Author Tim McKay is back with his latest book, The Light of Mezzara, book two in The Draemeir Chronicles. For readers who have read The Fall of Selvandrea and waited eagerly for the next installment of drama, epic fantasy, monsters, and morally gray characters you have to keep two eyes on then the wait is over! The Light of Mezzara is packed with chaos that pulls you in and keeps you page-turning.
The first thing that you’re going to notice with The Light of Mezzara is the stunning cover. It is immediately eye-catching with gorgeous colors, an amazing amount of attention to detail, and a mythical creature appearing to face down with a human. Can you imagine living this scene?! OMG!
Front and center is a phoenix. This is not some ethereal creature that most of us imagine when we think of a phoenix. No, what we’re seeing on this cover is giving “pissed off” firebird. Wings, outstretched, the entire creature clothed in flames that look like they are bordering on becoming magma. The phoenix’s mouth looks like it could breath fire at any second. Razor-sharp claws are extending outward to the young woman beneath it who appears to be preparing to do battle with her sword held above her head.
Honestly, you’d hope that maybe her and the phoenix are about to become “friends” but (snorts) yeah, that’s not happening. The phoenix is in attack mode, and below, is the young woman. But it’s the details that are going to pull you closer and have you reaching for this book. Why do we say that? Look closely at the sleeve of the arm holding the sword. The sand is literally on fire where phoenixes are coming up out of it. If this cover is anything it is a prelude to what is to come inside of The Light of Mezzara.
Author T.J. McKay starts his book off with a little note. No, this isn’t something to give you some “trigger warning” about what’s coming in this book. If you’ve picked up author McKay’s work before then you know what to expect, so buckle up. LOL! If you haven’t read his work before and you’re picking of The Light of Mezzara to kick things off…we don’t know whether to tell you to put this one down and go get The Fall of Selvandrea first, or just to go ahead and dive in and wish you luck. LOL! Do the first one. LOL!
From the author’s note, it’s short don’t worry – we progress to “The Story So Far.” Now, if you’re expecting a major recap…you’re probably going to be a bit disappointed. There isn’t a lot of detailed information to tell you the major players and what all has transpired to this point. Honestly, this was probably the only time we were a touch disappointed with the story.
If you haven’t read The Fall of Selvandrea (check out the review here) recently then having a more detailed refresher would have been nice. But what we do get it is a nice teaser to spark up the intrigue and have you eager to delve deeper into The Light of Mezzara and find out what author McKay has in store for you.
Let us ask you a question…when it comes to prologues. Do you read them? Or do you skip ‘em? If you read them, high five! You’re awesome! If you’re someone who tends to skip them because you don’t think that they are “necessary” this prologue is not one you’re going to want to pass on. Trust us on this one. There is some pivotal stuff going on in here and it is directly connected to the rest of the story.
In the prologue of The Light of Mezzara you’re going to be introduced to a character who will become a major player in the storyline…but you’re also going to seriously want him dead. This guy is a real piece of work. Unfortunately, he has been blessed with an insane amount of good luck, and apparently it’s not running out any time soon. We will hold on to hope that he dies sooner rather than later. LOL!
Look, once you read this prologue you’ll fully understand and we’re pretty sure that you’ll agree. A war is raging. Nothing new about that, right? The Light of Mezzara is an epic fantasy, heavy on the epic, so it’s to be expected that there is going to be fighting. But author McKay said “hold my beer” and decided he was going to wack readers with violence and horror right from the beginning.
Tambren is an unusual character, and this has nothing to do with his ungodly amount of good luck. There’s more to him than meets the eye and it has something to do with a mysterious shadowy wolf that he can see. Is he the only one who can see this “apparition”? No. There are others, but apparently this apparition is selective as to who can see it. You’ll start piecing together those dots the deeper you delve into The Light of Mezzara.
Once you move past the prologue of The Light of Mezzara, author McKay reconnects you with the fall out from the devastation of Selvandrea. The city? In ruins. The group that you were connected to in The Fall of Selvandrea (check out the review here)? Scattered. Now, begins the aftermath. You’d think it’d be just people pulling themselves out of the rubble, and focusing on trying to survive…well, you’d be wrong. Author McKay says “that’d be too simplistic, so let’s kick it up a notch.” Even as people are trying to claw their way out, seek help and find the missing, there is still unhinged death and destruction.
