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g_and_dpublishing's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
***Disclaimer***
Thiago and I have interacted several times through author forums and social media, however I have done my best to give an honest opinion.
I listened to A Touch of Light on audiobook and Kevin Kemp's performance was wonderful. His voice lent depth and nuance to the characters. I would highly recommend the audiobook.
A Touch of light follows three POVs, each of which is unique and well-constructed. These characters feel lived in, and they drive the story. Their decisions push plot rather than the other way around.
A strain of madness has stricken The Domain, causing its victims to become thoughtlessly violent. Adrian, a prince who is nearly 160 years-old, is called to lead the charge against those stricken with madness whilst he is trying to bring his dead wife back to life. His single-mindedness drives him to make rash decisions in order to protect his wife's body, and ends up causing several issues for the Legion, a religious army he leads.
Meanwhile, a holy warrior, Lynn, is drawn out of her self-induced exile to battle the madness and the voices of her past. She is by far my favorite character. Despite her grief, she makes decisions in service of her beliefs and her order of sentinels, holy warriors.
Lastly, Nasha is a hunter in society outside of the Domain. She is struggling to maintain control over her emotions as she has a curse/gift that is driven by her emotions and the emotions of those around her. Largely, Nasha feels disconnected from this story. She doesn't interact with the madness. She is trying to make her way among a people who don't accept her because of the station she was born to. While her character is interesting, her story could be completely removed, and it wouldn't impact the plot at all. This is likely all set up for book two.
Positives: There are some huge action set pieces, but they are always ground in character. Despite the scale of the action, this feels like an extremely personal story centered around three characters. While all the characters are firmly set in the same world, they all experience the world through the lens of their unique cultures and positions within society.
The plot is interesting and moves forward at a fairly fast pace. The way the madness comes close to feeling like zombies in medieval times, without ever feeling campy or derivative is amazing. The madness feels horrifyingly real.
Negatives: The primary issue for me is the lack of exposition. While some people may love this aspect, there are times in which I felt like I was playing catch up because something happened off-page that the characters knew about, but we didn't. There is a key death between the prologue and chapter one that comes out of nowhere and we learn about it as we continue through the story. Lynn's magic is based in her ties to a griffin, but that is never spelled out for the reader until much later on. You wouldn't even realize griffins were a part of the world until much further in. This took me out of the moment because I was trying to figure out if I missed something.
I really enjoyed Nasha's character development and arc, but it didn't interact at all with what the other two characters were up to. I am sure it will in book two, but at this time it feels like it is an add-on.
Overall Thoughts: I am 100% planning on reading book two. This book managed to grab my interest early on and not let go. The characters have amazing depth, and the plot took interesting twists that I didn't see coming. The ending leaves us in a place for a lot of political and military intrigue.
If you are interested in a multi-POV fantasy, with dynamic characters, zombie-esque armies, unique magic systems, and plot twists that keep you reading along, read A Touch of Light.
Thiago and I have interacted several times through author forums and social media, however I have done my best to give an honest opinion.
I listened to A Touch of Light on audiobook and Kevin Kemp's performance was wonderful. His voice lent depth and nuance to the characters. I would highly recommend the audiobook.
A Touch of light follows three POVs, each of which is unique and well-constructed. These characters feel lived in, and they drive the story. Their decisions push plot rather than the other way around.
A strain of madness has stricken The Domain, causing its victims to become thoughtlessly violent. Adrian, a prince who is nearly 160 years-old, is called to lead the charge against those stricken with madness whilst he is trying to bring his dead wife back to life. His single-mindedness drives him to make rash decisions in order to protect his wife's body, and ends up causing several issues for the Legion, a religious army he leads.
Meanwhile, a holy warrior, Lynn, is drawn out of her self-induced exile to battle the madness and the voices of her past. She is by far my favorite character. Despite her grief, she makes decisions in service of her beliefs and her order of sentinels, holy warriors.
Lastly, Nasha is a hunter in society outside of the Domain. She is struggling to maintain control over her emotions as she has a curse/gift that is driven by her emotions and the emotions of those around her. Largely, Nasha feels disconnected from this story. She doesn't interact with the madness. She is trying to make her way among a people who don't accept her because of the station she was born to. While her character is interesting, her story could be completely removed, and it wouldn't impact the plot at all. This is likely all set up for book two.
Positives: There are some huge action set pieces, but they are always ground in character. Despite the scale of the action, this feels like an extremely personal story centered around three characters. While all the characters are firmly set in the same world, they all experience the world through the lens of their unique cultures and positions within society.
The plot is interesting and moves forward at a fairly fast pace. The way the madness comes close to feeling like zombies in medieval times, without ever feeling campy or derivative is amazing. The madness feels horrifyingly real.
Negatives: The primary issue for me is the lack of exposition. While some people may love this aspect, there are times in which I felt like I was playing catch up because something happened off-page that the characters knew about, but we didn't. There is a key death between the prologue and chapter one that comes out of nowhere and we learn about it as we continue through the story. Lynn's magic is based in her ties to a griffin, but that is never spelled out for the reader until much later on. You wouldn't even realize griffins were a part of the world until much further in. This took me out of the moment because I was trying to figure out if I missed something.
I really enjoyed Nasha's character development and arc, but it didn't interact at all with what the other two characters were up to. I am sure it will in book two, but at this time it feels like it is an add-on.
Overall Thoughts: I am 100% planning on reading book two. This book managed to grab my interest early on and not let go. The characters have amazing depth, and the plot took interesting twists that I didn't see coming. The ending leaves us in a place for a lot of political and military intrigue.
If you are interested in a multi-POV fantasy, with dynamic characters, zombie-esque armies, unique magic systems, and plot twists that keep you reading along, read A Touch of Light.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Mental illness and Classism
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