I DNF at 23% primarily due to lack of strong storytelling, failure of immersion, and poor character strength.
The story reads like the second book in the series, to the point where I had to double check if it was indeed the first book. There's such a big difference to a books starting off with a ton of great action, and one that just throws everything at you immediately and expects you to just understand what's going on and be invested with the characters. I wish the author had taken his time with introducing different topics and events, instead of trying to pile everything on in the first few chapters. It really does feel like a whole book was skipped and this is the sequel.
It was hard to stay immersed in the story, one of the main reasons I chose to DNF is because I just felt so disconnected from the story and the plot. A lot of elements were eerily similar to Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive series, not in the writing style but with similar plot points.
The character names were so bad, half the characters had "fantasy" names and the other half had names like David and Melissa. (I genuinely paused and was like really) It would have flowed better if the naming scheme was more consistent.
Sereena is such a weirdly written character, she is described as being tiny, but has broad shoulders. (All her descriptions were inconsistent) It was kinda odd that Melissa is also mentioned being "adorable".
There isn't diversity in this book, one of my biggest bookish icks is when BIPOC characters are introduced, but nothing about them even reads as BIPOC. If you take away one word saying they have "dark" skin, and nothing else changes about their character or how they read, then more research needs to be done writing diverse characters. (Or getting BIPOC beta readers)
I was so excited to read a adult fantasy book, especially after coming off reading the Expanse Series, and a Strange & Stubbon Endurance. I was very disappointed by the quality of writing, and the pacing.
I would not reccomend this book.

With a premise that fascinated me this book drew men in from page one and kept me glued to it.

With six guardians trying to save the world wielding the power of gods, a magic system that is phenomenal, and a strong female lead this book has everything I look for when reading a new author for the first time.

While there were a couple of little things that threw me off I'm hoping those will be addressed in book two and I'm looking forward to reading more by this amazing author.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this ebook, I have voluntarily read and reviewed it and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

There are six Guardians who have a pact to stay united to face whatever Harbinger the gods throw at them. But when Serenna’s people are being invaded by another kingdom and slaughtered mercilessly, she decides that protecting her home is more important than honoring the Guardian Pact. Breaking this pact draws the attention of the god of Death, who offers to make her his Harbinger with unlimited power. What follows is a struggle between Guardians, gods, and Harbingers that may threated the very world as they know it.

The concept of this book was intriguing to me. I loved the idea of gods offering their powers to humans, creating powerful Harbingers that emulate their distinct powers. There were a few gods included throughout the work that were fascinating and left me wanting to know more about them and the way religion/deities functioned in this world. The concept of the Guardians was also interesting.

However, this work was lacking in meaningful world-building. The above concepts were all interesting but weren’t really explored or incorporated into the world in a meaningful way. Things relevant to the plot were included, but never in a way that brought the concept or the world to life. The world-building felt like it only scratched the surface of what it could and should have been. Similarly, the characters were painfully bland. There was no real personality evident, and the development was barely there, making them all feel like cardboard cutouts. This made the relationship that developed between two of the main characters feel forced, not to mention it escalated in seriousness with every page turn.

This is more of a personal dislike, but the names for most of the main characters grated on me. In this high fantasy world of gods and magic, the main characters mostly sounded like folks you’d run into at a barbeque in an expensive neighborhood (Melissa, Jeff, Grayson, etc.). These people also spent most of their page time snickering or giggling, making them feel like immature teenagers rather than immortals. The writing style didn’t work for me. The author overutilized italicized words to show emphasis. It constantly, which was just too much. The writing was also lacking in emotion. It was hard to tell if this was mainly since the characters were lacking in life/depth or because the author spent so much time telling us how the characters felt or what they were like rather than incorporating it smoothly into the story itself.

The premise of this work is fascinating, but its execution was severely lacking. My thanks to NetGalley and the author for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This was a great read. I really enjoy fantasy and this one was especially good. It was a little slow in some parts, but overall an interesting story.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC!

At the end of the day, I don't think I was the intended audience for this book. I love fantasy but I hate slow-moving first halves with multiple POVs. I need to connect to the characters before they get switched up.

This book is well written. Especially for a debut novel.

Although I loved a badass FMC. I found the relationship/ love story to be unrealistic and at the end of the day if you're going to do a love story-- you should do it right. I read a lot of romance and even more fantasy romance so I'm very picky.

