The Mortal Knight

by Michael Cronk

Jason Turner has taken one small step into the world of Immortals. Now, he’s about to take a giant leap.

Silvana’s family has been invited to a gala for the rich and powerful Immortal Houses that rule from the shadows. Silvana knows this is her chance to make allies and save her dying House from fading into ruin. But the Immortal world is a ruthless, cutthroat society that preys on the naïve and gullible. Her family is weak, and the vampires smell blood in the water.

Things take a turn for the worse when the gala comes under attack and a wealthy wizard is killed. Who or what is responsible? And why? Jason puts himself on the case and begins his search for the murderer.

But Jason is only a mortal knight, bumping shoulders with wizards, vampires, and other folk of the Immortal Imperium. He must solve this crime quickly and in secret, before he draws the wrong kind of attention. His investigation risks bringing down the wrath of the High Kings themselves…

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Mystery, Fiction

446 pages, Paperback

First published January 8, 2025

Reviews

[Jonathan Koan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A shorter review this time because my thoughts on this book are largely the same as for Book #1 in the series. The plot and worldbuilding and easy writing style are very entertaining and engaging. However, the worldview is even on stronger display here, and it is frustrating reading a book where the main character (and the author) keep trying to out-woke themselves in the writing.

7 out of 10.

[Zéro Janvier · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Mortal Knight est le deuxième tome des Immortal Investigations, la saga d’urban fantasy de l’auteur australien Michael Cronk, également connu pour sa chaîne YouTube The Book Guy. J’ai contribué au financement participatif des trois premiers tomes et je poursuis ma lecture après le premier roman qui m’avait beaucoup plu.

Jason Turner has taken one small step into the world of Immortals. Now, he’s about to take a giant leap.

Silvana’s family has been invited to a gala for the rich and powerful Immortal Houses that rule from the shadows. Silvana knows this is her chance to make allies and save her dying House from fading into ruin. But the Immortal world is a ruthless, cutthroat society that preys on the naïve and gullible. Her family is weak, and the vampires smell blood in the water.

Things take a turn for the worse when the gala comes under attack and a wealthy wizard is killed. Who or what is responsible? And why? Jason puts himself on the case and begins his search for the murderer.

But Jason is only a mortal knight, bumping shoulders with wizards, vampires, and other folk of the Immortal Imperium. He must solve this crime quickly and in secret, before he draws the wrong kind of attention. His investigation risks bringing down the wrath of the High Kings themselves…

L’avantage du deuxième tome d’une saga, c’est que l’on connait déjà l’univers et les personnages principaux. Cela permet de plonger plus vite dans le récit, mais cela autorise également l’auteur à enrichir et développer son univers. Michael Cronk le fait parfaitement dans ce roman : il s’appuie sur les fondations qu’il a bâties dans le premier tome pour ajouter de la complexité, approfondir ses intrigues, enrichir les forces en présence, et faire monter les enjeux.

Cela fonctionne parfaitement et j’ai pris beaucoup de plaisir à lire ce roman. L’enquête est plus intéressante que la précédente. Les personnages sont toujours aussi attachants, peut-être même plus car on les découvre de plus en plus et les liens tissés entre eux s’affirment. Je dois d’ailleurs mentionner la relation entre Jason et Nicholas, qui est l’un des points très forts du roman.

Tous les mystères ne sont pas résolus, certaines questions nouvelles sont apparues, et tout cela donne très envie de découvrir la suite dans le troisième tome : A King in Waiting, que je vais attaquer dans la foulée.

[Wouter K · Rating 5 out of 5]

As disclosure I'd like to preface this review with the fact that I received an ARC for proofreading and am a big fan of Michael Cronk's YT content as well as his first book. That being said, if you liked book 1 you are going to love book 2.

In every sense it is a step up, in the story, in the stakes and in the world building. Also in its genre (whodunnit) it is clear that the author's craft has further improved from book 1. I love how the relationships develop, the roughness but trueness of the police department internal interactions, the dynamics between Jason, Silvana and Freddie, the intrigue in the immortal world. I think they are all great strengths of this book.

