Synopsis
An orphan, without a trueborn name, returns to the city of her birth to uncover her past. Hounded by the servants of the Dark God and dying from the poisonous mist that covers the land, her path leads to one of the magical seals protecting the holy ruin of Eminence.
A father, murdered and reborn, aims to bring down the floating fortress hovering over his homeland. Burdened by loss, he’s willing to sacrifice his soul to free his city and get revenge for the destruction of his family.
A mother, captured and bonded to a daemon, kills in the name of the Dark God so she can free her tortured daughter. Relentless in her vengeance, she hunts the one person who could end her suffering: the man who would destroy her vile master.
A drake, the banished hatchling of a failed advisor, seeks his father’s stolen horns. Untested, he desires to right his father’s wrongs in the eyes of the gods and restore his family’s honor.
As all converge in the occupied desert city where the world’s fuel source is mined, one family’s bond will be tested. Old betrayals will resurface, anger and resentment will flourish, but one thing remains clear: blood rules all.
Review
The author kindly offered me a copy of the audio for review, which I gladly accepted, and I’m happy to finally have gotten a read in by him. And look at the glory of this cover. The narration by Christine Victoria was awesome!
Ashe is an orphan. Stolen from her parents at birth and whisked off to learn at the hands of others. Her father, who was murdered during the ordeal, was brought back, and now his sole mission is to dismantle those who took her from him. Her mother, kidnapped and corrupted, turned assassin, has been coerced to serve the Dark God, meting out death as a means to keep her daughter safe. The land which they fight for is covered in a poisonous mist, slowly killing all those unfortunate enough not to be born into the Dark God’s fortune. Some can harness the mist, accessing powers, while others may borrow these strengths at the shortening of their lives. Nothing is promised, nor safe.
The author has crafted a really solid world. The setting is a painted backdrop that’s both magically fantastical and steampunk-y sci-fi. The city feels mythical and strange, while still holding that lived-in reality, and I particularly enjoyed the seedy underbelly described when it came to the movements of the Gutter King. It had the vibe of Star Wars’ rebellion, fantasy and magic that reminded me of The Queen of Days by Greta Kelly, the more sci-fi steampunk feel of the Dishonored games, and the revenge plot of something like The Revenant. And it takes that orphan-child, chosen one storyline we know and love, and threads it throughout all of that … and has some neatly disguised twists for readers too.
Ashe was my favorite character. She’s angry, bitter, sarcastic. She’s spent her whole life wondering why she was abandoned, never even knowing her real name. That chip on her shoulder consistently keeps her from fulfilling who she’s meant to be, to become, and I have to say I kind of love that for her? Novels like this need a struggle, need a reason to root for someone, and she fits the bill. The fact that we are also privy to things she isn’t makes it all hurt that much more. Her father, the leader of the rebels, was a close second for me. The reluctant hero, the downtrodden figure that simply can’t give up. Through loss, betrayal, endless setbacks, he persists, knowing the endgame is always within sight. I also really enjoyed and appreciated his knack for knowing things, for reading situations and people. He fits well as this story’s kind of Gandalf or Dumbledore, and those figures tend to be the silent sufferers—heavy lies the crown of foresight. The next runner-up for me is the Dark God, shrouded in mystery. His typical form, both incredibly handsome and appealing, continuously made me think of Morgoth and Sauron. The ability to appeal to others’ desires, while really manipulating them, is always interesting to see authors thread through stories. And because I listened, I can’t think of how it would be spelled, but in honorable mention, the author made one of the races a sentient, more humanoid group of rabbits, which I thought was flipping awesome.
I’m grateful the author isn’t afraid to give us unashamed LGBTQ characters, even when it’s messy. I’m equally as pleased the author makes us all suffer. No one gets off easy; the reader and characters alike all feel the pain, the uncomfortable truths. Characters facing the same pain, the same backstory even, all ache and pain and grow on their own separate paths, and I think it’s a feat. And the sweet, sweet revenge.
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