Joined in 2023 
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It's got a good concept, one that reminded me of the offbeat adventure gamebook Creature of Havoc: a blank slate of a man awakes, at first driven by instinct, then gradually learning more about his world and how he came to be where and what he was at the beginning. It seemed a cool way to worldbuild, letting the reader learn the very basics about the world along with the main character through a natural process. I liked his discovery process and need to disguise his ignorance when we and he learn that, say, mimes have ruled the world for the past 300 years (not a true fact from the book, don't worry), and where the hell have you been that you don't know this? That said, I enjoyed most of the story and would probably read more books featuring Dan Riley. I hope though, that the cop gets over his obsession with Rachel's death and develops better detective radar. The world-building is above average too. It has the usual share of magic and fantasy tropes, but some elements make it unique that I do not want to spoil here. There are shades of 'The Wheel of Time' as well as 'The Sword of Truth'. The book is also quite brutal and graphic. So be warned. It is not for the squeamish. Dan I was instantly drawn to. He is troubled as a lot of these crime fiction detectives seem to be yet he is still very likeable. Even though he is trying his best to start moving on with his life he doesn’t seem to be able to let the past go. His dead girlfriend never seems to be far from his thoughts. Some of the magic in this is pretty cool I admit. We see demons, necromancy, wizards and magical items. Everything fits nicely into this fantastical world, and as you uncover the story we see more of the magic and the different paths.
and of course, the biker boots she used to wear with feminine floral dresses. It was always my favourite look on her, the paradox of salty but sweet, tough but pretty. Not only did the scandal’s publicity have an extremely negative effect on our boys in the 502nd who behaved honorably, but also likely had an effect on the outcome of the trials—a fact that should be very concerning indeed and not unfamiliar to us who find ourselves in 2020s America. The greatest strength of this trope (amnesia) is that the reader and the character start from the same point – we get to know the world with the mc. (Such a clever way to explain a vast world with complicated history without info-dumping.) Think about it—the times of overwhelming emotional stress blind us, bind us, render us immobile. If we can somehow manage to stay conscious, to think clearly through those crises we can discover great opportunities. It was just exhausting and I couldn't believe that I went through all that filler nonsense just to get to THIS silly-ass climax. Just no.
Once again Michael Fletcher manages to spellbind you into this grimdark spiral of madness, and yet it feels so very fluent and logical it makes you take a double take at your own thoughts and emotions. The story is perfectly balanced on a fine edge, it holds the reader’s attention all the way as the characters grow, develop and come alive in your mind.
If you are a consumer of self help style books, you will have heard many of the ideas, but the eastern slant was appealing to me. The author suggests that as you particle TFBH gradually you see no division or conflict between the spiritual world and the mundane world. Your spiritual strength will become an “ essential tool” to conquer day to day realities. Flo is a chameleon, a shapeshifter. Dangerous, dynamic and gorgeous. Men and women alike are drawn to her. There is just something mysterious about her, even cops agree. All the tiny details (especially from not long after the mc’s awakening) that can be easily overlooked make sense at the end.As we discover who Khraen used to be in his previous life, an internal fight arises in him. With every devoured shard it’s getting harder and harder to differentiate between the often conflicting thoughts – the ones of the new (Khraen with conscience and remains of a good moral compass) and the old Khraen ((cruel, merciless, ready to pay the cost). There’s a lot of self-doubt and self-persuasion, and I absolutely loved that! I also did not care for the prose. It wasn't just the first-person narration, which is rarely my first choice but not a problem by itself (my beloved Assassin's Apprentice employs it, after all). In this case, I thought the writing was too plain. I'm not a fan of flowery description and generally prefer shorter, simpler sentences, but for this book the prose bored me, with a few isolated exceptions. I entertained the theory that it would mirror the protagonist's growth and become more evocative as he evolved, but this didn't pan out. I found myself fondly missing the Germanic terms that flavoured the author's Manifest Delusions series; this book could have used some of that linguistic flair.
Reading them are like watching Kung-Fu movies. I mean, c'mon be honest, after you watch a Bruce Lee movie don't you feel like giving somebody a karate chop? (Even if it's only the mailman.) Dan is on the trail of a twisted individual who is much closer than he realises. Can he overcome his own demons and stop the killer before it’s too late?That night the Empire fell, and the world sank into a thousand years of darkness."Phenomenal and highly immersive world-building, top notch characterisation, beautiful, poignant and macabre prose while at the same time self reflective due to the POV, and lastly, a solid magic system that fuses elements of speculative science all interwoven in a highly addictive plotline that keeps you wanting more after every single word uttered from my most beloved anti-hero. "Something was wrong with the old man; he wasn’t quite the right shape. His skull, a little too oblong, his limbs a little too long. He looked stretched. Eyes, too large, oddly oval, glowed violet as he studied me. He blinked wrong, liquid, one eye at a time."
Was Barron a controversial character? Yes. Was he an hypocrite? Yes. Was he ruthless and a sociopath with no conscience? Yes, and yes. Did I care? Absolutely not. He's the kind of character that you love no matter what. I knew he was a treacherous snake, and Cassel did too, but I think he couldn't help but feel a bit of affection for his brother, despite everything he'd done. Hating all wizards for the actions of one or two is madness. If a woman breaks your heart, do you hate all women?” Cassel...oooohhh errrr awkward....But wait! His heroic actions were amazing and they made me fall in love with him even more. I'm utterly obsessed with him, the unreliable little shit.In a world where magic is illegal, Cassel Sharpe has the most deadly ability of all. With one touch, he can transform any object--including a person--into something else entirely. And that makes him a wanted man. The Feds are willing to forgive all his past crimes if he'll only leave his con artist family behind and go straight. But why does going straight feel so crooked? Without the strength to endure the crisis, we will not see the opportunity within. It is within the process of endurance that opportunity reveals itself. Opportunity always exists within a crisis situation, but when we lose heart in a devastating crisis, we are blinded by our emotion. When we can calmly endure the unendurable, the opportunity for a better alternative surfaces and reveals itself. This well-written fast-paced thriller is told through two points of view- Detective Dan Riley and the female serial killer.
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