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A review by afictionalescapist
A Touch of Light by Thiago Abdalla
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
3.75 Rounded up
“That’s the thing about light. All you need is a touch to see the horrors lurking in the dark.”
Initially I thought this book didn’t really work for me, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on why. Upon reflection the execution and transition between the POV’s were rather jarring and took me out of the world, meaning I had to readjust constantly throughout the book. That being said, nearly all of the individual elements inside of these 450 odd pages really hit the mark starting with the cover.
Abdalla’s cover captures the energy of this book perfectly.
The more I look at it, the more I must applaud the artist. It’s simple but dramatic. The Ever tree stands tall, beautiful, and bright, with a hint that something isn’t quite right. The leaves are falling, and it looks almost wrong, like they shouldn’t be. Then you look closer, and the falling leaves are dying. Creating an essence of decay around an otherwise awe-inspiring centrepiece. The sword, (to me) represents the Domain the political and governmental leader who should not be judged or questioned for their actions; regardless of the chaos unfolding around them.
I am going to approach this review a little differently, as I understand the jarring POV's was a stylistic choice which didn't work for me as a reader, but I still have many a reason as to why you should pick this book up and give it a go.
First of all the character arcs. Each POV is given their own unique character arc which is utterly captivating when taken as individual stories. The reader follows Adrian, prince of the Domain, searching desperately for answers as to his brothers death. Lynne, a rebellious sentinel called back to her true calling, to be a bringer of death, and Nasha, a women fighting for her place amongst the Ronar against all odds.
Secondly the magic systems, these again felt unique to each story. I could not read Lynne's chapters fast enough. Even after putting this book down I want to go back and see if I missed things about the sentinels and the weight of the world she carries on her shoulder as well as the magical bond she carries with her mount.
The Overarching plot. This took a little more brain space to put together as the madness bleeds into each story and affects our characters in different ways. I am (ironically) dying to find out more about just what this is, what happened many many years ago, why it is back and how or if it can be defeated. I feel like we have only touched upon this in book one.
Lastly, there is a GRIFFIN!
Calling it now. 2022 - Year of the Griffin.
“That’s the thing about light. All you need is a touch to see the horrors lurking in the dark.”
Initially I thought this book didn’t really work for me, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on why. Upon reflection the execution and transition between the POV’s were rather jarring and took me out of the world, meaning I had to readjust constantly throughout the book. That being said, nearly all of the individual elements inside of these 450 odd pages really hit the mark starting with the cover.
Abdalla’s cover captures the energy of this book perfectly.
The more I look at it, the more I must applaud the artist. It’s simple but dramatic. The Ever tree stands tall, beautiful, and bright, with a hint that something isn’t quite right. The leaves are falling, and it looks almost wrong, like they shouldn’t be. Then you look closer, and the falling leaves are dying. Creating an essence of decay around an otherwise awe-inspiring centrepiece. The sword, (to me) represents the Domain the political and governmental leader who should not be judged or questioned for their actions; regardless of the chaos unfolding around them.
I am going to approach this review a little differently, as I understand the jarring POV's was a stylistic choice which didn't work for me as a reader, but I still have many a reason as to why you should pick this book up and give it a go.
First of all the character arcs. Each POV is given their own unique character arc which is utterly captivating when taken as individual stories. The reader follows Adrian, prince of the Domain, searching desperately for answers as to his brothers death. Lynne, a rebellious sentinel called back to her true calling, to be a bringer of death, and Nasha, a women fighting for her place amongst the Ronar against all odds.
Secondly the magic systems, these again felt unique to each story. I could not read Lynne's chapters fast enough. Even after putting this book down I want to go back and see if I missed things about the sentinels and the weight of the world she carries on her shoulder as well as the magical bond she carries with her mount.
The Overarching plot. This took a little more brain space to put together as the madness bleeds into each story and affects our characters in different ways. I am (ironically) dying to find out more about just what this is, what happened many many years ago, why it is back and how or if it can be defeated. I feel like we have only touched upon this in book one.
Lastly, there is a GRIFFIN!
Calling it now. 2022 - Year of the Griffin.