So this is my first book towards my summer reading goal, somehow I feel like the 20 books of summer may fast become 10.
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Magic is poison. Secrets are power. Death is . . . complicated.
Outlaw wizard Corcoran Gray has enough problems. He’s friendless, penniless and on the run from the tyrannical Mages’ Guild – and with the search for his imprisoned grandfather looking hopeless, his situation can’t get much worse.
So when a fugitive drops into his lap – literally – and gets them both arrested, it’s the last straw – until Gray realises that runaway slave Brix could be the key to his grandfather’s release. All he has to do is break out of prison, break into an ancient underground temple and avoid killing himself with his own magic in the process.
In theory, it’s simple enough. But as secrets unfold and loyalties shift, Gray discovers something with the power to change the nature of life and death itself.
Now Gray must find a way to protect the people he loves, but it could cost him everything, even his soul . . .
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You know when you pick up a book and it’s an instant click, the kind that you are pretty sure of after the first chapter, well I had that with Lord of Secrets. I honestly had trouble putting it down and anytime I did I was itching to get back to this wonderful fantasy world.
The premise of this book is surprisingly simple but really well-executed. The magic was an awesome construct, I like that there was a give and take and that Grey was pushing the boundaries and showing what kind of toll it takes, I was fascinated with the spells but was also very intrigued by the necromancy side to the story.
The world-building was good, there is a difficult balance in fantasy books between really fleshing out the world and getting on with the action, Lord of Secrets leans more toward the latter. Not that I felt confused at any point I got enough information as the story progressed however there maybe wasn’t as solid a foundation as there could have been although that was certainly made up for by the pace and excitement of the book.
I liked Corcoran Gray, his wit and the fact that he’s a bit of a rebel, even though his goal at the start of the book is more shall we say self-indulgent, to save his grandfather, eventually it changes into a need to help the people he cares about and the people of his world. There was a certain tomb dwelling character that really made Gray shine the back and forth between them was amazing and I liked that they were almost the little devil on his shoulder.
This enigmatic character was a brilliant addition to the book and gave it this unexpected dimension that really had me engrossed in the story, I loved their unpredictability and that I could never be sure whether they were being deceitful or if there was some truth to what they were saying.
I was slightly disappointed with the conclusion for this character I feel like more could have been made for him, I had the same kind of feeling with Gray but more because of how his relationship with Brix makes quite a big leap at the end that I feel was unnecessary. I have to say though that that was only a minor thing and didn’t lessen my enjoyment.
This was a wild and wonderful journey and it has definitely piqued my interest in terms of seeing where the author takes this world next. I highly recommend this book and can’t wait for what comes next.
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everywhere-and-nowhere.com 