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Mortalkind: On Death’s Door: An Epic Mythical Fantasy
The gods are all-knowing.
The gods are perfect.
The gods are in trouble.
At least one god is. ‘Former god,’ if you’re the sort to get hung up on the little details. Farrin, once God of Air, circus strongman, and flying-machine-filcher, is very good at making enemies. Volk, the King of the Gods, for one. Marxene, for another, baroness of a criminal empire.
And now Death. Just Death. Clutched in his bony fist is a list of the soon-to-be-departed, with Farrin’s name at the very top. Farrin would very much like to postpone that appointment.
With the help of Mara Marigold and Gristle the goblin, Farrin races the span of worlds to outpace the Reaper. The gorebears, magical contracts, bloodthirsty criminals, and pantheons of peeved-off gods are not helping matters. Can Farrin possibly escape his predestined end?
Death doubts it. Farrin would rather agree to disagree.
____________________
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The gods are perfect.
The gods are in trouble.
At least one god is. ‘Former god,’ if you’re the sort to get hung up on the little details. Farrin, once God of Air, circus strongman, and flying-machine-filcher, is very good at making enemies. Volk, the King of the Gods, for one. Marxene, for another, baroness of a criminal empire.
And now Death. Just Death. Clutched in his bony fist is a list of the soon-to-be-departed, with Farrin’s name at the very top. Farrin would very much like to postpone that appointment.
With the help of Mara Marigold and Gristle the goblin, Farrin races the span of worlds to outpace the Reaper. The gorebears, magical contracts, bloodthirsty criminals, and pantheons of peeved-off gods are not helping matters. Can Farrin possibly escape his predestined end?
Death doubts it. Farrin would rather agree to disagree.
____________________
Look out for more books! Join the Future House Publishing newsletter for updates on the latest sci-fi/fantasy releases.
425 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 13, 2024
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3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 20, 2024
Book Review: "Mortalkind: On Death's Door"
Rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2/5)
"Mortalkind: On Death’s Door" has an undeniably captivating premise—exploring the supernatural boundaries between life and death, and the existential questions that come with it. The story sets up some genuinely interesting conflicts, but instead of characters working through challenges, the plot repeatedly resolves itself through sheer luck or implausible coincidences. When the stakes seem high, an unlikely event, situation, or character conveniently appears to save the day, making it hard to stay invested in the tension or take the challenges seriously.
Additionally, the climax, which should have been the narrative peak of the book, falls flat. After all the buildup, the final confrontation with Marxene regarding the Eye of Ruin feels rushed and lacks the impact the story seemed to be heading toward.
While the themes of mortality, divinity, and fate had potential, the repetitive reliance on convenient solutions and the underwhelming ending made "Mortalkind: On Death’s Door" more frustrating than thought-provoking.
Rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2/5)
"Mortalkind: On Death’s Door" has an undeniably captivating premise—exploring the supernatural boundaries between life and death, and the existential questions that come with it. The story sets up some genuinely interesting conflicts, but instead of characters working through challenges, the plot repeatedly resolves itself through sheer luck or implausible coincidences. When the stakes seem high, an unlikely event, situation, or character conveniently appears to save the day, making it hard to stay invested in the tension or take the challenges seriously.
Additionally, the climax, which should have been the narrative peak of the book, falls flat. After all the buildup, the final confrontation with Marxene regarding the Eye of Ruin feels rushed and lacks the impact the story seemed to be heading toward.
While the themes of mortality, divinity, and fate had potential, the repetitive reliance on convenient solutions and the underwhelming ending made "Mortalkind: On Death’s Door" more frustrating than thought-provoking.
September 22, 2024
Title: On Death’s Door (Mortalkind #2)
Author: Alexander Harrington
Genre: YA/Fantasy
Synopsis: Farrin, Mara, and Gristle continue their journeys across worlds as Farrin must now face a ticking countdown to his inevitable, imminent demise if he cannot get the Eye of Ruin back to Maxine.
Rating: 7/10
Spoilers ahead!!
