I can't believe this book hasn't been published - it's friggin awesome! ( )

A page-turner from start to end, this dystopian novel was easily able to capture my attention from the get-go with the magical creative writing style the author was able to displayed, refreshing and unique characters, and storyline that captivated me. With this novel being the first I have read from this author, I can't wait to see what else she has in store for us.

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Book source ~ BBNYA

Azure “Azzy” Brimvine and her younger brother Armin have lived with their guardian, Brixby, ever since their mother was killed. As an Apothecary he is training them to his craft, but Armin is showing signs of being infected with the Rot, a magic that eats away at a human. It won’t be long before he is cast out to the Above and there’s no way Azzy is going to let him go alone. The Heap may be a crappy place to live Below, but Above is filled with monsters. Sooner than expected Armin is cast out and that’s when everything in Azzy’s life changes.

This is an interesting take on magic and what it does to humans. Those who make the transformation and actually survive can make a decent life for themselves in the Above. Some of them who do survive turn into monsters though and those are the ones to avoid at all possible. But make no mistake, this world is filled with dangers and monsters. Azzy has to navigate it to find her brother and her guardian, but she does not do so unscathed.

The world is fascinating and the people are varied. The monsters are creative. Some are super gross while others are only a bit so. The way magic works here is inventive. Azzy herself is a puzzle. She has no idea what she is. In a world of strange things she is by far the strangest. She’s also a bit too Mary Sue for my tastes. However, I enjoy her journey and look forward to continuing on. ( )

This is the first book in the Gate Cycle series and I loved it! This is a dark fantasy series set in a post-apocalyptic type Earth were a magical gate has opened releasing magical monsters and magical taint into the world above.

Azzy and her brother Armin have been eeking out at living by assisting the apothecary of one of the Earth’s last full human underground cities. However, when Armin ends up tainted they flee to the Earth’s surface to try and make a living there.

I really really enjoyed this book a ton. It was very creative, the writing was very descriptive, and I loved the complex and conflicted characters. There is a lot of magic and interesting monsters in here as well. This is a very adventure driven fantasy, which is something I always love!

This is a fairly adult novel and very dark. It borders on being a fantasy horror. However, the adventure element is what I really latched on to. This is one of those books where I could not predict what would happen next, everything was just so creative and unexpected.

Overall I loved this book. The adventure, dark faerie tale elements, and magic drew me in completely. I am definitely planning on continuing this series. I would recommend if you like reading very dark fantasy adventure/dark faerie tales. ( )

So far they had merely eeked out an existence underground... can they survive the insanity Above? With constant peril at every turn, who among them will come out of this ever shifting world of horrors alive... and intact?

This crazy world was populated with a varied collection of dark and gruesome constructs and MAN were they imaginative and creepy as all heck. There were no (truly) safe places to be found, for macabre beings and repugnant (Mad Max type) humans took over the Above ever since magic was let loose.

Here's how things fared....
The Trifecta of Literary Awesomeness went as follows:

- The writing: was smooth and flowed perfectly. It created a bone deep sense of foreboding and promised imminent, greivis bodily harm. It was not arrogant, verbose, sophomoric or highfalutin. It really hit the spot.

- The World Building: was detailed rich and lush. There were monstrous critters and things that go GRRRRRR... HISSSSS in the night (with teeth to back up such bold warnings) and some with no warnings at all. The dread was palpable.

- The Character Development: was dynamic and poignant. Nothing and no one were completely as they seemed. I really liked our MCs, especially loyal, doting, dependable Kai. Our female MC, Azzy, was a strongly motivated, highly capable, devoted, kickass heroine. She was smart and all sorts of brave. Her bonds with both her brother, Armin, and Kai were touching. I loved both she and Kai's reactions towards their budding, enigmatic feelings for one another. AND the sibling relationship was Magical. My only gripe was that she had "instincts" that enabled her to navigate obstacles/plot pitfalls as well as push the story along in slogging areas almost to a point of major annoyance. Even though it was pushed along a highly addictive track, it was still a copout and I felt jipped!

Speaking of addictive, I couldn't put this one down no matter what time of day or chore I accidentally (on purpose) neglected in the process. It wasn't until I reached the epilogue that I fully realized that there were a frustrating number of loose ends that needed tailoring and not enough available pages to accommodate. One minute the sky was just turning dark and I'm in the thick of things then the next minute I hit the epilogue and birds are merrily chirping outside in the suffused morning light. The very next blink I found myself at the last page wondering where the heck the rest of the book went? It can't end this way, can it? I exhaled into my sleepy house (not too loud as to wake the kiddo... or hubby... he gets cranky when I wake him while screaming at my books) "oh bloody HELL!!"!

Overall: the characters were in constant peril which kept things spicy and the pages flying by without being conscious of just how much time evaporated. The Trifecta of Literary Awesomeness was met skillfully with a unique premise and rich imagery at every turn. Every box was checkecked and gone over twice. With multiple 3rd person POVs, things could have easily gotten convoluted but thankfully it worked out seamlessly here. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I am very curious as to what happens next.

*** I was given a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review *** and I'd be ecstatic to review book #2 as well!...ahem ( )