ALC/DRC Review: Eden's Rise by O.E. Bruening
Release Date: 24 October 2026
Rating: 4.5/5
Synopsis: All Eden wants is to pass his exams. As an orphan raised in the dwarven empire, Eden is a Rescue: human and second-class, forever indebted, barely tolerated. A gifted mapmaker, he intends to blend in, to earn his place.
Then a black dragon descends on his town. His closest friend Anya is hauled into an unjust trial. And Eden, Anya, and their elven companion Faras are forced to run, fleeing across the empire beneath the mountains toward the imperial capital. There they hope to disappear.
But the empire is not what it seems. Armies are marching. Dark creatures are stirring in the deep. And in the shadows, a secret eighty years old is waiting to rewrite everything about their world.
Review
I'm going to admit right out of the gate that this was a total cover request. I did read the synopsis before committing to reading first, though (I'm learning, I'm learning). On the surface, Eden's Rise seems like a standard fantasy with elves and dwarves and such, and it does have quite a few elements in common with other popular, established series; but there is a subtle charm and je nais se quios about it I can't quite articulate. I'm quite fond of this one, and I'm looking forward to future books from this author.
Presented in a dual timeline and treating the reader with intellectual respect, Eden's Rise slowly converges a hidden truth with current events in the timeline for a bombshell of an ending during an epic climax. In the present, Eden and his friends navigate touchy politics in an increasingly oppressive empire. The three friends are thrust together, and they learn quickly to rely on one another despite their loose connections. Eden feels flat at first, perhaps because the plot moves quickly, but his development bobs around the story like an iceberg, building bulk in the subtext while staying small on the surface.
The supporting cast carries the weight of action for the most part in the story. Much happens from start to finish, and I appreciated the complexity without the narrative hand holding, particularly with the dual timeline. I spent the time between reading sessions of the book anxious to get back to it just to see the mystery surrounding the character unfold and affect the plot. Of course, I spent the whole time trying to guess who the character was in relation to the characters in the present setting, but I was wrong in the end.
One cannot ever go wrong with an audiobook narrated by Reading and Kramer. Generally, when a fantasy book has the pair for its narration, I'm usually happy with it, which was definitely the case here.
My thanks to Ironthale Press via NetGalley for the advance copy, for which I willingly give my own, honest opinion.
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