What do you think?
War Eternal #1
The Crimson Night
Not yet published
Expected 2 Oct 26They are no longer silent.
When goblins raid the Elven island of Liora and vanish with every child, Matthew Peregryn sails after them with a pirate crew. A storm tears them apart–and he washes ashore in the foreign kingdom of Eldoria, alone.
But something is hunting him. A black dog.
In Eldoria, Princess Aurora stands on the edge of a kingdom unraveling. Her parents vanish without explanation. Her future is bound to a throne she never chose. And across the land, people disappear as war gathers in the Noradic Mountains.
Beneath it all, something ancient is awakening–and it may already be too late.
When goblins raid the Elven island of Liora and vanish with every child, Matthew Peregryn sails after them with a pirate crew. A storm tears them apart–and he washes ashore in the foreign kingdom of Eldoria, alone.
But something is hunting him. A black dog.
In Eldoria, Princess Aurora stands on the edge of a kingdom unraveling. Her parents vanish without explanation. Her future is bound to a throne she never chose. And across the land, people disappear as war gathers in the Noradic Mountains.
Beneath it all, something ancient is awakening–and it may already be too late.
536 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication October 16, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 21, 2026
I received this book as an ARC book from the author. I went into this book knowing very little only seeing T.M. Mercer’s Tiktoks teasing the book. I received this in the middle of reading two other series, one of which being the Stormlight Archive. This book did not disappoint and held its own especially for a debut work of T.M. Mercer.
The brutality and darkness is reminiscent of Berserk. Matthew is thrown into this conflict head first on his journey to save his siblings all while being marked by the demons of the world.
I can’t wait for the second installment in the War Eternal series and highly recommend this book to all readers. 4.5 stars
The brutality and darkness is reminiscent of Berserk. Matthew is thrown into this conflict head first on his journey to save his siblings all while being marked by the demons of the world.
I can’t wait for the second installment in the War Eternal series and highly recommend this book to all readers. 4.5 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Author
So I received this book as an ARC reader and I'm gonna be brutally honest. I went in with mixed feelings. I thought the book looked interesting and the concept peaked my interests on TikTok. So I thought I'd try this author out. I understand that debut fantasy novels can have pretty weak starts sometimes. Especially coming from Indie authors in the self publishing world. I have had some bad experiences already. Or their book is just not there yet. But this book, and I genuinely mean this. Is actually good. Very good. Not my personal favorite boo I have read, but woah. This was an impressive debut. And very ambitious.
Now I am about to jump into spoilers about the book below. So if you are not interested in having this narrative spoiled, do not keep reading. And for those who are reading, beware lol.
Now for those who are considering reading this book, you should be warned that this is not for young kids....AT ALL! This is a dark epic fantasy for adults, for sure. There are many disturbing moments especially with what the villains do...cough...cough...Torm. Which is the main antagonist for Mercer's story. But also with chapters 19 and 20 and at the end of the book with Aurora. Also, this is definitely a fast read actually. Even though it is on the longer sides for a debut, it is a fast story, at least it feels that way because of the different povs. The main two being Matthew and Aurora, with the black knight and Torm having their own povs, but not as much as the main two.
Now to give it to people short, is this book worth a read? Yes, 100%, it was very enjoyable and the world feels like it has been living before your opened the book which is a positive when reading, unlike other books like Fourth Wing and a lot of the other fantasy books coming out today that genuinely have no world building whatsoever. This world is ancient and I mean ancient. There is a lot of good fantasy here, and it is genuinely impressive with what the author did.
Especially the characters, the characters are very believable in this setting and aren't the cliche...HERO MUST RISE TO CHALLENGE AND BEAT THE DARK LORD! No. Definitely not this type of story. This is a narrative that I would say is very unpredictable with the directions it goes, which makes it a lot of fun to read. But it is dense. It is hard to sometimes to sit with the characters, because what they go through, specifically Matthew and the black knight in their chapters. But also Aurora towards the end of the book. Dang. Talk about depressing, Silvanus really gets the run for his money.
