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Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite
Antonio Heron’s Prince of Clovers follows Axel Redwood, a Barrier Patrol soldier from the isolated Rependum, after attacks by monstrous soldiers called Sagalis expose a secret hidden behind the giant quartz barriers surrounding his world. Axel learns that the barriers separate different timelines of Rependum from one another, including an older kingdom ruled by King Amadon, whose experiments created the Sagalis centuries earlier. Alongside his sister Ivory Redwood, strategist Viola Waterstorm, survivor Fey Whisker, Leon Stonemark, and Malakki Aircrown, Axel crosses into the past to locate the source of the distortions spreading between the worlds before history itself collapses. Once inside the Clover Kingdom, the mission changes after political betrayal traps Axel inside Queen Grecia’s court. His friends scatter across hostile kingdoms searching for answers, trying to stop the expanding catastrophe from consuming multiple versions of Rependum.
Antonio Heron’s Prince of Clovers uses multiple points of view and six travelers in the story of crossing timelines, which is no easy feat. Heron nails it. For the most part, the story keeps circling back to Alex, and as a main character, he's excellent. I, however, found the women to be most fascinating. Ivory is smart and compassionate, and I enjoyed following her through Clover Kingdom. It's through Ivory that we get a feel for the customs within its boundaries. My favorite is Viola, who is courageous and fierce, stealing what needs to be stolen and surviving the absolutely unthinkable. Genuinely unthinkable. The world-building is pitch-perfect, and the settings have an air of cinema to them, full of unique geography and shifting eras. Tempus circles the Crystal Towers through bridges, rivers, and monorails, while Old Rependum contains forests glowing beside ancient temples and castles covered in flowers. The standout is Queen Grecia’s masquerade ball, with guests dancing across grass floors beneath hanging vines. It's all gorgeous, until it isn't. There are a lot of surprises, including the ending, and as this is book one in The Echoes of Time series, I'm excited to see where it goes next. Very highly recommended.
