Heather’s Bookshelf: Heretic
Author: Jennifer deBie
Released: 03/29/22
Genre: Dark Fantasy
“She could contract and control minor demons. She could Compel mortals and mages alike. She could read the forgotten tomes and speak the lost languages. She could kill all sorts of fun things. She could wield a library’s worth of glyphs and perform new and interesting tricks with her bloodiron.
But she was not an old power.”
“Heretic” is the first of a series called the “Hellmage Chronicles” and features hellmages: outcasts who feed on death. They don’t especially seem to mind who they are feeding on: which might be the precise problem.
When an unexpected death alerts the Mages’ council, they seek to investigate and remind the hellmages of their place. Siraj, a lightkeeper, tries to do just that. But things have a funny way of getting out of control … and quickly.
The hellmage and the lightkeeper grow much closer than either think is wise and fall under the danger of those around them. They encounter many monsters, magics and myths all intertwined a world of seemingly countless glyphs.
Trigger Warning: adult language, sexual situations, death, murder, violence
Overall, I enjoyed this dark fantasy. The story leans more toward the high fantasy side in the character races, environment, and much of the language. The pacing is also a little on the slower side and very high-fantasy-ish. However, it is also filled with dark and adult scenes and themes throughout which draw it into the “dark fantasy” genre. The author does a good job at explaining the characters, roles, and gifts early on in the tale, leaving their motivations and goals a little more open-ended. This facilitates the mystery and tension between the two main characters and pushes the intrigue of the story forward. The creatures and monsters they encounter along the way are also pretty scary in their own right, so it’s hard to the put the book down in the middle of one of their encounters. I will say I had a hard time following some of the dialogue as the POV flips back and forth between the main characters on a frequent basis and often several times in a single chapter. The ending wrapped up the tale while also leaving it open for a sequel in the future.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A dark fantasy with nonstop fantastical characters, themes, and references.
Want to learn more about the author?
Check out my interview with Jennifer deBie
Interested in checking out the book for yourself?
Find it for purchase here or Kindle Unlimited
Interested in submitting your book for review? Visit my review page for guidelines and submission requirements.
