The last book I finished was A Gamble of Gods – a new indie book by Mitriel Faywood. So, what did I think? Read on to find out!
The blurb
Life used to be good. I had money. I had fame. I had respect. The same thrill during work every day. A different woman in my bed every night. Best fighter to hire for dangerous jobs. Most famous thief in the Nineteen Kingdoms. Half the world sought my services when they needed the impossible done. The other half wanted to sleep with me.
Then one day this strange guy showed up with his even stranger pet, the latter a bit of a gift horse by all accounts, and turned it all upside down. They claimed to have come to save my life, and while they were at it, I got them to help out with the most important quest of my existence: finding the Supreme Key of the Dragon. Needless to say, none of it turned out quite how I expected. But we had fun, even if it was hell sometimes. In the end, what we found was worth it all.
My name is Conor Drew, the Gods destined me for great things.
But I turned them down.
The review
A Gamble of Gods is a highly imaginative portal fantasy. It’s part adventure, part romance, part fantasy and part sci-fi.
The three main characters make up the majority of the POV chapters.
One is a thief-for-hire, Conor Drew, who spends his time steeling valuable artefacts for various lords and dukes. His land is full of witches and curses and is the most fantastical of the worlds we visit.
The second POV is Kristian, a teacher from a futuristic planet, who has a mass murderer (who is also a shape shifter) plotting to kill him.
And lastly, Selena (my favourite character), is from Earth in the year 2037. She knows there is something different about her, but thinks she is unwell and seeks out various doctors to try and help her. Little does she know there is actually something very special about her!
As the story unfolds, it turns out all these characters are connected by a mysterious order, known as The Order of the Dragon, and they are thrown into a deadly and exciting mission.
The story weaves together really well – and as I said, it is very high concept. The three settings and POV’s are completely different and it’s quite entertaining to watch as the characters are thrust into worlds that are not their own.
The tone is light and fun, sometimes comical, sometimes high-adventure, with carriage chases and undercover escapades galore – definitely a good pick for me after reading a few dark/epic fantasies – and I think the story here would also really work as a graphic novel.
Sometimes I thought the characters acted too young for their ages – certainly when it came to the romantic entanglements, but I also found the romance to be really sweet and Selena a lovely character to follow. (The story really took off for me when her POV chapters began.)
The Order of the Dragon itself is a cool concept as is the world-building behind how the portals work. I’m hoping to delve more into this as the series progresses. I really think we’ve only scratched the surface here – and a nice little twist at the end makes me think that’s where Mitriel Faywood means to take us.
If you are looking for a lighter fantasy with a bit of romance and Indiana Jones style adventure, then give this a go. I can’t really think of anything like it at the minute, and I loved that it was so unique.
If you liked this review, please consider subscribing and having future reviews delivered directly to your inbox!
Shauna Lawless is writing 