Lukasz's Reviews > The Gods of Men

I’m a SPFBO addict. I promised myself to read more traditionally published books this year, but I didn’t keep this promise. I find too much fun navigating through unknown spaces of the indie scene.
  
Here’s another worthy pick.

Sable’s music holds power over souls. It can enchant, but also kill. Because of a tragic accident, Sable flees her KIngdom into the frigid land of exiles and thieves, known as The Wilds. She lives in hiding, burdened by guilt, and survives as a healer. 

Soon, she finds herself on the run again. 

The story, told in third-person limited, follows two distinct POVs - Sable and Jeric. Jeric, the second son of a king, spends his life tracking down and killing ‘threats’ to the country. Sable will have to trust him to survive, even though she despises him at the beginning.

With time, things change, and they develop feelings toward each other. Happily, nothing feels rushed or unnatural. Quite the opposite. Sable and Jeric are flawed individuals who struggle to find their place in a world. When they story arcs meet, things start to gel. Slowly but inevitably leading to striking realisations. 

The cast of side characters is nicely mixed and likeable. Good work.

Kloss’s clean prose, brisk pacing and clear structure keep the narrative engrossing from beginning to the end. Her novel never becomes confusing or unconvincing. 

Flaws? Even though both main characters feel distinct and real, I didn’t care much for them. But it’s strictly subjective. The plot was interesting enough to make me finish the book and I appreciate final twists and reveals.

I would say this book deserves more attention.