Iseris: House of Power by A.A. Smith – Magic, adventure and unearthed secrets

War becomes Mora Hytich’s reality one unassuming morning as she prepares to head out to seconds school. Separated from her mother, her best friend and her father figure with no standing home to go back to, she wanders the streets of Alia before departing when the harshness of the city drives her away.

Her gentle disposition attracts strangers to her cause, some with kinder intentions than others. On her search, she stumbles upon a great deception, with decades of untruths stacked on top of each other.

Magic, family and politics intertwine in very unexpected ways that Mora must sort through in order to re-establish any kind of normalcy in her life, if the possibility of doing so exists.

Spoiler-Free Plot

Mora’s anxieties about the impending war between her home country of Augstia and a coalition of Iseris’ other nations are all confirmed when the bombs drop. Had her magical abilities been more powerful, maybe somehow she would’ve managed to stick with the people she considers family, kept them safe, or at the very least, endured the hardships of conflict together.

Instead, she finds herself separated completely from all she has ever known, venturing far from the Midland village she was born and raised in. She bounces from place to place, experiencing people and things beyond the simple existence she imagined for herself.

Along the way, she is joined, one by one, by an eclectic individuals who soon become friends, all wildly different from each other. By all previously held beliefs, some encouraged by the Treaty of Separation, none of them should’ve ever existed in each other’s company for as long as they manage to do, as they navigate through trials together.

With each of them driven by their own individual purposes, their enjoyment of each others’ company overlaps their missions, which they eventually strive to help each other accomplish.

Mora’s initial quest to find out the whereabouts of her loved ones turns into an unraveling of her life story. Who she thought she was, the life she thought her parents had lived is not at all what it seemed–what she was led to believe. In a way that she has not yet been able to discern, her true history might be tied to something bigger than herself, and she will use whatever means lie at her disposal to piece it all together.

My Take on Iseris: House of Power

World building can be an extremely difficult undertaking. To put together a completely brand new and unique universe takes courage, and I commend anyone who rises up to the challenge.

The author put thought into the various elements that enrich the characters and setting. From the different types and tiers of the magic system, to the variations in governance, climate and outputs of the nations written about in this story—and let’s not forget the flora, fauna and diverse physical and behavioural traits of the groups of people from their respective homelands.

Smith’s creativity also extended towards the formation of unique vocabulary for ordinary things, which increases the author’s ownership over all parts of their brainchild. Readers who enjoy the story will forever tie certain elements to what I believe to be a book series in the making.

Unfortunately, I did have a hard time with what feels like a timing issue that presents itself in two ways. I wish that the passing of time between characters’ actions, or from one scene to the next had been established and emphasised. The lack of it left me feeling a little disorientated and disconnected from the emotions of the protagonist. I couldn’t accurately tell the duration between events, so Mora’s emotional upheaval fell a bit flat, which had a knock-on effect that extended far down the line as this continued.

Secondly, if the time had been taken to include little tidbits and details earlier on, preceding the main scenes that called for their full presence rather than offloading a heap of information in a paragraph, leading the explanations to sound rigid and unnatural in their placement, I believe the story would’ve flowed a lot better and improved the reading experience overall.

Despite these pacing hiccups, Iseris: House of Power is a creative and richly imagined tale that lays a strong foundation for what promises to be an expansive and intriguing series. With its ambitious worldbuilding, compelling themes of identity and belonging, and a cast of unlikely companions you’ll want to root for, this story has the potential to truly shine as it continues to unfold.

Age Rating

14 years and above

Content Warnings

Death, Discrimination, Violence.

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