I've read two of Amanda Downum's book before - the first two installments of the Necromancer Chronicles. Those were atmospheric, imaginative blends of high fantasy and gothic horror and I enjoyed them a great deal. Here Ms. Downum turns to a blend of urban fantasy and the mythos of the Yellow King as created by the author Robert W. Chambers in the 1890s. The result, for me, was a little disappointing. For a start, the structure of the book is unruly, and the first 50-60 pages in particular seem to be wanting in terms of holding the reader's attention. The characters are interesting, but they act in strange, unrealistic ways. If people have witnessed strange, magical sights that challenge what they think they know about how the world works, you'd expect them to discuss or talk about it. The writing also seems workmanlike at times. Once the story starts taking shape the whole enterprise starts to become more engaging but all in all its not a particularly memorable book. Look to her Necromancer Chronicles instead. ( )

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I should really learn to read at least part of a blurb before deciding I want to read a book based on the pretty cover and awesome title. Perhaps in that case I would have had different expectation. Because although the cover screamed Urban Fantasy to me, it was a completely different kind of Urban Fantasy I got.

Liz has powerful dreams, together with the mystics she encounters on the search for her friend Blake that's the fantasy you get. The rest of the story left me feeling unsatisfied and looking for something more to get from it. I didn't feel for the characters, and since I was unfamiliar with the concept of the yellow king, I didn't find that as interesting as it could have been. (But that's my fault of course).

I've been asking myself whether I would have liked the story better if I hadn't thought it would involve more fantasy, but frankly I'm not sure. I also read a lot of mystery books or books that just have a little something that's unexplainable, but this book fell short in those genres as well. It probably just wasn't the book for me.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! ( )

I'm writing this review a little while after actually finishing the book, but I felt I had to get around to actually reading all of Robert W. Chambers' 'King in Yellow' stories before giving this a fair review, since the book is an homage to that mythos.

Having now read both, I'll say - it's not really necessary, but it's certainly fun to compare.

Chambers' 'King in Yellow' posits a work of art - a play - which drives the reader mad, possibly by showing them a glimpse of horrific realities beyond human comprehension. Downum skips the play, and skips right to the horrific realities, which is a bit of a shame (I like the idea) - but the 'feel' of the story is spot-on, and in keeping with Chambers' creations. If he'd been writing in the 21st century, instead of the 19th, this is something like what he might've written.

With its depiction of eccentric young characters involved in subcultures & the art scene and caught up by powers beyond their control, I was also reminded of Kathe Koja's horror novels and Lauren Beukes' 'Broken Monsters,' a bit.

Liz Drake's best friend Blake moved to Vancouver a while ago, and they haven't been in touch. But when she is suddenly plagued by vivid and terrible dreams concerning him, she insists on traveling out there to see if he's OK. Unfortunately, he is most certainly not OK. In Vancouver, Liz and her partner Alex discover a maze of occult ritual and mind-altering drugs... which Liz must navigate, Eurydice-like, to enter strange realms and attempt to save Blake from the alien land of Carcosa and the malevolent clutches of the Yellow King.

Many thanks to Rebellion/Solaris and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. As always, my opinion is solely my own.

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Amanda Downum has created a creepy masterpiece. The realest of lives merge with the darkest kingdoms of fantasy in a story that bristled the hair on the back of my neck .Protagonist Liz Drake could be your best friend. But hers, Blake, has gone missing a continent away. With her lover, Liz tracks Blake through a nightmare of drugs, murder and magic.
This quiet little book was impossible to put down, difficult to finish, and is the epitome of that older line of fairy tales that warn us that what goes bump in the night isn't just the trickery of fey folk, but the evil we countenance and create. Definitely worth your while - but leave the lights on. ( )

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