REVIEW: Of Darkness and Light by Ryan Cahill
Book two in ‘The Bound and the Broken’ series, Of Darkness and Light, begins with a battle. You are instantly thrown back into Cahill’s world with a swift, bloody slap to the face that will draw you in and submerge you in this desperate fight once more. At the end of book one, Of Blood and Fire, Calen and Dann had travelled with Aeson, Dahlen and Erik to the free city of Belduar, a city that had survived countless sieges over the years and was famously impenetrable. Until now. Shady goings on lead to the Empire’s army breaking into the city followed closely by three Dragonguard, content to melt anyone and anything in their path.
In fleeing Belduar to the Dwarven freehold under the mountain, Calen stretches his abilities with the Spark (the in-world magic system), nearly burning himself out (literally) to aid the retreat and escape. As some of the last to leave Belduar, and in the chaos of such brutal defeat, our core set of characters become split. For the bulk of the story in Of Darkness and Light, our original trio – Calen, Dann and Rist – are all separated, as are the father and sons, Aeson, Dahlen and Erik. This allows Cahill to explore and develop these characters as individuals following on from Of Blood and Fire’s introduction to them as a group.
Elsewhere, Calen’s sister Ella remains unaware of her family’s fate and is unknowingly accompanied by the man who orchestrated their deaths – Farda. Although she has wolfpine Faenir at her side, Ella’s journey is not easy and her safety is not guaranteed. As they travel, we also get insight into Farda’s past and character – a former Draleid with an obsessive reliance on a coin toss to decide the fate of those around him.
We are also introduced to Dayne, an eldest son returning to Valtara – the land of his family – following many years in exile hunting down those responsible for the murder of his parents and the immolation of countless lives of his countrymen. He returns to a nest of political machinations and treachery that sees his younger brother and sister at the heart of it. Dayne has aligned himself with Aeson for the coming war, but can he free Valtara and secure his position first?
Of Darkness and Light is a significant step up from Of Blood and Fire in terms of page count, character development, intrigue, grimness and authorial skill. There is a lot going on but at no point does it feel overwhelming or unmanageable. Characters that didn’t see much focus in book 1 are given the chance to grow and shine. There’s also expert exploration of the mental toll violence and war will take on someone; the pressures of leadership and the different choices we make under stress. Adding a level of fallibility to heroic characters that makes them all the more relatable and engaging.
Where Of Blood and Fire introduces us to the story and promises it will be epic, Of Darkness and Light starts to peel back the curtain and show us where we’re heading. The scope and potential expands through this book and hints at much, much more than you may have originally thought. It grows alongside Valerys, the ice-white dragon, and keeps hinting at even greater heights while still maintaining an action-packed, well-written story for the immediate moment. This is an excellent second instalment and the series continues to impress.
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