Book Details:
Author: Andrew Beardmore
Release Date: 28 February 2025
Series: The Nessemiah (Book #1)
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Format: E-book
Pages: 548 pages
Publisher: Ryelands
Blurb:
Is anywhere on Thera safe from Nessemi? Or the hell that lies beyond?
“I’m afraid there are good and bad everywhere, Emilya. It’s a fact of life that wherever you look, there are strains of malice.”
Read full book blurb
Fifteen-year-old baker’s daughter, Emilya Luca, is in serious trouble with the Glennadian Crown. Her crime: to prevent a small dog from being torn apart by hounds belonging to the callous Prince Magnus. Having been rescued by former naval captain, Jake Oscom, the unlikely pair become fugitives, hunted across Glennad – initially for cruel sport but latterly after Oscom is framed for a heinous crime committed by Magnus himself.
Elsewhere, in a world with unusual geographical quirks and subtle energy lines, hardships endure for a close-knit community of miners and unimaginable foul play befalls a Glennadian princess – but these trials pale into insignificance compared to what northern astronomers have just discovered. Four hundred leagues south, in the ancient city of Thera, the cruel eyes of Calidius Antoninus Dominius have seen the same thing – but to him it merely expedites his imperial ambitions and presents a justified opportunity to brutally murder thousands of his subjects.
Review
The Strains of Malice by Andrew Beardmore is an expansive historical fantasy that opens The Nessemiah series with ambition, moral weight, and a richly imagined world. Set in the world of Thera, the novel brings together fugitive drama, political cruelty, imperial ambition, social unrest, cosmic threat, and a growing sense that the dangers facing this world are far larger than any one kingdom or ruler can comprehend.
At the heart of the novel is fifteen-year-old Emilya Luca, a baker’s daughter whose act of compassion toward a small dog places her in the path of royal cruelty. Her conflict with Prince Magnus quickly escalates into something far more dangerous when former naval captain Jake Oscom rescues her, and the two become fugitives across Glennad. Their storyline gives the book a strong emotional anchor: Emilya’s innocence and courage contrast effectively with the brutality of those in power, while Jake’s experience and protectiveness add warmth and momentum to their journey.
What stands out most is author Beardmore’s commitment to worldbuilding. Thera is not sketched lightly; it is constructed with attention to geography, political systems, class tensions, energy lines, distant astronomical discoveries, and the ominous presence of Nessemi and the hell that lies beyond. For readers who enjoy immersive fantasy settings with layered societies and long-range stakes, this is one of the novel’s major strengths.
The villains are another memorable aspect of the book. Prince Magnus is deliberately cruel in the way the best fantasy antagonists often are: petty, entitled, and dangerous precisely because power shields him from consequence. Calidius Antoninus Dominius, meanwhile, expands the scope from local cruelty to imperial brutality, giving the novel a darker political edge. This interplay between personal malice and systemic violence gives the title real meaning: evil here is not confined to one person or one place; it appears in different forms wherever power becomes detached from conscience.
That said, The Strains of Malice is not a light or instantly accessible read. Its large cast, front-loaded worldbuilding, and multiple plotlines require patience, especially from readers who prefer a faster, more streamlined fantasy narrative. The novel belongs firmly to the tradition of epic fantasy that asks the reader to settle in, absorb the geography, remember names, and trust that seemingly separate threads will gather force as the series develops.
As a series opener, the book succeeds in creating scale, atmosphere, and emotional investment. It offers heroes worth following, villains worth despising, and a world with enough mystery and danger to sustain a larger saga. Readers who enjoy detailed epic fantasy, morally stark power struggles, historical texture, fugitive journeys, and richly constructed secondary worlds will find much to appreciate here.
The Reading Bud 
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