Firstly, let me say that this was not a paid-for-comment type of thing. The author posted on social networking sites, asking for people who might be interested in previewing a book for review, in the hopes of generating some interest or conversation about their upcoming book prior to release. I put my hand up. If I thought the book stank, I would have written that as much as I would have written anything else. So all opinions are actually my own, and do not stem from being paid for my pleasantries… which I wasn’t… because I’m not generally pleasant.

This book is well entrenched in the fantasy genre, but it’s not your average swords and star-crossed lovers coming together under impossible circumstances. The characters are well developed, with no gaps that force you to make up your own back story to flesh them out. The world is far enough separated from our own to make it “other-worldly” but not so far removed that pages are needed to describe the simplest of concepts. The action is believable, with powers and magic having flaws just as any other combat style might.

“Eric Cross and his team have been to hell and back, but their journey isn’t over yet.”

It has a certain ring to it. And indeed they have. If you haven’t read any of the series, I strongly advise you do so. They are an easy enough read. We’re not talking Lord of the Rings trudging to be done here (aaaaaand, cue the hordes of menacing Tolkien fans who want to rip my head off and offer it up as tribute to the Eye of Sauron). The pace is easy to keep up with and, unlike some other writers, I do not find that it goes from dull when developing the story to the world zipping past you in times of action.

Marooned in the remote criminal city of Blacksand, the only way for the mercenaries to get home is to help a local crime boss protect his territories from the Ebon Cities.

To complicate matters, Danica Black is also being hunted by The Revengers, a powerful band of corrupt prison wardens, while Cross himself is trapped in the Whisperlands, a realm of darkness controlled by a cadre of evil mages known as the Shadow Lords.

The team will battle their way through corroding wastelands and deadly vampire outposts, but even their considerable skills might not be enough to save them from the cruel machinations of the Shadow Lord’s mysterious master, a malevolent creature who has manipulated their destinies right from the beginning…

Return to the world of The Black in Book 4 of the BLOOD SKIES saga!”

If you like you fantasy with a touch of reality, try this series. If you like you like a good amount of action served with your dystopian world, go for it. I just really enjoyed them and I think for a light, yet engaging read, you could do a lot worse.
You can buy Steven Montano’s book from Amazon in either Kindle edition or hard-copy.