All in all if you like well-written traditional fantasy this is for you.

This was a fascinating world! As strange as the premise sounds, I could not get enough. We have three POVs that are all well defined and unique. The story is full of action and the pacing is quick. Well done!

So, it takes me a while to get into a book. Like one or two chapters long. If I can get in it by then I’m in it for the long haul. This book falls in the first chapter category. I really liked it. It sucked me in and I soaked up every word. That being said… Being honest here, it was a book that took me forever to read. Maybe it was because the writing was phenomenal and the characters drug me along on this great adventure that it had me needing to let it soak in for a day before going on.
I loved the romance subplot, as well as the battles and different types of people. It was very different than what I usually read.

Should you read it? If you like hard core fantasy…. Yes!!
For me, I’m in it for the long haul!! Too bad the next book isn’t on my kindle so I can dive right in!! Hopefully it won’t take as long to read as this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Timothy Wolff for allowing me to read this book!!

Platinum Tinted Darkness had some great potential, but it never really caught my attention. It was hard for me to read, and I had to struggle to finish it. It's a reasonably good book, but it's not a book for me. There were times when I didn't have any idea what was going on, and other times when it bogged down in details I didn't think were all that important. I saw the ending coming well before the middle of the book - but others may not.

If you enjoy epic sagas with gods and war, you'll enjoy this book. I prefer my fantasy a little more on the magic side, and with a little less description of battles and injuries.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy of Platinum Tinted Darkness by Timothy Wolff. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

The book was well written, and I enjoyed several of the characters, especially Zeen. That said, I did have some problems getting into the magic system since we are dropped straight into the story. Also, a bunch of politics that took some time to wade through. I give this book a solid 3/5 stars.

I'm relatively new to the world of high fantasy, so this review may be a deviation of the norm. Bear with me.

3 out of 5 stars for me. There were times where this was a slow read for me. I did like the character of Serenna; she is a badass and while it was against the rules, her breaking the Guardian vow and entering the fight for her homeland showed her big heart and I really liked that. She fights valiantly for her homeland and for her friends, so that endeared her to me.

A big reason why I didn't rate this higher was due to some of the relationships in the book. They didn't feel as rich and full as I would've liked. They bring in the character of Zeen, who becomes the newest Guardian. He develops a crush on Serenna that over the course of the book turns into something more, eventually ending with Serenna returning his feelings and having a cute moment between the two. However, due to the battles and war going on around them, there wasn't much time for the relationship to develop and breathe more. This could be on purpose; again, I'm relatively new to the genre. I did love the character of Zeen. He gives off the "must protect at all costs" vibe due to his own big heart and lovable personality. Even though he's been through a lot and is a soldier who has lost many friends, he keeps a positive attitude throughout and believes that all can be saved or helped, even when it doesn't seem possible. It's natural for Serenna to gravitate toward that. Maybe there will be more development in future novels. If so, I'll be a happy camper.

There was a major character death that occurs pretty early on, and it could've been how early it was in the book, but it didn't pack as big of a punch a pretty big character's death should. I believe it didn't get the emotional punch it deserved, so when that character died, it wasn't a huge deal for me. It was abrupt and we moved on. This is.a character death that changes the course of one of the main characters, David, and leads him down a dark path and will most definitely have lasting implications throughout the course of the series. So without this gut-punch, the decision David makes doesn't pull on my emotions as much as it could. This may be unfair, but I didn't feel sadness over the situation. The death seemed like a means to an end (of the first half of the book).

When it came to the dialogue and inner dialogue, there were definitely some times where I was pulled out of the story. There were times where the dialogue didn't match the fantasy world they were in. Again, this could be me being new to the genre, but when some of the characters would exclaim some phrases that we use in the modern society of 2023, I would shake my head and think, "What??" It was jarring and would take me some time to get back into the story.

Overall a slower read for me, but did have exciting moments with enjoyable characters. I will read the next book in the series for sure. It ended on a cliff-hanger for some characters, so I'd like to see how it all plays out.

Thank you to Timothy Wolff and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had delightful proverbs and bits of wisdom. The characters, including the amusing villains, were well-crafted, and the book was fun. However, the romantic subplot was a bit cheesy and unrealistic, detracting from the plot. Despite this, the story was a decent first installment in a series. Despite minimal world-building, the characters were solid. I think Sardonyx and Nyfe are my favorites. Overall, I recommend this book to fans of epic fantasy with a fun twist.

