Crimson Vow Review

Special thanks to Ross Carruthers for the beta review copy provided.

I had the great honor of reading this book before it was published, and now I couldn’t be happier to know my physical copy will soon be in my hands. (Waiting, waiting… I am no good at waiting…)

But to the point. Crimson Vow is an excellently written book that brought me to tears and made me wish for more, even as it provided an immensely satisfying ending. I don’t say a book made me cry lightly because most don’t, no matter how emotional they might be. So believe me when I say this is some of the highest praise I can give a book.

It.

Made.

Me.

Cry.

Crimson Vow is a delightfully dark, yet oddly hopeful, read that blends dark fantasy with sword and sorcery and what feels like the indifference of modern science at its worst. The kind a typical mad doctor would inflict on his experiment subjects. I could not get over how deep and stomach turning seeing this scientific detachment, coupled with grim fantasy, was. Every time I read one of these passages, it was like I had to stop and do a double take. It was just that intense.

The cast of characters paired well with this acute feeling and carried the plot through what feels like an epic quest. One that does not end in the “expected” way normally found in epic fantasy and epic adventure. The twist is what caused the tears… I can’t say I regret it. I can’t wait to read this book again in physical format. (Further tears, here I come!)

If you’re looking for a heart wrenching quest through a decaying world, lorded over by a quasi immortal being using his power to treat every living person as a science experiment, Crimson Vow is for you. This is darkness with just a touch of hope, the kind of hope that breaks your heart and scratches your hands, but that you won’t let go of.

That you refuse to let go of.

Because going on despite it all is the truest hope there is.