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A review by kaje_harper
Ghost by Carole Cummings
5.0
This book is very clearly a fantasy with gay characters, brilliant, complex and intriguing, and not primarily a romance. The two (most) main characters, Fen Jacin-rei the Ghost and Kamen Malick, are gay and in a very complicated form of relationship-building, heavily affected by the fact that neither one is quite a vanilla human. However the biggest thing that moves the book away from the romance category is the use of numerous third-person POVs to tell different aspects of the story.
There are at least eight POVs in play here at different points, weaving a very detailed plot with a lot of hidden motivations and a fair amount of flashbacks. There are Gods, and mortals and people who fall somewhere in between, with magic and not a few knives (even leaving out the two dozen or so that Jacin carries.) Jacin caught my heart from the start, and Malick, although twisty and harder to get a handle on, is also already dear to me. Watching them almost come together was painful and delightful. (well, they do connect in some ways, but the chasm between them is still huge.) But the plot also has me in its grip.
If you read this book and love it, you will want the next one immediately. The story ends with some of the complexity explained, but with all the relevant action still hanging in the balance. I immediately started the next installment. Go into these looking for a world-building fantasy, complicated by an unusual romance, and peopled by some very fascinating characters, and you will be enthralled.
There are at least eight POVs in play here at different points, weaving a very detailed plot with a lot of hidden motivations and a fair amount of flashbacks. There are Gods, and mortals and people who fall somewhere in between, with magic and not a few knives (even leaving out the two dozen or so that Jacin carries.) Jacin caught my heart from the start, and Malick, although twisty and harder to get a handle on, is also already dear to me. Watching them almost come together was painful and delightful. (well, they do connect in some ways, but the chasm between them is still huge.) But the plot also has me in its grip.
If you read this book and love it, you will want the next one immediately. The story ends with some of the complexity explained, but with all the relevant action still hanging in the balance. I immediately started the next installment. Go into these looking for a world-building fantasy, complicated by an unusual romance, and peopled by some very fascinating characters, and you will be enthralled.