Ross (3284 KP) rated The Path of Flames in Books
Oct 24, 2017
The first in the 5 book series (unless you count Escape from Bythos, a short opener) begins with Asho (the white haired character on the cover, not an elf after all but a Bythian human, at war alongside his lord and the army of "the good" against the armies of "the bad". We gradually start to see the world revealed at a gentle pace and each of the races are at different stages of their ascension to heaven, each step depending on how they lived that life (kind of like a tiered Buddhist reincarnation with eventually getting to heaven after a number of good lives). The Bythians are the lowest of the low and Asho is very lucky to be allowed to squire the Ennoian (read annoyin') Lord Kyferin.
From the result of that battle, further PoV characters are introduced: Ishkra and Kethe (Lord Kyferin's widow and daughter respectively), Audsley the magister and former knight Ser Tiron, as well as the orc-esque kragh Tarkon. All but Tarkon's narratives blend together to give an overall storyline from different perspectives.
The somewhat familiar castle setting is quickly thrown out the window as Lord Kyferin's brother takes over the castle and banishes his widow through a lunar gate (a mystic portal that only opens once a month used to travel great distances) along with her loyal followers into a ruined inhospitable wasteland with demons wandering the moors.
The characters are well defined and develop well through their trials and tribulations. While the plot is somewhat reactionary (there isn't really one main quest set up early on, rather events unfold and the plot is driven from there) this doesn't feel like it evolved that way, everything slots together well.
I have really enjoyed this first episode in the world of the black gate and have carried on with the follow-up, The Black Shriving.
Drawing Desk: Draw,Paint,Color & Sketch board
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Drawing Desk is enjoyed by over 11 Million users all over the World.Drawing Desk has proved in...
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Witch's Betrayal in Books
Jul 7, 2019
Seth, the arrogant demon hunter, is dangerously close to knowing too much. If that prick gets anywhere near one of my demons, there will be Hell to pay. Unfortunately, he’s also the one teaching me shadow magic.
Secrets hide in the shadows. And some secrets should never be known. But I won’t stop looking for who killed my birth mother. If I must face trauma from my previous lives, so be it.
I have my lovers. I have my coven. But I still need answers.
I really enjoy Crystals approach to demons and angels, heaven and hell! Her character development is so good and she writes her sex scenes making you want more without it overpowering the story! This is the 3rd book and i flew through it! Her style has such a nice flow from one book to another!
I'm lookin forward to seeing where things go from here now the 4 are about to become 5 while contending with the witches hunting them!!
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