review by Maryom
For a thousand years, the Red Gods, lovers of blood,war and sacrifice, have been banished from the world of men, and their followers, the Mireces people, exiled to cold, barely habitable mountain ranges, while the Rilporians, worshippers of the Gods of Light occupy the warmer, fertile plains. Now all that is about to change. The new Mirece king, Corvus, has been planning and plotting, making allies among the nobles of Rilpor and is ready to bring the Red Gods back from beyond the Veil. Meanwhile, among the Watchers who've helped maintain the uneasy truce between Mireces and Rilporians, is Dom, a 'calestar' who talks with the Gods of Light, passing on their messages and warnings to his people.
A tale filled with violence and betrayal, with one side egged on my their bloodthirsty Gods, and the other almost helpless against their onslaught, doesn't make this seem like a jolly story but I honestly found it one of those which once started, can't be put down.
The dialogue is 'adult', the brutality shocking but at the same time, the characterisation and world-building are excellent.
It starts a little confusingly with a large cast of characters to come to terms with in a short space, and each chapter following events from a different person's perspective, but these slight quibbles are soon overcome. The chapters are often short and events move along quickly, so I was soon hooked. The only downside, and I should have half-expected it with a fantasy novel, is that this is Book 1 of a series, and there's a wait for the next instalment.
If you like your fantasy dark, gripping, and bloody, this is the book for you!
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