Incursion Is a Promising Introduction to a Fantasy World

Lauren L. Garcia

I don’t usually venture far outside of the comfort of young adult literature, simply because I like familiarity in what I read. But when I was choosing a second book from the subscription site F-BOM, which I’ve been trying out for Twin Cities Geek, I realized I’d have to step outside of that comfort zone a bit. Incursion, the first book in the Catalyst Moon series by Lauren L. Garcia, was the title I kept coming back to and ultimately settled on, hoping that the fantasy elements would keep me invested, at the very least. I’m very happy to say that I’ve discovered a new favorite series.

Incursion has three diverging plots, the main one focusing on Kalinda Halcyon, a mage being escorted across the land of Aredia by a battalion of sentinels. When they’re attacked by a group of unusually strong and deadly raiders, Kali escapes with one sentinel, a man named Stonewall who is fiercely dedicated to his views that mages are dangerous. The unlikely duo has to make the journey to Whitewater City together, unaware that there’s unrest growing among the mages who live there, and it could mean trouble for the entire class system of Aredia.

With any fantasy series, worldbuilding is often a point of contention with critics, especially with authors often relying on the dreaded practice of info dumping. Garcia manages to avoid this by sprinkling in pieces of information throughout the story, and a clear picture of how Aredia operates slowly is revealed at a natural pace. Right away, for example, it’s made clear that being a sentinel is not solely a job for men—there are high-ranking officers who happen to be women—and the determining factor in how a person is treated comes in the form of a mark of status on the wrist. I liked that the formal way of addressing someone was ser no matter the sex of a person, instead of sir or madam. The religious beliefs of the sentinels are still a bit confusing to me, given that there are several gods they pray to and not all of them were discussed in detail, but this doesn’t distract from the narrative and, I’m assuming, will come up again in the future.

Kali and Stonewall were easily my favorite characters, and not because they were given the most focus. They have to learn to overcome their differences and cooperate if they want to successfully get to Whitewater City, and that proves to be difficult at first because of Stonewall’s prejudices and Kali’s limited knowledge of her own magic. Their banter and growing friendship make an otherwise serious story lighthearted and sweet, and while they don’t agree on everything, they take the time to hear each other out and try to understand beliefs that differ from their own. Their relationship progresses into romantic territory much like Grey and Lia Mara from Brigid Kemmerer’s A Heart So Fierce and Broken, and I advise readers to have a fan handy, because their physical chemistry is extremely hot.

The other subplots, while not given as much attention, set up for later conflicts to come in the series. Siblings Milo and Flint are both sentinels working in the same battalion, and Milo finds himself shut out when they lose their lieutenant in a skirmish and Flint becomes inconsolable. It’s unclear where their plot is going to go, but their dynamic is interesting and makes me curious to see what happens with them. Meanwhile, mages Eris and Garrett are in the midst of fighting for their freedom—mages are restricted to compounds and heavily guarded at all hours of the day. Eris is determined to refine her magic, but it’s not until she and Garrett put their plans in motion that they face the possibility of failure. Whitewater City is strict when it comes to how they treat mages, and Eris clearly has a rivalry with sentinel leader Commander Talon, so I’m sure this isn’t all we’ll see of the mage rebellion. There’s also the growing threat of the Canderi raiders, who seem to be possessed by demons, making them unimaginably lethal to even the most seasoned sentinel, and I hope this might mean reluctant alliances are formed to defeat a common enemy.

When I first started reading Incursion, it was hard for me to immerse myself, and I was worried it might be a struggle to get through it. But sometime during the second chapter, something clicked, and I couldn’t get enough of it. Garcia has created a world with unique rules and compelling characters that made me buy the other books immediately after finishing this one—something I never thought would happen with an adult fantasy novel. My only complaint is that the next three Catalyst Moon novels will have to sit unread on my Kindle for the time being, but I know that I’ll be revisiting Aredia when I finally have a moment to spare.