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Merchants of Light and Bone is a standalone fantasy novel written by Erika McCorkle. Author McCorkle will take readers on a fantastical journey to a beautiful world full of imaginative characters that will captivate the mind and have you wanting to linger for as long as possible. As you explore this novel, you will find yourself along for the journey as a family struggles with the grief of losing a loved one, and then with the struggle to do what they feel is right for the sake of another innocent life.
Merchants of Light and Bone is sure to capture your attention with it’s gorgeously detailed cover. This book’s cover alone conveys the depths of this story. With a myriad of wild life they seem to swirl around and almost swallow up two of the main characters of this story – Amiere while he holds in his embrace his partner, Su. Behind, almost beside them is their faithful Shroom Hound – Maika. Yes, those are actual mushrooms growing on her. This marks her as beautifully unique and adorable.
The giant skeleton behind them all with the animals appearing to be reaching for the top truly draws the eye and teases your mind to want to know more. What is this skeleton? Is it an animal? Is it a demon? What created this thing? At the bottom you see the crystals – the very thing that cost this family the life of one of their daughter’s. Just a little to the right, almost seemingly to be what Maika is looking at – a kiwi with a glowing bell sitting next to it. The very fruit that young Tawny loved, and the bell that she always wore on her tail.
This book’s cover alone is a feast for the eyes, and tells parts of the story that is held inside these covers. One thing is for sure, it will pique your interest in learning more about the family and how they manage to move forward after the heartbreaking loss that affects them so deeply, while crystals promise to bring a time of prosperity to the town.
Merchants of Light and Bone is a story that focuses heavily on Amiere, the merchant of light. He, his wife – Liesle, and Su, the merchant of bone, their partner start the story off in morning for the loss of their daughter Tawny. When the crevice in the earth opened up, she unfortunately fell to her death. This is not a scenario that plays out on the page. Instead, author McCorkle, gives readers a memory of the tragedy through the mind of Amiere.
Readers watch as each member of this family struggle with the loss of their daughter or sister in their own way. As the tragedy is fresh, it is dealt with through tears, lack of desire to truly function or be productive. Of course, each character deals with the tragedy differently. Some sink into even deeper depression, while others seek to find outlets through their work or simply trying to take care of the family and focus on those who still remain.
A small shift begins when someone from their past makes a reappearance – Miltico. There are some bad feelings between him and Amiere especially. As you read the story you’ll quickly come to understand why. Miltico is a rather cruel and vile character, but he suits the purpose of bringing some drama to the story and giving Amiere something to focus on. Why is that? Well, Miltico has a small daughter and he is less than kind to the poor child.
Each of the characters depicted in this book are so beautifully unique. Amiere and his family carry more feline traits in their appearance. Do all the characters carry these traits? No. Miltico and his family lean more towards goats, and his daughter is more of a mix of goat and rabbit. Is it wrong that we just wanted to stroke her adorably long ears? LOL! Of course, young Usana is a rather flighty child, but there are some understandable elements to it...one namely being her father.
The pacing of this story is on the slower side, but there are some engaging moments sprinkled throughout that will draw readers in more and have them eagerly page-turning to find out what happens next. While the story is told through the eyes of Amiere, author McCorkle sprinkles in interludes throughout the story that give readers an idea of what some of the other characters in this story are experiencing themselves. These interludes help to give the story more depth as these interludes include the other children, and spouses.
Merchants of Light and Bone is a dynamic novel that draws you in and fully immerses you in a world full of interesting and beautifully created characters. You get tension, drama, some elements of horror, and a ton of family dynamics. Amiere is a truly engaging character as he struggles with the loss of his daughter, and weighing how to move on, along with the emotions that he feels towards Miltico. Of course, life doesn’t care about what you have going on when you are mourning, and that is effortlessly showcased in this book.
5 out of 5 stars
Thank you to the author, Erika McCorkle, and The Write Reads Book Tour for the opportunity to read and review this book. We look forward to what comes next.
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Book Info
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Length: 819 Pages
Publishing: 8th August 2023
Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Merchants-Light-Bone-Pentagonal-Dominion/dp/B0CDNBZFMJ
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/184492062-merchants-of-light-and-bone
Blurb
Sorrow in paradise
A parent’s worst nightmare
When grief drives one to revenge
Living in a tropical paradise with his spouses and kids, Amiere is a merchant of light, a sculptor who carves glowing crystals into spectacular and powerful, demon-killing works of art. When the ground opens up near his idyllic village to reveal a massive supply of crystals, the whole nation of Aloutia celebrates. The merchants are guaranteed money for decades and officials predict Aloutia will be safe from demonkind for generations. But Amiere isn’t rejoicing—when the ground split apart, his seven-year-old daughter fell to her death.
Amiere’s grief turns to rage when an old enemy returns to the village with a young daughter displaying signs of starvation and abuse. Having witnessed his own daughter’s death, Amiere cannot bear the thought of watching another child die, especially when he can prevent it. Unable to ask police for help due to the village’s reputation of hostility toward authority figures, Amiere takes matters into his own hands, even at the risk of being exiled and separated from his family forever.
About the Author
Erika McCorkle, she/her, lives in the Pacific Northwest of the USA. She is a creator of fantasy worlds and a voyager to the worlds created by others. She spends much of her free time writing, reading, watching anime, and playing video games, all usually of the fantasy genre. She has a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology and currently works the night shift at a blood bank, meaning she is most definitely a vampire.
Website: https://www.authormccorkle.com/
Twitter: @Kiraofthewind1
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