Hello my little demons!
Today I am here to share with you a fantastic Dark Fantasy series that you MUST add to your book shelf.
I am NOT usually a series reader, nor a reader of dark fantasy. Yet, this series absolutely grabbed me and pulled me into it’s dark, tantalizing vortex. I blasted through these books with ease as I was drawn to the characters, their stories, and their struggles.
Why couldn’t I put this series down?
WORLD BUILDING – The author, Konn, has an incredible talent for building imaginative worlds and describing them vividly on the page. I felt like I was there, in these amazing places, navigating along with the characters.
CHARACTERS – I was drawn to the characters, their struggles, their stories, and their emotions. I cared deeply about the main character, Krista, and wanted so much for the lovely reptilian mutation to find her way.
ART – This series is more than a set of books. Each book is a masterpiece of fiction, poetry, and hand drawn art work woven together beautifully. Konn shares his unique talents that he has poured his passion into.
Please do yourself a huge favour and get your copies now!
Continue reading for snippets of my reviews, and a free sneak peek from the final book.
Get your hands on these treasures (and Konn’s other works) here.
Reality: Part I Mental Damnation
In this first book, I quickly fell in love with Krista, the main character. I wanted her to find herself and to succeed. I loved that she continually questioned herself, despite the fact that she was actually very adventurous and brave – she simply didn’t realize how strong she really was throughout her entire journey.
The action swept me away right from the opening scene. As the journey unfolds, the action increases, and I found myself glued to every page, desperately wanting to know what would happen next.
See details and reviews here.
Dream: Part II Mental Damnation
The incredible imagination of the author continues to come to life on the page through the vivid descriptions of the worlds portrayed and the details of the characters. My bond with the characters deepened. The action is incredible. Unexpected events left me wanting to dive into the third book immediately!
See details and reviews here.
Purity: Part III Mental Damnation
Yet another outstanding work in this remarkable series. At this point, my connection with the main character (Krista) was now running deep. I also found myself bound to several other characters that were more exposed through this part in the series.
With poetry and philosophical views woven into the introductions of each chapter, the artistry of the author is elevated. The writing made me stop and think.
The icing on the cake — the beautiful sketches between each chapter – put the ‘Konn’ stamp on this amazing piece of work.
See details and reviews here.
Mortal: Part IV Mental Damnation
Read my full review here.
Here is a special sneak peek for you:
“Blood. Flesh. Discomfort pulsated through the body. The typical reaction when one is experiences pain. Feelings that all mortals suffer. The warning signals when the system is under attack. Each of us handles these signs differently. Crying, anger, and fear are variations of how we cope. All three can be combined into one strange, muddled mess.
“There are only a few scenarios when you will find yourself in need of killing: either as a favour to end one’s suffering. . . .” The wordsechoed in the girl’s mind. A statement that had stuck with her from her days growing up as ‘street scum’ back home in the underworld. The phrase was one that she reflected upon again and again in her life.
“I see it in your eyes, and in your words.”More words bounced around in her mind from a different, darker, source. “In time, you won’t have any doubt in your heart and mind that you can indeed follow the path of a warrior.”More words from another figure, a deformed one, who once informed her that a warrior is nothing without pain, fear, and ultimately, death. The traits of the warrior’s path.
“. . . Or in self-defence.” The words of her fatherreturned.
I’m a warrior. I can handle pain,she thought. The teachings swirled around her, creating a vague sense of unreality. Her eyes flickered open, shooting out a smokeless flame that projected from the sockets. She could see, yet she had no spatial awareness of her body, other than a stinging heat from her leg. The pain that she felt could not be real. Her actions could be a figment of her imagination, symptoms of Mental Damnation. She was floating. No, she was being held. Someone was escorting her from the place where she was wounded.
“She’s losing a lot of blood,” came a raspy voice.
“Krista, stay with us,” a gravelly voice pleaded, closely followed by a second voice that sounded disembodied, as if two people were talking simultaneously.
The girl—Krista—blinked a couple times. She could see remnants of a red sky with black swirling clouds. They were familiar; this landscape was not the underworld. It was also not the surface, where the humans were. Unfortunately, she was still asleep and this was Dreadweave Pass. The realism of realm-crossing came back to her. The strange ability that her ghoulish friend had told her about. It was a gift. Or a disease, as others claimed. Dreadweave Pass certainly felt real, especially with the giant gash in her outer thigh.
“Cursman,” the disembodied voice said, “we really cannot stay at the Ruins of the Mortals Run any longer.”
“Observant, aren’t you, Malpherities?” the other voice said. “As you can see, my hands are a little busy right now.”
A growl came in response.
“Pain will encourage you. . . .”Words spoke inside Krista’s mind. Her eyes closed again, allowing her to mentally paint vivid images, create smells, and amplify sounds that were long lost in her memories. A small, brown, scaly child couldn’t stop squawking. Two larger reptilians were behind the little boy. One male, the other female.
Mum, Father . . . Salanth, she thought. They’re so different. The fumes. . . .Krista hadn’t considered them lately due to the chaos of her life. The faint memory of her people on the surface projected in her mind. Her childhood recollections contrasted sharply with the reality of modern vazeleads. After the metamorphosis fumes mutated their forms, their past selves were erased from existence. They were not the same anymore as they were when her family was alive. The events of Mount Kuzuchi had happened so long ago, and their people had changed drastically.
I miss you.
The vision of Krista’s family began to dissolve as the visuals guided her through the darkness. Her eyes began to flicker again, distorting the image of her mother, father, and brother within the black-and-red sky. Her mind guided her through a dark, descending vertical tunnel. She was brought deep into the darkness until she arrived at a desert landscape, complete with pools of lava and a distant city.
The City of Renascence. I’m home!she thought. The vision soared her into the city made of clay and blackwood. She was brought directly to a group of three vazeleads. Two of them had red bands around their arms, while the other did not. The one without a band had long, straight black scalp-feathers. Darkwing. Krista knew him anywhere. One of the red-banded vazeleads handed Darkwing a red cloth. Bloodhounds. They initiated him.
“Darkwing, no!” Krista thought she had said it in her mind-vision, but her voice shrilled out into the open.”