I was so excited to read Platinum Tinted Darkness!! The cover and the description were captivating!! Just LOOK AT THAT COVER!!!! STUNNING!!!

The story itself is a slow to medium build (in my opinion), so you want to stick with it because the story is very descriptive, the character and world building in phenomenal, and I really loved the action!!

I also love the darkness you read throughout the story; it grasps you and doesn’t let you go even through to the end of the book!!

It’s the kind of magical book that I love reading, and I was glad to get my hands on it!! Definitely give it a read!! I feel you won’t be disappointed!!

Damn beautiful fantasy!!

I can’t wait to have more in my hands!! But, gotta be patient, HAHA!!!

This book is great if you enjoy lots of action. I am more drawn to character development and plot, so it wasn't my cup of tea. However, it is a great fantasy for fighting/action and different kinds of magic/creatures/characters. His writing is very good.

The comparison to Sanderson is a stretch, in my view But I have a feeling that this author will go on to develop more stories that are not just action, and I look forward to seeing what he does in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Timothy Wolff for approving my request to read an advance copy of Platinum Tinted Darkness.

I, unfortunately, will be dnfing Platinum Tinted Darkness. This was a hard decision to make, considering that I don't like leaving reviews on books without fully reading them. But, after dealing with a major book slump and the procrastination to read this book, I had to accept that this book wasn't for me. That's not to say that it was bad, but there were definitely flaws that I could not overlook.

First off, the writing isn't the best. It doesn't flow smoothly and comes off as either rushed or disconnected. From the very beginning, it felt like I was being thrown into battle without a sword. Most of the time, I was guessing what was going on despite the little explanations that were given. Either there wasn't enough information given or there was way too much information given. This threw off the pacing and caused the story to become a little bit of slog to get through. The action scenes were kind of wonky, and things just kind of happened out of nowhere without any warning.

Platinum Tinted Darkness does have potential. I got really excited when I saw crystal magic. Like, when's the last time we've seen crystal magic in a book? The concept was also intriguing. There is a group of guardians who are supposed to protect against these harbingers of death. The harbingers are people who are granted great power by the god, Death, and act as their vessel. And, from what I've seen of others feedback, it seems like there's a lot more to this book. But, I just couldn't get into it. There wasn't enough here to keep my attention.

Since I'm dnfing this book, I won't rate it 1 star because that seems unfair. Like I said, it wasn't bad, it just wasn't for me. This same review will be posted to my goodreads, my Instagram account, as well as amazon (if possible.)

Thank you Timothy Wolff and NetGalley for giving me a copy of this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was fantasy book trying to be better than it was. The entire premise and world of the novel was interesting and the magic system was worth exploring however, the writing was not something I enjoyed.

What solidified my rating was the characters. Not only did I think they were quite juvenile and poorly written, but the female characters specifically seemed to be existing for the men surrounding them. They are very strong and powerful characters but they should have been given justice by being written as such.

For these reasons I have given this book 2/5 stars.

This book is so good. I’m going to send it to my kindle app to finish reading it then post my reviews on vendor sites and my socials.

Quick info:
This book has multiple POV with well developed characters. The story is exciting and fast pace and acknowledges every emotion. It is definitely worth reading.

Solid dystopian style fantasy with flawed , fully rounded characters. I’m afraid I failed to really connect with this one so it just wasn’t for me, however if you like your fantasy with a serving of bleakness, then you’ll probably enjoy this one.

That was definitely entertaining! Thank you, Net Galley for the opportunity & ARC for this book!

Some fun & sage nuggets were delightfully sprinkled throughout the book. I enjoyed the little proverbs & wisdom throughout the book. I found that refreshing.
I loved finding the Ch. Titles while reading the chapter. That was new & I enjoyed it!

I liked the characters & even the villains had personalities I found comical. Gods behaving badly, lizard people that are hilarious brutes, mages, warriors, neurotic scholars… It was all very fun! I felt like I was playing D&D or an iRPG. It was great!

I didn’t LOVE the romance between S&Z- it just was too cheesy & unrealistic for me. There was no build or even lust factor. It tried to be sweet- but honestly just made me cringe from the awkwardness. I would have preferred an unrequited situation or even a blossoming one? It just didn’t seem necessary & took away from the overall feel of the plot, imo. I will admit, I read A LOT of epic fantasy romance- so my standards are high. This has a very M/YA vibe in a an adult epic fantasy. It’s hard to pin point… but I would have been ok with either no romance at all between them or just something entirely different. That’s my only complaint.