If there is one thing that is going to be consistently true about the Draemeir Chronicles it is going to be that no one is safe. When we say no one we mean exactly that…no one. The characters throughout this epic fantasy will be forced to face down one challenge after another. You can’t help but wonder…what is going to happen next? Will they ever get a chance at a reprieve and rest? Some will. But others will be forced to endure relentlessly.
Author McKay loves him some morally gray characters. If you’re hoping for someone who is purely good you’re going to be pretty disappointed. Well, unless you count select creatures and Rhynwhen. Rhynwhen gets a pass, because she’s a child, and doesn’t exercise the morally gray element as much as the rest of the other characters.
The dynamics between the various characters is really interesting. Valdaris seems to have his “hand” in multiple things at the same time, but he’s not a focal point of the story. He “intervenes” when he can or when he absolutely must, but you’ll notice that he has his own things that demand his attention. With a dragon god waking up and promising devastation across the world…it makes sense that he’s otherwise occupied.
The Light of Mezzara continues to be told from the third person POV and follows a multitude of characters. You get to follow along as one character after another must face down dangerous situations and fight for survival. Mella and Syrenna are the two that really held our attention throughout the story. We appreciate getting to know more Syrenna later in the story, and really getting some backstory about her as well.
The way that The Light of Mezzara is written is sure to keep you intrigued and page-turning to find out what happens next. The story flows with an ebb and flow, but compared to The Fall of Selvandrea, The Light of Mezzara is nearly relentless with the drama that unfolds page after page. There are moments of respite for yourself to catch your breath and breathe with the characters, but you had best take them while you can!
The Light of Mezzara keeps you on the edge of your seat as evil rises. The characters question who they can trust, and lives are forever changed. Vengeance is a constant companion for many. You hope for the best when it comes to what happens next, and quickly learn to expect the worst. Unless you’re the one character with the unrelenting good luck that has yet to fail you.
One element that we enjoy from The Light of Mezzara is that the evil isn’t coming from just one direction. It’s everywhere. Just when you think you might have found a safe haven, something comes along to show you – nowhere is safe. It’s absolutely jaw-dropping and adds a nice layer of darkness to this dark fantasy.
You know how many authors love to build you up to a peak where chaos is about to unleashed to it’s fullest and then they jump away to another character or moment? Well, thankfully author McKay doesn’t do that to you. LOL! Trust us. There was many a moment in this book where we were on the edge of our seat and literally yelled “Don’t you dare pivot away to another character!” while reading. LOL!
For readers who enjoy the monsters and dangerous creatures…there are plenty of those, too! That phoenix on the cover is not for show! That is actual scene that plays out in The Light of Mezzara. You’re getting wyrms, wyverns, dragons, allagors, and other dangerous monsters that lurk in various places. There’s even one particular species that will put you in mind of a particular scene in the LOTR.
As The Light of Mezzara draws to a close, we get a sense that author McKay is setting the stage for the next book in the series. Is that a little clue tucked in there as well about what the next potential title and focus of the story??? We’re on pins and needles to find out! LOL!
The Light of Mezzara doesn’t have a major cliffhanger that will leave you raging, but author McKay still manages to leave readers eager for the next book in the series. The closing of The Light of Mezzara is simple, but one crucial element of the story as been accomplished…the bringing together of those that Valdaris sought. Now, you get the sense that things are about to get even more intense…if that’s even possible. But it will definitely be interesting to find out.
Readers who enjoy dark epic fantasy novels will want to grab up The Light of Mezzara. If you’ve not yet been introduced to The Draemeir Chronicles then you’ll of course want to start at the beginning, but this series is worth it. If you love some horror with your fantasy, then this is the series to dive into and much to discover.
Pros:
- Engaging storyline
- Unrelenting drama that keeps you page-turning to find out what happens next.
- Excellent writing style
- Tons of detail that works to paint vivid pictures
- Lots of interesting characters
Cons:
None of merit
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