A Vanishing Glow Review + GIVEAWAY!
I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.
Synopsis
When the High Sovereign of the five kingdoms of Ghavarim is murdered by a mysterious assassin, the realm is plunged into chaos. Jason Tern, a noble captain with a tragic past, must battle shadowy assailants and untangle an ever-widening web of lies to discover the true identity of the killer before mounting tensions spark a bloody civil war.
Meanwhile, Nilya Valsu, a talented army engineer with a broken heart, finds herself used as an unwitting pawn in a plot that has deadly consequences. Wracked by guilt, her sole chance for redemption lies with a man who would loathe her – but only if he knew her secret.
As the conflict intensifies between the magic-fueled technology of the West and the disaffected rebels of the East, all must fight for what they hold dear. Who will reign victorious and who will lie bloodied on the ground in the light of a vanishing glow?
Review
When I read the synopsis of this novel, I was immediately hit with essence of famed fantasy author Brandon Sanderson. I knew I had to read it, and I’m glad I did. I was so impressed with this debut novel. There were many times I forgot I was reading a debut novel from self published author.
Alexis Radcliff classifies A Vanishing Glow as a fantasy novel that has steampunk and flintlock mixed in. You are probably asking yourself what is that? It’s pretty much industrialized fantasy. Along with magical elements, technology, machines, industry, and modern technology is incorporated. As always with fantasy, there is always some kind of war or power struggle. Radcliff hit all of these notes. She also put in some religious elements in the novel which I felt you could really feel her influence of Brandon Sanderson and George R.R. Martin come through.
This novel was edited very well. That can be a problem sometimes with self published books; they could do with a bit more editing. There were a few times when I had to re-read something I had just read to understand it better, but that happens to me with Harry Potter books as well.
I will admit, the first two or so chapters, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this book. However, the more I kept reading, the easier I was getting through each page. The story started to get into its pace and it become effortless to read. A lot of the chapters ended in cliffhangers, so you HAD to keep reading.
I enjoyed all the characters. You don’t get too much character development with them as they are adults and have their goals in mind. However, you do become attached to them, especially Nilya. Your heart will break for her.
There could have been a bit more world building, but I don’t feel like that is the main focus of the storytelling. This is a story of vengeance, morality, mortality, and power. You get this through the actions of the characters and what they tell you. However, when she releases Part 3, I feel like more world building will happen.
If you’re a fan of Brandon Sanderson, I suggest you pick up A Vanishing Glow and give it a try. Radcliff’s skills are only going to improve with each book she writes. I can’t wait to read more from her, that’s for sure.
GIVEAWAY TIME!!!
I reached out to Alexis to see if she would like to participate in a giveaway for her book. I was so happy she agreed to because I want more people to know about her. She has kindly set aside THREE FREE AUDIOBOOK codes for us. All you have to do is enter through Rafflecopter. Giveaway runs from December 30, 2015 to January 10, 2016.
About the Author
Alexis Radcliff is an author, gamer, unashamed geek, and history junkie who spent the better part of a decade working in tech before dedicating herself to her first love, literature. A VANISHING GLOW, her debut novel, is the opening book in her MYSTECH ARCANUM series, an exciting blend of steampunk and flintlock fantasy with mature themes.
Alexis lives and works in the Portland area with her adorable (if surly) cat and her equally adorable husband. When not writing, she spends her time reading, running, playing way too many videogames, and thinking too much about everything.
Even more of her writing can be found at her blog, Lexirad.com, and if you don’t have enough sources of cat pictures and random fun in your life, you can follow her on Twitter (where she also spends too much time).
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