I love how this series emphasizes healthy coping, healthy relationships and implements representation of mental health and sexuality/gender in a very natural way. Furthermore I love how the author does not shy away from morality, geopolitical themes and even makes them an integral part to the story of the immortal world and our protagonists.

In short, I hope you read this book and love it as much as I did.

[Florent Michel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Mortal Knight is the second instalment in Michael Cronk's Immortal Investigations series, a captivating blend of Urban Fantasy, Romance, and Mystery. The first book, The Immortal Investigation, introduced the world of Immortals through the eyes of Jason, a young policeman from Plymouth, England, whom we followed as he discovered while dating Silvana, a vampire, that there is more to tales and legends than he ever imagined. I thoroughly enjoyed this first book for its focus on mental health and diversity, relatable characters, and a fascinating world-building that combines elements from different genres to create something unique. My expectations for the second book were thus very high.

And I was not disappointed: The Mortal Knight is, in every respect, even better than its prequel. It was a pleasure to meet Jason, Silvana, and other characters again—and to get acquainted with a host of new ones. I also appreciated the fact that characters from the first book are briefly described the first time they appear, saving me from having to find their previous descriptions if I was unsure of the mental image I had of them. That is the kind of details that can genuinely improve the reading experience.

The blossoming relationship between Silvana and Jason is a real pleasure to follow. The tenderness, respect, and love they have for each other made my heart skip a beat every time they meet. Setting this second novel six months after the first allows Cronk to explore a critical phase, yet often overlooked (especially, maybe, in Fantasy), of any love story: the time when novelty fades, illusions shatter, and one starts to see in each other some of the imperfections once hidden under the veil of passion. A phase when the bond between lovers either shrivels, if they come to realise there was nothing more than fleeting passion or that they only liked a false image of each other, or gets stronger if each can accept the other for who they are, even when it does not match the image they had of them. Cronk admirably illustrates how mutual respect and support, both in happy moments and through challenges, can help emerge from them with renewed mutual understanding and start to really see each other as unique among the billions human beings. Even the few sex scenes between Jason and Silvana, which I found a less engaging distraction from the story progression in the previous novel, add real value to the plot by emphasising their deepening connection. Their unwavering support, respect, and attempt to understand each other, accepting their own imperfections, weaknesses, and uncertainties as well as each other's flaws to better overcome them together, offer a fantastic example for many of us. I would even go so far as saying it showed me a way to becoming a better person: several instances of characters reflecting on their emotions and behaviour prompted me to consider similar situations in my own life and how I could have handled them better. I also like how Silvana's supernatural powers highlight the deep connection between them, such as when she senses his accelerated heartbeat.

The only (minor) issue I have is the lack of slow, tender moments between them. The scenes when they talk things away or connect in another way provide welcome moments of peace, but they often take place amid, or are cut short by, other story developments which tend to take precedence. This is not necessarily an issue per se—on the contrary, it allows the story to keep its pace. But I would have liked to see a few scenes where they can give each other their full attention.

Other characters also shine with their distinct personalities and the diverse perspectives they provide. The dynamics between Jason and his colleagues, already enjoyable in The Immortal Investigation, here gains further depth, striking a good balance between friendly banter and more serious exchanges. And learning more about Silvana's family's past reveals shows more nuances and consistency than was apparent in the first book, making even Emberline somewhat relatable.

The world of the Immortals, already fascinating in the first instalment, gains an impressive amount of depth. I found particularly interesting how it mirrors and magnifies issues of our own societies. Discovering more of it through the eyes of Jason and Silvana as their relationship evolves was incredibly engaging. We are given much more information on how Immortal societies are organised and how magic works, both of which significantly heightened my interest for the world built by Michael Cronk. The author is clearly well-versed in various Fantasy genres, and manages to combine multiple, seemingly disparate, elements into a cohesive whole which requires surprisingly little effort from the reader to immerse themselves in. This is, of course, helped by the direct, simple yet effective writing style and the virtual absence of any ‘info dump’: everything we learn is directly connected to ongoing plot developments, so that learning about the world never feels like a chore.

