I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.  All opinions are my own. 

A struggle against the faith he grew up in sends a young man on an adventure into another world in author Benji Dalton’s “Aura Wielders: Citadel.”

The Synopsis

Something answers.

Eli Walsh never asked to be saved. At eighteen, he’s weeks from a two-year church mission he doesn’t believe in, trapped between a faith he’s been faking and a mother whose heart he can’t bear to break.

His best friend Mary wasn’t going to let him go quietly. Goth, furious, and desperate enough to try anything, she drags him to an ancient mound and calls to powers that should have stayed forgotten.

Now Eli is somewhere else entirely.

A world where magic flows through the elements. Where armies clash over territory he doesn’t understand. Where a girl with Mary’s face answers to a different name—and where his memories of home are dissolving like smoke.

He’s not sure that’s a bad thing.

Because here, for the first time, he matters. He can’t throw fire or shape water or move stone—but he can make every wielder around him more. It’s a power the Citadel buried a long time ago, for reasons no one will say out loud.

Now it’s waking in him—and not everyone wants him to survive it.

THE REVIEW

This was an engaging and compelling adventure fantasy novel. The depth of world-building and character development leads to a solid foundation for this story to take hold. The detailed imagery in the author’s writing style allowed the reader to immerse themselves in both worlds that this book occupied, both the one familiar to us and the one the Author created as a protagonist stepped into this epic fantasy universe.

The mythology and compelling, emotionally driven themes made this novel truly engaging. Since this was such a character-driven narrative, the mythos honed in on the protagonist, particularly as did the themes. The narrative explores what it means to deal with loss and survive childhood horrors, while also peeling back layers of the protagonist’s character arc to dive into the journey of understanding one’s own identity. The conflict between the faith he grew up in and the world as he understands it is one many readers will understand completely, and the unique academic nature of studying auras and the magic associated with them adds a sense of adventure and entertainment that will keep readers invested in this narrative overall.

THE VERDICT

Memorable, entertaining, and heartfelt in its delivery, author B. Dalton’s “Aura Wielders: Citadel” is a must-read fantasy novel. The concept of finding magic and an adventure through alternate realities and portals felt like a great connection to both folklorist and metaphysical genre storytelling, while also allowing the deep emotional themes of the narrative to connect readers with the protagonist and keep them invested in every twist and turn the story takes, including the cliffhanger final chapter. If you haven’t yet, please be sure to grab your copy today!

Rating: 10/10

About the Author

B. Dalton lives in Somewhere, Florida, where he splits his time between walks in swamps, film photography, and listening to dreampop in the garage. He once attended film school with grand visions of turning screenplays into blockbuster movies. When Hollywood failed to come knocking, he set up a Mac Mini in the walk-in closet and wrote a novel for Novel November instead. Aura Wielders: Citadel is his debut. And yes, the pen name matches a bookstore that went out of business — he’s choosing to see that as ironic rather than prophetic.

B. Dalton lives in Somewhere, Florida, where he splits his time between walks in swamps, film photography, and listening to dreampop in the garage. He once attended film school with grand visions of turning screenplays into blockbuster movies. When Hollywood failed to come knocking, he set up a Mac Mini in the walk-in closet and wrote a novel for Novel November instead. Aura Wielders: Citadel is his debut. And yes, the pen name matches a bookstore that went out of business — he’s choosing to see that as ironic rather than prophetic.