Publication Date: Available Now from Hodder and Staughton
Source: Bookbridgr
Born in tragedy and raised in poverty, Krishanjit never aspired to be anything greater than what he was: a humble goatherd, tending his flock on the slopes of his isolated mountain home. But Krish has learned that he’s the son of the king of Ashanesland – and the moon god reborn. Now, with the aid of his allies, Krish is determined to fight his murderous father and seize control of Ashanesland. But Dae Hyo, Eric and Olufemi, are dangerously unreliable and hiding secrets of their own.
The first novel in this series. Smilers Fair, was one of my favourite fantasy reads of last year so I was extremely keen to find out what happened next and I was not disappointed – if anything I liked this one even more.
What I love most about these stories is the intensity and depth of culture and background Rebecca Levene brings to her characters and setting- there is a lot going on, a beautifully imagined world of Gods and magic, a complex mix of morals and adventure that is gripping in the extreme. A world where shades of grey pervade every decision and there are no heroes and villains as such, just a heady mix of eclectic and fascinating people that you will fall in love and hate and everything inbetween with.
Certainly The Hunters Kind was a step up from Smilers Fair, introducing new characters (Cwen who I adore for example) and fleshing out the old ones (Krish, always Krish who faces some severely difficult moral choices here) expanding the mythology, setting the reader up for fall after fall, terrifically addictive and really really clever.
The world building is second to none, a dark and edgy feel to the narrative alongside some really magnificent use of descriptive prose brings the whole thing vividly to life – an absolutely spellbinding read that will excite, intrigue and enthrall you throughout, no drop in standard or pause to take breath.
Deliberately I do not say much on the actual plot development – for those of you who have yet to enter the world of the Hollow Gods you would not want to have too much information prior to diving in – and dive in you absolutely should. Really top notch reading – Rebecca Levene has written old school fantasy brought into our modern era – if you have been looking for that little frisson, that slight tingle in the back of your mind when you start reading a book that tells you this is something special then look no further.
Highly Recommended.
Find out more here: http://rebeccalevene.com/
Follow the author on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/BexLevene
Also available: Read First.
Yron the moon god died, but now he’s reborn in the false king’s son. His human father wanted to kill him, but his mother sacrificed her life to save him. He’ll return one day to claim his birthright. He’ll change your life.
He’ll change everything.
Happy Reading Folks!
I agree with you, this one is special. No Dark Lord or Hero, just people who have to cope with life, who have others building them up (or pulling them down). And nobody really knows how anything works – the mage can’t do much magic, the celebrated swordsman is alcoholic and Krish doesn’t know who he is, or who he wants to be.
And I LOVED Cwen. Absolutely wonderful character.