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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
An absolutely wonderfully dark fantasy that fits in with Maberry's works. This is definitely an adult title so be wary if grimdark is not your thing, but it is a good starting point for those unfamiliar with grimdark.
I received an ecopy of this through netgalley; however all opinions are my own.
I received an ecopy of this through netgalley; however all opinions are my own.
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
There was so much assault in this book. There were several pov's and all but one of the female characters talked about assault or were assaulted. Aside from that, the main character basically threw a temper tantrum the whole time, and the bad guy was repetitive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Murder
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Kagen the Damned is a great example of a novel that I heard next to nothing about. I first came across the book back in 2022 when I was doing my huge upcoming speculative fiction releases posts and it caught my eye then. Since then, I'm sure I've only seen one other person even mention the book. Yet it has stuck in my mind. Sometimes I catch a vibe from a book and I just know I need to give it a try. Very often I end up loving these books. Call it intuition or call it good taste, whatever you like. 😂 And yes, it has happened again with Kagen.
So to be frank, I had completely forgotten the premise of Kagen the Damned over the months and ended up going into the read blind. I can recommend against doing this for most readers. You see, this is grimdark, with a smattering of horror. Cosmic horror.
In the first 200 pages we see so much sexual assault and brutal violence that poor old Kagen becomes traumatised and falls into the loving embrace of a wine-enduced stupor. While personally I feel all of this serves the story, showcasing how devastatingly nasty the Hakkian forces are, and how dark the world becomes in the time since the fall of the Silver Empire, and how utterly destroyed Kagen is over what he has been through, it could prove too much for you and that's okay. Know your lines, check the content warnings. Seriously.
That said, watching Kagen's rise from rock bottom feels SO good. He has so much fuel for what's to come and we do really root for him.
Kagen isn't the only character we get to know, however. He's not even in my top 3, truth be told!
We also follow Ryssa, a 15-year old nun-to-be from the destroyed and outlawed faith of the Garden, as she is led from the ruins of Argentium on the fateful night of the Empire's fall and across the lands to mysterious ends by Miri, a nun who pretty quickly leaves her faith behind her. I didn't care too much for these characters but their story plays a vital part and it is fascinating to watch the mystery unfold.
Then we have the new emperor, the Witch-king of Hakkia, an evil sorcerous leader wiped out around 1500 years ago by the Silver Empire, and his chamberlain, Lord Nespar, and the necromancer Lady Kestral. You see, magic was outlawed by the Silver Empire, once a force that came from evil gods and serving no good. Or so they said, at least. And now we begin to see magic returning to the world. Particularly through Lady Kestral and the Witch-king, although their use of magic is certainly for evil, particularly as they prepare for the coronation that will make the Witch-king's reign as emperor legal. And oh it's so fun to read about. I love Lady Kestral so much.
By far my three favourite characters, however, have to be Filia alden-Bok, a friend and sometimes lover of Kagen's who is just an utter badass woman. She isn't especially "attractive", and yet.. she still gets laid and gets to kick some arse. What a concept! Then Tuke of Theria, a large dark-skinned man who Kagen becomes familiar with. I don't want to go too much into his character as he's a little way into the book but he's such a fun character to have around, and also a badass. And last but not least, Mother Frey. An old lady and nun, revered for her work, and head of an order within the faith of the Garden that seeks out magic in the world. She is a very interesting woman.
The only thing I perhaps didn't care for was the fact that I pretty much worked out all of the twists ahead of time. I'm not sure if that's because they were really obvious or if I'm just getting better at working these things out, but I do love an "oh my god, I didn't see that coming!" moment, and I just didn't have that here. Still though, it's a damn good story and a world that I just want to devour. It's dark and gritty, it's got that mythic quality to it I always long for in my epic fantasy, with lost civilisations thousands of years in the past and strange forces the people have forgotten about, and of course, a hearty lick of cosmic horror. Incredible.
So to be frank, I had completely forgotten the premise of Kagen the Damned over the months and ended up going into the read blind. I can recommend against doing this for most readers. You see, this is grimdark, with a smattering of horror. Cosmic horror.
In the first 200 pages we see so much sexual assault and brutal violence that poor old Kagen becomes traumatised and falls into the loving embrace of a wine-enduced stupor. While personally I feel all of this serves the story, showcasing how devastatingly nasty the Hakkian forces are, and how dark the world becomes in the time since the fall of the Silver Empire, and how utterly destroyed Kagen is over what he has been through, it could prove too much for you and that's okay. Know your lines, check the content warnings. Seriously.
That said, watching Kagen's rise from rock bottom feels SO good. He has so much fuel for what's to come and we do really root for him.
Kagen isn't the only character we get to know, however. He's not even in my top 3, truth be told!
We also follow Ryssa, a 15-year old nun-to-be from the destroyed and outlawed faith of the Garden, as she is led from the ruins of Argentium on the fateful night of the Empire's fall and across the lands to mysterious ends by Miri, a nun who pretty quickly leaves her faith behind her. I didn't care too much for these characters but their story plays a vital part and it is fascinating to watch the mystery unfold.
Then we have the new emperor, the Witch-king of Hakkia, an evil sorcerous leader wiped out around 1500 years ago by the Silver Empire, and his chamberlain, Lord Nespar, and the necromancer Lady Kestral. You see, magic was outlawed by the Silver Empire, once a force that came from evil gods and serving no good. Or so they said, at least. And now we begin to see magic returning to the world. Particularly through Lady Kestral and the Witch-king, although their use of magic is certainly for evil, particularly as they prepare for the coronation that will make the Witch-king's reign as emperor legal. And oh it's so fun to read about. I love Lady Kestral so much.
