Review: Rend The Dark by Mark Gelineau and Joe King

Rend the Dark by authors Mark Gelineau and Joe King is out today! I read this author duo’s first story A Reaper of Stone just last month and I found it so promising that I was so excited for the chance to read another one of their stories. In their blog, the authors describe Rend the Dark as a good old-fashioned action horror adventure. I happen to love horror and adventure so I was stoked to read it.

Read more about the book below and check out my review.

About the book

The great Ruins are gone. The titans. The behemoths. All banished to the Dark and nearly forgotten. But the cunning ones, the patient ones remain. They hide not in the cracks of the earth or in the shadows of the world. But inside us. Wearing our skin. Waiting. Watching.

Once haunted by visions of the world beyond, Ferran now wields that power to hunt the very monsters that he once feared. He is not alone. Others bear the same terrible burden. But Hunter or hunted, it makes no difference. Eventually, everything returns to the Dark.

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Yep, “good old-fashioned horror adventure” definitely sums it up!

The story is essentially about the battle against dark forces. At the heart of it is Ferran, an orphan (like Elinor from A Reaper of Stone!) who grew up with the gift – or curse – of being able to see demons or monsters hiding in plain sight. His visions scared him when he was a child but when he joined the Order of Talan he turned that fear into power to fight and kill these demons. In the book, Ferran travels to Greenhope with Mireia, another member of the Order, to meet with Aker, warden of the king, and Riffolk and Hil, magistrates of Greenhope, to investigate strange troubles. They all band together to hunt and kill creatures of the dark before they wreak havoc and destroy the land.

Well, the authors weren’t wrong. Rend the Dark really is a good old-fashioned horror adventure with an exciting plot and strong characters that you would root for from beginning to end. Like A Reaper of Stone, Rend the Dark is very fast-paced and has an intriguing story that can really pull you in. Ferran is a hero any reader would love. I like that there’s also a strong female character, Mireia, in the mix. This book is a horror story and the authors didn’t shy away from horrific details, though they are nothing that horror fans can’t take. I’m partial to fantasies or horrors that are set in somewhat ‘olden’ or ‘medieval’ times so I really loved the overall feel or “ambiance” of this book.

I hate that this book is too short – I’m really big on backstories – but it’s a great start to a series and I can’t wait to read more.

Rend the Dark releases today! If you like fantasy and horror, you should check this book out.

Note: I received a review copy of this book from the authors. All opinions and views expressed here are my own.

About the authors

Mark and Joe have been writing and telling stories together for the last 25 years. They share a love for the classic fantasy tales of their childhood. Their Echoes of the Ascended series brings those old epic characters and worlds to new life.

Visit their Website and connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, Mark’s Amazon Page and Joe’s Amazon Page. For their latest releases, join their mailing list.