Lies of Descent: The Fallen Gods' War - Book One does a good job of not only following Riam and Nola's stories, but also conveying to the reader the history of the world. After the universe was created by the gods of dark and light, the two groups fought. In the end, the only way for the dark gods to be defeated was for the gods of light to fall and pull the gods of dark down with them. Then, in their mortal bodies, the gods could actually be killed.
When the wars between the fallen gods finally ended, the only thing left of the gods were their mortal children. Their descendants formed the Draegoran, people who use their magical abilities to protect the people under their care. Once a year, Draegorans travel the continent testing all children, and any that are found to carry Draegoran blood are conscripted into their army and trained to use their powers.
That's where Riam and Nola come in. Though raised only a few days-ride apart from each other, they had very different upbringings. Where Nola is the daughter of a moderately successful merchant with a few servants and some land, Riam and his brother live with their abusive father on a small farm that produces just enough to feed them and pay the necessary taxes. When a Draegoran named Gairen comes through to test the children, both are whisked away and their old lives are left in the dust.
Unfortunately, the travels to the Draegoran island where the pair will be trained are not smooth. Early in their journey, Riam, Nola and Gairen are attacked by Esharii and Nola is kidnapped. It is here where the story gets really interesting. Riam's journey to be trained by the Draegorans isn't a typical one, and even when he meets up with other new recruits, he finds his path doesn't quite align with the others. Nola's story though, is even stranger. Through her eyes, we learn of the Esharii perspective and how they see the world. As both Riam and Nola learn of the history of both people, it becomes apparent that, while the world fears and respects the Draegorans, their own history isn't as noble as they believe it to be and the book's title becomes more and more relevant.
Troy Carrol Bucher does an excellent job of world-building in this first book. Based on the history and events sprinkled about as the story progresses, it is easy to see how the culture and society represented in Lies of Descent could have developed. That topped with his interesting magic system and the divergent path of his two young main characters and The Fallen God's War promises to be a fantasy story worth your attention.
