Early Review – Marrow Charm (The Gate Cycle, Book 1) by Kristin Jacques (5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 346 pages
Publisher: The Parliament House
Release Date: October 1, 2019
ASIN: B07W58XSV4
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Gate Cycle
Source: eGalley from NetGalley.com
Rating: 5/5 stars
“Magic borne plagues continue to eat away at the remaining human cities, a sickness that doesn’t merely kill, but creates aberrations from the stricken: people twisted by magic into something dark, dangerous, and powerful. It is an existence of fear and constant dread. When Azzy’s brother, Armin, is infected and cast out into the Above, she sets out after him, determined to be there for him no matter what he becomes.
The world Above is full of monsters, both wild and cunning, some more human than Azzy was led to believe. Armin is captured and bound for the Auction block of Avergard, a ruthless city of inhuman lords and twisted creatures. To reach him, Azzy must brave the perils of the Above and the chaotic life forms created by the Gate. To reach him, she must find allies and forge new bonds in this broken world.
And Azzy must reach him, before Armin’s new power is used to open the Gate once more.”
This is the first book in the Gate Cycle series and I loved it! This is a dark fantasy series set in a post-apocalyptic type Earth were a magical gate has opened releasing magical monsters and magical taint into the world above.
Azzy and her brother Armin have been eeking out at living by assisting the apothecary of one of the Earth’s last full human underground cities. However, when Armin ends up tainted they flee to the Earth’s surface to try and make a living there.
I really really enjoyed this book a ton. It was very creative, the writing was very descriptive, and I loved the complex and conflicted characters. There is a lot of magic and interesting monsters in here as well. This is a very adventure driven fantasy, which is something I always love!
This is a fairly adult novel and very dark. It borders on being a fantasy horror. However, the adventure element is what I really latched on to. This is one of those books where I could not predict what would happen next, everything was just so creative and unexpected.
Overall I loved this book. The adventure, dark faerie tale elements, and magic drew me in completely. I am definitely planning on continuing this series. I would recommend if you like reading very dark fantasy adventure/dark faerie tales.
