved for a cheeseburger after completing a marathon that followed a fast. The reason for this is simple: her previous duology, The Black Hind’s Wake, was one of my favourite fantasy series of recent times, combining truly original worldbuilding (an enticing mix of marine folklore with deep sea biology) with one of the most memorable species voices in recent history (Selkies, the definitive take on) and an excellent example of the power of found family in fantasy. But, as the author herself has made clear, Gates of Hope is not the same thing rehashed: it’s less dark, more epic. This is old school fantasy with a modern touch; the start of a series for those who want large-scale adventures that remind you of why you fell in love with epic fantasy in the first place. And, as we shall see, it is really rather brilliant.
First, the plot. The action takes place across two worlds: a planet, Caldera, and one if its moons, Tebein. The planets were once connected by magical gates; but the beings who controlled the gates (space dragons! Which is as cool as it sounds) have shattered them to end a dangerously escalating war between the non-human awldruin who live on Tebein and the magic users, the So’Dal, who live on Caldera. Now, centuries later, the So’Dal are less powerful shadows of their former selves, modest and mysterious, and it is into their ranks that two of the three main characters seek to join: Darin, a young man with magic potential, and Suriin, a teenager discovering the realities of the world. Meanwhile, on Tebein, a young woman called Elissa, also with magic potential, has to hide her tell-tale lilac hair from the Awldruin, who have enslaved the humans there and kill anyone who shows signs of magic. Oh, and there’s a scary-sounding area called the Edgelands on Caldera full of massive monsters who are starting to get ideas about roaming beyond its borders.
As the above indicates, there is a lot of backstory here; just like her previous work, Hannaford loves a world slightly gone to seed after an apocalyptic event in the past. But in a brilliant move, Hannaford doesn’t bombard us with the history of it, at least at first. There are no massive infodumps here, something that often plagues modern fantasy. Instead, Hannaford gives us subtle hints at what exactly happened to cut off the worlds, and trusts the reader to wait. Her worldbuilding approach is to make the world feel real, specifically through the descriptions of fauna and flora (another trick taken from her previous duology) as well as the magic system. This worldbuilding approach – subtle, small details, beautiful care in the smallest of things, is frankly a breath of fresh air, and I’d even go so far as to bet it will be the best worldbuilding you’ll see all year.
Take the plant descriptions for starters. Plants are key to the magic system, and appear in great detail. My favourite comes early on, with the magnificently named and described Love-lies-weeping, with heart-shaped leaves and teardrop flowers. Then there’s the creatures; the concept of The Edgelands, essentially the King Kong island full of monsters, is a great one for monster fans, and Hannaford, who has one of the best senses of a fictional ecosystem you’ll see in fantasy writing, takes great care to make these creatures fit into the world as well as be, in some cases, absolutely terrifying.
Then there's the magic system. Oh man, the magic system. The key word here is subtle. But don’t mistake subtle for boring. Honestly, I could read entire quintologies of just Hannaford describing how the magic works here. Essentially, the magic is divided between men and women: the men basically use singing magic (people who murder songs in the shower would not fare well in this world) which controls light and heat, as well as the use of plants to heal and grow. Complex singing notes, or wefts, can do anything from create a ball of flame to finish off a carefully crafted healing potion. I know this makes no sense now but part of the joy is slowly learning how it works, so I won’t explain more here, other than to note that it is so gloriously subtle that the subtlety is actually a plot point: the true power of the So'Dal is hidden, and many often see their magic as simply great herbology. As for the women, they have crystals, which they bond with, and control emotions, and they walk in dreams and… ok so I’m not completely sure on these points, but I like it and I’m happy to wait until book 2 to learn more.
What makes this magic system truly brilliant though aside from its magnificent random detail and refreshing subtlety is that Hannaford has grasped two of the main things that make a magic system addictive in epic fantasy: the idea of somehow recovering great long lost powers (The So’Dal used to level mountains apparently, which seems a far cry at the moment given that we’re on singing-into-a-lamp level for most of the book) and the idea of a gifted character discovering new cool ways to use the magic and level themselves up. For me, Darin's musings on how he could use his singing ability to combine with his moonhound abilities (oh did I forget to mention he’s bonded with a dog – a very good boy - that talks to him in his head through pictures? I did. It’s very cool) were some of my favourite parts of the book.
