I often begin my reviews with a brief introduction into what the book I’m reviewing is about, yet A Song of Legends Lost by M. H Ayinde is far too expansive and complex to merely sum up in a few sentences. Bear with me while I try: there is a world at war with mysterious Greyblood monsters, there are several clans who stand against the monster’s might with warriors who can invoke the spirit of their ancestors, there are ancient relics and there is a hierarchy of monks who wish to covet the relics’ secrets and hidden power. This is a remarkable tale of hidden truths, layered colonisation and forgotten history. 

The cast of characters in A Song of Legends Lost is large, especially for a first book in a series, and so at times I did find it hard to remember each thread and to connect with all of them. However, Ayinde does include a clan list which I’d urge readers to take a look at because it really does help. A few characters who stood out to me throughout were: Jinao, who had some serious mummy issues which actually worked to make his chapters often be filled with great one liners full of humour. Father Boleo perhaps was set on my favourite quest of all which allowed us to explore the Scathed ruins. Runt is a character you don’t meet until halfway through but her… shall we say darker nature made her a compelling character to follow. Each character Ayinde introduces is set on their path, their own mission, but by the end they do converge in rather interesting ways. 

“I – I am sorry I took your arm, Jinao said. ‘I didn’t mean to …. and honestly, I wasn’t even sure that it was me. But you held my mother’s body and, well… I just wanted to make sure she really was dead?’”

Ayinde’s deep worldbuilding and hierarchy within each clan really piqued my curiosity. How much of what we were being told of these relics was true? Do the warlords really run each clan or rather, are the monks holding the true power? I found the concept of invoking ancestors to aid warriors in battle quite exciting and it proved to provide some very dramatic action scenes. Then there is all the mystery surrounding figures such as the strange Bairneater, the greybloods and the ancestors themselves. Throughout there is much that is set up and much to uncover.

A Song of Legends Lost is a richly complex debut which demands readers to really sink their teeth into. It is by no means a quick or easy read but it is a fascinating one. 

ARC provided by Nazia at Orbit Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the copy! 

A Song of Legends Lost is out today 8th April 2025 – you can order your copy HERE