Review: Beautiful world building and writing
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 28, 2013
Very good. Nicole Kimberling's writing is incredibly smooth and it gives a solid ground to a very enjoyable fantasy story set in a contemporary setting, but with a society based on a monarchy, with competing courts, servants and magicians.Drake is a powerful magician working as a free-lancer. He doesn't want to sell his permanent services to one of the courts and he also doesn't like to enslave souls as all the other powerful magicians do. On the night of the birth of the heir to the kingdom, he is summoned to retrieve an amulet and he meets the good-looking Adam, who doesn't hold an important position at court, but who would like to prove himself in life. The third protagonist is the melancholic Thomas Myrdin, who was the king's lover, and is now revealed he might hold powerful magic himself. These three men cross their paths and destinies on a fateful night and have to risk their souls and lives to protect their loved ones and the kingdom against the dark plans of another great magician.Drake is an honorable man, compassionate, caught in his magic, with little time for his personal life. Adam ignites Drake's desire. At the beginning Adam seems like a pretty pawn, sensual but shallow, but page after page he shows his courage and his stubborn determination, who brings him to do what he feels is right. I couldn't really see his connection with Drake at the beginning, it was difficult to read something more in their attraction, but hour after hour I could see their relationship become something deeper. I think the story could have worked beautifully even without a single sex scene. The encounter in the alley for example didn't really fit the story, in my opinion, and I felt there was more sensuality in the little signs of affection the protagonists showed to each other.The details of the world building were very beautiful. I liked very much the all concept of the soulless people, the way their souls were entrapped or returned, how the nature of their hosts reflected on them after their natural bodies were returned. There was a lot of understated humor. The action scenes were fast-paced and there was an overall balance of the different elements. The romance was there, but it was never the focal point of the story.Very entertaining and satisfying.