Imbued
A downloadable book
"Magic was always going to be my downfall. I've known that from the start."
Calla has no memories of her childhood except for hazy, recurring nightmares. Working as a servant in Kiriong, the picturesque terrace garden home to one of the most influential families in the Kamphua Dominion, she's content to live a simple life. As long as no one finds out about the forbidden magic stirring under her skin.
When the estranged family heir, Gray—a magehunter in servitude of the royal hold—unexpectedly returns home, Calla's secret threatens to surface. Instead of turning her in, however, Gray offers her the one thing she always feared: to teach her how to use her powers. And as the turbulent tides of long-forgotten magic draw them together, Calla finds it harder and harder to deny her potential.
But Gray knows more than what he admits. In the aftermath of a vile political plot targeting him and with the shadow of a mage uprising cast upon the land, finding out what happened to Calla in her forgotten years might be their only chance to survive.
Except the knowledge could break them both.
It could break the world.
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Imbued is a 97,200 word dark fantasy novel, the first in a duology. The second book is planned to release late 2026.
Content warnings include: complex-PTSD representation, childhood trauma, childhood abuse/torture, manipulation, violence (no excessive gore), oppression and mentions of violent acts against a group of people, violence against animals, mentions and imagery of war.
Read the prologue on my site:
https://helynalclove.com/imbued-prelude/
Find more extras and info:
https://helynalclove.com/imbued1/
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Comments
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Imbued, despite its sometimes dark content, is a lovely story. But don’t get me wrong: the dark content is not a drawback by any means. It’s hard for me to describe how I felt while reading this book (for the second time; I beta read it as well) but imagine, if you will, that satisfying sensation you get from inhaling fresh air full of the scent of spring and new blossoms while a thunderstorm broils on the horizon. It was kind of like that.
The prose is beautiful, and right from the start I was captivated by how well Helyna created imagery of the world. The book is full of flowers and flower references, and the gardens are described so well I didn’t have any trouble visualizing the scenery. There’s also a diverse cast of characters and each one speaks with a unique voice. The romance, the very slowest burn type, is handled with care so as not to be thick or overbearing on the story. It’s all just so very well done.
Imbued touches on darker themes, like human captivity, abuse, PTSD, oppression, trauma, and others, but despite that, it felt like a light read rather than a heavy one because the treatment of these topics was done so well. I was eager to pick up the book each day to read, and reluctant to stop. For me, this was a book that I felt like I was devouring, and if I could have read it in one sitting I absolutely would have.
Gray is certainly my favorite character out of the bunch. I enjoyed his quiet complexity, his patience, and his determination. This doesn’t mean the other characters are forgettable; far from it. I’m definitely eager to find out what happens to all of them in Imbued’s sequel, Untwined.
5 ⭐
A great story, well-written, and with quite an unique take on the magic trope. It gripped me right from the start and made me wish I'd still had more time for reading in a day.
The characters are great - I especially love Gray - and really come to life, the world building is rich and vibrant, the story itself is equally intriguing, and heart-warming as it is thought-provoking. The pace is medium slow, I'd say, with some passages also being quite fast paced.
I am quite sad now that this book is finished and I have to wait until 2026 for the sequel.
If you love fantasy, give it a try!
<3 <3