What of the characterisation? Suriin is a compelling character, clearly drawn down the path of dangerous choices for good reasons, leading her to one of the more darker plot paths by the end. I felt very engaged with her quest to find the magic to save her father. Elissa is a brilliant character, her quest to save her enslaved people, avoid the creepy moon alien overlords, and discover the potential of her magic made all the more enjoyable by her bravery and determination. But it was Darin’s character I was most drawn to, as here we see another classic Hannaford trait – found family. When he joins a secret society called the Howlers, whose job it is to protect the land from the Edgeland monsters, we are suddenly introduced to a group that has enormously fun potential, and you really feel his desire to fit in and make something of himself. Is there a character so far that has replicated how I felt about the memorable Selkies of her previous duology? Not quite yet; but these are early days in the trilogy.
Pace wise, this is an interesting Book 1. It is quite slow, but intentionally slow. Hannaford takes a lot of time introducing the magic system, the world and its characters. It does get a lot quicker and exciting at the end, and Hannaford leaves us with a fantastic set-up going into Book 2 for all three characters, but this is very much a setting-the-scene approach to book 1 of a trilogy. For those who crave immediate action this might be frustrating, but I have to say I think it was an inspired decision, because when the worldbuilding and magic system is so good, who needs arbitrary action scenes to keep the pace going? This is an author confident in her narrative approach, and it shows. By the end of this book, this world felt compellingly real to me, and Hannaford has earned the right to give us the promised high stakes in book 2 and 3.
Overall, then, this is exactly what I hoped for and more: classic epic fantasy adventure that got you into the genre in the first place, embellished with some of the best worldbuilding you’re likely to see this side of the decade and an innovative, subtle magic system that you will fall in love with and a story that will sink its claws into you. I am really, really excited about this trilogy, and we haven’t even properly met the space dragons yet. Magnificent stuff.
First, the plot. The action takes place across two worlds: a planet, Caldera, and one if its moons, Tebein. The planets were once connected by magical gates; but the beings who controlled the gates (space dragons! Which is as cool as it sounds) have shattered them to end a dangerously escalating war between the non-human awldruin who live on Tebein and the magic users, the So’Dal, who live on Caldera. Now, centuries later, the So’Dal are less powerful shadows of their former selves, modest and mysterious, and it is into their ranks that two of the three main characters seek to join: Darin, a young man with magic potential, and Suriin, a teenager discovering the realities of the world. Meanwhile, on Tebein, a young woman called Elissa, also with magic potential, has to hide her tell-tale lilac hair from the Awldruin, who have enslaved the humans there and kill anyone who shows signs of magic. Oh, and there’s a scary-sounding area called the Edgelands on Caldera full of massive monsters who are starting to get ideas about roaming beyond its borders.
As the above indicates, there is a lot of backstory here; just like her previous work, Hannaford loves a world slightly gone to seed after an apocalyptic event in the past. But in a brilliant move, Hannaford doesn’t bombard us with the history of it, at least at first. There are no massive infodumps here, something that often plagues modern fantasy. Instead, Hannaford gives us subtle hints at what exactly happened to cut off the worlds, and trusts the reader to wait. Her worldbuilding approach is to make the world feel real, specifically through the descriptions of fauna and flora (another trick taken from her previous duology) as well as the magic system. This worldbuilding approach – subtle, small details, beautiful care in the smallest of things, is frankly a breath of fresh air, and I’d even go so far as to bet it will be the best worldbuilding you’ll see all year.
Take the plant descriptions for starters. Plants are key to the magic system, and appear in great detail. My favourite comes early on, with the magnificently named and described Love-lies-weeping, with heart-shaped leaves and teardrop flowers. Then there’s the creatures; the concept of The Edgelands, essentially the King Kong island full of monsters, is a great one for monster fans, and Hannaford, who has one of the best senses of a fictional ecosystem you’ll see in fantasy writing, takes great care to make these creatures fit into the world as well as be, in some cases, absolutely terrifying.
