Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Reviewer: Scott
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About The Book
Half a year after the events of Heart of Dust, Doran Ó Seanáin now finds himself trapped between two worlds while belonging to neither: held in contempt by the Bronze for the turmoil he caused during Archon Bryson’s reign, and resented by the miners for selling out. Leonora Darkwater’s pursuit to own the mines may be the answer to all of his problems, but the offer is far more complicated than it appears, and the only person Doran trusts is the same man who threw his life into chaos.
Haunted by his past, hostage to a debt that cannot be repaid, and a slave to the poison that keeps him alive, atonement has never felt further out of reach for Nathaniel Morgenstern. Though the damage between him and Doran is too devastating to begin to mend, they have no choice but to face each other as their lives collide once more.
There is a rot in Iole City. The mines aren’t finished with Doran, and the sand in Nathaniel’s hourglass is running out.
The Review
I just finished Soul of Ash, book two of H.L. Moore‘s Death’s Embrace series. I was really impressed by the first book, and Moore manages to continue the high level of quality, both in plot and world building, in the second novel.
One of the most pleasant things about the first book was the genuine surprise of the plot twist near the end. And this one continues in that tradition. There’s a central mystery in Soul of Ash that gets resolved about three quarters of the way through, and I was genuinely surprised at who the culprit was.
This book begins a short while after the last one ended – when Doran had finally vanquished the evil Archon and had seen his once-estranged daughter ascend to the throne. Now things are going better for Doran and the other coal miners of Iole, with both better working conditions and improved pay. But then things start going wrong, including unexpected accidents in the mines, and Doran suspects that he is being targeted.
Soul of Ash also continues the slow-burn, tortured relationship between Doran and Nathaniel in an unexpected way. While book one was told entirely from Doran‘s point of view, book two expands on this – told half in Doran’s and half in Nathaniel‘s POV. I’m usually not a fan of single POV fantasy books, because it really restricts the scope of what should be an epic feeling story. But I didn’t feel that in the first book. Even so, the expansion to two is welcome, and we finally get to see what’s going on inside of Nathaniel‘s head.
A threat to Grace’s reign, a private offer to buy the mines, and an unknown antagonist all ratchet up the tension throughout this wonderfully written book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The world building here builds upon the last book. While we are still limited to events within Iole city itself, there are strong hints that we will be going outside the city one of these days soon, and I can’t wait to see some of the world beyond the Sionanne Falls.
Iole is a fascinating complicated city, existing behind a waterfall inside a huge cavern, bathed in the prismatic light that filters through the falls. Each district has its own color based on where it is and how the light refracts through the water during the day. And the city’s politics are just as complex as the city itself.
This is a mesmerizing, well written, well paced series that combines fantasy and romance in a way that feels entirely natural. Moore is a master at slowly building the tension, and really putting her characters through it.
Go to your favorite book vendor and grab the series if you haven’t already – go ahead. I’ll wait.
You won’t regret it.
The Reviewer
Scott is the founder of Queer Sci Fi, and a fantasy and sci fi writer in his own right, with more than 30 published short stories, novellas and novels to his credit, including two trilogies.