Mental health is again a strong focus in this book, arguably handled even better than in the first one, which is no easy feat. Each of the main characters, and most of the secondary ones, grapples with some form of psychological scars or neurodivergence affecting how they interact with others. Cronk deftly illustrates that there is no single ‘right’ way to perceive the world, how individuals may experience similar events very differently, and the value of each step one takes toward understanding others' perspectives. More generally, I would say that developing characters with unique, realistic personalities is the greatest strength of Cronk's writing, lending a new dimension to all its other aspects—for any story becomes infinitely more engaging when they involve characters one truly cares for.

Particularly touching is Cronk's depiction of Jason's struggles against his insecurities. I could deeply relate to his pushing negative thoughts away and avoid being overwhelmed by them yet never managing to fully get rid of them. This is, I think, another important lesson to draw from this book: while breaking free from one's darker thoughts, from a tickle of jealousy to childhood trauma, takes time, efforts, and may leave lifelong scars, one can and must resist the urge to let them rule one's lives and interactions with others. Ultimately, we all are flawed beings who try to hide, some better than others, deep and shallow emotional cuts. Michael Cronk admirably argues, through characters who accept and live with these imperfections, that we are all nonetheless worthy of love, happiness, and respect.

As in The Immortal Investigation, the mystery aspect is not as prominent as the other main elements. While ubiquitous—we spend most of the book wondering what really happened in its first third—its resolution is driven by the story rather than the other way around. I did not find this to be a weakness, though. Exploring the world of Immortals, the evolving relationship between Jason and Silvana, and the powerful messages about mental health are compelling enough that the investigation does not need to carry the weight of the plot as it does in, say, a novel by Agatha Christie. It does show interesting ideas, though. I would be very interested in reading a future novel set in the same universe that leans more heavily on the mystery side; perhaps some of the next books in the series, building on the foundations laid out by the first two (or three), will be able to give it a more prominent place.

The writing shows a notable improvement. While a few repetitive sentence structures persist, I found them less noticeable than in the first book. The most prominent one ‘[short sentence between quotes], [synonym of ‘said’] [character name]’, appears frequently at the start of the novel; but I recognize it is difficult to avoid when describing discussions between multiple characters. There is enough variation that this repeated structure is not too jarring, and interactions between characters are interesting enough that I did not find it annoying. There are also a few instances of words being used repeatedly within a few paragraphs; but they are relatively rare. Moreover, I hardly noticed these issues at all after the first third of the book, either because the writing improves or because I simply became accustomed to them. In any case, they did not noticeably diminish my enjoyement.

Pacing is also significantly improved. Gone are the slightly awkward opening chapters; I was hooked from the first line and eager to learn what happens next. The book also features several breathtaking action scenes worthy of the best Marvel or DCU movies but with far more relatable characters. These were already one of the main strengths of the first book, and they gain in variations, stakes, and interest in the second instalment.

While The Immortal Investigation worked well as a stand-alone, The Mortal Knight feels more like one part of a larger narrative. Several important plot points are left unresolved, presumably to be picked up in the next book. This dynamics works very well: the self-contained nature of the first book provides a strong foundation upon which subsequent instalments, freed to let story elements unfold across multiple volumes, can build upon to reveal deeper world and characters.

As I did for the first book, I should mention some content warning as a few scenes may be distressing for potential readers: death, violence (mild), blood (mild; I have a strong blood phobia yet only one scene made me feel slightly uncomfortable), explicit sex (mild), sexual assault (moderate; one scene can be difficult even for readers who have not experienced it personally).

In conclusion, if you liked The Immortal Investigation you will probably enjoy The Mortal Knight even more. I would also strongly recommend this series to any fan of Urban Fantasy or any Fantasy reader looking for a modern take on character building, with the aforementioned content warnings as the only reservation.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again, such a masterful mix of urban fantasy, romance and mystery. This series has something for everyone!

This second book introduces us to the power structures and politics of the Immortals, and gives us a fun alternate world history. It is also very critical of the rich and powerful: how easy it is for them to commit any crime they want with no way to get justice. The way that magic works is quite fascinating. An absolutely unwavering belief is required, which then explains the importance of religion throughout history.