Then there's the magic system. Oh man, the magic system. The key word here is subtle. But don’t mistake subtle for boring. Honestly, I could read entire quintologies of just Hannaford describing how the magic works here. Essentially, the magic is divided between men and women: the men basically use singing magic (people who murder songs in the shower would not fare well in this world) which controls light and heat, as well as the use of plants to heal and grow. Complex singing notes, or wefts, can do anything from create a ball of flame to finish off a carefully crafted healing potion. I know this makes no sense now but part of the joy is slowly learning how it works, so I won’t explain more here, other than to note that it is so gloriously subtle that the subtlety is actually a plot point: the true power of the So'Dal is hidden, and many often see their magic as simply great herbology. As for the women, they have crystals, which they bond with, and control emotions, and they walk in dreams and… ok so I’m not completely sure on these points, but I like it and I’m happy to wait until book 2 to learn more.
What makes this magic system truly brilliant though aside from its magnificent random detail and refreshing subtlety is that Hannaford has grasped two of the main things that make a magic system addictive in epic fantasy: the idea of somehow recovering great long lost powers (The So’Dal used to level mountains apparently, which seems a far cry at the moment given that we’re on singing-into-a-lamp level for most of the book) and the idea of a gifted character discovering new cool ways to use the magic and level themselves up. For me, Darin's musings on how he could use his singing ability to combine with his moonhound abilities (oh did I forget to mention he’s bonded with a dog – a very good boy - that talks to him in his head through pictures? I did. It’s very cool) were some of my favourite parts of the book.
What of the characterisation? Suriin is a compelling character, clearly drawn down the path of dangerous choices for good reasons, leading her to one of the more darker plot paths by the end. I felt very engaged with her quest to find the magic to save her father. Elissa is a brilliant character, her quest to save her enslaved people, avoid the creepy moon alien overlords, and discover the potential of her magic made all the more enjoyable by her bravery and determination. But it was Darin’s character I was most drawn to, as here we see another classic Hannaford trait – found family. When he joins a secret society called the Howlers, whose job it is to protect the land from the Edgeland monsters, we are suddenly introduced to a group that has enormously fun potential, and you really feel his desire to fit in and make something of himself. Is there a character so far that has replicated how I felt about the memorable Selkies of her previous duology? Not quite yet; but these are early days in the trilogy.
Pace wise, this is an interesting Book 1. It is quite slow, but intentionally slow. Hannaford takes a lot of time introducing the magic system, the world and its characters. It does get a lot quicker and exciting at the end, and Hannaford leaves us with a fantastic set-up going into Book 2 for all three characters, but this is very much a setting-the-scene approach to book 1 of a trilogy. For those who crave immediate action this might be frustrating, but I have to say I think it was an inspired decision, because when the worldbuilding and magic system is so good, who needs arbitrary action scenes to keep the pace going? This is an author confident in her narrative approach, and it shows. By the end of this book, this world felt compellingly real to me, and Hannaford has earned the right to give us the promised high stakes in book 2 and 3.
Overall, then, this is exactly what I hoped for and more: classic epic fantasy adventure that got you into the genre in the first place, embellished with some of the best worldbuilding you’re likely to see this side of the decade and an innovative, subtle magic system that you will fall in love with and a story that will sink its claws into you. I am really, really excited about this trilogy, and we haven’t even properly met the space dragons yet. Magnificent stuff.
October 21, 2025
I enjoyed the book but only giving it four stars as it is not as epic and awe-inspiring as some other fantasy series I have read. Granted, the first book in a often starts with the main characters just learning the skills that will be needed for more epic moments in future books. I will probably read (listen to on audible) the rest of the books in the series.
I read this book as a ‘dog’ book as it has ‘moonhounds.’ Here is where they were introduced:
‘Those hounds are huge. What are they? Where do they come from?’ A bundle of puppies came running behind the main pack, all wagging tails and big paws.
‘Those are moonhounds.’ The boy rushed to the window and gazed down at them. ‘They’re magnificent, aren't they? They decide for themselves who they want to bond with. One day I hope one chooses me. But I'm too young, and they haven’t chosen a male since forever.’ He rolled his eyes dramatically.
