Darkness Reigns by Jill Williamson

   I follow many authors through Facebook, Twitter, and their own blogs. Through one of those, I found out that Jill Williamson was looking to put together a launch team for her upcoming series. I applied and found out a few weeks later that I was accepted! I read the book, Darkness Reigns, as soon as I could, and I couldn't wait to share my thoughts on it with you!

Synopsis

   The god of the soil is furious. Volcanic eruptions, sinkholes, earthquakes--everything points to his unhappiness. At least this is what the people of Armania in the Five Realms believe.
   Amidst the unsettling state of the world around them, the princes of Armania live their lives focused more on who will claim the throne after their sickly father, King Echad, dies. That is until Prince Wilek's concubine turns up dead--beside her, a bloodied message that seems to have come from the mother realms.

My Review

   This book is a must read for anyone who like clean, fantasy reads. It was extremely hard for me to put down. The plot was enchanting and easy to follow. It was fast-paced and interesting. There was action right from the beginning. The characters were very well-rounded and real, even though this story was on the short side. I often have trouble keeping track of multiple characters, but that was not an issue with this book. Jill Williamson did an amazing job of making the characters easy to follow. Plus, the character list in the beginning of the book was extremely helpful as well. One of the reasons I love this book is because it's hard (at least for me) to find clean fantasy novels. I love books that deal with various mythologies and different realms. There is even a bit of magic in this book as well. One of the best parts of the book was all of the detailed descriptions. "A face like a cabbage" (found on page 136 of Darkness Reigns) was just one of the more remarkable descriptions found in the book. There were only two things that confused me in this book. It often mentioned first sleep, but it was never explained what it is. I'm assuming it meant a nap time, but I wasn't entirely sure. The second thing it mentioned was morning bells. I didn't know if these rang at dawn or a specific time every morning. Other than that, this book was straightforward and a lot of fun to read!

   My favorite character is definitely Mielle. I love heroines who have a lot of spunk and think for themselves. She is not a damsel in distress. Plus, she easily sticks up for Lady Zeroah, even though they literally just met, which shows true loyalty. She is also not afraid to stick to her moral beliefs. I can't wait to see what adventures lie ahead for her in this series.

   This book is set to release on December 1st of 2015. 

   I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.