Now are there any criticisms I would have? Yes, obviously yes. I think with every fantasy there are problems. This story, moves fast. Sometimes I wished we had more time to explore more of the characters actually, tho we do have a lot of time to sit with them. In fact, towards the end, I think the narrative gets into some cliche stuff, regarding the Temple of Ek'sheera. And sometimes, a lot of the beginning and middle you are wondering when Matthew will have more agency. Then later you do get it. But I can see readers getting annoyed lol. Especially with Matthew being depressed, even tho it fits the setting. And I actually wished the beginning of Part 1 was much longer, I would have enjoyed spending more time with Elara and Finn and getting to know them more before the big kidnapping of chapter 2. Other than that, there weren't any other jarring things that shook me. Again, I just wish we were able to spend more time with the side characters. Especially Greg, that guy is a fun guy.
Now what I think this book does really well with--is the religious world side of things that Mercer is building towards with these characters. By the end of the book with the Arkilal that Torm starts, it is devastating, truly terrible in every way imaginable. This felt like Berserk not gonna lie, but with a twist. It was obviously to release the Nihilkins I believe they are called--into the world. But seeing Eldoria city, it is a blood bath, like lots of blood. Actually I think that would be criticism, there is a lot of blood, gore, and etc at the end, that you could feel overwhelmed or just numbing in all. But anyways. Choices I thought the characters would obviously make, never happened. And that is what made the book so gripping to read, because the characters kept doing things that fit them. Take Silvanus by the end for example. His whole goal throughout the book has been to finding Arameth. Then he is redirected by Bastion to kill Matthew, and then finds out Matthew is with Eb and Tina is captured by goblins like Matthew's siblings and then Silvanus blames Matthew for Eb's death. Which was hard to read for me personally. But now Silvanus wants Matthew to help him save Tina and then he will go after Arameth, because he does care for the girl, but he wants Arameth more. When Matthew and Silvanus are riding atop Sechera towards the Arkilal, Silvanus abandons Matthew because he senses Arameth. Which fits his character. There are many other character moments like these where the characters want something and will do something you think is smart like Matthew running away from Eldoria, until they fall into another trap and create problems. The characters just don't get a break.
So I would say, characters is a big one, and is always hard to do. People need to like your characters and where they are going. And I would not be surprised if everyone stated that Silvanus was there favorite character in this book. He was probably mine, especially because of some of his lines and motivations. Dude is ruthless.
But another thing that works well, is the mystery. I don't know what will happen next, sometimes Mercer foreshadows events like Matthew's murder in chapter 13, which eventually happens in chapter 18. It feels like a lot of the chapters are connected. But the religious war that is happening between the angels and demons is big and it seems to be more mysterious the more you read. And by the end of the book, you want book 2, because you want to see what happens to these characters and if Silvanus, Florencia and Matthew will be able to save the kids from Drearth. And what Aurora will do now, especially since she is in Noctenheim which is where Torm and his people were taken by Prince Kordas.
And also, one more thing. This book is weird, truly weird. In a good way tho. I mean for goodness sakes, the god creature is a whale. The angels have winged faces with eyes. There is a black dog that follows Matthew everywhere and many other things.
But overall, I would give this book a 5. It was fun, dark, engaging, action was tough. And just a good book to read. It isn't like reading Malazan where you are confused out of your mind for the next 20 chapters. This book was easy to follow and very enjoyable for those who are seeking dark epic fantasies.
Anyways, that's it.
Now I am about to jump into spoilers about the book below. So if you are not interested in having this narrative spoiled, do not keep reading. And for those who are reading, beware lol.
Now for those who are considering reading this book, you should be warned that this is not for young kids....AT ALL! This is a dark epic fantasy for adults, for sure. There are many disturbing moments especially with what the villains do...cough...cough...Torm. Which is the main antagonist for Mercer's story. But also with chapters 19 and 20 and at the end of the book with Aurora. Also, this is definitely a fast read actually. Even though it is on the longer sides for a debut, it is a fast story, at least it feels that way because of the different povs. The main two being Matthew and Aurora, with the black knight and Torm having their own povs, but not as much as the main two.
