Review: Children of Sorrow by Marc Keyner

An unexpected showing of family unity amidst palace intrigue and shadowy secrets, Children of Sorrow by Marc Keyner is a thrillingly dark and suspenseful continuation of the Tales of Ylliora series.

Dawson has spent a year trying to make a new life as a hauler down at the docks, scraping together coppers for honest work and keeping a watchful eye on his chosen community. However, given that his father is the Master of Spies in a city like Moncragh, Dawson can never fully escape the past, nor the wide array of deadly skills in which he was secretly schooled.

When Dawson is found alongside his father’s bloody corpse, marked by his theatric style of violence, all signs point to patricide, and Dawson must fight and flee to clear his name. Joining forces with his estranged siblings to flush out the villains behind this murderous frame-up, the trio soon realize that the questionable and cutthroat training from their father is also their best chance at survival.

As more bodies fall and witnesses disappear, the noose begins to tighten on Dawson and his crew, but their father’s death was just one piece of a more sinister plan to destabilize the entire realm. Fighting off agents hungry to take down a wanted man and racing against time to protect a kingdom that has turned against him, Dawson is reminded of the painfully high cost of honoring the warrior code, and serving the crown.

From destiny-heavy bloodlines and ancient dragons to shadow-dancing warriors and the timeless bond of brothers, this fantasy adventure is an entertaining and epic tale of sacrifice, love, and honor. Richly framed with interwoven plotlines and impressive in its emotional depth, this standalone novel is a masterclass in creating relatable stakes and earning investment from readers – even those new to the series.

The exploration of psychological trauma and its consequences is a delicate but prominent theme throughout the novel, with Dawson’s blackouts forming a critical and mysterious thread of the plot – his childhood experiences of carrying out decidedly mature deeds is a signifier for all wounds and weights that burden us from the past. This foundational character detail alone is enough to hook readers into the story, while the narrative’s attention to family dynamics, trust, and collective healing are affirming lessons beneath the story’s surface.

There are some details in the prose that might jar attentive readers out of Keyner’s well-crafted illusion of Ylliora, whether that is through inconsistent colloquialism in the language or real-world references that seem incongruent with a fantasy realm, e.g. a Vandyke mustache. Similarly, some of the dialogue and the occasional grumbled asides feel inauthentic, serving an expositional purpose within a scene, but not ringing with believability or character consistency. There are also some chapters that seem somewhat disjointed from the rest of the narrative, lacking grounding details that extend or maintain the flow of the story.

Despite these occasional issues with language and scene-crafting, this assassin-turned-savior tale is an addictive and immersive read, making for a strong standalone installment in this original series.