The Reading Bud

Book Details:

Author: Richard French
Release Date: 1 March 2025
Series: Convergence Series
Genre: Dystopian, Speculative Fiction
Format: E-book 
Pages: 184 pages
Publisher: Indie Pen Press
Blurb:
Federation Enforcer Samantha Reed has orders to kill Connor Blake—the one person whose soul was torn from hers when the Federation shattered magic itself.
Reality is fracturing across the galaxy as the Convergence approaches, a cosmic force trying to heal what was broken. The Federation claims Connor’s rebellion is causing the breakdown, but when Samantha confronts him, stolen memories surface: their connection isn’t coincidence—it’s the echo of a bond artificially severed centuries ago.

Their unified magic doesn’t combine separate powers—it remembers what they were before the Federation broke everything apart. But every moment they spend reconnected awakens the truth the Federation desperately hides: the artificial separation is failing, and only their restored unity can stabilize reality’s collapse.
As the cosmos continues to unravel, the Federation’s leader plans to use the Convergence’s healing energy as a weapon to make the separation permanent—even if it destroys existence in the process. The choice isn’t between order and chaos, but between artificial control and natural wholeness.
For readers who devoured Shadow and Bone and The Ten Thousand Doors of January, this is forbidden unity with the fate of reality hanging in the balance.
When remembering their true connection means choosing between Federation loyalty and cosmic healing, will Samantha embrace what was stolen from them—or let the universe fracture forever to preserve a lie?
Get your copy now and discover why some bonds refuse to stay broken.

Review

Every once in a while, I stumble on a sci-fantasy that feels both classic and new, and The Convergence: Broken Magic did exactly that for me. Richard French builds a world where magic has been split (politically, philosophically, and literally) and the cost of that fracture touches everything. What I loved most is how the book stays emotional even while juggling heady ideas; the opening teases the cosmic stakes with “shadow and light” patterns that feel sentient, immediately hinting this isn’t just good-vs-evil but a deeper question of how things were broken, and whether they can be made whole again.

The chapters (especially in the middle) blend brisk action with chewy ideas about power, control, and institutional memory without drowning you in exposition. I especially enjoyed how the story frames “unified” magic as something natural and healing, while forced control breaks people and worlds; a theme that gives the battles real emotional stakes.

Author French’s prose is clean and unfussy, letting the math-meets-myth logic of the magic system carry the wonder. The antagonist’s motivation, born from trauma and fear, adds dimension to the conflict and avoids mustache-twirling; policy, paranoia, and grief entwine into a believable agenda that feels tragically real. This nuance makes the late-book confrontations land harder because the “villain” isn’t simply wrong; he’s convincingly afraid of what ungoverned power can do.

The finale pays off the promise of the title, with sacrifice, restoration, and an earned sense of hope. Without spoiling anything: the book argues that wholeness requires consent and cost, not coercion, which is a beautiful take for a series opener. I closed the book feeling satisfied yet curious about where this universe goes next, which is always my favorite way to end the first in a series. If you like high-stakes magic systems grounded in character and consequence, this belongs on your TBR.

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