Back Cover Blurb
Follow the law and you'll stay safe. But what if the law betrays you?
It all started with the girl from the river: mutilated, tattooed, murdered. Tashue couldn't help but look for answers and in the process, he uncovered the ugly truths being hidden by the very law he used to believe in - the law of the Authority.
Now he's fighting for his life. Mere survival isn't enough; he desperately wants to save his son from the Authority, and he wants revolution. At any cost.
Davik Kaine has been gathering power under everyone's noses. Ruthless, ambitious, with a rebel army backing him, he wants revolution, too. He's probably the only person powerful enough to protect Tashue from the looming implosion of the political field. And he's the only person with the connections to save Jason.
He may also be responsible for the death of the girl from the river.
Is making peace with Davik worth it, if it saves Tashue's son from the Authority?
If Tashue plays along with what Davik wants, can Tashue get retribution for the girl from the river?
Review
Krystle Matar's debut Legacy of the Brightwash completely blew me away when I read it back in 2021. So much so that I picked it as my top read of that year. So you can understand how before starting the sequel LEGACY OF BRICK & BONE, I would be a little wary. Not because I thought I wouldn't like it, I knew that I would frankly. But when a book moves you and leaves you completely gutted the way that book one did, there's always a small part of you as a reader that hopes beyond hope that the story doesn't falter or drag in any way. Well I'm delighted to report that having finished this almost 1200 page book in nearly record time, I'm even more obsessed with this emotionally compelling story, these vividly realized characters, and this utterly breathtaking world that Matar continues to depict in extraordinary fashion.
As this is an ongoing series, I will avoid getting too specific in an effort to stay away from any potential spoilers. What I will say is that I'm simply astonished at how Krystle Matar has pumped out this absolutely brilliant follow-up so relatively close on the heels of the first book. To have this much freaking talent and ideas churning around in your brain should be illegal. And to be able to not only equal but to top what I believe is a fantasy masterpiece in LotB is quite the stunning achievement indeed.
One of the most impressive aspects of LEGACY OF BRICK & BONE, and really this series as a whole, is Krystle Matar's unique ability to write a scintillatingly hot and steamy sex scene and then two pages later detail the most intensely bloody and brutal fight that you've ever read. There's also the incredibly intriguing mystery of what actually goes on in The Rift, as well as a ton of political infighting and maneuvering as various factions compete for power. It's a huge part of the reason why this series is so successful in my opinion. It really has so much going for it that will appeal to a vast spectrum of readers, and it's all skillfully woven by an author who can mesmerize you with every sentence.
I really enjoyed that this book kind of strayed away from the majority Tashue and Stella viewpoint chapters of its predecessor. It was super refreshing to get a bunch of chapters devoted to Ishmael, Illea, Jason, Lorne, and Ozra. I thought that by focusing on some of the other characters more it greatly expanded this story and made it feel that much more epic. But not to worry, Tashue and Stella still do make many appearances and their chapters (as always) are deeply impactful and moving. Theirs is a relationship that is really the heart and engine of the story and makes the Tainted Dominion series a must read.
LEGACY OF BRICK & BONE is a glorious continuation of the remarkable story begun with Legacy of the Brightwash. Every witty exchange of dialogue, every wondrously delicate brushstroke of worldbuilding, every gripping moment of conflict, every devious backroom betrayal ensnares you and makes it impossible to stop reading. Such is the addictive story that Matar has so deftly constructed. I'm running out of superlatives to describe these books and this author. All I will say is you really need to be reading the Tainted Dominion series if you haven't as of yet. It's a shining example of the best that fantasy has to offer and I will once again wait with a great deal of anticipation for the next chapter in this phenomenal saga. Based on Krystle Matar's track record I'm positive that it will be well worth it.
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