Strengths:
Harrington continues to execute incredibly evocative worldbuilding and atmospheric build-up that resulted in an incredibly immersive reading experience. This is most evident in Harrington’s talent for setting and mood description; he perfectly captures a precise moment and atmosphere for the reader’s pleasure, whether it’s eeriness, confusion, awe, etc.
I enjoyed Farrin’s character development and the way his relationships with Gristle and Mara progressed.
“It was because of him that Mara and Gristle had earned the enmity of Volk and Marxene. I won’t let anything happen to those two. With his power back, he could protect them” (53). I especially loved this line.
Death’s characterization was humorous and human, and I loved the interactions between him and Farrin.
I really enjoyed the last part and twist ending, the reveal of the door finally opening being so deliciously bittersweet.
Weaknesses:
Plot and character inconsistencies between On Death’s Door and the first Mortalkind novel stuck out to me.
Why was Farrin so surprised there was a god of death, or why wouldn’t he know that the Voltarim pantheon observed one? (Page 60). However, I will say that I liked the idea that Death was a universal god throughout the different realities.
Volk entrusted the task of killing Farrin to Malik; at this point, Volk recognized how all his previous emissaries had been failures. Why would he do this again when his fury is freshly renewed/doubled? I didn’t believe why Volk wouldn’t go after Farrin himself.
Corny dialogue and humor. Similar to the first installment, whenever celestial deities exclaimed “Oh, Us!” or when Death said, “I’m sick to Me of it!” Although I got used to this comedic quirk, I never liked it between either Mortalkind novels.
The beginning dragged in pacing considerably; by the fifty-page mark, Harrington was still establishing mostly exposition.
There was also an overabundance of McGuffin-esque plot devices such as the Striding Stone, mark, Azure Crystal, the Eye of Restoration, Spirits, etc. There were constantly more devices to keep track of, introduced with little to no context or build-up.
Final Thoughts:
I felt that Farrin truly shined as a protagonist in this novel, and we saw him at his best – courageous, sacrificial, heroic, and all while maintaining his same sarcastic, pompous charisma. However, On Death’s Door was a hard sell for me and ultimately difficult to progress through. Flaws from the first installment were exacerbated in its successor, as issues in pacing, plot organization, and logic were rampant.
Author: Alexander Harrington
Genre: YA/Fantasy
Synopsis: Farrin, Mara, and Gristle continue their journeys across worlds as Farrin must now face a ticking countdown to his inevitable, imminent demise if he cannot get the Eye of Ruin back to Maxine.
Rating: 7/10
Spoilers ahead!!
Strengths:
Harrington continues to execute incredibly evocative worldbuilding and atmospheric build-up that resulted in an incredibly immersive reading experience. This is most evident in Harrington’s talent for setting and mood description; he perfectly captures a precise moment and atmosphere for the reader’s pleasure, whether it’s eeriness, confusion, awe, etc.
I enjoyed Farrin’s character development and the way his relationships with Gristle and Mara progressed.
“It was because of him that Mara and Gristle had earned the enmity of Volk and Marxene. I won’t let anything happen to those two. With his power back, he could protect them” (53). I especially loved this line.
Death’s characterization was humorous and human, and I loved the interactions between him and Farrin.
I really enjoyed the last part and twist ending, the reveal of the door finally opening being so deliciously bittersweet.
Weaknesses:
Plot and character inconsistencies between On Death’s Door and the first Mortalkind novel stuck out to me.
Why was Farrin so surprised there was a god of death, or why wouldn’t he know that the Voltarim pantheon observed one? (Page 60). However, I will say that I liked the idea that Death was a universal god throughout the different realities.
Volk entrusted the task of killing Farrin to Malik; at this point, Volk recognized how all his previous emissaries had been failures. Why would he do this again when his fury is freshly renewed/doubled? I didn’t believe why Volk wouldn’t go after Farrin himself.
Corny dialogue and humor. Similar to the first installment, whenever celestial deities exclaimed “Oh, Us!” or when Death said, “I’m sick to Me of it!” Although I got used to this comedic quirk, I never liked it between either Mortalkind novels.