There is also great representation, namely characters that are queer, neurodivergent, and of colour. As a cis white woman I obviously can’t vouch for how accurate this representation is, but I felt it was done quite accurately and respectfully.

I did not feel like this sequel suffered from second book syndrome, quite the contrary! I found it much more engaging and interesting than book 1. Now that the world is set and the basics are understood by the reader, we get to jump right into the action and intrigue. There was also excellent character development, not to mention some absolutely heart-wrenching twists and turns (iykyk) and good and varied action scenes.

I would say this book’s only fault is the presence of many small spelling mistakes; however, please don’t let this deter you from reading it! The quality of the story telling is otherwise excellent!

[Anonymous Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like almost everyone who is reading this trilogy at the moment, I purchased The Immortal Investigations as a big fan of Michael Cronk's YouTube channel, where he reviews famous book series. As such, I think there's no author who would appreciate an in-depth review of their book as much as Cronk would for The Mortal Knight. In other words, I have a lot to say.

Let's begin with the positives.
The greatest thing about this book, hands down, is the world building. The decision to place Silvana and her family in a gala setting (at the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, because Cronk understands the importance of a good setting) to kick off the events of this story is pure genius. We're able to see immortal houses from all over the world, and I thought it was a brilliant way to deliver exposition and build out this universe. The new characters in this book are all excellent, from Edward the alchemist to the Yamatos and the Glucksburgs, and Freddie too, since he may as well be a new book 2 character as well.

Another positive I have is the ending. Cronk takes a page out of Sanderson's book and builds up so many different storylines that all crescendo into a brilliant final act. I especially liked the Kader subplot being resolved and I ESPECIALLY liked the Nicholas twist. That's the part of this book that will stick with me the most. It was such an impressively-written scene where you can truly understand both sides of the argument. It's going to be hard for anything in this series to top that scene, in my opinion. And the fact that the book's title, The Mortal Knight, could refer to any number of characters (as a lover of tragedies, I'm going to choose to believe that it isn't Jason or Mikeru, but Nicholas instead) is just a stroke of brilliance.

I've given this five stars for those reasons alone - the characters, the settings, how the world has expanded, and how the ending ties up everything so exceptionally - but now I do want to highlight some issues I had, as I know that Cronk will read this and perhaps this can help him improve as a writer.

So the biggest problem I had was the middle 60% or so. Everything in the beginning is exceptional, I was fully invested in the gala and all of the conversations that took place there, and the aftermath of the explosion is my favorite of the three main action scenes that this book had. Then, as aforementioned, the final 15-20% of this novel is also explosive and great; everything from the revelation about the sun/son connection until the end. But, unfortunately, that leaves a good 250-300 pages where I lost a lot of interest. This was not something I experienced with the first book, which I read in two sittings. This book I read over a week, to put things into perspective (which isn't bad at all and still should indicate Cronk's skills as a pacer, but yeah, the first book was better in that regard). And so how could this have been avoided? Well, in hindsight, there are quite a few scenes that could be cut or shortened. The mortal investigation of the tax fraud is obviously crucial to the story, but it drags terribly when it's sandwiched by such epic scenes of action and intrigue. The apparition of Khadija, followed by the vigiles' entrance, followed by the Romanoff family fallout, was a really slow point where not much of note happened. The family drama with the Romanoffs is important, don't get me wrong, but couldn't the painting scene have been cut, or the training scene shortened? (in general I don't like training scenes, although maybe that's just me; I prefer character moments and would have loved to see the subsequent conversation about Silvana's past mixed into the training rather than being two separate chapters) Did the Reynold/Portia SA scene need to exist in this book, in the middle of this story? I'm not sure, as it really didn't contribute to much from this specific investigation. The massive wizard action scene in Swansea was a nice shot of momentum, but other than that I unfortunately struggled to get through the middle of the book. Which is hard for me to say because I hate to be negative, but this is all said with the hopes that Cronk reads this. And in the future, I love it when every scene leads into the next, where an event happens and then because of that the next event happens, and then because of that the next event happens, and so on. It doesn't need to be explosive action scene after explosive action scene; I simply love when a story could not be rearranged in any other way or it wouldn't make sense, like how the first Immortal Investigations was, and unlike this, in my opinion, where 6-10 scenes in the middle could've been put in any order and the story would still have worked.

