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Loading... City of Storms (Nightmarked Book 1)by Kat Ross
   None No current Talk conversations about this book.  RoXXieSiXX | May 20, 2024 |    ) kcaroth1 | Jun 15, 2023 |  ) EvBal | Nov 4, 2022 | no reviews | add a review
Belongs to SeriesNightmarked (1)
WINNER OF THE 2022 READERS' FAVORITE GOLD MEDAL FOR MAGIC & WIZARDRY! A city simmering with repressed urges... A fallen angel bent on chaos... And a conspiracy that could destroy them all. Can one woman harness her own psychic power to stop it? In a world with three layers of ever darker magic, few dare to wield the most dangerous. And those who try can fall prey to violent madness. The Church keeps a tight leash on its citizens. It tests every child for psychological deviancy. If you pass, you're given a Mark. A tattoo that lets you use the ley power—and shields you from your most primal desires. For the lucky ones, the world is at their feet. The rest suffer a life of menial jobs and hopelessness. When tarot reader Kasia crosses paths with a young priest who hunts deviants, her own ugly secret is dragged into the light. Will they learn to trust each other in time to stop a greater evil from corrupting their world? You'll love the first book in this epic fantasy series because the lush weaving of intrigue, action and slow-burn romance will keep you on the edge of your seat. Get it now. Praise for City of Storms "Richly textured and fabulously conceived. Ross drapes a tense political thriller in a trench coat of dark fantasy. Readers should expect the unexpected." –Kirkus Reviews "I'm not prone to bouts of effusiveness but I couldn't gush enough about Kat Ross's books, I enjoy them so much. This one has a Slavic feel, which was really interesting to me, and I loved the rainy city of Novostopol (also the map illustration is gorgeous). Added to the unique setting and fantasy elements are Ross's usual mix of great characters, a twisty-turny plot, romance and a touch of humour. I already can't wait for Book 2!" –Evelyn, Goodreads "I loved the setting, which is technologically advanced yet progress is suppressed - it gave it a 1930's noir feel. I'd compare it favourably to the 'tsarpunk' of the Grishaverse. Relatable characters and fast-paced and well-thought-out action drive this story along and have me eagerly awaiting the sequel." –A. Adler, Goodreads "A masterpiece of magical fantasy which mixes its unique concepts into the darkest psychology of the human mind and its most base physical desires and emotions. Action, excitement, and darkness in all the right places. An unmissable and original read." –K.C. Finn for Readers Favorite, 5 Stars "A rousing adventure [and] skillful fusion of history, fantasy, and religion. It contains word paintings with arresting beauty and a three-dimensional character that is torn between duty and loyalty. I definitely recommend City of Storms for its unique twists, turns, and brilliant storyline." –Vincent Dublado for Readers Favorite, 5 Stars No library descriptions found. |
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Wikipedia in English
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A tarot reader who is hiding a sinister secret. A priest whose damaged heart prevents him from falling asleep. A fallen angel determined to destroy them both.
City of Storms by Kat Ross captured me whole.
When I first started reading City of Storms, I had some hiccups with the story. Because there was a lot of information presented initially that was confusing. But after reading a few pages, and with the aid of the glossary, a mystical world brimming with magic became clear to me.
Opinion
The setting is incredibly immersive and dark, and the characters are quite well-developed and very interesting. Kat Ross does a brilliant job of capturing the reader in a world that is both very different from our own and appears to be so very similar to it. Furthermore, her perspective on magic and how everything is interconnected is magnificent.
City of Storms is the first installment of a quadrology called Nightmarked. The story comes around with a lot of unexpected twists, which drew me deeper and deeper into the plot. I was very intrigued by the whole of it. The world building and the three main characters excited me, that I could hardly put my Kindle down.
Fra Alexei Bryce reacts to the Markhounds (special bred dogs) alarm about someone turning insane and Kasia Novak, a cardomancer (tarot reader), who ran for her life because of the mad one. That’s how Ross threw me into the action as the novel begins. Although the rapid-fire introduction of new vocabulary and terms initially makes reading difficult due to the absence of prior context, it was a strong and enthralling beginning. Given that the world building seems to draw extensively from both Latin and the Catholic Church, some knowledge with both would come handy. But as I stated already, the glossary helps a lot as well.
The pace of the story was perfect. I never felt like I had to rush through the pages to keep up. Also, there weren’t any boring sections that contained too many explanations or described unimportant dialogues and actions.
City of Storms is really well written, and I didn’t even lose touch with the characters. They did take a little time before I took a liking to them, including the antihero.
Conclusion
★★★★★
I really did enjoy reading City of Storms, and I am really excited to dive right into the next installment. I can’t really say why I am excited, because I am not willing to leave any spoilers. But I can recommend this book for readers who enjoy Dark Fantasy paired with Mystery, Magic and Paranormal.
I received an advance review copy for free at BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This review was first published at The Art of Reading. (