By far my three favourite characters, however, have to be Filia alden-Bok, a friend and sometimes lover of Kagen's who is just an utter badass woman. She isn't especially "attractive", and yet.. she still gets laid and gets to kick some arse. What a concept! Then Tuke of Theria, a large dark-skinned man who Kagen becomes familiar with. I don't want to go too much into his character as he's a little way into the book but he's such a fun character to have around, and also a badass. And last but not least, Mother Frey. An old lady and nun, revered for her work, and head of an order within the faith of the Garden that seeks out magic in the world. She is a very interesting woman.
The only thing I perhaps didn't care for was the fact that I pretty much worked out all of the twists ahead of time. I'm not sure if that's because they were really obvious or if I'm just getting better at working these things out, but I do love an "oh my god, I didn't see that coming!" moment, and I just didn't have that here. Still though, it's a damn good story and a world that I just want to devour. It's dark and gritty, it's got that mythic quality to it I always long for in my epic fantasy, with lost civilisations thousands of years in the past and strange forces the people have forgotten about, and of course, a hearty lick of cosmic horror. Incredible.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit
This was entertaining, and I am actually looking forward to Book 2. Funny that this odd name of Kagen would be in two recent unrelated books that I have read. I prefer this Kagen and his story.
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Kagen the Damned started off okay. First, I didn't really like Kagen if I'm being completely honest. He just seemed to either be drunk or whining about something. So, yeah, at times I felt like strangling the guy or slapping him silly. Eventually he became way more likable, and the book felt easier to enjoy.
If you really think about it, I get why he was the way he was in the beginning. Not sure if that makes sense but I get it. He feels guilty for something that he wasn't there to protect from happening. One would think that he would jump into revenge mode right then and there, but nope. He definitely goes through the stages of grief until it's time for him to move on from what happened.
Luckily, he's not the only one who wants to murder a certain someone. Nope, we got some nuns and a fifteen-year-old girl named Ryssa who want a stab at the guy. I really enjoyed the mystery around the witch king because we don't know that much about the guy. Definitely can't wait for the next book to come my way because I need all the answers that I can get.
In the end, the cliffhanger was pure torture, and the waiting game has begun. I'm excited for more twists to come my way but also more action. Lots and lots of action with magic and everything else.
Kagen the Damned started off okay. First, I didn't really like Kagen if I'm being completely honest. He just seemed to either be drunk or whining about something. So, yeah, at times I felt like strangling the guy or slapping him silly. Eventually he became way more likable, and the book felt easier to enjoy.
If you really think about it, I get why he was the way he was in the beginning. Not sure if that makes sense but I get it. He feels guilty for something that he wasn't there to protect from happening. One would think that he would jump into revenge mode right then and there, but nope. He definitely goes through the stages of grief until it's time for him to move on from what happened.
Luckily, he's not the only one who wants to murder a certain someone. Nope, we got some nuns and a fifteen-year-old girl named Ryssa who want a stab at the guy. I really enjoyed the mystery around the witch king because we don't know that much about the guy. Definitely can't wait for the next book to come my way because I need all the answers that I can get.
In the end, the cliffhanger was pure torture, and the waiting game has begun. I'm excited for more twists to come my way but also more action. Lots and lots of action with magic and everything else.
After months of trying to finish this book, I’ve decided I have to dnf. This was my first attempt at reading one of Maberry’s books, and I’ve come to the conclusion that this was probably not the best place to start. I was not impressed with the writing quality which is what mainly kept me from moving forward with this book. I was pretty surprised this was the case since Maberry has such a backlog of novels. I guess his style of writing just doesn’t work for me. From what I can tell with other reviews, if you enjoyed previous Maberry works, there’s a really good chance you’ll like this. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up something else.
Thank you to NetGalley for this e-arc. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley for this e-arc. All opinions are my own.
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
DNF about 10% in. I don't mind dark fantasy. I might even say it's my favorite subgenre. [b:Deadhouse Gates|55401|Deadhouse Gates (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #2)|Steven Erikson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1385272744l/55401._SX50_.jpg|3898716] and the larger Malazan series are among my favorite books, and they certainly don't shrink from dark subject matter. But I can't really bridge the gap between very grimdark material - the murder of children, rape, wholesale slaughter of a city, etc., - and a 'cool' tone, written at a 6th grade reading level.
The plot's pretty simple: Kagen, responsible for protecting the children of the Empress, wakes up after being drugged during a night at the tavern to find the capital city in the midst of being sacked. He grabs some knives - he eschews swords, which seems silly for a guard, but whatever - and runs to the castle, fighting off invaders as he goes, eventually discovering that they've all been murdered.
Throw in a few mentions to Nyarlathotep and other Cthulhu mythos stuff that felt a little tacked on and I checked out early.
"Yeah. Hrothgar and his squad took care of them. You know him, right? That big Berclessian bastard. He does that trick where he throws an infant into the air and cuts it clean in half with that axe of his. Gods above, I've seen him do that one a dozen times. Never misses."
The plot's pretty simple: Kagen, responsible for protecting the children of the Empress, wakes up after being drugged during a night at the tavern to find the capital city in the midst of being sacked. He grabs some knives - he eschews swords, which seems silly for a guard, but whatever - and runs to the castle, fighting off invaders as he goes, eventually discovering that they've all been murdered.
Throw in a few mentions to Nyarlathotep and other Cthulhu mythos stuff that felt a little tacked on and I checked out early.
A rich setting, a good bad guy, and a self-pitying hero combine to make an ok adventure.
Pacing felt slow at times, and the plot often 'progressed' with characters revealing great secrets that were never actually revealed.
The audiobook was well performed.
Pacing felt slow at times, and the plot often 'progressed' with characters revealing great secrets that were never actually revealed.
The audiobook was well performed.