“Fear isn’t the enemy. Hiding from it is. Every time I do something that scares me, I win a little piece of myself back. Every act of courage, no matter how small, is a victory against the darkness that wants to swallow us whole.”

Eddy Rose is the prose QUEEN. I absolutely love the way she weaves her fictional worlds, and her tone almost leans gothic with rich atmospheric detail, slow, intentional beats, and commentary that borders on pure poetry. A Taste of Rhythm and Courage follows Lion, a beast and undefeated gladiator, as he explores his love for Saradra, a flame-haired freeborn slave who he fears will be taken away as soon as she conceives. Their world is complicated and layered, a place where carnage and cruelty are viewed as entertainment and commonplace necessities, and I find it absolutely fascinating how the author threads such vivid personalities into it.

As an added bonus, this short story comes with a preview of Lion of Zarall, which is an absolute must-read! This easy, breezy read is big on emotion and rich in storytelling, and it’s definitely recommended both as a standalone and as a companion read to the A Twilight of Blood series.

Read if you love: Gladiators, Deep Worldbuilding, Elegant Fantasy

The post Indie Book Spotlight: A Taste of Rhythm and Courage by Eddy Rose first appeared on Nikki Elizabeth.