Book Review: Darkfell by Amanda Wright
Darkfell by Amanda Wright
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Darkfell is a timeless, refreshing take on classic fantasy tropes that deserves shelf space alongside The Chronicles of Narnia and Dekker’s Circle series. Like the aforementioned works, Darkfell tells a powerful, fantastical tale on the surface, with layers of spiritual depth underpinning the plot. I love finding Christian fantasy that is actually, unabashedly Christian, not simply clean and penned from a Christian worldview. Darkfell is unashamedly Christian. While the plot is propulsive, the characters engaging, and the worldbuilding exemplary, this is a story that would quite literally fall apart without the Creator holding it together. Which is a writing decision that I love, because my story would also fall about without Him.
This is a deeply Christian, vaguely allegorical portal fantasy. The story begins with Titus, the stand-in for Lucifer in this world. He has been chained and imprisoned by El’Ohim, the Creator, in the realm of Zakar. But even from his prison, he finds ways to wage war on the human realm. In the prologue, we get a brief but disturbing glimpse into the mind of Titus as he tortures a new batch of human slaves. This is an intense, somewhat gory beginning, which I thought was an odd decision at first. But upon further reflection, I believe it was a canny choice. More sensitive readers will drop off in this prologue, but those who push through will find that they weathered most of the worst the story has to offer in terms of content.
After the prologue we meet Thom Darkfell, the librarian and cartographer to a king in the human realm. He’s our main perspective character and the reluctant hero of our tale. Thom is obviously bookish, but he’s also an orphan who was adopted by the royal baker and his family. As the story begins, Thom and his adoptive brother, Puck, have both been drafted into a decade-long war. Puck is excited to embark on an adventure. Thom, not so much. He’s radically unsuited for battle, both physically and mentally. But when the last known Realm Walker passes his powers to Thom, he finds himself having to step out of even the role of soldier that had been foisted upon him. Because now Thom is the last Realm Walker on the side of good, the only person who can open portals between realms and the last hope of finding aid in the Hidden Realm before Titus breaks free and wins the human realm for good.
The characters were definitely the stars of the story. Thom is so likable and sympathetic. There’s a scene between him and El’Ohim that was a beautiful blend of relatably honest and fittingly reverent. Aside from Thom we also have a female perspective character: Norealle, a half-star whose gift of Sight allowed her to watch her mother die trying to stop the breaching of the wall El’Ohim had built around the abysmal Zakar, to protect mankind from Titus and his Abadonian army. Norealle is a lovely character, if not quite as dimensioned and fleshed-out as Thom. She’s our love interest, and the romance that arises between her and Thom is a sweet, lovely reprieve from the war raging around them. And then there’s Puck. One of my favorite elements of this story was the relationship between Thom and Puck, his brother of the heart. Puck is fiercely loyal and incredibly protective, and he refuses to let Thom venture into danger alone. I love this type of found brotherhood so much. Thom and Puck fit right in with Hadrian and Royce of Riyria, or Locke Lamora and Jean.
I love the faith of this world, and that the Creator, El’Ohim, is so obviously the God of our world. This is one of my favorite things about Narnia and The Circle series, and I loved seeing that approach here. Thom’s faith was lovely. There were scenes where it was sorely tested, but he always held on to it. And speaking of Narnia and The Circle, I absolutely LOVE chapter 39: El’Ohim’s Country. The opening scene was a brief but lovely, powerful inclusion, one that reminded me of my favorite scenes from Lewis’s and Dekker’s worlds.
There is so much wonderful worldbuilding here. The Hidden Realm was especially captivating, with its talking animals and tiny nymphs and the sheer beauty and wonder of the land itself. The writing was solid, as were the pacing and the character development. My one complaint is that I wish every character, every location, every tidbit of lore, every single element had been explored more deeply. I wish it had been slightly longer, which isn’t something I typically wish of fantasy books. I loved that this was a standalone story that wasn’t unnecessarily long or bloated, but I also just wanted more! Aside from being left wanting more, I thoroughly enjoyed Darkfell. I can’t wait to see what Wright pens next!
You can purchase this book from: Amazon, Bookshop.org, Audible, Libro.fm, and Blackwell’s.