Genres: Dark Fantasy, NA Fantasy, Fantasy | Release Date: 15 August 2022 | Series: The Sentilar Series | Series Book: #1 | Pages: 431 | Indie Author | Review
“Slaughter will not bring you the glory you want.”
Anna K. Moss
Overview:
The Worthy by Anna K. Moss is a *very* dark fantasy, one which had me turned around (and cheering for anyone but the protagonist) for most of the novel! In fact, Anna made the main character such a thoroughly selfish Prince that I loved to loathe him. Reading this, you might think that means I didn’t like the novel very much. But you would be wrong! This truly isn’t like any other dark fantasy I’ve ever read…
Prince Barsten has been abandoned in a foreign realm, with his sister (Princess Ailith) making a play for the kingdom while he’s out of the picture. But there’s a massive problem; a creature has been set loose within Crell and is causing chaos with it’s emotions. Death is now wreaking havoc across the land and the end of everything is near. Can anyone stop the senseless slaughter? Is Barsten redeemable? And will there be anything left to save?
Happiness Boost:
Within The Worthy we get LGBTQ+ representation. More than that, the stories of these relationships are integral to the novel. This is a big happiness boost for me, because representation (done well) has sometimes been hit and miss in novels. But we don’t have that issue here! Anna gives us a brilliantly dark and chaotic NA fantasy, with this lovely extra layer of goodness.
I’d never read of a threat like the one facing the people of Crell before. The extensive power of the Sentilar, along with the clearly defined correlation between it’s emotions and the spreading danger? That’s a masterful use of fantasy. All I could think was that I’m thankful it doesn’t live in our world!
Okay, I touched on it before, but Anna really has delivered the most detestable protagonist I’ve ever come across. Why is this a happiness boost? Because you *want* Barsten to either fail spectacularly, or somehow experience a revelation and redeem himself. I was cheering either way, to be honest! To be able to write The Worthy so well that I was hooked even with the Prince leading the way? That’s the mark of an incredibly gifted author.
Downside:
Other readers may get cranky with Barsten and hope that Kaela will put a sword through him. But persevere, dear bookworms. This is a tale like no other.
Final Thoughts:
The Worthy by Anna K. Moss is a tale which wades into the depths of hell and finds a turning point. The tiniest speck of light lingers at the end of the story, and I raced towards it! It’s an exciting addition to the world of dark fantasy, particularly those who love grimdark novels. By the way, because I’m clearly old I had to look up what ‘grimdark’ is for this review. It is the perfect description (thanks, Google) for The Worthy: ‘dystopian, amoral, and violent’. It’s so worth a read, dear bookworms. Happy reading, glitterbugs!
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