We had a few nice days over the weekend and at the beginning of the week. Sunday, I took a walk with my husband and two of my boys. We walked 4.24 miles! That may not seem like a lot to some, but after having surgery on both hips in the past and struggling with arthritis in both of them, that was a huge walk. I was sore at the end and a bit the next day, but I pushed through. We are hoping to do family walks a couple of times a week.
Do you walk at all? With your family or kids, if you have any?
I love nature, so I get excited when the weather is nice. In the summer, the boys love being outside, and I watch them play while I read a book or even join in on the fun. What is one activity you are looking forward to as the warmth returns?
Enough about the weather and fun in the sun, though. If you have not scrolled past this already, let’s get to the real reason you are reading this post. I am so grateful to be a part of the blog tour for Merchants of Light andBone. I love participating in tours, especially those put on by TheWriteReads, because bloggers have the chance to spotlight Indie author books and help share them with the world. Indie authors have created some of my favorite reads! My goal this year is to read more indie works and get them into the world. I will even be attending the Imaginarium Book Festival in June. It is bittersweet because it is my first time attending, but it reminds me of the first BookCon I attended…which ended up being the last one ever. I truly wish they would bring Bookcon back…
But…on to the book! Let’s take a look at this thick beauty shall we?
Merchants of Light and Bone (The Pentagonal Dominion)
*I received a free copy for an honest, unbiased review.*
Sorrow in paradise
A parent’s worst nightmare
When grief drives one to revenge
Living in a tropical paradise with his spouses and kids, Amiere is a merchant of light, a sculptor who carves glowing crystals into spectacular and powerful, demon-killing works of art. When the ground opens up near his idyllic village to reveal a massive supply of crystals, the whole nation of Aloutia celebrates. The merchants are guaranteed money for decades and officials predict Aloutia will be safe from demonkind for generations. But Amiere isn’t rejoicing—when the ground split apart, his seven-year-old daughter fell to her death.
Amiere’s grief turns to rage when an old enemy returns to the village with a young daughter displaying signs of starvation and abuse. Having witnessed his own daughter’s death, Amiere cannot bear the thought of watching another child die, especially when he can prevent it. Unable to ask police for help due to the village’s reputation of hostility toward authority figures, Amiere takes matters into his own hands, even at the risk of being exiled and separated from his family forever.
I want to begin by stating that I have never read any work by this author, but I was intrigued by the book’s premise. Needless to say, I was impressed when the thick paperback showed up for me to review! Wow, what a thick book with a small font to add to it. That may alone intimidate some people…not me!
This was fine for me to read, but when I showed it to my father, he said there was no way he could ever read that print. I guess it is a good thing that this title is available on Kindle as well, where one can change the font size.
That said, I was excited to read the book. I normally get through a book this size in a few days or at least a week, but that did not happen here. It took me way longer to finish than I thought it would. The author clearly states at the beginning of the book that there is a lot of worldbuilding and a QR code you can scan to see a comprehensive list of all the footnotes. There is also a code to scan for any possible trigger warnings.
This novel is intended for adult audiences and reader discretion is advised. Below is a list of material found in the book that some readers may find distressing:
Death, including the death of a child
Grief regarding the death of one’s child
Discussion of child abuse and depictions of a survivor of child abuse
Discussion of rape and sexual assault
On-page consensual sex
Suicidal ideation
Self-harm, including a child self-harming
Child abduction
Intense violence and torture
Gore
Cannibalism
Discussion of drug use and overdose
Slavery, including sex slavery
Transphobia
Sexism
Heavy swearing
Vomiting
I claim no rights to the art. These images are from the author’s website, which you can find by clicking on the image. (This is Amiere)
There is not only one map but two! For me, a good fantasy novel always begins with a map, and this was going to be an epic fantasy. Moving on from there, the author takes the reading prep even further by breaking down the families into characters. There is a lot of set-up in this book, and that might have been my first hint that this was not your average fantasy read.
We see this story from Amiere’s point of view (POV), a father and husband helping his family cope with the loss of their daughter, Tawny. Throughout the story, we see a lot of raw emotion, but my favorite part is that we see Amiere as a caring father who accepts his children for who they are, adapting to things as their family moves through the pain and grief. If you are looking for an amazing plot with fae, battles, etc…this is not the novel for you. You will not find typical tropes in this tale. A lot of the story takes place in a more relaxed fashion. We see the day-to-day dynamics of Amiere and his family. We read along as the family chooses to protect their children and what happens because of that. Though the story is told from Amiere’s POV, the character that intrigued me the most was Su. This character comes off as tentative, kind, and sweet but protective. There are a few times when we see their true ferocity when something threatens the family.
I claim no rights to the art. These images are from the author’s website, which you can find by clicking on the image. (This is Su)
“If you kick my dog, I’ll kick out your teeth and string them on a necklace. Then give it to your girl as a present.” -Su
These were the characters who felt the most in-depth as far as personality and reader connection go. The other characters, children included, were described very well, but to me, it felt as if that personal connection to develop empathy for them and their situation was missing. How the parental relationship worked with multiple spouses was interesting to me. It is not for me, but it was different to see the dynamics of that and how it played into the storyline.
The plot moves nicely for the most part, following their lives as the reader learns more and more about the world. Some may feel the worldbuilding is too much. Some details do not necessarily move the story along or play any major role in the plot, though some may enjoy them. I did not think a novel could so delicately yet accurately describe a world and make you feel as if you know enough to see through the eyes of the main character. As a mom, this book was a heavy read. It deals with violence toward children, sexual assault, explicit sexual scenes, depression, and even child loss. Some may not be able to relate to and understand the depth of the pain the characters feel. As a mom, I put myself in their shoes, allowing myself to imagine that pain if it were my child. Admittedly, I wanted to feel as if Amiere was not grieving in the beginning, only focusing on sex…but I can’t say that. Everyone grieves differently, and that sex with SU is what kept his mind busy and released endorphins that helped him to cope with that loss.
My biggest issue was the pacing in the first half of the book. So much detail was dumped on readers at once that it felt dull and slow. There was a time I almost put it down because I was bored reading it and wanted something to happen. I try to give every book a fair chance, and I am glad I continued reading because the pace does pick up and pull you to the end.
I claim no rights to the art. These images are from the author’s website, which you can find by clicking on the image.
I regret not having read the first book. I think I just have to buy it so that I can read it and then reread this one. This feels as if it is fine as a stand-alone, but there are details I would love to catch by reading the first novel. From what other reviews have said, the story is not a part of the first novel, so it is absolutely fine as a stand-alone. That still does not make me want to read the first book any less.
Overall, this is an enjoyable novel, but…it is not for everyone and is definitely not a light and easy read. It is not an easy read either, with a lot of emotion and heavy worldbuilding, some may struggle getting through it or not putting it down right away. There are no enemies to lovers or other trending tropes here, but you will find a beautiful story full of passion and emotion about a family dealing with the loss of a daughter. You even see how the siblings are affected by this loss, something often overlooked when a family loses someone. We see the intensity of children’s emotions and the parents’ and how they blend together. If you are up for the intense, vibrant world with even deeper subject matter, pick up your copy and settle in for an epic fantasy.
Meet the Author
Erika McCorkle, she/her, lives in the Pacific Northwest of the USA. She is a creator of fantasy worlds and a voyager to the worlds created by others. She spends much of her free time writing, reading, watching anime, and playing video games, all usually of the fantasy genre. She has a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology and currently works the night shift at a blood bank, meaning she is most definitely a vampire.