The beginning dragged in pacing considerably; by the fifty-page mark, Harrington was still establishing mostly exposition.
There was also an overabundance of McGuffin-esque plot devices such as the Striding Stone, mark, Azure Crystal, the Eye of Restoration, Spirits, etc. There were constantly more devices to keep track of, introduced with little to no context or build-up.
Final Thoughts:
I felt that Farrin truly shined as a protagonist in this novel, and we saw him at his best – courageous, sacrificial, heroic, and all while maintaining his same sarcastic, pompous charisma. However, On Death’s Door was a hard sell for me and ultimately difficult to progress through. Flaws from the first installment were exacerbated in its successor, as issues in pacing, plot organization, and logic were rampant.
September 20, 2024
More of a 3.5 ⭐️
Mortalkind: On Death’s Door was a great sequel. By the end, I felt satisfied.
Some positives:
- worldbuilding is phenomenal. It is immersive and creative. I liked learning about new aspects of the worlds, and how they coexist and connect.
- the storytelling sucked me in and kept my attention the entire time
- the characters are unique and easy to get attached to. I still loved Mara and Gristle, and Farrin grew on me more in this book. I also liked the addition of Hellsley but I want to get to know him even more in the future. Shoutout to Malik who I hated in the first book but came to enjoy his personality in this one.
- the plot was unexpected but it paid off in the best ways possible. I always wanted to know what would happen next.
Some negatives:
- I got a lot more secondhand embarrassment in this book then the previous. Farrin did some things that I could not wrap my head around. He’s still not the brightest, but I found it endearing sometimes.
- Too many times the main characters got out of a deadly situation by pure luck and coincidence (ie. the big wave of water saving Mara, Hellsley, and Farrin. And none of the goblins hearing the noise atop the dome and looking up despite the pauses in applause). It was too unrealistic at times.
- The gods were too insufferably dumb. In the first book, we saw a glimpse of their stupidity and naivety, but this book bumped it up another notch, and I was a little annoyed. (Sidenote: I related to Malik so much during this book. He was calling the gods out on their shit and I respect it).
- Finally, the Eye of Ruin being destroyed by Farrin so easily felt anticlimactic. I just wanted more dramatics than throwing it on the floor. It’s a powerful relic, and it turned to dust like sugar glass.
Overall, I really did enjoy this sequel. It was fun to revisit this world and these characters.
Mortalkind: On Death’s Door was a great sequel. By the end, I felt satisfied.
Some positives:
- worldbuilding is phenomenal. It is immersive and creative. I liked learning about new aspects of the worlds, and how they coexist and connect.
- the storytelling sucked me in and kept my attention the entire time
- the characters are unique and easy to get attached to. I still loved Mara and Gristle, and Farrin grew on me more in this book. I also liked the addition of Hellsley but I want to get to know him even more in the future. Shoutout to Malik who I hated in the first book but came to enjoy his personality in this one.
- the plot was unexpected but it paid off in the best ways possible. I always wanted to know what would happen next.
Some negatives:
- I got a lot more secondhand embarrassment in this book then the previous. Farrin did some things that I could not wrap my head around. He’s still not the brightest, but I found it endearing sometimes.
- Too many times the main characters got out of a deadly situation by pure luck and coincidence (ie. the big wave of water saving Mara, Hellsley, and Farrin. And none of the goblins hearing the noise atop the dome and looking up despite the pauses in applause). It was too unrealistic at times.
- The gods were too insufferably dumb. In the first book, we saw a glimpse of their stupidity and naivety, but this book bumped it up another notch, and I was a little annoyed. (Sidenote: I related to Malik so much during this book. He was calling the gods out on their shit and I respect it).
- Finally, the Eye of Ruin being destroyed by Farrin so easily felt anticlimactic. I just wanted more dramatics than throwing it on the floor. It’s a powerful relic, and it turned to dust like sugar glass.