Now to give it to people short, is this book worth a read? Yes, 100%, it was very enjoyable and the world feels like it has been living before your opened the book which is a positive when reading, unlike other books like Fourth Wing and a lot of the other fantasy books coming out today that genuinely have no world building whatsoever. This world is ancient and I mean ancient. There is a lot of good fantasy here, and it is genuinely impressive with what the author did.
Especially the characters, the characters are very believable in this setting and aren't the cliche...HERO MUST RISE TO CHALLENGE AND BEAT THE DARK LORD! No. Definitely not this type of story. This is a narrative that I would say is very unpredictable with the directions it goes, which makes it a lot of fun to read. But it is dense. It is hard to sometimes to sit with the characters, because what they go through, specifically Matthew and the black knight in their chapters. But also Aurora towards the end of the book. Dang. Talk about depressing, Silvanus really gets the run for his money.
Now are there any criticisms I would have? Yes, obviously yes. I think with every fantasy there are problems. This story, moves fast. Sometimes I wished we had more time to explore more of the characters actually, tho we do have a lot of time to sit with them. In fact, towards the end, I think the narrative gets into some cliche stuff, regarding the Temple of Ek'sheera. And sometimes, a lot of the beginning and middle you are wondering when Matthew will have more agency. Then later you do get it. But I can see readers getting annoyed lol. Especially with Matthew being depressed, even tho it fits the setting. And I actually wished the beginning of Part 1 was much longer, I would have enjoyed spending more time with Elara and Finn and getting to know them more before the big kidnapping of chapter 2. Other than that, there weren't any other jarring things that shook me. Again, I just wish we were able to spend more time with the side characters. Especially Greg, that guy is a fun guy.
Now what I think this book does really well with--is the religious world side of things that Mercer is building towards with these characters. By the end of the book with the Arkilal that Torm starts, it is devastating, truly terrible in every way imaginable. This felt like Berserk not gonna lie, but with a twist. It was obviously to release the Nihilkins I believe they are called--into the world. But seeing Eldoria city, it is a blood bath, like lots of blood. Actually I think that would be criticism, there is a lot of blood, gore, and etc at the end, that you could feel overwhelmed or just numbing in all. But anyways. Choices I thought the characters would obviously make, never happened. And that is what made the book so gripping to read, because the characters kept doing things that fit them. Take Silvanus by the end for example. His whole goal throughout the book has been to finding Arameth. Then he is redirected by Bastion to kill Matthew, and then finds out Matthew is with Eb and Tina is captured by goblins like Matthew's siblings and then Silvanus blames Matthew for Eb's death. Which was hard to read for me personally. But now Silvanus wants Matthew to help him save Tina and then he will go after Arameth, because he does care for the girl, but he wants Arameth more. When Matthew and Silvanus are riding atop Sechera towards the Arkilal, Silvanus abandons Matthew because he senses Arameth. Which fits his character. There are many other character moments like these where the characters want something and will do something you think is smart like Matthew running away from Eldoria, until they fall into another trap and create problems. The characters just don't get a break.
So I would say, characters is a big one, and is always hard to do. People need to like your characters and where they are going. And I would not be surprised if everyone stated that Silvanus was there favorite character in this book. He was probably mine, especially because of some of his lines and motivations. Dude is ruthless.
But another thing that works well, is the mystery. I don't know what will happen next, sometimes Mercer foreshadows events like Matthew's murder in chapter 13, which eventually happens in chapter 18. It feels like a lot of the chapters are connected. But the religious war that is happening between the angels and demons is big and it seems to be more mysterious the more you read. And by the end of the book, you want book 2, because you want to see what happens to these characters and if Silvanus, Florencia and Matthew will be able to save the kids from Drearth. And what Aurora will do now, especially since she is in Noctenheim which is where Torm and his people were taken by Prince Kordas.
