Charlie is abruptly assaulted on his way home from working the Pit by two members of the ruthless Pen gang. He is taken from the Karbher Quarter to the Skoto Gate where a brutal man known as Faulkner is waiting with nothing but a licentious smile and bad intentions. There is a score to settle and Faulkner is neither charitable nor forgiving. In Penumbra, a land protected from witchcraft by the Great Protector, most residents haven’t much more than the clothes on their backs and the protective collar encircling their necks. But Faulkner is willing to negotiate for what’s owed to him. The price? Charlie’s family. Though not family by birth, Charlie has found a measure of security with the kindly Granny June and a few plucky kids who have found a common home. He will do anything and endure everything to protect those he loves. Only time will tell if Charlie’s churlishness and arrogance will help him save his patchwork family or lead him toward more danger than he’s ever known.
The Dying Light is the arresting first volume in the Bloodwitch series, featuring an unyielding and grim fantasy world filled with torments at every turn. Nothing is easy for Charlie as is evidenced by his motley skin collage of bruises, scars and other reminders of the trouble he always manages to find. Emily Rooke provides an unflinching look at life lived from the bottom, always scraping by, always struggling to stay afloat. The mercilessly graphic nature of the story adds to the dire atmosphere in Penumbra, making for a dark fantasy like no other. Besides a continual string of captures and escapes, Charlie manages to make a few unlikely allies and uncover secrets about himself and the land of Penumbra. Rooke skillfully reveals exciting details about this tantalizing and unique world in tightly measured doses, leaving readers begging for every single morsel! If you enjoy a strong-willed protagonist with his back always against the wall, you’ll love getting to know Charlie and his fledgling clan in The Dying Light.