Overall, I really did enjoy this sequel. It was fun to revisit this world and these characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
September 23, 2024Many say that the sequel is never as good as the first, but I think book 2 is actually better than the first. Farrin, Mara, and Gristle's story picks up only a few months later where we left them and they are trying to get back home, but they don't realize just how urgent it is for them to get back. Death waits for Farrin unless he finishes his business. On this journey back to Temporan, the crew must complete another heist, meet more higher beings, and, of course complete Farrin's unfinished business before its too late.
As you read this tale, more information about Gristle is revealed which provides a surprising background to his life. And it isn't what you would expect. Questions presented in book 1 are revealed here and friendships are forged and/or made stronger. New characters are introduced which allowed the story to move away from the "get-back-to-being-a-god" plot it had in the first, which is probably why I thought it was good. The new angle gave it new life rather than trying to revive what was finished. Of these characters, Death and the Spirits were probably my favorite as I read due to their wit strong descriptions.
In the end, there are some (obvious) plot twists, but the final scene may come as a shocker. The stubborn and selfish Farrin seems to have a change of heart towards his situation for the sake of his friends. But, what seems final isn't quite the end.
As you read this tale, more information about Gristle is revealed which provides a surprising background to his life. And it isn't what you would expect. Questions presented in book 1 are revealed here and friendships are forged and/or made stronger. New characters are introduced which allowed the story to move away from the "get-back-to-being-a-god" plot it had in the first, which is probably why I thought it was good. The new angle gave it new life rather than trying to revive what was finished. Of these characters, Death and the Spirits were probably my favorite as I read due to their wit strong descriptions.
In the end, there are some (obvious) plot twists, but the final scene may come as a shocker. The stubborn and selfish Farrin seems to have a change of heart towards his situation for the sake of his friends. But, what seems final isn't quite the end.
September 26, 2024
The second instillation of the Mortalkind series is even better than the first. There is more action, more intrigue, and interesting plot twists. Old characters come into play in new and unexpected ways, and the group is always getting into harrowing near-death experiences but working their way out through sheer cleverness and strength. Harrington takes us to new and exciting worlds and we learn more about Gristle, who was so mysterious in the first novel.
If you loved the heist from the last book, then you will enjoy this one as well. There is more scheming, more intrigue, and more sitting on the edge of your seat. Not only do our characters have to contend with the many loose ends from the first book, there are new troubles and enemies coming their way in this one. We also get to content with some really interesting themes about mortality, death, and fate. I honestly would have loved to see even more of that.
Harrington shows a lot of growth as a writer in this novel while still preserving his fun quippy style, and beautiful scenic descriptions. The occasional alternate perspective was a new but welcome change that really kept the story chugging along. It also gave the reader lots of information, while still making them wait to see what might happen next with a different character. Seeing all of Farrin’s character development in action was a real treat, especially at the very end! This was another fun read and I can’t wait to read the next book.
If you loved the heist from the last book, then you will enjoy this one as well. There is more scheming, more intrigue, and more sitting on the edge of your seat. Not only do our characters have to contend with the many loose ends from the first book, there are new troubles and enemies coming their way in this one. We also get to content with some really interesting themes about mortality, death, and fate. I honestly would have loved to see even more of that.
Harrington shows a lot of growth as a writer in this novel while still preserving his fun quippy style, and beautiful scenic descriptions. The occasional alternate perspective was a new but welcome change that really kept the story chugging along. It also gave the reader lots of information, while still making them wait to see what might happen next with a different character. Seeing all of Farrin’s character development in action was a real treat, especially at the very end! This was another fun read and I can’t wait to read the next book.
September 22, 2024
In this sequel, Harrington’s clear author’s voice and unique narrative style remain consistent as reflected in the first book, leaving the reader thoroughly engaged throughout. I particularly enjoyed his range of intriguing similes and metaphors that were aptly used.
I like the introduction of this piece, and how Death was being depicted, very much contrary to the stereotypical Death character that we are traditionally exposed to.
