Both Jasce’s mind and body are racked with pain. He is suffering in every way imaginable. He has been stripped of his powers, his mother is dead, and he is responsible for his father’s death. To rub salt in his wound, he has lost his memories. When he isn’t fighting through constant pain, he dreams of finding and defeating Drexus, the one person responsible for the shambles that is now his life. There is but one thing he needs to bring an end to Drexus once and for all–he needs the Creator Stone. But is Jasce willing to do what it takes to obtain it?

Conquering the Darkness, by Cassie Sanchez, is a multi-faceted fantasy that follows Jasce, a tormented soul, as he sets his sights on destroying the man who has stolen everything from him. Jasce is a masterfully drawn main character toward whom readers will immediately be drawn. From the first pages of Sanchez’s novel, his pain is almost palpable, and the desire to see him find happiness once and for all is overwhelming.

While Sanchez has gifted readers with a fantastic fantasy narrative, she has adeptly managed to create relatable characters whose angst and self-loathing bridge the reader/character divide. The relationship between Jasce and Princess Irina is filled with tension on multiple levels and will satisfy readers who require an element of drama and romance in their fantasy novels.

I have always been drawn to books and movies that tie in journals and diaries. There is something exceptional about an author who can construct the thoughts of a character who is only a memory to the characters we as readers actually meet in the text. The appearance of Amycus’s journal early in the text was a pleasant surprise, and I found myself looking forward to how Sanchez connects his words to Jasce’s developing storyline.

Conquering the Darkness, by Cassie Sanchez, is the ideal blend of engaging narrative and compelling exchanges between characters. At just over 400 pages, Sanchez’s book is lengthy but a quick read due to the fast-paced action and likability of the cast of characters. I don’t often find a book difficult to put down, but Conquering the Darkness is definitely one with which I struggled to settle on a good stopping place. I would love to see more from Sanchez’s fantastic collection of personalities. 

Pages: 410 | ASIN : B0CLLBG5N1