‘They choose? How does a dog choose?’ asked Darin.
‘Oh, that's easy .. They dream of you and you dream of them.’
The dogs are of some help but not so much a main focus. In each of the chapters there is a bit of a poem or historical text which generally are kind of ‘meh’ but this one bit tells a bit more on the moonhounds:
‘Among the many innate behaviours of moonhounds, one in particular bears close consideration. They are known to form strong bonds with both human and hound members of what they consider to be their pack. They also seem able to assist with healing those close to them. The exact mechanism of this energy transfer remains elusive, but there is no doubt that it requires both a degree of altruism and sacrifice on behalf of the bound, as well as an exceptionally close bond.
- Moonhound History and Care’
The book seems to be building up to some good stuff to play out in the rest of the series. Here is a hint to tell you that big help is coming:
‘Help is coming, but we need to knock down a wall for them to leave this room,’ she said
I read this book as a ‘dog’ book as it has ‘moonhounds.’ Here is where they were introduced:
‘Those hounds are huge. What are they? Where do they come from?’ A bundle of puppies came running behind the main pack, all wagging tails and big paws.
‘Those are moonhounds.’ The boy rushed to the window and gazed down at them. ‘They’re magnificent, aren't they? They decide for themselves who they want to bond with. One day I hope one chooses me. But I'm too young, and they haven’t chosen a male since forever.’ He rolled his eyes dramatically.
‘They choose? How does a dog choose?’ asked Darin.
‘Oh, that's easy .. They dream of you and you dream of them.’
The dogs are of some help but not so much a main focus. In each of the chapters there is a bit of a poem or historical text which generally are kind of ‘meh’ but this one bit tells a bit more on the moonhounds:
‘Among the many innate behaviours of moonhounds, one in particular bears close consideration. They are known to form strong bonds with both human and hound members of what they consider to be their pack. They also seem able to assist with healing those close to them. The exact mechanism of this energy transfer remains elusive, but there is no doubt that it requires both a degree of altruism and sacrifice on behalf of the bound, as well as an exceptionally close bond.
- Moonhound History and Care’
The book seems to be building up to some good stuff to play out in the rest of the series. Here is a hint to tell you that big help is coming:
‘Help is coming, but we need to knock down a wall for them to leave this room,’ she said
April 23, 2024
I received an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Life was lifing, so I am a little behind, but it was not the fault of the book!
This is book one to the Aulirean Gates series. The main planet has people surviving in these craters across the landscape. They can move in between them, carefully, but the towns and cities are all within. There is also another planet and a moon. They were once connected via the gates, but when they could not stop warring, the dragons decided to get involved and put an end to the bloodshed. The moon still has a mixture of the races, and the subjugation has not ended. The other we haven’t really seen…yet would be my guess.
This book honestly tackles a lot. It is in part a magical academy book, a coming of age story, an underdogs story, and an adventure book. There is so much magic, in so many ways, that it’s surprising that it’s so well balanced. There’s singing magic, plant/potion magic, crystal magic, dog/hound magic, dream magic, alien race magic, and freaking space dragons. The story follows three main characters, but honestly there are so many strong and necessary characters within their perspectives that get developed that it’s insane.
My only gripe is I wish the climax had kicked off just a smidge sooner. As a book one, I did not need explosive action necessarily, but the twist coming a little earlier would have allowed for it to open up a little more fully.
Creatively written, and interesting throughout. Who doesn’t love a dog as a bonded companion? Who needs a dragon, we have hounds! Personally a 4/5*.
I also checked out the New Hope short story. It gave a really interesting new perspective and I thoroughly enjoyed the secondary introduction to the world!
https://fanfiaddict.com/review-gates-...
This is book one to the Aulirean Gates series. The main planet has people surviving in these craters across the landscape. They can move in between them, carefully, but the towns and cities are all within. There is also another planet and a moon. They were once connected via the gates, but when they could not stop warring, the dragons decided to get involved and put an end to the bloodshed. The moon still has a mixture of the races, and the subjugation has not ended. The other we haven’t really seen…yet would be my guess.
