The battle that decimated the city of Kash is over. Weeks have gone by, and the city struggles to right itself from the devastating effects of the monsters that came through the rift. The black obsidian-stained and tainted rock is everywhere. Old alliances have fractured and died. The White Lady is gone, maybe to another realm? But the Fair Lady is in Kash, fighting for the city.
Into this tortured mess staggers Carstin - or should we say No One, for if we recall from the Diamond Stained series --- well, you'd best read it for yourself. I don't want to give away any spoilers.
But Carstin, our sympathetic struggling hero (or is that anti-hero? Or Monster?), is in deep trouble. Hopelessly in love with laundress Vinexa, who knows that Carstin is a good man, not the pasty white superhuman shape-changing monster assassin No One. Right?
But in addition to Carstin being hunted by a very well-supplied and informed Needles, the assassin, he is beset by some 12 souls inside himself. Those are the people that he has murdered. Their consciousness and their souls are fighting for control of Carstin. To return to their previous lives and loves. The whole thing makes for an incredibly gripping and tense read that will keep you up, turning pages way, way into the dark of the night. It is too good a read to put down.
What makes it so good? The characters are so realistic, so charismatic, so flawed, and so believable that you have to you MUST find out what happens to them next.
And we have not gotten to the warrior Garnet, late of the Fractured Gems, who cost the life of another of her crew and nearly died herself in prison, far, far away from Kash. Trying to save the world.
Well, Garnet returns to Kash, and she discovers that the Rangers are up to something very nefarious; it almost seems like they want to overthrow the young and weak king of Lothan and take over everything. But that couldn't be, right? So why are they collecting the evil dark obsidian at an alarming rate to harness its black and evil power and create an army of automatons? Can Garnet thwart them? Can she overpower and destroy No One? Should she?
The world-building, languages, idiosyncracies, variations in race, creed, and color in this book paint a picture that I would give more than five stars if I could.
This is a definitive, must-read epic start to a J.M.D. fantasy series at its finest and is a strong must-read recommendation without reservation.
James Reid takes us back to the Jewelchine world, where religions are based on many things across a broad world. Color relates to emotion, which relates to a tonal vibration, which relates to a particular god and religion... This world is as complex as they come, and these people are so real you'd swear you know them. And the boundaries between good and evil blur when you find yourself thinking of very bad people or beings as sympathetic characters. The world is powered by gemstones and heliodors, and the type and color dictate the purpose; for example, amber light heals, green emeralds give strength, and jewels are a substitute for electricity that powers everything.
As I said, this is an absolute must-read. This is high fantasy at its finest from one of the best modern fantasy authors of our time. Get it. Just remember, you're going to need to read - not want to read, NEED to read the next two books in the series. Not saying, just saying.
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There are 3 books in this series.
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- Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2023