I thought this was a decent first novel in a series- I can’t decide if I would prefer a prequel or a sequel but it is nicely set up for both. Lots of looming questions are niggling & there were plenty of little Easter eggs scattered throughout. I’ll definitely pick up the next one & keep an eye out. The world building was minimal- but the characters were solid. At first, I thought there were too many, but by the end- I knew them all & that was a job well done! Honestly, I think Sardonyx & Nyfe might be my favorite.

3.5 stars for me. It would have been a 4.5 if the romance got sorted a bit more. 👏😉

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an Advanced Readers' Copy of this novel.

What drew my attention to this book was the intriguing concept: in a fantasy realm, various gods - death, fear, strength, time - compete to gain power and dominion over the citizens of the world. The catch is that the gods cannot influence the physical world unless it is via a human harbinger, who must willingly accept the role. Think of these gods as more like the Greek gods in the sense that they mostly seek power and control for their own ends, using people as pawns. I really enjoyed this unexpected aspect of the story. The gods are not saviors, but nasty, manipulative creeps. Harbingers are nightmares who cause destruction wherever they go. To protect the world from this threat, a team of guardians exists as the last line of defense against harbingers. One of the best elements of the book is the fact that the guardians, by their very nature, are also the best candidates to be the gods' harbingers. Precisely because they are so strong - strong enough to defeat harbingers - the gods often target and tempt them into becoming harbingers themselves. This sets the scene for some good moments of internal and interpersonal conflict for the characters. I haven't seen a storyline quite like that before, and it definitely caught my interest. Plus, the story contains a race of intelligent lizard people, who quickly became some of the most intriguing characters in the story. Who doesn't want to read about a race of lizard people?

Unfortunately, the story was a bit clunky in its execution for my taste. The story is fast-paced, and we're told a lot about the characters - how they feel about each other, what they are like, etc.. However, we don't get to see a lot of it for ourselves, which it makes it hard to get invested. For example, we're told over and over again that Serena, one of the main characters, is incredibly powerful. However, most of the time we see her she is putting up magical shields that quickly break, overusing her powers and becoming drained, being imprisoned and/or needing other characters to rescue her. Without spoiling too much, her most powerful moment happens only because she is magically aided by another force at the time. I was left unsure as to why the whole realm thinks of her as such a major power. Similarly, the romance plot didn't really work for me, as the characters just seemed to be instantly in love, with no clear reason as to why. The dialogue also swings from feeling too modern (characters saying things like "Hey guys" and the main villain at one point thinks "Yep, it was time to leave.") to more "high fantasy" style ("Strength without honor - is chaos!") which can be a bit jarring. Finally, there are a lot of battle scenes, which can be a positive, but for me the way they were described felt a bit an MMO or video game. Magic takes the shape of scythes, the color of a spell can alert people to its intention, etc. Maybe that was the point, and this is just a personal preference, but they didn't draw me in as much as I'd hoped.

In the end, I just wasn't invested enough in the characters to score this higher than I did, though I really wanted to be. I still think the concept is a really strong one, and if you're someone who likes lots of battle scenes, this might be right up your alley. It just wasn't for me.

Timothy Wolff brings a new kind of epic fantasy to light! One that is fresh, new and unexpected. In "Platinum Tinted Darkness" we begin by following Seranna Morgan, who is a one of the six Guardians of the Kingdoms. We find her attempting to defend her kingdom of Mylor from a neighboring land. Desperate to defend her land as the other Kingdoms turn a blind eye, she is offered aid by the Deity of Death, but the price may be more than she is willing to pay. Meanwhile, the other Deities all have their own designs as well, and the other Guardians are woefully unprepared.

For the critical stuff: There were only two or three instances of grammatical errors. I personally do not typically read this particular type of character, Timothy has chosen to show humanity at it's most...well...human. Utterly fallible, arrogant, selfish, fragile, and dreamers all - similar in some ways to Stephen R. Donaldsons' work in Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.

This book has a completely new plot dynamic in the Guardian/Harbinger/Deity system that I have not seen written in quite this way. I read a lot, and I love being surprised. Overall, I feel this book has great bones and I can see some magic in the making! Thank you for the opportunity to review this book.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.