And also, one more thing. This book is weird, truly weird. In a good way tho. I mean for goodness sakes, the god creature is a whale. The angels have winged faces with eyes. There is a black dog that follows Matthew everywhere and many other things.
But overall, I would give this book a 5. It was fun, dark, engaging, action was tough. And just a good book to read. It isn't like reading Malazan where you are confused out of your mind for the next 20 chapters. This book was easy to follow and very enjoyable for those who are seeking dark epic fantasies.
Anyways, that's it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I haven’t finished this book yet, but it is already so hard to put down. You are thrown right into the heat of the plot, and Matthew is such an interesting character to follow. He is so innocent and easy to relate to, especially in the way he wants more out of life, but feels stuck where he is. When his siblings are taken from him, he leaves home and sets off on this incredible journey to save them, and you cannot help but root for him. He is also being haunted by something so dark and your heart just goes out to him.
I really love how much world building there is as well. The author has created so many unique races and creatures that it feels like they could only exist in this world or maybe in a video game or something. There are elves, goblins, magic, royals, and there is this one bird-like race in particular that honestly reminds me of the Rito from Zelda, which I thought was really cool. There seems to be a war brewing and it will be interesting to see who will go on what side and what races will be against each other.
I am really enjoying this so far and cannot wait to see how the characters develop and where the story leads. I already have a feeling this is going to be an emotional ending, and I’m excited to see how everything comes together. It also seems like this is just the beginning of a much bigger series, which makes me even more excited, but also makes me not want to finish the book because I know I will just be left wanting more and having to wait for the next one!
I really love how much world building there is as well. The author has created so many unique races and creatures that it feels like they could only exist in this world or maybe in a video game or something. There are elves, goblins, magic, royals, and there is this one bird-like race in particular that honestly reminds me of the Rito from Zelda, which I thought was really cool. There seems to be a war brewing and it will be interesting to see who will go on what side and what races will be against each other.
I am really enjoying this so far and cannot wait to see how the characters develop and where the story leads. I already have a feeling this is going to be an emotional ending, and I’m excited to see how everything comes together. It also seems like this is just the beginning of a much bigger series, which makes me even more excited, but also makes me not want to finish the book because I know I will just be left wanting more and having to wait for the next one!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Thanks to T.M. Mercer for the advanced copy.
This is such a great start to a dark, epic fantasy!
And I really mean it, this is DARK. Mercer doesn't shy away from the ugly side of fantasy.
I enjoyed all the different POVs and I liked seeing their different paths cross as they work their way towards their respective goals.
This story really does have something for everyone: revenge, goblins, magic, demons, court politics, dark rituals... I could just go on and on.
Fantasy fans need to check this one out!
This is such a great start to a dark, epic fantasy!
And I really mean it, this is DARK. Mercer doesn't shy away from the ugly side of fantasy.
I enjoyed all the different POVs and I liked seeing their different paths cross as they work their way towards their respective goals.
This story really does have something for everyone: revenge, goblins, magic, demons, court politics, dark rituals... I could just go on and on.
Fantasy fans need to check this one out!
Review of advance copy received from Author
The Crimson Night is an epic fantasy that feels a lot like a classic. I felt like I was reading a good D&D game in the best way possible. The characters felt real, flawed, and I loved them, even the villains.
Mercer does a fantastic job building a world that felt old lived in, old, and vibrant. The action was well written and the stakes were high. Overall this was a very well written story. I would rate it 4.5, but Goodreads doesn't do half stars.
Mercer does a fantastic job building a world that felt old lived in, old, and vibrant. The action was well written and the stakes were high. Overall this was a very well written story. I would rate it 4.5, but Goodreads doesn't do half stars.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I’m a slow reader, but this book had me hooked! Having a mix of suspense, romance, and action gives us readers a little bit of everything. I also love how the story foreshadows reality, even within a mystical world. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Matthew and Aurora’s storyline! 📖❤️
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews