Azrael’s life changed the night he lost his mother and sister to a raid led by a magic-wielding human called a Spectral. Now he’s a young man with a heart darkened by hate and a life’s mission to kill the erring Fire Spectral. Drexus, the kingdom’s army commander, then drafts him into an elite team of warriors trained to hunt down Spectrals.

Fueled by hate and anger, Azrael’s becomes the Angel of Death, the kingdom’s most ruthless assassin. In an experiment led by Drexus, Azrael receives Spectral magic and gets superhuman strength and speed. But this leads to unexpected side effects, and Azrael’s life changes again. The once cold-blooded killer begins to sympathize with Spectrals, but that’s a problem. Annoyed at Azrael’s newfound softness, Drexus kicks him out of his elite team and condemns him to prison. This leads the Angel of Death down a new path where he discovers shocking truths about reality and his identity.

Cassie Sanchez’s Chasing the Darkness is a superbly thrilling epic fantasy novel. The author takes readers through a world of hard-hitting sword and sorcery, cold-blooded warriors, and power-hungry maniacs. It’s a delightful mix of adventure and  fantasy.

If Chasing the Darkness had a pulse it would be beating rapidly. For an epic fantasy adventure with kinetic energy I was pleased to see this was also and emotionally charged story. Author Cassie Sanchez has the ability to keep the tension high with a consistently engaging plot that is colored with intriguing characters.

I loved Sanchez’s penchant for characters with colorful personalities. From the feisty to the smug, the sweet and noble to the cynical, irrespective of what your taste in story characters is, you’ll find one that’s endearing in this book.

Apart from the traits the book’s characters possess, I also enjoyed their evolution. For example, I liked how Azrael began his journey from the point of confidence and then nose-dived into an identity crisis before clawing his way to renewed purpose and meaning. It is a fascinating reflection of the typical hero’s journey but with a unique flare.

If you enjoyed stories like The Witcher or Assassin’s Creed then you will find plenty to enjoy in this suspenseful fantasy novel that keeps things much more clean but loses none of the intrigue.

Chasing the Darkness is an imaginative fantasy adventure story with a vibrant cast and a storyline that is relentlessly entertaining. A fast-paced sword and sorcery adventure that was hard to put down.

Pages: 280 | ISBN: 1631956094