Scratching an Epic Fantasy Itch: A Review of The Tower of Beggars by Torsten Weitze
Author: Torsten Weitze
Publisher: Absurd Ventures
Release date: September 1, 2026
Series: Stormfell Academy, Book 1
Rating: 5★
Content Warnings
Death of a family member, grief, poverty and homelessness, prejudice and discrimination based on heritage, references to historical slavery, violence and combat, blood.
An immersive epic fantasy about an outcast who learns she no longer has to make herself small, set in a world built by an author who trusts his story to carry the reader
Okay so, I’ve read a lot of fantasy in my time. A lot. So when I say The Tower of Beggars by Torsten Weitze is probably one of my favorite books so far, I don’t say that lightly. When I finished the book, I was in the passenger seat of a car waiting to go through the border check from Canada back into the US after a weekend in Vancouver. I was immediately online looking up when the next book in the series comes out. That’s how hooked I was.
The Tower of Beggars is the first book in Weitze’s Stormfell Academy series, which has already been a huge hit in Europe and is now out in English for the first time. We follow Niri, a young woman who has just lost the only family she had and is now penniless and homeless in a city that refuses to help her because of her heritage. With nowhere else to turn, she makes her way to the famed Stormfell Academy to train in combat so she’ll never have to feel that vulnerable again. But the academy she’s built up in her head isn’t quite the one waiting for her.
The Tower of Beggars at a Glance
Rating: 5★
What it's about:
A penniless young woman, shunned for her heritage, enters the famed Stormfell Academy hoping combat training means she’ll never feel vulnerable again, only to find the academy isn’t what she hoped.
Why I loved it:
A heroine whose growth feels earned, side characters with their own voices, and a vast, well written world that never needs gimmicks to keep the story moving.
Good for readers who enjoy:
Classic epic fantasy, underdog heroines, magic and combat academy settings, and friendships that carry a story.
Niri’s arc is the heart of this book
Here’s the thing about Niri: she’s spent her whole life learning to stay as small and unnoticed as possible. That’s how she’s survived. So watching her slowly learn to protect herself and her friends, without feeling like she has to hide who she is, was so satisfying. Her growth never felt rushed or handed to her. It felt earned, and I was cheering for her the whole way.
A supporting cast with voices of their own
The side characters aren’t just there to fill out Niri’s story. Each of them has a distinct voice and an arc of their own, which is something I don’t always get in fantasy with a bigger cast. Grabasnack was a favorite of mine. Where Niri is serious and unsure of herself, Grabasnack brings a lightness that balances her out, and their friendship ended up being one of my favorite parts of the whole book.
A world that scratched an old fantasy itch
I knew from the very first page that this book was going to hit a fantasy itch for me. Weitze’s voice reminds me so much of the fantasy I loved when I was younger, the kind of books that made me fall for the genre in the first place. His world is vast and descriptive, and it’s written so well that I never felt lost in it.
The stakes are high, and not once did I find myself wondering why a character made the choice they did. Weitze understands his characters, but more than that, he trusts his world and his story enough to let them carry you. There’s no manufactured drama or silly detour just to get the plot moving. Everything happens because it makes sense for these people in this world, and you can feel the passion he has for this story in every chapter.
Final Thoughts
The Tower of Beggars is a 5 star read for me, and easily one of the best fantasy books I’ve picked up in a long time. A heroine who grows into herself, a cast I loved spending time with, and a world written with this much care made it really hard to put down. If you’ve been missing the kind of epic fantasy that pulls you in from page one, this is the one to pick up.
As for me? I’ll be over here counting down the days until book two.
Thank you to NetGalley and Absurd Ventures for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
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