An interesting dark fantasy/horror mashup built around an intriguing premise.

Having enjoyed Adam’s cyberpunk thriller, Animus Paradox before, I was excited to dive into his latest book. Interestingly, this one turned out to be quite a different experience.

The story begins with us exploring the day-to-day life in old town that has, for a thousand years, been surrounded by an eerie, strange black mist that shrouds everything beyond the periphery. The residents do not know about the origins of malkonis, and suspect that their town is the last bastion of human life.

If you have enjoyed stories featuring small-town mysteries in a closely knit community, this book is written for you. With a bit of steampunk-style aesthetics and a dash of magic thrown in, it becomes quite a whimsical combo. While reading this, I was reminded of Stephen King’s The Mist and Under the Dome, as well as Nick Blade’s Rift and The Reckoning which featured a similar theme.

Being the first of the series, we don’t get answers to all our questions, but there is plenty of intrigue and action to keep you engaged. I do wish we had gotten a bit more insight into the strange ways magic and technology interact with each other. As presented, it felt a bit hand-wavy.

The first half has a heavy focus on the socio-political dynamics in a community where everyone knows everyone, you never know who is watching you silently from the shadows, where mistakes are remembered forever, and a single blunder can threaten the survival of the whole community. As might be expected, someone eventually does mess up. As things get complicated, people you thought you had known all your life reveal their true colors.

I felt the first half was a bit slow-paced, but in the second, the story gets a lot more interesting when our protagonists head into the dark mist. Some parts of the plot hinge rather strongly on luck’s blessing, which in general does not sit so well with me. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the overall theme and concept. Karina’s many transformations were very nicely depicted—absolutely loved them. And the cat.