42922456._sy475_Magic is poison. Secrets are power. Death is . . . complicated.

Outlaw wizard Corcoran Gray has enough problems. He’s friendless, penniless and on the run from the tyrannical Mages’ Guild – and with the search for his imprisoned grandfather looking hopeless, his situation can’t get much worse.

So when a fugitive drops into his lap – literally – and gets them both arrested, it’s the last straw – until Gray realises that runaway slave Brix could be the key to his grandfather’s release. All he has to do is break out of prison, break into an ancient underground temple and avoid killing himself with his own magic in the process.

In theory, it’s simple enough. But as secrets unfold and loyalties shift, Gray discovers something with the power to change the nature of life and death itself.

Now Gray must find a way to protect the people he loves, but it could cost him everything, even his soul . . .

With the humour of V.E. Schwab, the scale of Trudi Canavan and the deftness of Naomi Novik, Lord of Secrets is a heartwarming fantasy novel about saving the people you love without destroying the world (or yourself).

Source Format Pages Publisher Genre Publication Date
Publisher ebook 400 Jo Fletcher Books Fantasy July 25th, 2019

Welcome to my review as part of this blog blast! Chuffed I was lucky enough to be included and even better that I loved Lord of Secrets. Hands down, no dramas – loved it!

For starters- magic! There is soooo much magic in this book! Lord of Secrets is ALL about magic. The interesting kind of magic that has unfavourable side-effects. The kind of side-effects that make a wizard think- man, do I really HAVE to use magic right now? Can I do away with a smaller scale spell?

The runes I had washed off the parchment were sloshing around in my stomach, mixed with wine and bile. I hiccupped, and grimaced at the acrid taste in my mouth.

Lord of Secrets – Breanna Teintze

Ooh! And necromancy! This book got the necromancy, as well! And brilliant writing which makes the story flow so smooth, silk ain’t got nothing on it. And humour! There’s a good mix of everything to keep this story fresh and intriguing.

“It’s not a large leap from playing with dolls made of bone to making bodies like a tailor makes a suit.”

Lord of secrets – Breanna Teintze

Which takes me to a thought I had when I read the blurb of the book… Sometimes, it’s all good that author comparison’s are drawn – you KIND OF know what you’re going to get from a new-to-you story/author. But… I am going to say this- Teintze does not need comparisons! She be the bomb standing on her own two glorious, authory feet! I promise!

The main character Corcoran Gray is a young wizard who finds himself constantly at odds with The Guild (the folk that regulate what magic can and shouldn’t be done), at odds with his Grandfather (who is actually now captured!) and at odds with himself, too. His such a wonderful character. It’s been a while since I read about someone who had such a powerful moral standing ground. It was solid! He is simply NOT at all someone who could do harm to others (even if they sometimes deserver even just a little bit of harm ^^) and while he can act like a bit of a brat, hs heart is in the right place.

Yes, this is not a story about good becoming evil, or evil becoming good. It is probably not also a story about good versus evil – maybe in a small way it is. But the main point of Lord of Secrets is exactly the excitement that comes with magic being poison and secrets being power!

Anyway, as Corcoran does his quest of finding his Grandfather – with whom he’s at odds – not a spoiler – this is clear quite soon into the story, and it’s not even a huge element of it all- he meets people on the way. Dude(tte), I know how this sounds. Proper adventure… There’s Brix and Lorican and Jaern and slavers and Keris. Eeek… And they all have a surprise up their sleeve! I am actually shaking here because I simply cannot say more – I cannot analyse the ins and outs of each of the relationship dynamics here because that would simply ruin the surprise for you…

Lord of Secrets is worth the read for any fantasy lover for its representation of magic alone for magic the uttermost driving force of this particular story and it’s beautiful (if slightly debilitating!). The characters – each on their own – could have their very own books written about them, and I would read them, devours them. Together, these characters, turned the story into a special kind of magic – a potion of revenge and redemption, a cocktail of sweet and sour and spicy, a spell of understanding, forgiveness and love, a curse of beginnings and ends.

…. stares into the distance with a dreamy look on face... yeah, that was a good book!

Anyway! If you want to check out some more reviews about Lord of Secrets, check out this here poster for some bloggers.. go visit them, see what they thought, get the book, love it!