Review of Grieving Gold

[Alida Spies]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Grieving Gold" by Daniel McDaniel.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Luminosity, or Lumo No Se, is a city favored by three gods. The Crimson Father, the Azure Mother, and the Golden Son are the suns that rise and set over the city. All three rarely appear or disappear at the same time. They granted certain humans the power to find and the power to lose. The city is built on the ruins of a sophisticated civilization, with crumbling skyscrapers as evidence of advanced technologies and past tragedies.

Daniel McDaniel introduces five vastly different protagonists in his book, “Grieving Gold (Luminosity).” Laxerion Tama left home and pursued a life of crime, as he did not want to endure his father’s autocratic ways any longer. Lax’s elder brother, Val-Gustus, was a soldier. He obeyed his father, and both brothers thought he would be their father's sole heir. Ilumi is a young scientist who came to Luminosity hoping to join the Royal Astrology and Scientific Institute. She wanted to work with Dr. Blaze, a top scientist at the institute. Aiana lives in the dark world underneath Luminosity and wants to be a huntress. She struggled with inner demons and ghosts from her troubled past. Dawb is a young street urchin. He is filled with grief and seeks revenge on the killers of his best friend.
 
Selas Tama leaves Lax with a legacy of bankrupt businesses and huge debt. Val must take over Selas’s position as councilman, general of the reserve armies, and high judge, with a war against Texocan looming. Lax has other problems as a business associate from the past that threaten to kill him, but he decides to help his brother resolve House Tama’s financial challenges.
 
Despite the dark secret that Ilumi hides, she is a lovable character, sharing her good fortune with Dawb and his street urchin friends. She is conscientious, dedicated and never gives up. Dawb and his friends are very loyal to one another, and I became rather attached to the street urchins.
 
Daniel creates a world of contrasts, showing rich and poor, good and evil, strong and weak, powerful and powerless, advanced technology and primitive mechanisms, and dark and light. The book is a fascinating blend of horror, fantasy, adventure and mystery.
When I started reading the book, I was sure I had missed the first book in a series. I was still trying to get my mind around one character or concept when the next one was introduced. The story unfolds through the characters' dialogue, and sometimes that dialogue appears much later than the introduction of an item or concept. I struggled to make sense of the story in the beginning. I did not enjoy this part of the book. The author's usage of certain words sometimes felt unnatural, e.g., when he referred to the “hinder legs” of a chair.
 
Daniel used some beautiful, unique descriptions, e.g., in his dedication, he refers to his wife as a “slayer of plot holes.” This is a fast-paced, adventurous story with many twists, turns and surprises. It is well worth reading, and I’m sure the rest of the books in the series will be equally exciting.
 
Based on the preceding paragraphs, I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. I discovered a few errors, but in my opinion, the book was professionally edited. It is well worth wading through the confusing parts in the beginning to experience the engaging tale the author has to tell.
 
The book contains some gruesome scenes and profanity. It is not excessive, but sensitive readers may choose to avoid it.
 
The themes of various gods and supernatural powers granted by them may be offensive to Christians. However, this is a work of fiction, and the Bible does not condemn fiction; hence, I will not note it as unsuitable for Christians. The overview provides enough information for readers to make their own decisions.

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Grieving Gold
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[Tomy Chandrafrost]

The premise of this book looks interesting, considering the themes it addresses are related to religion. Reading your review makes me even more eager to read this book. Thank you for writing this. What a great review.

[R Chinaza Onwuka]

This book seems interesting because it is a fascinating blend of horror, fantasy, adventure and mystery. However books that hard difficult starting can be hard to connect to. Thanks for the great review.

[NetMassimo]

Despite the beginning being a bit confusing, overall, this seems like a great blend of different genres and is set in a world of contrasts. I'll look into this series. Thank you for your great review!