Sometimes a hero must burn all she holds dear.
Unrest brews in the city-state of Uitenbach, but its magi continue their work, even though the world outside the hallowed grounds of their academy seems to be tearing itself to pieces.
Newly divorced and still smarting from her philandering ex-husband’s rejection, Maga Liese ten Haven doesn’t want to draw attention to herself. When the mysterious Atroyan tribesman Malagai reveals to Liese that she is the heir to a forbidden magical legacy, she is thrust into a conspiracy that may foment a civil war. If she fails, her magic will consume her.
But what if the only way to right the wrongs her people have done to the Atroyan nation is to sacrifice everything?
The Company of Birds | Nerine Dorman
Nerine Dorman is a South African author and editor of science fiction and fantasy. Her novel Sing down the Stars won Gold for the Sanlam Prize for Youth Literature in 2019 and The Percy Fitzpatrick Award for Children's and Youth Literature in 2021. Her YA fantasy novella, Dragon Forged, was a finalist in the Sanlam Prize for Youth Literature in 2017, and she is the curator of the South African Horrorfest Bloody Parchment event and short story competition. Her short story “On the Other Side of the Sea” (Omenana, 2017) was shortlisted for a 2018 Nommo award. Her novella The Firebird won a Nommo for “Best Novella” in 2019. In addition, she is a founding member of the SFF authors’ co-operative Skolion and is an active member of the Africa Speculative Fiction Society.
This dark fantasy piqued my interest with its immersive cover art and my recent discovery of Nerine Dorman.
The dedication on the next page stirred the wells of my curiosity and warmed my heart.
Little did I realise at this point the value of such warmth amidst the adventure and brutality that awaited me with every turn of the page.
Reading the content notes and foreword twice for extra measure pretty much set my intention to savour the remainder of this read with a slow rhythm, which proved challenging to maintain.
The journey of Liesel ten Haven tugged at the heartstrings for her relatability, and at times her thoughts were eerily close to my own. I often found myself returning to certain parts of this book to ensure I had read what I had read.
I was drawn into Liese’s thoughts, emotions, and challenges as if it were me under her cloak, navigating the complexities of each moment of uncertainty and extremity.
I felt Liese’s pain particularly towards the end, where she encounters darkness and betrayal in a way I would not have anticipated, which stopped me from breathing [just long enough]; my own heart palpitated until it shattered at the realisation that such cruelty exists in our world too.
I felt the cold in Liese’s shoes as she faced, through a manipulated numbness, such ruthlessness and brutality. I was hurt by the violence [I did read the warnings upfront] and still could not swallow or digest such betrayal and inhumane treatment.
I lost my own will to sleep but drew strength as Liese did and chose to don her cloak and shoes until the end.
There were three other characters who crept into my heart, and their fates had my nerves on edge as the story progressed:
ΩOne was responsible for contributing to the heart shatter, which I mentioned earlier.
ΩThe other finds justice [only in spirit after many distorted versions of truth], due to the other’s choosing to take risks and follow certain discoveries [via glyphs, scrolls and artefacts], integrated with character skills and instincts despite the threat of facing death.
ΩThe third, I doubt, can be unloved, but maybe someone is yet to prove me wrong…
Overall, there was a good dose of defiance in the face of many injustices encountered, and these fired up my spirit in many ways.
The elements of magic in this story turned out to be one that has always been of great fascination, and Liese’s discovery of certain truths in relation to her legacy was unique from any of the fantasy stories or tales I have encountered. This captured a remarkable element of surprise in my reading experience.
The role of the birds and how they contributed to the culture and beliefs of the Atroyan people, which pretty much drove the tension in Liese’s own existence and the dark histories buried in the academy and its outskirts, is nothing short of creative brilliance.
I forge forward, blazing and charmed by Nerine’s storytelling and worldbuilding, looking forward to exploring more!
[Thank You Mirari Press !!! ]
The fantasy genre is often characterised by templates, taking tried-and-tested blueprints and seeing how authors can create something unique within the familiar. Assassin guilds. Schools for witchcraft. Forbidden magic. Half the fun of fantasy is seeing how the familiar tropes are subverted and toyed with.
And yet, few authors really break the mould and do something truly surprising.
But when you’re speaking about an author like Nerine Dorman, a veteran in the fantasy and speculative fiction field, it shouldn't come as a surprise that The Company of Birds does just that: something new.
Dorman turns the tables and welcomes the reader into the unravelling life of Liese ten Haven, a university lecturer whose career has reached the glass ceiling and instead of being driven by new love, is still reeling from divorce. Simply put, this isn’t standard escapist fair. This is a study of what it means to be a woman in a society that is bent on breaking you down. And how that experience affects a person’s ability to react to the wrongs committed against others.
As a character-driven work, the depths of mythology and Dorman’s masterful worldbuilding are largely only hinted at. But instead of leaving you wanting, it leaves you eager for what comes next, eager to uncover more of the world. Because it’s the slow build-up and slow pace that makes The Company of Birds so intriguing and infuriating all at once.