This book honestly tackles a lot. It is in part a magical academy book, a coming of age story, an underdogs story, and an adventure book. There is so much magic, in so many ways, that it’s surprising that it’s so well balanced. There’s singing magic, plant/potion magic, crystal magic, dog/hound magic, dream magic, alien race magic, and freaking space dragons. The story follows three main characters, but honestly there are so many strong and necessary characters within their perspectives that get developed that it’s insane.
My only gripe is I wish the climax had kicked off just a smidge sooner. As a book one, I did not need explosive action necessarily, but the twist coming a little earlier would have allowed for it to open up a little more fully.
Creatively written, and interesting throughout. Who doesn’t love a dog as a bonded companion? Who needs a dragon, we have hounds! Personally a 4/5*.
I also checked out the New Hope short story. It gave a really interesting new perspective and I thoroughly enjoyed the secondary introduction to the world!
https://fanfiaddict.com/review-gates-...
April 14, 2023
Once again Hannaford proves her talent with world building and once again she manages to match the depth of detail with a heart-pounding story of the most Epic of Fantasy.
Also, massive magical telepathic dog 🐕
Also, massive magical telepathic dog 🐕
December 21, 2024
Gates of Hope by JE Hannaford is an engaging story with more than a dash of the fantasy epic about it. There is a deceptively large amount of world-building behind it within the land of Caldera. It is dominated by craters after an event called The Rending, in which people dwell in areas named semiclaves. Their world is bound up with the ancient history of the Aulirean Gates, and conflict with the race called awldrin, which sealed the gates closed.
It follows the viewpoints of three main characters: Darin, Suriin and Elissa. I found the magic system of Gates of Hope unusual, based as it is around music, dreams, plants, wefts and...whistles?! The story and characters are engaging, and the moments of youthful elation we experience with Suriin and Darin were some of the most enjoyable for me. But I also thought it could have done better with some more driving plot force and momentum. There were some sections that seemed a bit indulgently cosy, and rather a lot of time is spent on the characters' own inner thoughts and musings. Anyway, it's a promising start to a series.
For a full review, see my blog post:
https://toomanyfantasybooks.blogspot....
It follows the viewpoints of three main characters: Darin, Suriin and Elissa. I found the magic system of Gates of Hope unusual, based as it is around music, dreams, plants, wefts and...whistles?! The story and characters are engaging, and the moments of youthful elation we experience with Suriin and Darin were some of the most enjoyable for me. But I also thought it could have done better with some more driving plot force and momentum. There were some sections that seemed a bit indulgently cosy, and rather a lot of time is spent on the characters' own inner thoughts and musings. Anyway, it's a promising start to a series.
For a full review, see my blog post:
https://toomanyfantasybooks.blogspot....
July 13, 2023
And done! A lot to unpack in this one with so many twists and turns. It ends just when you get to the good part making book 2 a must read! Full review to come!
April 2, 2023
Gates of Hope is a great start to the Aulirean Gates series.
The story telling and world building are top notch. I love the way Hannaford keeps the reader completely in the dark about everything, and slowly reveals things to provide greater context to the overall story. Each chapter felt like a new discovery that the reader has earned. You will not find any info dumps here.
The themes in this book were powerful and well executed. We have 3 POVs that take us on vastly different journeys and it was interesting to discover how and where they would relate to each other or overlap. The locations were rich and vibrant, feeling like a character all their own.
My only major critique is that I felt like the last chapter for each POV could have ended in a more concise way. The ending was not bad by any means and left me ready for book 2, but could have been more satisfying IMO.
Overall this was a great read, and I am very excited to continue the series.
NOTE: The author did provide me with an eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
The story telling and world building are top notch. I love the way Hannaford keeps the reader completely in the dark about everything, and slowly reveals things to provide greater context to the overall story. Each chapter felt like a new discovery that the reader has earned. You will not find any info dumps here.
The themes in this book were powerful and well executed. We have 3 POVs that take us on vastly different journeys and it was interesting to discover how and where they would relate to each other or overlap. The locations were rich and vibrant, feeling like a character all their own.
