Reviews

Legacy of the Brightwash by Krystle Matar

cyriax's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This is a mystery set in a dark fantasy world with excellent character work. I began to care for these characters almost instantly and the relationships that developed felt real. The ending had less occur than I expected seeming more like a mystery reveal ending instead of a fantasy action ending. There are still mysteries to solve though and I will definitely be continuing with this series. 

kithi_'s review

emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

abeier's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

f33lthesun's review

4.0

Wow. This packed a punch and is still, a week after reading it, living in my head. It will be there for a long, long time. I immediately want to read the next book to continue the story.

Told from multiple points of view, this is a brilliant, character led story. Yes, there is a murder to solve, but it is not as simple as that. It never is, is it? 

When Tashué Blackwood, Regulation Officer, is on the scene when the mutilated body of a child is found and no one else seems to want to know who, why or how, he decides to find out.

What follows is a story of flawed humans, moral dilemmas, vulnerability, political intrigue, power struggles, emotional turmoil, complex relationships, found family and love in all its forms.

This is a dark story, the characters have all faced (and are still facing) trauma and moral dilemmas, made their choices rightly or wrongly and are living the consequences of those choices.

Finding the corpse is the catalyst for Tashué to change the trajectory of his life, to try to make up for the decisions he has taken “for the Authority”. Is it too late?

Krystle Matar has created a complex and compelling world in which complex and compelling characters live and breathe.

Thanks to @The_WriteReads for the eARC.

bentheoverlordsbooks's review

5.0

 WOW ! This is one of the best first books in a series Ive read. I loved everything about this world and theese characters. Tashue was a fantastic complex protagonist, whos maneuvering through law enforcement and the political sphere of this world was masterfully done. I loved his relationships with the characters, to the fantastic (and my fav) Stella and her wonderful daughter, to his estranged son and his partner and the scheming manipulative but also iconic Ilea. Matar really well developed all the characters, and I loved the occassionaly side pov with one of them, helping to build the drama and see the world through other lenses.
I also loved the way the magic was done, and the relationship those who have magic (the Taint) have with society. I also found the mystery surrounding the murdered child excellent, and I love how it seems through all levels of society, from its dark underbelly to the silver spooned elite.
All in all a fantastic book and I will be reading book 2 asap. 

theadamholcombe's review

5.0

Legacy of the Brightwash is a deeply engrossing exploration of brilliant characters in a dark and difficult world.

THIS BOOK IS FANTASTIC! It has definitely soared to the top and contends with my other favorites of the year. I was so excited to delve into this and it really delivered. Now, I must return to yelling at Krystle about how that book ended…

5/5

dboyd22's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

skycrane's review

5.0

Though I ended up really liking Legacy of the Brightwash, it took me a while to read. I got to chapter 5, which starts with the line, "The Directed Breeding Program of Yaelsmuir housed their breeders..." and just had to put the book down for a couple of months. Within the first few chapters it is explained to us that those with magical abilities (generally called "tainted") are tracked by a vast bureaucracy, forced to work in state-assigned jobs, frequently sentenced to life imprisonment for very petty regulatory infractions, and also systematically raped. And our protagonist is part of the authority that enforces those rules. So yeah, this gets pretty dark.

The core of the story is a mystery, but there's also a pretty emotionally satisfying romance, and a couple of compelling character studies. Highly recommend.

laurarhds's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

theshaggyshepherd's review against another edition

5.0

I failed at writing a review and it’s been too long now but I’ll be rereading this soon and making up for it then. I wanted to add though at least that this was my favorite book of 2022 and I can’t wait to continue with the series soon.