Where Madness Roosts is a stand-alone novella in the Flameforged saga, of which I received a free review copy. I have not read the other two novels in the series, Within Ruin and Everautumn, but that did not impact my reading of this novella. The story centres around two elven twins, Merrill and Almi, whose master/lover/husband Virgil is apparently murdered at a high-level diplomatic conference. It follows their investigation into and attempts at revenge for, the killing. The twins are aided in in this by their psychic bond. The world building is interesting with anthropomorphic furnishings and other creatures. The characterisation of the twins is also nicely done. They are clearly not human, and do not think in human ways, but yet are generally relatable. The description of the grief and depression into which the twins fall after Virgil’s murder is a highlight of the novel. Mr Drake has a distinctive writing style that may not appeal to everyone. He makes use of his extensive vocabulary which some may find distracting. This for me did detract somewhat from the story and the characters and for me, personally, did impact my enjoyment of the story. For this reason I…
Where Madness Roosts is a stand-alone novella in the Flameforged saga, of which I received a free review copy. I have not read the other two novels in the series, Within Ruin and Everautumn, but that did not impact my reading of this novella. The story centres around two elven twins, Merrill and Almi, whose master/lover/husband Virgil is apparently murdered at a high-level diplomatic conference. It follows their investigation into and attempts at revenge for, the killing. The twins are aided in in this by their psychic bond. The world building is interesting with anthropomorphic furnishings and other creatures. The characterisation of the twins is also nicely done. They are clearly not human, and do not think in human ways, but yet are generally relatable. The description of the grief and depression into which the twins fall after Virgil’s murder is a highlight of the novel. Mr Drake has a distinctive writing style that may not appeal to everyone. He makes use of his extensive vocabulary which some may find distracting. This for me did detract somewhat from the story and the characters and for me, personally, did impact my enjoyment of the story. For this reason I…