Lord of Secrets by Breanna Teintze

Paperback, 336 pages

Published July 23rd 2019 by Jo Fletcher Books

Series: The Empty Gods #1

Fantasy

To review

Grey is a mage, but one illegally since all must belong to a guild. His grandpa was taken, since he too was not in a guild (see where I am going with this?). So he is trying to find him.

Brix is a runway slave and they meet with a bang. Since slaves should not run away, bad for business. Oh and Grey might have stolen something too.

There are people after them, Guilders (always that dang guild!), the Church (they get so angry about runway slaves).

They run, they oh that is a spoiler, but they pick up 2 other strays. And things get dark at the end too. And I really can't see where the next book will take them, something freaky happens and yes I can not see anything. The freaky thing was something new that I can't recall seeing somewhere else...

It really has a the light side, though I did want more, a fleshed out story and longer. It was rather short too so there could have been more. I like to immerse myself in a world. To fully feel it, it's culture, its history, to know the characters more. Now it was more an intro, and now I am thinking of the end again, hmm, then it does make sense. I shall see this as an intro to the series (yes yes book 1, but you get my meaning.) 

Again, I did want a bigger world, so for me this world was just too small. Others might not mind, but for me I expected more, it was not show, nor tell. 

Light fantasy adventure with a twist.

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 . . .