Category Archives: Dark fantasy

books, Dark fantasy, Reviews

The Failures (Wanderlands 1) by Benjamin Liar

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Stars: 2 out of 5

That cover is gorgeous, by the way, and drew me to the book in the first place. The blurb sounded intriguing as well. And after reading the inspirations the author took from other authors that I love, like Sanderson and Erikson, this book should have been right up my alley. 

Then why was it such a frustrating read? Well, because of the squandered potential. The world is unique and intriguing. There was so much potential, but it is squandered.

The first problem is that because the world is unique, the author throws too much of everything at the reader at once, but at the same time, doesn’t explain enough of how this world functions or even how it all fits together. Case in point – the different POVs from various groups (the Killers, the Monsters, the Lost Children, etc.). We alternate between them from chapter to chapter, but NOWHERE does the author mention in which chronological order these events actually happen. For half the book, I was under the assumption that all these stories happened at the same time, just in different parts of the Wanderlands. So I was very confused when I started encountering characters from the other storylines in Sophie’s neck of the woods. Or when I discovered that Candle is another certain someone we follow in another story arc. This makes for a confusing and messy narrative where the reader is left to puzzle out what even came first and what is even important.

 As an aside, the whole Deadsmith story arc could have been cut out of the book without really impacting the overarching plot. Yes, he is the one who broke Candle and pushed another character on her path, but did we need chapters and chapters of his endless pursuit of his Prey? Just to see him appear for like two paragraphs at the end of the book and bugger off again? Also, what was the whole point of Lourde/West/Mr. Vulch? 

The other issue is the characters. They are so larger than life that they stop being characters and become caricatures. It’s hard to empathize with any of them apart from Sophie. By the end of the story, I didn’t care about what happened to any of them apart from Sophie and Ben, who, surprise, surprise, were the most human of them all. 

I was also disconcerted by the use of names of Christian origin in a foreign world. It’s not a future Earth, it’s a completely different world. So why do we have a James, a Chris, a Katherine? Or even Sophie, for that matter? I understand the Behemoth having Earth-sounding names, because they come to the Wanderlands from other worlds, some of which might be our Earth (as implied for Gun and Jackie), but the characters that are born and raised there? You don’t even have to use your imagination anymore to create names, ChatGPT can do that for you, so this screams of lazy writing.

Finally, I understand that this is the first book in a series, so it has to do a lot of setup, but I also expect to read a fully finished story arc – with a beginning, a middle, and a resolution, or a return to the status quo, by the end of the book. Here, we have a cliffhanger. NOTHING is resolved for none of the characters. Yes, you could argue that Sophie’s story gets some kind of resolution, but does it really? After almost 600 pages of setup, and hints at something catastrophic, we just end mid-action, almost. There are more questions than answers. Where is Winter? What is happening in the rest of the Keep? Why did the Consort take the Cold Key? 

As it stands, I was left frustrated and disappointed by the end of this book, and with no desire to read the next one.

PS: I received an advanced copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

books, Dark fantasy, Fantasy, Reviews

Grave Empire (The Great Silence 1) by Richard Swan

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Stars: 5 out of 5

I really loved this book! And I think I found a new favorite dark fantasy series to follow. Also, I didn’t realize that this was a continuation series to a previous series called Empire of the Wolf, though from what I saw, Grave Empire happens several centuries into the future, so knowledge of the prequel isn’t a must. In any case, I will definitely go back and read that series as well while I wait for the next book.

What I liked the most was that the world feels lived in. You can feel the weight of centuries and the lore and history that comes with it. I was also surprised to see that this particular world is in the throes of the industrial revolution, instead of the usual medieval setting so common to fantasy worlds. It was fun to see how stage coaches and steam engines would coexist with magic and horrors from beyond the grave.

The protagonists were also fun to follow. I felt sorry for Peter, who felt like a fish out of water most of the time. He didn’t want to be an officer or be sent so far from home. He only accepted the commission because his late father bought it for him, and he really didn’t feel particularly welcome at home anymore. He is faced with unimaginable horrors, on top of all his doubts about being a coward or an incompetent officer, and he ends up… something else. I’m sure he will have a crucial role to play in the next book.

Renata is a lot more independent and opinionated. She also has nerves of steel. Nothing in her training as a diplomat would have prepared her for the horrors she had to face by the end of this journey, yet she persevered where a lesser person would have lain down and waited for the end. And the hidden reservoir of grit in that girl surprised everyone, even herself.

The only character I really didn’t care about is Lamprecht. He is simply despicable. And I don’t understand why Yelena was helping him in his research for so many years. Why didn’t she put a stop to it as soon as she realized that he wanted to bring one of the vacants back to Sova with them? I know that he is set up to be the villain in the next book and a foil to Renata and Peter, but the man really has no redeeming qualities, whereas the other two are pretty multifaceted people. It makes me almost a caricature instead of a character.

I loved the hints at different other races and their origins, and how science and progress can coexist with religion when the existence of the afterlife is a scientifically proven fact. I would have loved to learn a bit more about Nema Victorianism and how it differs from Nema Conformism, and why those differences are considered so big that nations go to war because of them. I understand that it’s a nod to the splintering of the Christian church back in the day, but I would have loved more details.

All in all, though, I am looking forward to the next book. The board is set, the pieces have taken their places; let the best player win.

PS: I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

books, Dark fantasy, Fantasy, Reviews

The Witch Queen of Redwinter (The Redwinter Chronicles 3) by Ed McDonald

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Stars: 2 out of 5

I don’t think I have ever been this disappointed by the conclusion of a series before. This book was a huge letdown both as a standalone and as a book destined to wrap up Raine’s story. It was messy, it was dragging, and it lost all of my goodwill by the time we arrived at the end.

The biggest issue is the fact that the stakes went sky-high in between book 2 and book 3, even though only about six months passed between the events of book 2, when Raine and companions ended up in the Fault, and the beginning of this story. Yet all of a sudden, the world is ending, all other nations have fallen, the Fault is bleeding back into the real world, and ancient monsters stalk the forests and mountains again. 

How did that happen so quickly? We didn’t even know this danger was looming on the horizon. It was never forshadowed in the previous books. As far as I know, the stakes in the previous books were localized to Redwinter and this one particular Crown. There were no hints of a bigger conflict brewing anywhere. When I picked up this book and started reading about all of these catastrophes happening, I really thought I had missed at least one more book in the series that would have built up to this conflict. You simply can’t introduce such huge portions of new lore in the last book and not leave your reader lost and dissatisfied. 

And even despite all these new revelations piling up on top of me from the beginning of the book, this story is boring and feels like an ever-ending road trip of little significance. I understand why the author decided to split Raine into two; otherwise, there would have been no way of showing what was happening in the real world while she stumbled her way through the Fault, feeling sorry for herself. But the unintended consequence is a disconnect between the reader and the two Raines. Who am I supposed to care about? Who is the real Raine and who isn’t? Also, neither of the two is particularly likable.

This split narrative also kills any forward momentum in this book. The moment you get invested in something happening to emo-Raine in the Fault, the chapter ends, and we are thrown back into the real world and dominatrix Raine being awful and not caring about anyone or anything. It’s hard to follow two separate stories when they constantly switch places, but also when you are less and less invested in either one.

The other issue is that I didn’t particularly like what Raine has become in this book. Neither of her two incarnations was likable. The one in the Fault continues to be whiny and woe-me, my destiny is so hard, I love those two people, but I can’t have them. Doom and gloom, and somebody, please, put her out of her misery! 

And the author’s solution to this dilemma? A trisome… Yeah, no. Hard pass.

The Sarathi Raine in our world is everything wrong with death witches in the first place. The way she throws away lives like kindling is simply disgusting. And I can’t forgive what they did to Castus, who was the best character in this quagmire, hands down. He deserved better.

By the time the ending finally arrived, I was done with this book and mentally exhausted. Also, any connection or ties I had to these characters were long gone. Yes, I was glad that Ovitus finally got what he deserved, but the rest of them? Couldn’t care less. I also didn’t need this chapter-long excursion into the past to show us how the Queen of Feathers interacted with all other Dark Queens to set up the tools of the last battle. Those were just names and voices in Raine’s head in the previous books. I had no connection to them. Why did I have to waste time on this?

I am sad. I loved the first book in this series. It was well-written and hinted at an interesting world to explore. Then book two focused on teenage feelings instead of developing the lore and foreshadowing the events to come. Now, book three tried to stuff too much information into one book and failed horribly.

PS: I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

books, Dark fantasy, epic fantasy, Fantasy, Reviews

A Tide of Black Steel (Age of Wrath 1) by Anthony Ryan

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Stars: 4.5 out of 5

This is epic fantasy at its best – dark, gripping, with compelling characters facing hard challenges.

I love stories based on Nordic and Viking settings, but I read a few disappointing ones as well. Crafting a compelling world based on an existing mythology requires a lot of research and respect for the original setting. I bounced off a few books that did this poorly. Thankfully, Anthony Ryan managed to take the Nordic elements that we know and love and make them his own. The result is a living, breathing world with different nations that feel different in culture, religion, and worldviews. I had fun discovering the different corners of this world along with our protagonists.

I also grew to really care about all four of the narrators we follow in this book. Each of them is different, with a distinct personality, flaws, dreams, and fears. They felt alive and complex. Not always good and righteous, but I could empathize with all of them. And since I grew to care for them, I was also invested in their fates. Whether it was Thera trying to do her duty to the Sister Queens, or her brother Felnir chasing an impossible errand in the hopes of regaining lost honor, or Ruhlin, who has to fight other prisoners to survive, but also fight with the beast within him to keep his humanity.

As far as the story goes, this is the first book in the series, so it serves more to set up the stage than give us any kind of resolutions, but from what I see, the story will be brutal, because the enemy is ruthless and relentless, and the only goal they have is to subjugate and destroy. It is rather fascinating to see how two nations that started believing in the same gods and having a similar culture could turn out so different. 

My only issue with the story is that I find it hard to believe that the enemy has so many spies everywhere. This points towards a campaign that was years in the making, because some of those spies ended up in very high places, so they must have been sent to infiltrate all the power structures in the target countries at least a decade or two before the events of this book. Yet nothing that we have seen from Ruhlin’s point of view indicates an authority structure capable of such advanced planning. Granted, he has only seen gladiator arenas and slave pens (and people who run those), so his experience is not all-encompassing. 

I am definitely looking forward to picking up book 2 and learning more about this world. I also very much hope that our four protagonists will be okay, even if we left several of them in rather dire straits at the end of book 1.

PS: I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

books, Dark fantasy, Fantasy, Reviews

A Drop of Corruption (Shadow of the Leviathan 2) by Robert Jackson Bennett

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Stars: 5 out of 5.

The second book was just as good as the first one. I loved every minute of it, even if the more I learned about the Empire, the more I felt like it was a terrifying place to live in, especially if you chose to serve it.

I mean, the whole motto of the Empire is “You are the Empire”. While that could be uplifting to some to think that they are a small part of a bigger whole, in reality, it just means that they are just a cog in a huge machine that is the Empire and that they can be easily disposable and replaceable. Oh, and it’s assumed that they would dedicate their whole lives to safeguarding that Empire. Since it is in constant danger of destruction from the Leviathans who come ashore every year, I wouldn’t think that it’s a very nice place to live. The psychological toll must be enormous, especially in the cantons closest to the sea walls.

Din and Ana are an absolute joy to follow in this book as well. Din especially has a lot going on with him in this story – from a financial crisis not of his making but one that he feels responsible for, to trying to decide what he wants to do in life. I understand that he feels stuck. the Iudex wasn’t his first choice of assignment, and the more crimes he solves with Ana, the more he despairs about his purpose. What’s the point of investigating crimes when it won’t rectify the wrongs? The victim is already dead, the family devastated, lives broken to the point where they can’t be fixed. He feels like no matter what he does, he isn’t making a difference, unlike the Legion who has a concrete enemy to fight on the walls.

I am glad that by the end of this book Din made peace with his life and finally understood that the Iudex also matters, maybe even more than the Legion, even if theirs is a thankless job. Because, as Ana said, let the Legion defend the Empire, but it’s the Iudex’s duty to make sure there is an Empire left worth defending.

This book is also darker and seems more desperate than the first one, though the inclusion of Malo brought much-needed levity to an otherwise pretty bleak story. I liked her, and I hope that we see at least a little more of her in the next book as well. 

We also learned a bit more about Ana and what was done to her, which is again… horrifying. This is a cruel world where surviving another wet season justifies a lot of atrocities perpetrated against their own people. 

I am looking forward to the next book in the series. Hopefully, we will learn a bit more about the Leviathans and where they come from (or why they come ashore every year).

PS: I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

books, Dark fantasy, Fantasy, Reviews

The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan 1) by Robert Jackson Bennett

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Stars: 5 out of 5.

I loved this book! There are several authors whose books are a must-read for me, and Robert Jackson Bennett is one of them. Like Brandon Sanderson, I consider him a master in creating complex and interesting worlds with engaging characters you grow to love and root for. I read the Divine Cities and the Founders trilogies before and absolutely loved them, even if both broke my heart with the deaths of certain characters. I can feel that this series will be a favorite as well, judging by the first book.

This story starts with what looks like a straightforward murder investigation but then evolves into something more complex and sinister – a conspiracy that threatens the very foundation of the Empire. However, I must argue that the threat is an unintended consequence of greed and thirst for power. It’s interesting how petty the motives are behind some of the most earth-shattering events.

Robert Jackson Bennett once again created a truly unique world where an entire civilization lives in the shadow of Leviathans – huge monstrous beings who come ashore every wet season, and the only thing preventing them from reaching the heart of the Empire and wreaking havoc and death along the way are giant walls and the Legion who man them. And to have even a minuscule fighting chance to defeat those leviathans, the members of the legion themselves are heavily modified by grafts and suffusions, which make them stronger, faster, smarter, but also less and less human. This is a harsh world where the whole economy of the empire and the ideology of its various peoples are targeted toward surviving another year. All kinds of atrocities can be committed and justified to fulfill that goal.

I loved the characters in this book, especially Din. He is a newly modified engraver, which means that he remembers everything he sees, hears, smells, or reads. And I mean absolutely everything. And can recall it in perfect detail, down to people’s tone of voice when recalling dialog. He is assigned as assistant to a disgraced investigator who ended up banished from the inner ring of the Empire to the backwater canton where he resides for… doing something. Din feels out of his depth, but he is resolved to do his best, and his best often exceeds all expectations. 

I loved just how down-to-earth and pragmatic Din is, and that he has a strong sense of justice and a very good moral compass. He might seem slow and emotionless, but he is anything but. He seems mild-mannered and unwilling to cause a scene, but when push comes to shove, a lot of suspects realize that his will is unbendable. He will get his answers with the single-mindedness of a pitbull, no matter the discomfort he must endure along the way.

Ana is another fascinating character and a good foil for Din’s perpetual seriousness. She is eccentric, irreverent, and plain weird. She enjoys subverting people’s expectations and taking them out of their comfort zone… then observing their reactions and making her conclusions. And a lot is going on in that genius brain of hers. I would love to know more about her backstory. She mentions at one point that she has no grafts of other modifications, that she was just born that way, and then was part of a unique experiment, but we don’t get more details. I want to know more!

All in all, I am sold on this new series. I devoured the first book, and I already requested the second one from NetGalley. I would highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys good characters, interesting worlds, and a good murder mystery to boot.

PS: I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

books, Dark fantasy, Fantasy, Reviews

Traitor of Redwinter (The Redwinter Chronicles 2) by Ed McDonald

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Stars: 3 out of 5.

I must admit that I liked book 1 better than the continuation. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a solid book, and it packs an emotional punch in the end, but it was just not as entertaining as the first book. I think it might be suffering from the dreaded middle book in a trilogy curse.

But all jokes aside, I think I would have liked this book better if I hadn’t been so irritated by the main character for about 80% of the story. This is how long it takes Raine to pull her head out of her ass, and by the time she does it, it’s too late to change anything and to save a lot of people. Raine spends most of this book in a spiral of self-loathing and self-destruction. She hates what she is becoming, but can’t help using the forbidden Sixth gate anyway. So she goes on a bender including drugs, alcohol, and mindless sex. 

And even that would have been okay, though reading about it got old fast to be honest. The issue is that she lashes out against everyone who tries to get close to her, especially people who love her the most. She is truly horrible to everyone around her. I’m honestly surprised that she still has friends left by the end of the book. And yes, I understand why this is happening. I even understand her actions and her reaction, but that doesn’t make it for a fun read. For most of the book, I wanted to smack some sense into her and tell her to quit the self-pity party.

The other issue I have with this book is that the middle section drags a bit with nothing much happening while the dominos are set in place. We start with such an explosive event that has Raine and her friends fleeing for their lives, but then they get back to Redwinter and… We get more studying, and practice combat, and Raine going to bars and gambling dens with Castus, and people (maybe) plotting something. As I said, there are a lot of words, but minimal action. It took me a while get through that part of the book. I even had to put it down and walk away for a couple weeks. 

The last portion of the book kicks things in to overdrive though. Different plotlines collide with devastating results, and the true traitor of Redwinter is revealed. The ending was heartbreaking, and too many good people perished in the battle. 

I will absolutely check out the third book when it comes out, because I need to know that bOvitus gets what he deserves, and with extreme prejudice. 

PS: I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

books, Dark fantasy, Fantasy, Reviews

The Road of Storms (The Seven Swords 6) by Anthony Ryan

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Stars: 4 out of 5.

This seems to be the penultimate book in the series (Seven swords = seven books, I think?) and a lot of things come to a head here.

In the previous book, we discovered the purpose of the seven blades. Well, of the six blades that are destined to stop the first blade ever forged. In this book, Guyime and his companions are trying to do just that, and if they have to cut through twenty thousand people to do so, then so be it.

I love that we visit yet another new place in this intricately created world… and wreak havoc to it per usual. As one of the other characters in this book mentions, death and destruction follow the cursed blades, wherever they go. It is sad that their target manages to slip through their fingers in the end, but this makes me want to read the last book in the series even more. Also glad that Seeker is finally free of the Morningstar. She was becoming rather one-dimensional while she owned it.

My only complaint is that even thought this book is about the same length as the others in the series, it feels longer. The middle part dragged a little, at least in my opinion. But don’t get me wrong, it’s still a fast and enjoyable read to spend a weekend with.

PS: I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

books, Dark fantasy, Fantasy, Reviews

Across the Sorrow Sea (The Seven Swords 5) by Anthony Ryan

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Stars: 4 out of 5.

Guyime and Seeker have come a long way since the Exacration, in endless pursuit of Seeker’s daughter. They traversed several continents and gathered other companions (and cursed swords) along the way. In this book, they finally learn the identity of the demon possessing the sword Seeker’s daughter is carrying, as well as the purpose of the Seven Cursed Swords.

I really enjoy this series. The books are pretty short – more novellas than novels, so they are quick to read and full of action and adventure. The author created a wonderfully awful world that each book explores a little bit deeper. This particular book is a pirate adventure, including sea monsters, a dreaded pirate captain, and a cursed treasure. 

