The Mad Trinkets

You know that feeling when you are at the end of a great book and you are not ready for it to end….Imagine that feeling starting from the very first chapter. Thoroughly entertaining with non-stop mayhem!

Author, Cameron Scott Kirk, weaves a masterpiece with “The Mad Trinkets” in a remarkable, articulate, eloquent way. Not only do I plan to re-read, I plan to seek out a physical copy of this book! Readers will have a strong desire for the mayhem to continue and I anxiously await such news!

A sincere thank you to NetGalley for providing me an advance copy (ARC) of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to read this tale and leave my review voluntarily.

This book had me twisting in my chair, cheering, laughing, and was just overall a fun read. The violence is graphic and there are strong sexual themes, so consider carefully if you are sensitive to these topics. I was taken right to the edge of my discomfort but stuck it out, and the payoff was worth it and made sense in the end.

The story is told from multiple POVs, and each character is beautifully written. We are introduced to several characters early in the book who eventually come together to stop Tristan, a former soldier who is trying to build an army superpowered with metal trinkets. The metal affects everyone differently, and the powers are unpredictable and fun (a blood whip!). One of the most interesting and disturbing characters was Jeremiah, an ancient monk Tristan uses to help him find more of the metal.

The author’s writing is lovely and clever. I felt some sentences were written with a wink to the reader but didn’t take me out of the experience. The worldbuilding is fully fleshed out with interesting history about White Cloud which adds to the understanding of the metal’s origin.

Overall, I recommend if you like fantasy with horror elements. It’s violent and dark. This is one of my top books I’ve read this year. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I found this work by Cameron Kirk to be thoroughly entertaining. The story flowed effortlessly from chapter to chapter with a wonderfully descriptive vocabulary, bringing the reader into each character’s personality and surrounding imagery in such a colourful way. I’d love to see this book made into a film….so much sorcery, skullduggery and gore! Bring on the next installment Mr Kirk.

Huge thanks to NetGalley, The Mage's Lantern and the author for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All of the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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The Mad Trinkets more than lives up to its title as a story full of mad magic, mystery and unpredictable twists!

Kirk has used possibly my absolute favourite strategy from those used by authors to catch readers off guard: giving away only the bare minimum in the blurb and bombarding us with some of the best storytelling we'll ever have the pleasure of experiencing.

The story is not for the faint-hearted (what with the copious blood and gore) but it certainly is a story worth reading again and again which is exactly what I plan to do.

Reading this feels like driving at insane speeds in dangerous terrain: there is constant excitement and tension. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a unique and beautifully written story that will surely stand out from everything else you read this year!

Overall rating: 5/5 stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