In addition to my small gripe with the middle of the book's pacing, I have to call out something that I noticed and can't look past, which is why didn't Reynold kill Silvana and Jason? He killed an immortal and a knight for knowing his secrets, so why didn't he kill Silvana for the same reason (in addition to exposing his secrets to a bunch of other people)? It felt like plot armor for the sake of plot armor, which I know is an unfortunate side effect to series writing, where big threats need to stick around and major fights are sometimes pushed off to another day, but it simply bugged me that he didn't even offer a reason as to his thought process. For such an unhinged man, I have a hard time buying that he'd simply let Silvana and Jason survive at the end of this book with a warning.

Then last but not least, I noticed far more typos in this book than the first. There were somewhere around 60 if I had to guess, including some character names misspelled. I hate seeing typos because they take me out of an excellent story, and I wish that a proofreader would've caught that for Cronk, as it's not really the author's fault in my opinion. Hopefully future printings of these books could be re-edited to remove those spelling mistakes.

Oh and I was just about to wrap this up but I thought of one other thing - with the whole Kennedy and Sons/Yamato connection, would the timeline have worked where Hana and Mikeru would've been the two sons? (Like it's mentioned that they have English pseudonyms that were filed when the company was founded, but Mikeru is mortal and described to be middle-aged or young, so unless I'm mistaken [which is certainly possible], wouldn't he have been a boy or possibly not even born yet when the company was founded? I'm not sure).

Overall those are my thoughts, and in case they seem mixed or negative then let me reiterate that this is a 5/5 book for me, and I just had a few gripes that I wished to highlight for the author's sake. On the whole this series is excellent, excellent, excellent, and I am dying to read however many stories we'll be lucky enough to receive in this world. And, again, the Nicholas scene! Great work. Great book.

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just like the first book the action picks up and kinda doesn’t stop. Burned through the last 40% in the quickness. The adult scenes also always take me by surprise. I never expect them. I do also like how the mental struggles are in the forefront in this series. The puzzle aspect of how things get tied together is nice. I’m also enjoying the twists. Solid read. I’m both excited and slightly worried how things are going to play out in book 3.

[Neville Ridley-smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Positives:

Super easy to read. Fast moving.

The world expands to reveal more and more about this version of our world and how immortals fit in.
And you can tell Cronk is hitting his stride, having fun. It’s a book. Your special effects budget is unlimited, so swing for the fences.

There are some scenes that feel like they’re out of a marvel movie. Otherwise it’s a detective procedural. There’s been a murder, although it turns out to not be a typical murder and the main characters are trying to figure out who did it and the motives.

It’s really very well plotted.

There’s also quite a bit of family drama which is very well done.

One other thing, the book is written in third person limited pov, mostly from the perspectives of the two main protagonists, and that gives a great insight into what they’re thinking about each other and their insecurities. It’s a good writing choice.

Negatives:

Occasionally there’s a scene that’s an attempt to show something, like early on the main characters encounter a person with autism and one character shows another how to deal with a person with autism and it’s kind of nice and all but it felt like I was reading one of those kids books which is trying to teach a moral and hitting you over the head with it. The autistic character plays quite a large part throughout the book and apart from what I’ve just said, I think it’s handled pretty well.

And uh, there’s some spice. Like quite a bit and some of it pretty bad, not like as in bad writing, as in this is not a good thing happening to this character right now and I don’t really want to be reading this detailed account of this. So, yeah, not suitable for kids and quite frankly not something I want to read.

And there’s quite a bit of swearing. At first it was only in a few places and it was fairly appropriate but as the action ramps up towards the end there’s a whole boatload.

There are also queer characters in this if that’s your thing. It’s not a particularly important part of the book, it’s just a thing, although again, in one section again the author’s ideologies come through way too strongly.

So I think ultimately this is a 3 and a half for me but I think other people might give it a 4.

[ABBAS Aboubakr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid 4 stars.
Loved the wit and humor of the characters in the story, i wished Jason would ease out a bit on his political correctness sometimes.