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FLASHBACK REVIEW:Legacy of the Brightwash (Tainted Dominion #1) by Krystle Matar

October 6, 2024 by Seanchalant Leave a Comment

Rating: 10/10

SYNOPSIS

Tashué’s faith in the law is beginning to crack. Three years ago, he stood by when the Authority condemned Jason to the brutality of the Rift for non-compliance. When Tashué’s son refused to register as tainted, the laws had to be upheld. He’d never doubted his job as a Regulation Officer before, but three years of watching your son wither away can break down even the strongest convictions.

Then a dead girl washed up on the bank of the Brightwash, tattooed and mutilated. Where had she come from? Who would tattoo a child? Was it the same person who killed her? Why was he the only one who cared?

Will Tashué be able to stand against everything he thought he believed in to get the answers he’s looking for?

REVIEW

A lot of the time, you’ll read a review that says “I devoured this book.” One definition of devour is, to read quickly and eagerly.” While the definition is true for my experience reading Legacy of the Brightwash, I’m going to use a secondary definition of the word. “Destroy completely.” By that definition, Legacy of the Brightwash devoured ME.

Krystle Matar is a master at making you care about her characters. The fact that this is her debut novel is fucking insane. I immediately knew Tashue would be a favorite character of mine when it opened with him calming a friend’s new baby. I’m a new father and a sucker for that kind of thing.

The more you learn about Tashue and the supporting cast, the harder it is to remember this is fiction. The little details make the characters bigger than the page. From running jokes between mother and daughter, to the little interactions of neighbors that grow into so much more. Everyone feels so real and that’s truly a testament to Matar’s grasp of character development and the human condition.

While the greater world is only hinted at, the city of Yaelsmuir is up there with the greats. For a city to feel like a character, it has to feel as though it has its own personality and motivations. Yaelsmuir is a fickle bitch with a taste for power and a desire to drain everyone in it dry. Whether it’s stealing their magic, heritage, or family, Yaelsmuir wants it all. It’ll chew you up and spit you out into Brightwash like last weeks sewage.

A slow burn mystery, with vivid characters, and a city so real you’ll feel like you’ve been there, Legacy of the Brightwash will make you fall in love and then break your heart without mercy. This is a must read and definite contender for top 10 reads of the year.*

*Review originally written August 16, 2021

Filed Under: Dark Fantasy, Detective Noir Fantasy, Fantasy, Gaslamp, Reviews Tagged With: Book Review, Fantasy, Krystle Matar, Legacy of the Brightwash, Self Published, Tainted Dominion

About Seanchalant

Sean Conley (not Connery) aka Seanchalant is an proud father of three little nerds, AnaMaurin Victoria, Landyn Lawrence, and Raylan Aviendha Mae. He is a stay at home dad while his hardworking and wonderful fiancée,
Gabriella Oropeza brings home the 🥓 and he always has a book on his person. On the autism spectrum, he has a tendency to become an encyclopedia on things he enjoys. Raised on horror films (The Evil Dead series is #1) and Stephen King, his love of fantasy was born from Army of Darkness and Tad Williams; cultivated by John Gwynne and Mark Lawrence. He enjoys everything from epic fantasy to urban fantasy, grimdark to high fantasy. His favorite bands are blink-182, The Beatles, and Wu-Tang Clan.

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