I’m super lucky to have been asked along on this epic fantasy book tour! Thanks to The Write Reads and Erika McCorkle for my gifted book to enable me to write my honest review for today.
Sorrow in paradise
A parent’s worst nightmare
When grief drives one to revenge
Living in a tropical paradise with his spouses and kids, Amiere is a merchant of light, a sculptor who carves glowing crystals into spectacular and powerful, demon-killing works of art. When the ground opens up near his idyllic village to reveal a massive supply of crystals, the whole nation of Aloutia celebrates. The merchants are guaranteed money for decades and officials predict Aloutia will be safe from demonkind for generations. But Amiere isn’t rejoicing—when the ground split apart, his seven-year-old daughter fell to her death.
Amiere’s grief turns to rage when an old enemy returns to the village with a young daughter displaying signs of starvation and abuse. Having witnessed his own daughter’s death, Amiere cannot bear the thought of watching another child die, especially when he can prevent it. Unable to ask police for help due to the village’s reputation of hostility toward authority figures, Amiere takes matters into his own hands, even at the risk of being exiled and separated from his family forever.
The second book I have read by Erika McCorkle. The first being the Merchants of Light and Bone, the first book in The Pentagonal Dominion series. I thoroughly enjoyed book one and was eager to read this as soon as the book arrived.
Such amazing world building! That’s the secret to great storytelling, and this author is so good at that! This is not a small book, but it’s on that is worthy of taking over your life until you have finished it. With many characters and a tale that is set in such a lovely place, it soon turns darker.
Dealing with sensitive issues, it is a deep and multi-layered story. I, as a parent, felt for Amiere. The loss of a child, along with the overwhelming grief that ensues, is life changing. These things alone made me connect with Merchants Of Light and Bone.
The detail in the writing makes this a wondrous epic dark fantasy novel. Every character was carved out in their own unique way, and the setting was, as I have already said, so well done.
I was not happy to have to put this book down, but, of course, the real world beckons from time to time. I had to keep reading at every spare moment because it almost became my world as I read. It is that immersive! Another great read from the mind of Erika McCorkle.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Merchants-Light-Bone-Pentagonal-Dominion/dp/B0CDNBZFMJ
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/184492062-merchants-of-light-and-bone
About the Author
Erika McCorkle, she/her, lives in the Pacific Northwest of the USA. She is a creator of fantasy worlds and a voyager to the worlds created by others. She spends much of her free time writing, reading, watching anime, and playing video games, all usually of the fantasy genre. She has a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology and currently works the night shift at a blood bank, meaning she is most definitely a vampire.
Website: https://www.authormccorkle.com/
Twitter: @Kiraofthewind1
sharonbeyondthebooks.uk 