The First Binding is the first book in the Tales of Tremaine series by R.R. Virdi and this is the first book to the best of my knowledge that I’ve personally read that makes use of the Framing narrative (check out Petrik Leo’s review for more info) style of writing and boy did it have me hooked and wanting more.
I can honestly say hands down the opening to this book had me hooked unlike anything I’ve ever read. The story starts off with the main character Ari playing the role of a Storyteller/Bard inside the Three Tales Tavern. Ari however is no ordinary Storyteller/Bard and neither is R.R. Virdi writing, the way the opening reads and draws you in I felt like I was sitting right there inside the walls of Three Tales Tavern watching Ari perform and it was freaking magical. I’m talking like the first time you experienced Disney World as a kid, kind of magical.
As the story unfolds Ari comes across a beautiful mysterious singer with a checkered past of her own named Eloine. It’s safe to say their chemistry with each other sparked an instant attraction to one another almost as if they had known each other in a past life and were drawn back together.
Not long after Eloine recognizes Ari for who he really is and not who he’s pretending to be and well let's just say there's no better persuasion than that of a beautiful woman to convince a man to do anything. As a result she gets Ari to agree to tell her his true story, not the one of legends and myths that through Ari’s quick wit have been spread all over the lands about him. No, she wants the true origin of how he became the Binder he is today.
Since this book uses the Framing narrative as Ari tells us about his youth from a very young age and proceeds on to that of a young man in his late teens the book takes breaks from time to time. An intermission if you will to tell us the story of present day Ari and Eloine and the shenanigans they get into.
There is so much to this story I would love to tell you about but in doing so I fear I might spoil the story and the writing that R.R. Virdi is just too beautiful for me to risk that. Honestly if you want a more in depth review I would recommend reading or watching Petrik Leo’s review as he’s a pro.
This is the first book I’ve ever read by R.R. Virdi and it’s my understanding this is his first ever high fantasy and I think it's safe to say he found his calling. I truly hope he continues to write more high fantasy novels after he completes the Tales of Tremaine series because his first attempt is an amazing contribution to the genre.
As far as I’m concerned this is not only a 5 star book but it’s also arguably the best story I’ve personally read this year, even if Virdi did us dirty with the ending leaving us on a cliffhanger. Seriously man, when is the next book coming out I need answers. :)
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That. Was. Amazing. The blurb didn’t prepare me for my epic journey with Ari, a storyteller whose tale begins at the Three Tales Tavern in Karchetta. His audience is left spellbound by the mastery of his craft and the fire magic he demonstrates throughout his performance, all except for a mysterious singer, who in turn casts a different spell over our hero. The pair quickly becomes captivated by each other and she beseeches Ari to tell her the story of what led him to his present quest.“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦—𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯’𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.”The First Binding is the first of the author’s Tales of Tremaine series. It’s about the power of story and storytelling. It’s framing narrative allows Virdi to tell many tales of myth, heroes, legends, monsters, and magic and sets up the world of Tremaine beautifully. The world building is very well done. The character development is flawlessly executed as well, in part because of the format of the book. We’re able to see how Ari became his present self through the narrative of his experiences and the past lives he has left behind.“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯, 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘳.”Virdi is so good at making us feel what Ari’s feeling and transporting us through the years and the spaces that he inhabits. I won’t lie. This book is thick at over 800 pages, but it’s a book that’s meant to be savored and experienced. I urge you to do so!
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Top reviews from other countries
Kindle Customer
Excellent, just a great read.
Reviewed in Canada on August 31, 2022
Anonymous
A very good book that gets better on every reread
Reviewed in India on August 31, 2024Reader-718
Love It! And To Those Who…
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 17, 2024David Rosalia
Enjoyed it but a bit disappointed with how heavily the author used the plot of NOTW
Reviewed in France on September 27, 2023
