Book Review for Feast of Fates by Christian A. Brown
Feast of Fates, by Christian A. Brown, is a dark, dreamlike fantasy about understanding the monsters that are watching you, as well as cruel world that’s destined to leave you behind.
The book is separated into two parts. The first part introduces Morigan, who works as a maiden to the wizard Thackery Thule, whom she regards as a compassionate father figure. When she falls in love with a wolf named Caenith, she begins to cross over from a realm of normalcy into a world of magic and mystery. Armed with her decrypt powers, Morigan must guard herself from the dangers that her visions show her, with aimless warnings demanding that they be heard. The second part begins when Morigan is kidnapped for her powers. Despite their difference, Caenith and Thackery set off to find her in the degraded kingdom of Menos, where wicked ghosts continue to haunt them. In this fantastical epic, madness lurks in every corner, as enemies quietly stalk our heroes all, as they endeavor to follow a fading light at the end of a tunnel.
I loved Sorren, as strange as that may sound. He was a complete, utter monster, so much so he was willing to do anything to see his Lenora again, from kidnapping and killing innocents, to murdering his own brother and niece. It was if he was possessed by a demon, one that caressed his hatred until finally, he was nothing but a former shell of himself. He contrasted sharply to Mouse and Vortigan; their relationship was touching, and I enjoyed watching it blossom when they finally broke free of Sorren’s control. They were a family in the end, and they showed that love does conquer even the strongest of adversities. They parallel Morigan and Thackery quite well in that respect. I admired them, and watched them develop despite the evil trying to devour them. I applaud Brown for these depictions.
This leads me to a prominent idea in the book, and that is that though justice may prevail, evil will not stay silent. The Thule House from which Thackery came from was corrupted by violence, murder, and despair. Thackery has spent decades trying to redeem himself for his family’s sins, but even so he is still trapped beneath the weight of his remorse. He was right to be afraid, especially with what’d happened with Sorren. Menos and Eod were also examples of this. Although they were as different as light and day, there was something nightmarish brewing within these cities. Menos was already suffering as it was, and with the attack and looming war in Eod, it seems that the uneasy peace between these kingdoms is finally coming to an end. Good and evil will be warped, and only shades of gray will remain.
When I read this book, it was like I was being lulled into one of my childhood dreams, where imaginative stories and golden poems came to life. Beginning with a vision, I would love to see how this series plays out. Morigan, Thackery, Caenith, and the aristocracy; I fell in love with them from the moment I first read about them. Although there were a few mistakes, by no means did they detract from the book. As such, I would give this book a rating of a 4.8 out of 5 stars, and would recommend it to all fantasy lovers.
