Detailed world-building characterizes C.P. Silver’s Whispers of the Elixir, the first installment of the ambitious Order of the Ember series.

The story focuses on Tori, dynastic scion of a powerful family. Tori’s mother, Empress Zinchen, wields an iron rule over the Min realm in the Arizan world. Tori comes of age in a place of Shakespearean political intrigue and court machinations, and the shadow of her mother’s ambition looms large. Tori’s relationship with her mother is tense; the reason becomes clear as Tori comes to realize that she holds powers expressly forbidden and violently punished by the Empress’s regime—innate abilities rooted in Arizan’s ancient mythology.

Tori flees her mother’s court and embarks on a journey of self-discovery that takes her to mystical realms and environments like the Peach Blossom Grove, a place where beings thousands of years old still hold court and wield ancient magical powers and a where the keys to Tori’s powers find explanation in folklore, storytelling and trials of courage and strength.

With a keen eye for detail, Silver draws on influences ranging from Asian mythology to her time spent in law and studying Chinese medicine. She depicts the matrilineal world with intricacy and commitment. Unlike many fantasy stories, the book is full of strong female characters and nuanced magical properties that go beyond the standard fare of wizards and mages.

In the book’s first half, the author devotes copious narrative to world-building which slows momentum and may feel onerous for casual fantasy readers. However, the action picks up halfway through. Silver’s dedication to detail is exhaustive, and it’s sometimes easy to feel lost in the involved mythology and backstory of her imagined world. Thankfully, Tori’s character is strongly drawn¬—she’s determined, idealistic and committed —which helps readers navigate through the book’s denser stretches.

Despite its pacing issues, this is a fresh spin on the genre and a promising launch of a new universe.

Also available as an ebook.