J. M. Miro

The second book in J. M. Miro's The Talents Trilogy, BRINGER OF DUST, continues in the same vein as the first book, complete with its dark fantasy, Gothic vibes, plenty of battle scenes, intrigue, and a few questions answered with plenty left for the finale. Sadly, like that first book, it is a book that fans seem to love but does not garner the same press or social media attention as other fantasy novels.

I find this so sad because BRINGER OF DUST is unlike anything I've read before. It show more manages to be a horror/fantasy mashup with history interwoven through its pages. The fantasy is not so overdone or so "out there" as to be improbable, while the horror elements bring that "please don't be true" vibe. The characters are fascinating, with their disturbing powers and interesting dynamics.

My only quibble with BRINGER OF DUST is that the first half of the book is too slow. Mr. Miro spends way too much time establishing the various settings in which the novel occurs. Once you get beyond that world-building, however, the pace picks up exponentially, and you make up for the slog at the beginning. The story ends in a rush of danger, an array of answers, and even more questions for the Talents to overcome. I can't wait to see how it all ends! show less

I wasn’t particularly prepared to tackle a 658 page read when this chonk of a tome came in from my holds list at the library, but within a mere few pages I was swept into Miro’s just-shy-of-reality Victorian-era world. His story takes much from the gaslamp-infused setting where his narrative plays out and strikes familiar chords in terms of language and sheer weight of storylines, and yet he shies clear of falling into the true density that makes other books of this volume a challenge show more (I’m looking at you, brilliant but overwrought Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell). Part of this is definitely due to a distinct choice to tread a careful line away from becoming truly Victorian in diction, but his cast of characters also seems to lighten the mood perceptively - even if the themes remain decidedly shadowy and the graphics are straight out of a Penny Dreadful. His story centres around a group of children with magical abilities (Talents), and the adults who either track them down or care for them at a special school in Scotland, putting the two groups at odds as challenges present themselves and the children (and some of the adults) must learn the realities of human nature. Obviously Miro has taken bits and pieces from a variety of classic magical realism stories, and any reader of the genre can easily spot the similarities (even amped up for the adult audience Miro is writing for), but he gives us a driven storyline and quality characters enough that it’s a pretty easy sell for those of us who still crave the same feeling of magical stories that we discovered as young readers. The story does waffle a bit in the middle (as most books of this length inevitably do), but by the time we get to the finale all of the various plotlines (and let me tell/warn you: there are many, and few are to be trifled with) have been wrapped up neatly, even if the ending is not exactly a happy one. The final lines of the book overtly promise further escapades for our group of Talents, and there’s apparently 2 more books forthcoming, so at this rate we’re going to be stuck in Miro’s alt-Victorian reality for quite some time. show less

Ordinary Monsters and Bringer of Dust are the first two books in The Talents Trilogy and I’ve seen them scattered about Instagram with glowing reviews, and now I see why. Set in our world in the 1880s, magical orphans are brought together at a secret school, trained to safely wield their Talents. There’s a darkness hunting them though, and one child in particular.

I don’t want to go into too much detail, having just read the second book, in fear of spoiling some of the reveals from the show more first. But it’s a great blend of comfortable, favorite with unique magics, set against very vivid, atmospheric backgrounds. There’s an ensemble cast of characters with multiple POVs, and each of them is fleshed out so that we feel intimately acquainted with them and fully engaged in their stories. We get to spend time with both the children and the adults, the good guys and the villains. But the thing about spending time in the villain’s head is that you start to understand their motivations, and maybe the lines blur a bit, and you think, is this person really the bad guy?

It's dark, it’s violent, and it’s twisted, but if you like your found family with a little dark and twisty, then I think this will appeal to you.
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I read Ordinary Monsters over the holiday… or what has amounted to 3 weeks. The plan was always to use it as a transition between 2022 + 2023 as it is a true tome, at 658 pages. I didn’t read everyday, but when I did pick it up I used it as an escape and a distraction. Despite its gothic atmosphere, a kind of Charles Dickens meets X-Men, and dark scenes, grimy settings and (sometimes) horrific subject matter… it was quite cozy.

The children are such a shining light (literally 👀) in show more this story, and Charlie and Marlowe had my whole heart. I’d say the default tone of the book is one of the grotesque, but the children and their “talents” are often described with a kind of beauty and awe. I thought that was so effective. The relationships dynamics, in general, are full of layers shaped by the world the characters live in and the extraordinary circumstances surrounding them.

It feels long, in a good way, but also in a way that feels like a true journey. This is Book One in an eventual trilogy and the world is huge… it has no choice but to be slow. For that— I recommend going into it expecting a slowness and a story you need to give full attention to. For some readers this might be one to skip. I’m going to continue in the series but I imagine I’ll need a refresher when Book Two finally comes out… and quite frankly, that’s daunting.

I also want to say that for all of my interest in the unfolding mystery of it all, and the fascination I felt, or even the protective energy I felt towards Marlowe… it didn’t emotionally impact me. Not outwardly, anyway, which is strange for me. I didn’t even feel particularly moved. For that I couldn’t give it 5 stars, despite the achievement I truly believe it to be. So… 4 stars, but solid in every way and if you ARE the audience for this story, you’re going to love it. show less