“Cain crafts a vivid world ... rich with detail and myth-lore that traipses brightly through the darker themes.” (BookLife Reviews)
The invaders said they were building a trade post—they lied. When the Feah people realized the soldiers had built a fortress, it was too late.
They said Finn was a murderer—they lied. Now, Finn is ripped from the tranquil shores of his small village and thrust into a world of chaos and darkness.
Hunted by the merciless soldiers of the Holy Dayigan Empire, Finn and his people are branded as heretics and face extinction. With no choice but to flee for help, Finn’s only hope lies in Laisren, a powerful chaos druid from his past.
Together, they must unlock the secrets of an ancient relic crafted by chaos faeries—an artifact that will test their strength, courage, and all that they are. As they battle not only external threats but also their own inner turmoil, Finn must confront the temptation of Chaos itself. Will he succumb to its seductive power, or rise above it to save his people?
This gripping tale of sacrifice, courage, and unyielding determination will captivate fans of dark epic fantasy. Join Finn on his journey as he fights against insurmountable odds to secure freedom for his people.
“This is a wonderfully written novel, a tear-jerker and page-turner. I highly recommend...” (Queer Sci Fi)
Contains adult material including adult and m/m activity, harsh language, and violence.
When Finn finds himself wrongly accused of murder by a Dayigan soldier, he's forced to flee the only home he’s ever known, desperately seeking the Feah’s previous Chief Morgana, who he hopes can save his kind from the religiously fervent, xenophobic, and intolerant Dayigans. Finn, a flawed young man, doesn’t stop from blundering forward to do what’s right, no matter the cost to himself, and he’s joined by a small army of elegantly drawn secondary characters, including his brother, Cal, and standout Laisren, a childhood friend and son of Morgana who develops a gentle, and welcome, romance with Finn—a relationship that adds tenderness to the story’s otherwise vicious foundation.
Cain crafts a vivid world built around coming-of-age and man-vs-self tropes, a world rich with detail and myth-lore that traipses brightly through the darker themes of oppression and suffering. The Feah stand to lose everything, and Cain’s painstaking examination of the characters’ mental states gives readers a window into their anguish at the cost to protect their way of life. Depicting the brutal Dayigans as blatant, Christianity-derived acolytes may be off-putting to some readers, but that discomfort only serves to spark deeper reflection on the story’s nuances.
Takeaway: A dark fantasy embodying the power of love and sacrifice.
Great for fans of: Mercedes Lackey; Emily Lloyd-Jones’s The Drowned Woods.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: NA
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