And we finally learn the purpose of the seven cursed blades, as well as how their bearers can finally break the curse and be free of them. I must admit that the prospects are grim. 

I liked the whole sea adventure and the magical Spectral Isle, though I must admit that the author spent too little time on the isle itself. I would have loved to explore it more. But I will have to be content with the sea monsters and a pirate battle instead.

Speaking of the final battle, the dreaded pirate captain that had terrorized the Five Seas is a bit… underwhelming, to say the least. I mean, yes Seeker uses sorcery to defeat him, but even just as a character he was nothing to write home about. He is shown as a husk of a man, possessed by a cursed weapon (curiously, not one of the seven swords), who isn’t even capable of rational thought. I would say there was a whole lot of build up to this encounter, but the result is disappointing.

I am still looking forward to book 6. Will Guyime and his companions arrive at their destination on time to prevent the end of the world? Will Seeker be able to save her daughter’s soul? Or has she damned herself by picking up the Morningstar?

I would definitely recommend this series to anyone looking for a quick read full of adventure and fast-moving action. 

PS: I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

books, Dark fantasy, Fantasy, Reviews

Dream of Death City (Red Kingdom 1) by P.J. Nwosu

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Stars: 4 out of 5

The Red Kingdom is a fascinating world. It’s dark, brutal, and unforgiving. The caste system is rigid and hopeless, to tell you the truth, and life is hard for anyone who is not a Sun Noble. Resources are scarce, violence is rampant, people are burned at the pyre for the smallest of transgressions, and if you managed to survive that, the black lung will take you to your grave in the end. It should be dark and depressing, right? And it is dark, but it’s strangely beautiful as well. 

You can see that a lot of love went into creating this world. I already had a glimpse of it in A Pale Box on a Distant Shore where we met some of the characters that Thora and Diem encounter in Death City. This book shows us a bigger glimpse of the Red Kingdom and the capital City of Pillars, but you can see that the Frontier and Death city is a favorite of the author’s.

And I can’t complain about it. It’s a wonderfully grotesque city and island where the harsh nature and living conditions, as well as the remoteness from the rest of the Kingdom and its rigid Red Doctrine have created a unique culture seeped in superstition and “low ways”. And it’s hard to blame the citizens of Death City when they have a corpse of a god lying in the waves just offshore, and dead giants walk the sea on hollow moon nights…

I liked the mystery our characters came to unravel as well. What seemed at first glance as a simple kidnaping of a Sun Noble’s daughter led them to uncovering a whole human trafficking ring. And transformed everyone involved in fundamental ways. Nobody left Death City the same as they arrived into it, though some didn’t leave at all.

So why did I give this book 4 stars instead of 5? That’s because I didn’t particularly like Thora, who is one of our main characters. Oh, I understand her motivation and her desire to be more than mere Dust, to prove herself to her masters and have a chance at doing more than scrubbing floors and cleaning bedsheets all her life. What I didn’t like is how selfish she is in her pursuit of that dream and how willing she is to sacrifice everything and everyone to achieve that goal.

Her accusing Diem of taking justice in his own hands and doing things an Investigator shouldn’t sounded very hypocritical when she is the one who planted evidence, obtained false eyewitness statements, and created a diversion that got a lot of people killed. Not to mentioned persuaded a colleague to go against direct orders and do something that she knew could put her in danger. And when it got that colleague killed, she raged at anyone BUT herself. Yes, she didn’t hold her head under the water or hung her from a tree branch afterwards, but Thora was the one who sent her to her death nevertheless. It’s that double standard Thora has towards everyone else that seems hypocritical to me. That self-righteousness when she is definitely in the wrong. 

But this is just a small gripe for what is an excellent book. I am definitely looking forward to reading more book about this world and seeing how things progress in the Red Kingdom and outside its borders.

PS: I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.