I love it when a writer is able to combine a complex, twisty fantasy plot with real heart and engaging characters, and Shaun Paul Stevens has achieved just that. What's more, he's brought an intriguing high fantasy setting to life in under 300 pages!

The author's writing style is also really enjoyable, and the way he writes about music (for a philistine like me who knows little about the subject 😁) is really engaging.

There are a couple of gripes for me, which is why this is a 4-star read - some of the characters didn't feel entirely fleshed out, and sometimes I found Mist's inner struggles about her mission a little repetitive - but overall this is a really good fantasy and I'd very much recommend it!

Super cool and interesting take on a book. It is written from the perspective of an assassin and the second thoughts and difficulties she encounters in her quest to kill her mark. It was extremely well done and the characters were all flawed and felt real, however something about the writing style didn't absorb me as much as i wanted to and i felt there was some depth missing in world building. All in all a super enjoyable read and definitely surprising one. I would still def recommend!

disclaimer: i have not read Nether Light yet, and so i'm not familiar with the world of the Feyrlands and neither am i familiar with Mist, the protagonist, so this review will be based on solely this story without any prior knowledge.

i enjoyed this a lot! pretty fast-paced, and seeming more character-driven than plot-driven to me, although i'd say it's a good mix of both. the overarching plot wasn't evident to me at first, but as everything was slowly revealed till the final revelation towards the end, things clicked into place more and upped the stakes a bit.

following Mist as she serves as Talia's handmaiden is interesting. there were so many mysteries surrounding the whole situation -- what is soulshade? what is Faze? what exactly is Mist up to? -- all leading up to the final two chapters which shocked and excited me. although, i felt that the ending was extremely abrupt, though it did help to explain sooo many things. Mist is also a really compelling protagonist.

then there's Talia's young daughter Paloma, and she's a gem, and i wanted more of her in the story. her Pharo (from what i gather, it parallels Tarot?) card-reading was so interesting, and if this was a movie, i would've wanted more screentime from her.

overall, by the time i reached the end and finally understood what Mist was trying to achieve this whole time, i felt there was a lot ripe for contemplation, especially regarding things like trading one life for many, the greater good, war, patriotism, etc. (hope this is not too spoiler-y!) and it felt good, an exploration of these pertinent issues that had been building up through Mist's interactions with the people around her, like getting more to the story than one originally bargained for.

p.s. i also greatly enjoyed the writing style!!

this has gotten me intrigued about the world of the Feyrlands (+ getting to enjoy the author's writing) and i will definitely be reading Nether Light!