“It’s not easy. Especially when everyone just expects me to move on.” Liese ten Haven’s words are the perfect defence for Dorman’s refusal to turn the novel into a paint-by-numbers swashbuckling romp. Because the pace is a result of the fact that Maga is written not as a study of a classical hero, but a study of what it means to be human. She is petty at times. She is flawed. And she may just remind the reader of themselves at their weakest one too many times. And it’s that mirroring of flawed humanity that makes it so rewarding when she grows and changes and embraces her magic.
I may have received a review copy of The Company of Birds, but once you reach the last page, you'll understand why I'm counting the days till the sequel hits the shelves.
Some books enchant you from the first page. Others pull you in gradually, weaving a spell with their depth and complexity. The Company of Birds by Nerine Dorman does both. A richly layered fantasy, this novel is an immersive and rewarding read for those who love intricate world-building and phenomenal character growth.
One of the novel’s most striking features is its setting. The city-state of Uitenbach and its surrounding regions are heavily influenced by Afrikaans and South African culture. Readers unfamiliar with this language may need a moment to adjust to the pronunciation of names and places, but this only adds to the novel’s authenticity and immersive quality. Dorman’s prose is evocative, painting vivid images of a world that feels both fantastical and deeply real.
While the novel draws inspiration from elements of South African landscapes and societal dynamics, Dorman emphasizes in her Q&A that the story remains firmly within the realm of fantasy rather than a direct reflection of real-world history.
At the heart of the story is Maga Liese ten Haven, a scholar and mage recovering from the betrayal of a philandering ex-husband. Liese is the kind of protagonist who grows on you—not because she’s perfect, but because she’s deeply flawed and wholly human. When she discovers she is heir to a forbidden magical legacy, she is thrust into a web of conspiracies that could ignite a civil war. Her journey is one of self-discovery, painful choices, and ultimately, transformation.
Liese’s growth is nothing short of phenomenal. She starts as a woman determined to keep her head down and avoid trouble, but circumstances force her to rise above her own pain and comfort. Her evolution—from a disillusioned scholar to someone willing to risk everything to right the wrongs of her people—is one of the novel’s strongest aspects. Dorman does not hand her an easy path; every lesson comes with a price, and every victory is hard-won.
The magic system in The Company of Birds is intricate and well-thought-out, entwined with the novel’s political and social themes. The conflict between the magi of Uitenbach and the Atroyan tribes speaks to larger historical injustices, making the novel feel deeply layered. While it reflects on power dynamics and societal struggles, it remains a work of fantasy rather than an allegory for real-world events. The way Dorman balances personal stakes with broader socio-political struggles is masterful.
For readers who appreciate character-driven fantasy with rich world-building, The Company of Birds is a must-read. It’s a book that demands your attention and rewards it tenfold with its depth, beauty, and emotional resonance. Liese ten Haven’s journey is one that will stay with you, as will Dorman’s breathtaking prose.
Have you ever been so excited for a book that you kept pushing off reading it, scared that you might pick it up, read fifty pages, and realise that, yes, it’s not all that good?
Trust me when I say, this book lived up to my inner hype… and so much more. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, but I’m not biased when I shout this at you: GO AND READ IT!
Having read a few fantasy novels by South African authors in my past, I thought I knew what to expect with this one. Turns out, I really didn’t. It was fresh and vibrant and the writing was undeniably GORGEOUS.
Much like her protagonist in ‘The Company of Birds’, Nerine Dorman has a gift for words. She strings them together, sentence by sentence, in a way that’s wonderfully smooth. ‘The Company of Birds’ is so well written, on a technical level, that once you’re in the groove, you can easily stay there until the end.
And don’t get me started on the setting! If you know me, you know I love domestic-feeling stories, and Nerine Dorman has somehow taken a secondary-world fantasy novel (with sprinkles of inspiration from Dragon Age and South Africa) and made it feel intimate and real—magic, politics, and the like—without ever making it feel monotonous. The characters were flawed and relatable and Liese ten Haven, especially, was so well constructed that she’s the type of protagonist you can follow through several books without getting tired of her.
If you haven’t read it, you need to do yourself a favour. If I could give it more than 5 stars on Goodreads, I’d do it in a heartbeat.
This is spectacular fantasy! The type of fantasy that leaves you with a clear picture in your head of this detailed and spellbinding world. Uitenbach is not just a pretty backdrop for this story. It is its own character. And makes the story all the more vibrant. The politics and magic system can be see throughout the story and you can see how it has shaped the created world.
I liked the characters because they felt real. It did take me a while to warm up to our main character Liese, which I don’t think is a bad thing. She is shy and quiet and just likes to keep to herself. Us introverts take a while to warm up to and it is the same with Liese. All the characters are believable because they aren’t all nice likeable characters. You can’t like everyone in the real world and even the people you like can be annoying sometimes. These characters are just the same. They all have their little things that make them a bit unlikeable, except for Malagai, who is amazing (I’ll die on this hill).
This is the story of an introverted book girl who is forced to leave her comfy bookish safe place and be a hero, kinda. And I have never related to a character more. I honestly didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did, but it is worth your time to read it.
5 sparrow tornados attacking your cheating ex out of 5.