Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Romantic Subarc
Reviewer: Rari
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About The Book
A scholar on a journey. A monster in his veins. An unbending truth.
All Otar ever wanted was being part of a community, but the monster in his veins, bent on killing those Otar touches, makes it impossible. It has already slipped his grasp more than once—with devastating consequences.
His desperate search for a cure for his curse leads him to the Ancients and their mysterious ruins.
At a newly discovered ruin, past and present collide, and he finds answers beyond imagination…and perilous danger.
Confronted with the truth about his origin, Otar must decide fast what he will sacrifice to save those he holds dear.
The Edge of a World is a Fantasy Sci-Fi story about self-discovery, defying destiny, and paving your own path.
The Review
This book has a twist at the end, which I already knew since I know the author, and they had discussed the book in some shared spaces. It’s impossible not to know other authors when you’re an indie author yourself, because this is a community that’s large and small at the same time!
Anyway, despite knowing that twist, I was completely invested in Otar’s journey, and the title felt so apt as from the first page. I got a feeling as if I was at the edge of a world.
Otar is a scholar who has always felt he doesn’t belong anywhere. He has been seeking the secrets of the Ancients, who left behind various ruins that all follow the same pattern of construction.
There’s a thing inside Otar that he calls a monster, which feeds on the energy/soul of anyone who comes into close contact with him. Otar has to be very careful, keeping it leashed at all times. There’s also a ghost he alone can see in the ruins of the Ancients.
A friends with benefits arrangement years earlier with Andres, a clan leader of a nomadic tribe, still leaves Otar with regrets. He’s in love with Andres, but never dared express it. Now he moves from place to place, bedding total strangers, because sex seems to help control the monster.
When his mentor sends a message to meet him at a certain ruin, Otar has no choice but to go. Especially since the Imperial Heir, his former friend who was attacked once by the monster, is also going to be there, and has demanded his presence.
But the journey to the ruins is riddled with dangers, and the destination may have answers he’s not ready to hear.
As I said, I was invested in this from start to finish, despite knowing the twist at the end. Some secrets are heavily foreshadowed and some lightly, but Otar’s journey is adventurous and intriguing. His romance with Andres is important as a sub plot, but this book is not a romance.
I loved Andres, and the various diverse and queer reps in the story. The world is expertly crafted without much exposition, and it feels vast and lived in. The mystery of the ancients and the ruins that they left behind add to the atmosphere.
High fantasy with diverse casts, personal stakes, and queer representation. You should read this book.
The Reviewer
Rari is an author and editor writing under the name of Niranjan K. She is an avid reader of all things fantasy, and loves to discourse at length about her favourite books as well as shows. This blog is the space where she will be sharing her views and insights of the books, shows and movies that she likes.
