M.L. Spencer is an epic fantasy author. Her debut novel Darkmage won the 2012 IndieReader Discovery Award for Fantasy, and her novel Chains of Blood was awarded Silver in the 2020 Readers’ Favorite Awards for Fantasy.
Three times I started this review, and three times I scrapped it. The Book of Gothel was one of my most awaited books this year, and it hasn’t disappointed; as a big fan of historical retellings of tales, I love the result of Mary McMyne’s work.
Definitely, this book was not what I was expecting from it, but honestly, once I got rid of my early expectations, it became a really enjoyable lecture. More than a big thriller, we could call this book a slow-cooked paranormal romance where the plot is used as the catalyzer to make it advance.
To say that Azure Brine is at odds with her father would be an understatement. His recent spiral into the “Humans First” politics of League of Islands’ new governor has strained their once-strong relationship to the breaking point.
This is a little novella, which acts as the prequel for The Swordman’s Lament, and which can be described as a really good introduction to the characters and to the background.
It’s really difficult to talk about this book without bringing the spotlight on the main character, Eskara. This is a book where all the narrative weight is over Eskara (or Eska), and honestly, I think the job that Rob J. Hayes did is amazing.