My only major critique is that I felt like the last chapter for each POV could have ended in a more concise way. The ending was not bad by any means and left me ready for book 2, but could have been more satisfying IMO.
Overall this was a great read, and I am very excited to continue the series.
NOTE: The author did provide me with an eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
April 14, 2023
Well what a ride.
This covers a few POVs, but they are all distinct. It's set in this amazing world, entirely different to what you would expect from a fantasy world. There are hints of scifi here.
Now the author had me 10% in when she gave me moonhounds. I LOVE the moonhounds. I love the way the people have different skills, the different guilds, if you will, and that men and women have different talents.
And of course she gave me dragons. I am pleased!
I would say the last chapter was a bit rambling. It could have been tied up more neatly than that. At times the dialogue ranges from epic to sketchy. I would say the Hound chaps have the most authentic voices.
I loved the concept of the world but would like to see more of it. There's an element of people arriving and getting started and I'm not seeing much of the mechanics behind it. How is it so easy to get hold of the jewel from an ancient sword? How did nobody else discover a captive alien?
That being said, I loved this. It's a solid 4.5 stars for me and I'm strapped in for the next one.
This covers a few POVs, but they are all distinct. It's set in this amazing world, entirely different to what you would expect from a fantasy world. There are hints of scifi here.
Now the author had me 10% in when she gave me moonhounds. I LOVE the moonhounds. I love the way the people have different skills, the different guilds, if you will, and that men and women have different talents.
And of course she gave me dragons. I am pleased!
I would say the last chapter was a bit rambling. It could have been tied up more neatly than that. At times the dialogue ranges from epic to sketchy. I would say the Hound chaps have the most authentic voices.
I loved the concept of the world but would like to see more of it. There's an element of people arriving and getting started and I'm not seeing much of the mechanics behind it. How is it so easy to get hold of the jewel from an ancient sword? How did nobody else discover a captive alien?
That being said, I loved this. It's a solid 4.5 stars for me and I'm strapped in for the next one.
August 26, 2023
Good first book in serie
Like many first books in a series of fantasy books there is a good deal of world building in this one but it is worked into the story very well. The characters act in a believable fashion given the circumstances they find themselves in. Definitely a great read and I am looking forward to the next one in this series eagerly.
Like many first books in a series of fantasy books there is a good deal of world building in this one but it is worked into the story very well. The characters act in a believable fashion given the circumstances they find themselves in. Definitely a great read and I am looking forward to the next one in this series eagerly.
March 5, 2024
I really enjoyed this epic fantasy story. The worldbuilding felt unique and interesting, and the characters were all compelling in their own way. I'm looking forward to continuing on their journey, and in seeing what lies in store after the release of an awldrin queen...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 19, 2023
Gates of Hope is such a wonderful book. I am a huge fan of the author’s Black Hind’s Wake-series, so obviously I had to read Gates of Hope. It has a completely different feeling from the first series. Both worlds have a dystopian feeling for me, but Gates of Hope does its title justice and really feels hopeful – like a literal hug.
We follow three very different characters on their journey, all three I liked instantly, all three are very different from one another. And one of them has a massive telepathic moonhound (yeah, the one on the cover) - another plus.
It took me a while to get into the worldbuilding, but once done I loved it. It’s very rich and detailed, landscape, flora, fauna, with a lot of little details that made the world(s) feel real. And very different from my usual reads.
On top the author’s impeccable writing and I give you a must-read.
We follow three very different characters on their journey, all three I liked instantly, all three are very different from one another. And one of them has a massive telepathic moonhound (yeah, the one on the cover) - another plus.
It took me a while to get into the worldbuilding, but once done I loved it. It’s very rich and detailed, landscape, flora, fauna, with a lot of little details that made the world(s) feel real. And very different from my usual reads.
On top the author’s impeccable writing and I give you a must-read.
September 13, 2024
I loved this book, with its cast of deeply flawed heroes and wildly imaginative world building. Who doesn't want the aftermath of inter-planetary war with added dragons and best doggos, repressed magic and a warming touch of queer romance?
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