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Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite
When Consul Barsal Casolaba is found impaled on the Red House spire in Kota Gelangi, Archangel Gavriel Morningstar is sent to investigate a killing that threatens the balance between witches and angels. His inquiry intersects with Cathrynne Rowan, drawn into the hunt after a miner named Durian Padulski dies following the discovery of a strange gemstone called kaldurite, a stone that repels ley and weakens beings infused with it. As evidence links the gem trade to political power, Gavriel becomes the target of a covert attack that leaves him gravely ill, while Cathrynne uncovers signs of a coordinated effort to control the source of the stone. Their pursuit leads beyond courtrooms and council chambers toward a hidden mine whose contents could alter authority across Sion in Dark Bringer by Kat Ross.
I adore epic fantasy sagas that take the less-traveled road of lithomancy, and Kat Ross absolutely nails it in the first book of the Lord of Everfell series, Dark Bringer. Here, it's kaldurite, a bezoar with a twist. Cathrynne is my favorite champion in the novel, and again Ross shatters the mold in bringing a female to the forefront. She is filled with resolve, even when she's suspended over a gorge. A gorge! She's not given an easy time of it, and one battle totally reshapes her understanding of the Sinn. The world-building is top-notch, with White Fox operatives answering to hidden patrons, Morags directing chapter houses, archangels across provinces, and miners in Pota Pras bartering stones that can topple entire ranks. Ross digs deeper still with cinematic settings, from Kota Gelangi’s Red House dome, the branching tunnels of Clear Creek Mine, and the windswept cliffs of Everfell. Readers who love intricate magical systems, politicking between rival orders, and a cornucopia of fae will find it all here, and I look forward to seeing where book two goes.