As someone who had a particular liking for Gristle since the first book, I really appreciated that the second book gave me more insight into the goblin’s past and family, which allows me to delve deeper into understanding his personality. All of which is depicted vividly to the reader without simply telling the series of events that shaped Gristle as a character.
While I appreciate the moments of tension and turns in the plot, the consistent pattern in which the characters always seem to get themselves out of trouble at the very last moment, most often by luck or some unplanned event, takes away some of the trepidation experienced by the reader especially as these moments become frequent. Moreover, this also waters down the abilities of the main characters as their heroism and powers don’t really shine through.
The ending was rather satisfying, and leaves me wanting to find out more.
I like the introduction of this piece, and how Death was being depicted, very much contrary to the stereotypical Death character that we are traditionally exposed to.
As someone who had a particular liking for Gristle since the first book, I really appreciated that the second book gave me more insight into the goblin’s past and family, which allows me to delve deeper into understanding his personality. All of which is depicted vividly to the reader without simply telling the series of events that shaped Gristle as a character.
While I appreciate the moments of tension and turns in the plot, the consistent pattern in which the characters always seem to get themselves out of trouble at the very last moment, most often by luck or some unplanned event, takes away some of the trepidation experienced by the reader especially as these moments become frequent. Moreover, this also waters down the abilities of the main characters as their heroism and powers don’t really shine through.
The ending was rather satisfying, and leaves me wanting to find out more.
September 22, 2024
The second book in the Mortalkind series picks up almost exactly where the first book leaves off: watching as our characters Farrin, Mara, and Gristle attempt to return to Temporan after being unexpectedly transported to an unknown world in a mad dash away from the wrath of the gods.
The action begins almost immediately, captivating the reader throughout, and the addition of the Death character (god? concept?) brings mystery and suspense as readers wait with bated breath to discover whether Farrin, the former God of Air, is able to escape his “imminent” demise.
While the finale of the book was a bit lackluster, the cliffhanger grabs readers interest and forces them to question “what could possibly happen now?” Overall a good and easy read for students and teens!
The action begins almost immediately, captivating the reader throughout, and the addition of the Death character (god? concept?) brings mystery and suspense as readers wait with bated breath to discover whether Farrin, the former God of Air, is able to escape his “imminent” demise.
While the finale of the book was a bit lackluster, the cliffhanger grabs readers interest and forces them to question “what could possibly happen now?” Overall a good and easy read for students and teens!
September 23, 2024
This book was well written, and was surprised at the growth that Harrington had from the first book of the series. I loved the pacing of the book, the detailed description of every scene - it helped me visual the present moment as it was occuring. However, because it was so detailed, there are a lot of unnecessary filler words that prolong the chapters and the storyline - almost making me want to skip ahead. The character development was great, and felt like Farin had a lot more growth since the first series of "Mortalkind." I would definitely recommend reading this if you are a big fantasy lover!
September 21, 2024
'Mortalkind: On Death's Door" is a great sequel that lives up to the first entry in the series.
Although the story may not be groundbreaking and fate seems to twist around the characters too conveniently at times, it avoids falling into the common pitfalls that often curse sequels and expands the world into a new, exciting adventure.
If nothing else can be said of this book, it offers entertaining characters and fun worldbuilding to get lost in for a while. If you liked the first book in the series, you will enjoy this one.
Although the story may not be groundbreaking and fate seems to twist around the characters too conveniently at times, it avoids falling into the common pitfalls that often curse sequels and expands the world into a new, exciting adventure.
If nothing else can be said of this book, it offers entertaining characters and fun worldbuilding to get lost in for a while. If you liked the first book in the series, you will enjoy this one.
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September 23, 2024This sequel picks up where the first book stopped, and we’re almost immediately thrown into action. The same characters from the first are present which I liked because we got to see them again. There were also additional characters which I liked to get to know. As always, the writing and world building was easy to follow and kept me immersed in the book. However, I felt as though a lot of “luck” resolved a lot of the challenges which makes it difficult to stay within the tension the author creates. Definitely recommend reading if you liked the first book.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews