Scourge

Darkhurst #1

by Gail Z. Martin

Epic new fantasy from the best-selling author of The Summoner.

In a city beset by monsters, three brothers must find out who is controlling the abominations. The city-state of Ravenwood is wealthy, powerful, and corrupt. Merchant princes and guild masters wager fortunes to outmaneuver League rivals for the king's favor and advantageous trading terms. Lord Mayor Ellor Machison wields assassins, blood witches, and forbidden magic to assure that his powerful patrons get what they want, no matter the cost.

Corran, Rigan, and Kell Valmonde are guild undertakers, left to run their family's business when guards murdered their father and monsters killed their mother. Their grave magic enables them to help souls pass to the After and banish vengeful spirits. Rigan's magic is unusually strong and enables him to hear the confessions of the dead, the secrets that would otherwise be taken to the grave.

When the toll exacted by monsters and brutal guards hits close to home and ghosts expose the hidden sins of powerful men, Corran, Rigan, and Kell become targets in a deadly game and face a choice: obey the Guild, or fight back and risk everything.

Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Epic Fantasy, Ebooks

400 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 11, 2017

About the author

Gail Z. Martin discovered her passion for science fiction, fantasy and ghost stories in elementary school. The first story she wroteat age fivewas about a vampire. Her favorite TV show as a preschooler was Dark Shadows. At age 14, she decided to become a writer.

She enjoys attending science fiction/fantasy conventions, Renaissance fairs and living history sites. She is married and has three children, a Maltese and a golden retriever.

Gail Z. Martin is also Morgan Brice, which is her pen name for urban fantasy MM paranormal romance.

In addition to the online sites listed below, you can find me on
Facebook.com/Groups/MartinShadowAlliance
Facebook.com/Groups/WorldsOfMorganBrice
Twitter: @GailZMartin and @MorganBriceAuthor
YouTube: YouTube.com/c/GailZMartinAuthor
IG: @MorganBriceAuthorGail & Larry newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dd5XLj
Morgan Brice newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dy_8oL
BookBub for Morgan: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/morga...
Bookbub for Gail: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/gail-...
Amazon profile: https://www.amazon.com/Morgan-Brice/e...?
Amazon profile: https://www.amazon.com/Gail-Z-Martin/...
Pinterest (for Morgan and Gail) www.Pinterest.com/Gzmartin

Reviews

[Bookwraiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally reviewed at Bookwraiths.

Gail Z. Martin’s newest novel Scourge is a fantasy version of Supernatural. This story combining the familial relationship of brothers with monster hunting and more than a dash of political machinations and vile blood magic to craft yet another fine fantasy from this prolific writer. And while it does contain quite a bit of world building, it is sure to satisfy Martin’s fans and create more than a few new ones.

The linchpins of the tale are the Valmonde brothers; these three, young men having inherited the family business when their mother was horribly killed and their father died a mysterious death. Working as guild undertakers in the city-state of Ravenwood, Corran, Rigan, and Kell use rituals, religious ceremonies and more than a little magic to set the souls of the dead free and keep them from returning to the living as ghouls. But most of their time is spent arguing with one another, dealing with their personal issues, and desperately trying to make enough money to pay bribes to the city guard, yet still have enough left over to survive another day.

As for the brothers’ home city of Ravenwood, it isn’t exactly what it seems from outside its gilded gates. Certainly, it is a civilized land ruled by merchant princes, mayors, and powerful guilds, where the business of trade and the making of gold rules all, but even here there is a worsening plague of creatures terrorizing the citizens. Ghouls lurking in the shadows; other — even more foul — monsters springing up to maim and kill, while the city guard seemingly does nothing. All of which causes the Valmonde brothers to become embroiled in the dangerous business of monster hunting and forbidden magic.

Intertwined with our three brothers tale is the doings of the Lord Mayor Machison. This devious, power-hungry man about as despicable as one can get. His scheming, political maneuvering and callous use of power hiding a greater secret, one which involves trade and power, wealth and magic!

As always, the strength of Gail Z. Martin’s writing is her ability to craft likable main characters; people who draw you in and demand that you follow along with them through the story. The Valmonde brothers fitting this description perfectly. Corran, Rigan, and Kell very realistic people who have strengths and flaws, dreams and failures, which transform them into living, breathing people, whom a reader will learn to care for and desperate hope succeed.

The other highlight of the book is the different flavor of medieval society presented. Yes, it is still European in nature, but instead of the fairly pedestrian feudal monarchies of so many fantasy offerings, Scourge's world is ruled by merchant princes, revolves around trade pacts and includes powerful guilds with intricate politics involved in every facet of life. It is difficult for the author to set this all up, especially since it isn’t juicy stuff, but once Gail Z. Martin lays a firm foundation for this society in the first half of the book it really becomes very enjoyable experiencing something a bit different.

The only issue I had with Scourge was the length of the narrative. Many times the expositions on the world and its economic system seemed a bit too lengthy. This was more apparent during the Lord Mayor’s sections of the book than the Valmonde brothers, but it reared its head quite often. I completely understand why the author had to spend time explaining this unique city-state, its rulers, and the guilds, but I wish there had been a more organic, exciting way of handling it.

Undertakers. Guilds. Merchant princes. Monsters. Magic. And three brothers trying to live a normal life while caught up in the whole mess. Gail Z. Martin’s Scourge will entertain and excite readers, especially those who love stories driven by well developed main characters.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank them for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 2 out of 5]

Many thanks to Gail Z. Martin, Solaris Books, and Netgalley for the free copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

I'm going a bit off the beaten path. I'm not going to summarize the plot. I have so many composition issues I feel I must share that take precedent.
The story takes place in the village of Ravenwood, some sort of suburb of Darkhurst. This is the FOURTH fantasy book I've read in the past six months that has used the term Ravenwood to stand for something. It's a bit washed-up. Perhaps a change is in order? Why do some characters have ordinary names and some have the most thrown-together unpronounceable monikers possible? I can't even discover a root in most of them that declares they sprang from any etymological source. That goes for the gods, too. I find a little research makes the imagination more believable. A thick thesaurus is also something an author should keep on hand. I stopped counting how often the juvenile term "monster" was used, which led me to look it up in my thesaurus. There are numerous and possibly more appropriate alternatives-unless of course this book is geared toward twelve-year-olds. Also, "hunter" may need to be switched, too; otherwise one runs into such statements such as: hunters hunted or hunters were hunting. It has the potential to reach higher.
Enough about the vocabulary. How about the plot? Eighty-five percent of this book consists of repetition or contradiction. Personality traits change within just a few pages; timelines conflict, which leads to confusion and required rereading; the device of "the old woman" is worn out, as well as someone developing a fever no matter what strenuous activity or worrisome scenario has occurred, the use of abandoned buildings on a consistent basis, which always leads to disaster, and the phrase, "we've got to get out of here", which I also counted; events are discussed that clearly did not happen in the book, but the characters act like they totally did, so the reader is left wondering is this just an area that needs some polish, or is the author attempting to fill in blanks as she goes along to help move the story.
It's not until chapter thirty-nine (92% of the book) before any real plan is put into motion, and it takes all of six percent. So it's basically the end of the book-BAM. Not even much of a talking-down period. I was completely let down. I figured that after all I had suffered, at least I had an energized fight scene of two to look forward to, since most of the plot beforehand was superfluous and could easily be cut in exchange for a more well-developed denouement and the addition of the missing pieces.
A ton of editing is required to get this novel up to par. It has potential, but if it were published as is, I would not be interested in completing the series.

Summer Fantasy Fest read #15

[Atlas · Rating 1 out of 5]

Damn Aliyev and Gorog. Damn the Guilds. Damn Toloth and the Elder Gods, and damn Ravenwood. If I can't save myself, then I will burn and the world will be my pyre

*
1 / 5

It gives me no pleasure to say it, but Scourge was a tedious read. It was repetitive, I could barely differentiate between the three brothers, and I had very little emotional investment the whole way through. Whilst I did appreciate Martin's creativity with the monsters (the skin-burrowing ones really freaked me out), I wasn't a fan of Scourge.

Undertaking, like all the trades in Ravenwood, was a hereditary profession; that it came with its own magic held no surprise

At the heart of this book are the three Valmonde brothers: Corran, Rigan, and Kell. They are undertakers, which I thought was a really neat perspective; they prepare the bodies of the dead for the grave and the afterlife, sometimes taking extra coin for a good burial, sometimes to damn the soul of another to the void. To do their craft they utilise one of the few permitted forms of magic: grave magic, used to hear the confessions of the dead and banish the unruly spirits. Initially, I loved the brothers. Their vocation was original and their dynamic a breath of fresh air, but before long they began to fit into very precise archetypes.

Monsters returned time and again to Ravenwood, and when they did, tradesmen became hunters

Corran is the warrior, fighting monsters that roam the streets of Ravenwood, unchecked by the guards that do little more than terrorise the locals; Rigan is the mage, learning illegal magics from the witches of Below; Kell is the dutiful youngest brother, trying to keep the house together. Despite these different roles, they all have very similar personalities: quick to anger, swift to revenge, in love with a girl they can't have, and far too many brushes with death. I swear that after about the sixth time that Rigan has used too much magic and his life is "with the hands of the gods", I stopped caring. And we see so much repeated: Corran fights monsters illegally and worries that the guards will catch him, Rigan trains in magic illegally and worries that the guards will catch him, Kell cooks dinner and worries that the guards will catch his brothers. Yawn.

Plant the seeds, feed the rumours. Wanderers, witches, and monsters - it's a perfect storm

Ravenwood is ruled by the iron fist of Lord Mayor Machison, a thoroughly unpleasant man who tortures peasant men and sexually violates their wives. A real charmer. Ravenwood is a sort of city-state, part of a League of ten such cities who are always jostling for favourable treaties. The trade treaty for Ravenwood is coming up for renewal and the three Merchant Princes and the various Guilds are jostling (and stabbing each other) for favourable terms. The explanation of all of this is very long, strung-out, and technically and politically boring. There's lots of meetings, assassinations, and treatise talk, alongside the Valmonde brothers' plot-line, and it's terribly slow.

Scourge is a mix of genres and ideas: it's about monsters, brothers and family, magic and oppression, trading and politics. Martin has a creative mind and it really does show, but unfortunately I found Scourge to be very tedious to read. It could have been cut a great deal in length and not lost much, due to the repetitive nature of all the monster-hunting and magic-learning scenes.

My thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of this book.

Read this review and more on my blog: https://atlasrisingbooks.wordpress.co...

[Iryna KL · Rating 1 out of 5]

[Disclaimer: I received a free e-copy ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you to the publishers!]

1.5 Stars

The Scourge follows a story of three young brothers, undertakers, who live in Ravenwood - a town riddled with monsters, mystery, murder and magic. The three brothers are orphans, with their father killed in mysterious circumstance and their mother mauled by a monster. They do their best to survive the monsters, the city guards, make enough money to pay the bribes to stay safe, eat and live.

As the story progresses, we find out that Rigan, the middle brother, possess magic, passed down to him via his mother's bloodline (who was a Wanderer). Not only does he posses magic, but he is extremely strong and learns how to not only hear the confessions of the spirits, but also summon them and learn the truth about the monsters that plague Ravenwood. Meanwhile, Corran, eldest brother, get's into a lot of trouble with an the hunters - an illegal group who hunt the monsters. And Kell, the youngest, tries to fix everything. In addition to these three POVs we also have Machison - the mayor of the city who is plotting to gain more power and gives us the insight into why the monsters exist.

While I did not mind the bothers, with Kell being my favorite, I absolutely loathed Machison. His chapters read like an economics textbook of a feudal town somewhere in Italy in the 15th century. Not only was it extremely confusing, he kept on repeating what he thought every 3rd page - I get it - he has to walk a fine line or he will be killed, don't remind me in every paragraph! Also, all the names, the king, the princes, the merchant guilds, the bloodmages, assassins, guards - there is only so many characters I can keep straight (and I kept up in A Song of Ice and Fire!), this book made my head hurt with just names. And he is such a black and white character! No depth, no redeeming qualities, just pure evil. Why would I wanna read about a man like that? If you want to create a villain and make him have a POV - make him complex! Make him relatable in some ways so that I do not feel like I want to strangle him on every page!

And then there are the monsters. Okay, three to four different kinds of monsters are fine - this was an encyclopedia of monsters. Every single attack had a different monster. I mean really? Do we really need that many? Isn't it enough with all the names of the different people, now I have to know the names of different monsters too? And keep up with negotiations, the bribes, the economics and trading relationships? Oh and if an array of monsters isn't enough - let's throw in a vampire too!

The only redeemable character was Kell. He was sweet, kind, funny and caring, and then he died. After his death - I honestly did not care what happened in the book. I finished the novel only because I loathe DNFs. The only reason why I gave this book a 1.5 stars is because I actually liked Kell. I will not be picking up book two of this series. It felt like someone threw together everything they could think of and hoped for the best.

P.S. the book is 580 pages - not 400.

[Susana Zemlyakova · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scourge had an interesting premise that was almost lost in the incredibly slow execution. The story focuses on three brothers, undertakers, who prepare and send off the dead before they become vengeful spirits in addition to fighting the hordes of demons plaguing Ravenwood. From the get-go the plot reminded me a little of Supernatural and I kept drawing parallels between Rigan and Sam, Corran and Dean. Like Sam, Rigan is a quiet intellectual with powers inherited from his mother. He uncovers a community of gifted people like him after a horrible attack and joins them to learn how he can leverage his powers. As I alluded earlier, the beginning is very slow as Martin painstakingly builds the world of Ravenwood. The brothers grow on you, but my favorite by far is Kell. As the youngest, Kell does not have undertaker responsibilities but he still finds ways and courage to support his family. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the brothers, the antagonist, the malicious Lord Mayor is setting the hordes of demons on the town to enforce the centuries old Balance. Martin spends a few chapters describing his political machinations in addition to his cruelty to really make you loathe the man.

The story picks up about 60% of the way into the book as the hordes of demons cause turmoil and unrest in city. The death of one the characters hit me quiet hard and the battle after the fact had me captivated until the end. I was torn between 3 stars and 4 but unfortunately the writing just did not do it for me. As previous reviewers have pointed out, Martin frequently uses modern slang in her writing. This threw me off given the medieval, fantasy setting. I will probably still pick up the sequel but not high on my list.

I received an ARC curtesy of NetGalley and the publisher for an unbiased review. Big thank you to the publishers!

[Greg · Rating 2 out of 5]

The summary intrigued me, but in the end it fell short for me. The story moves rather slow, following a trio of undertaker brothers who are suddenly thrust into the world of witchery and monster fighting. Sounds intriguing, right? But the problem is, it's sandbagged by the politics of the antagonist and the almost repetitive feel of the battle sequences.

I don't understand why in the world of fantasy so many authors want to drone on in the politics. If I wanted fantasy politics, I'd just turn on CNN or Fox News. Here, the Lord Mayor is seeking to accept or improve his region's standing in the trade agreements, vying for slightly better terms and perhaps aligning himself with a new governmental partner. Yep, that's the basis of it all... a trade agreement, one that is renewed every ten years... thrilling as a tax percentage dispute of import trade negotiations between the USA and China. But this Lord Mayor will enlist the help of a blood witch to summon monsters to attack his own civilians in a wayward attempt to keep them under control through fear. Yes, he's fighting for the good of the town (and his own pockets) in trade negotiations for Ravenwood - (which would benefit everyone in the city if he succeeded, would it not?) - and is so concerned about the Guilds and people conspiring against him that he'll summon horrific creatures to kill them and allow the city guards to essentially operate with little to no limits on enforcement, meaning they can pretty much do as they damn well please to anyone. Beat, kill, rape, torture, burn homes, all a-okay. I still don't understand why. If he's trying to get the best deal possible, why in the hell would the people fight against him (except for the murderous guards and summoned monsters, of course)? But even so, it feels almost empty in this story. The Valmonde brothers have basically nothing to do with the politics, so all that trade negotiation talk is layered in for the reader's benefit, giving an overdose of motivation for the villain but doing basically nothing for the story itself. I mean, given the characters we're following in the story we could care less if the Leather Guild tax rate went up half a percent, or the Baker's Guild lost the rights to cupcakes. The two stories felt separated by miles, only crossing because the Mayor is playing with blood magic and killing civilians to somehow justify the trade contract. And yes, it's as exciting as that sounds.

As for the brothers and monsters, that was at least more interesting. But it suffered from an overwhelming feel of being stuck on repeat: they go out, they fight, they get injured, they heal up, and repeat. Sure, they were fighting different monsters each time, but the battle and outcome always felt about the same. The battles never really escalated, at least in a way that carried on and helped intensify the story. I never felt a growing sense of overwhelming odds, nor did it convey a populace growing frustrated with the continued attacks. In fact, it's only in the very end do we see any civilians fighting back (aside from the hunters). In the one time of political debate, the issue is brought up, but then quickly quashed by the Mayor's assassin/poison tactics and never heard again. The hunters are frustrated, yes, but there's only like ten of them that we meet, and in all the interactions with the civilians (which becomes less and less as the story moves forward) you never get the feel of a growing unrest. It all feels more like "a-day-in-the-life" type atmosphere.

And then, we get the deal between Rigan and Corran and the elder god. I really thought that moment was going to punch some life into the story, give it some guts and excitement, but instead the deal and gifts the god gives them are as murky as swamp water. Corran is given extra strength, which apparently means it just takes more bleeding for him to die. He doesn't have stronger muscles, better fighting skills, heightened senses, or quicker reactions. No, he just can bleed out a lot more than your average civilian. Rigan is given a magic boost to his powers, but again it seems more like adding a half shot of espresso to a pot of coffee. Sure, he's got a little more power, but nothing apparently substantial that I could tell. It was like having Bill Gates donate $1 to a charity. Sure it helps, but the overall impact feels diluted at best. This was an elder god who was gifting them power to be his "champions", yet it didn't feel it. I thought Corran would be fighting stronger or faster, especially considering that he was an undertaker by trade, not a talented swordsman by any means, but he wasn't really changed much at all. Same for Rigan. I thought he'd feel a substantial boost in his power, perhaps uncontrolled at first but surely something that spoke of the influence of an elder god, but no, apparently this elder god's idea of magic is akin to Houdini teaching a card trick.

The characters themselves felt a bit weak. Sure, the Lord Mayor is stereotypically driven by money and power, generic as a paper cup. There's nothing that really makes him stand out any more than a hundred other power hungry political figures. Sure, his tactics are brutal, but it seems that that is pretty much the standard in this world setting, the book hinting that pretty much anyone in power has blood witches working dark magic for them and that murder/assassinations are textbook political strategies. The sinister blood witch Blackholt could have been a really interesting character, but he's still sold as the evil henchman for the sake of being an evil henchman. Cardboard cutout of evil witch henchman, no defining characteristics to make him unique on his own. Not only that, but he's built up to be some sort of powerful witch sorcerer, yet the short battle in the end felt uninspired. No, Rigan didn't defeat him so much as just hold off his magic source (the souls of the dead) so someone else could come in for the kill. I thought Eschtamon's gifts would have come into play here, maybe a surprise surge of force, but no... just a trio of witches standing across from one another in what felt like having a staring contest. No superhuman battle of spells, no great summoning of a hell-spawned creature, no incredible telekinetic alchemy reshaping walls or hurtling mountains of stone or bolts of lightning or shafts of heavenly light... just them standing there mumbling their individual spells and counterspells. And then there's the emotional connection to the characters. It's hard to feel a connection for the heroes when most of what we experience, as far as emotional developments, are backstories. Jora is already dead, their parent are already dead, so the only developing event is the death of Kell. The moody brothers became a little more moody, but otherwise were the same solemn mopey characters we met in the beginning. No love interests really developed, no friendships were truly formed and/or challenged, nothing to help bring a character closer to the reader's heart. I just didn't feel a connection to them because it felt like no connections were attempted. Backstory doesn't connect the same way experiencing impactful events do. Kell's loss was sad, but honestly I just didn't feel the drive of it through Corran and Rigan. Yes, it was on their mind, but for some reason it didn't feel truly like a driving force, like they were compelled by it. Maybe it's just me, but I really didn't feel that power behind them.

Lastly, the "Balance". I still am not sure what they truly meant by this. It's never really explained, only in a general "well, some believe it's the equilibrium between good and evil, while the Mayor talks about it as the balance of blood in/blood out with using dark magic". There's never any indication as to what it truly is, or what would happen if the balance of dark magic is upset. The elder gods Toloth and Esthamon are playing some sort of game, but it's never really addressed at all. Perhaps you intended to dive further in future books, but without any hint of where it's going I'm afraid I'll be stopping at one rather than trusting the unseen void of future entries in the series. In the end, the heroes avenge their fallen family members, killing the sinister mayor and his foul witch, but because there wasn't a real sense of impending doom or high stakes, it's a shallow victory. What does it mean for our heroes? Oh, Ravenwood might get worse contract terms... oh no! The bad guards are still there, another sinister mayor will step in, and the circle of evil greed continues. The impact of their effort is minimal, truthfully, in the big picture. And maybe that's my problem, expecting a big picture change, but when everyone talks about the Balance and how you don't want to see what happens when it's not kept balanced, when elder gods make pledges to champions, when an evil witch is culling the population for blood sorcery, I guess I expected bigger things than a burned villa and a political seat change.

Overall, it just felt underwhelming. The gravity of the situation was too mired in political bickering, the fighting and elder god gifts were too mundane, for lack of a better word, and the ending didn't have as epic feeling as it should. "Scourge - Death and Taxes" is a medieval trade dispute with a mild dose of dungeons & dragons, albeit no dragons. Perhaps in a later tale, but I've had my fill of the contract politics. If I were wondering whether to invest in the Lumber Guild or to put my gold in the dyed wool trade of the local farmer's guild, I might read more, but for now I'll catch the rest of Ravenwood's tale should it be featured in the business summary of trade negotiations on CNN.

[Nichole · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Valmonde brothers are undertakers. Not only do they bury the dead, their rituals also prevent the spirits from coming back as ghosts, or worse, ghouls. I liked the idea for the book, and the brothers, but it just didn't come together for me. I received a copy from Net Galley.

[Esther · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I took a long time to review this book because the pace was so slow I had to stop in the middle.
I rarely go back to books I have paused but I was interested in the fate of the protagonists and how the story developed.
Imagine my annoyance when I get to the end and realise there is no proper ending because it’s the first in a series. Argh!!!!

Anyway the story is set in a medieval-style fantasy city where magic is performed using sigils and incantations. The citizens work hard by day and at night live in fear of both the demon-monsters that attack them and the guards who are supposed to protect them.

Up in the castle corrupt rulers are devising evil plans using the hard-working citizens as fodder for their secret magic.
Normally I complain when the villains are two-dimensional but here they and their political machinations were just given too many words. They are rich, powerful and willing to use evil means to stay that way. I didn’t need much more than that.

The story centres around three brothers who work as undertakers using magic that is standard for their trade. But in their spare time the older brothers, Rigan and Corran, leave their home to develop their recently-discovered skills while the youngest Kell stays home, keeping house and taking care of his brother when they (oh so frequently) return home battered and bruised from their adventures. After awhile it gets a bit boring when the brothers are constantly beaten until near death but then miraculously saved.
There are female characters in this book but they are compressed into love interests and are barely two-dimensional at that.

I decided to finish this book because there is a good story hidden in the text of this book but it is surrounded by so much repetition and info dumping, that while there were entertaining episodes I couldn't really enjoy it as a whole.

[Dang · Rating 1 out of 5]

[This is a review of an ARC via NetGalley. I strove to be honest and earnest.]

I'll admit, I originally outlined a very short and curt disappointment-flavored review while trying to get through the first two chapters. Reading the summaries on both NetGalley and on Goodreads hyped me up a lot--rival guilds! merchant princes! blood witches! or also known as, in my opinion, some of the coolest ideas in fantasy?--but the first two chapters pretty much knocked down of that initial excitement, and while my interest did pick back up afterwards, it never went back near that height, and kind of fell back down after a dozen or so chapters.

Put simply, unlike my expectation--said expectation being a cool, fast-paced cross between Dragon Age and Assassin's Creed involving a lot of character interaction and intrigue The Novel--what was gotten was...well, A LOT of telling, not showing. It didn't help that the greatest dedication in the first two chapters went into detailing monster battles, which I did NOT give a gosh darn about without actually caring about the characters.

But--

I'll admit again, I can be pretty brutal when it comes to disappointment, and the very beginning's cliche "help a ghost pass on" opener and unending exposition strained the already minimal patience I have with life pretty bad. Not to mention, while I did first think of a smashing together of the above video games, I imagined something involving subtle between-the-lines intrigue still, and not literal quest-to-quest jumps, as if the audience is reading a video game script instead of playing it (realize monsters are getting violent at point A, somehow in the midst of Shenanigans get to point B where a ghost Who Knows More Than You tells you [not a direct quote from this book] "Dude, there's someone controlling these monsters, do something bruh," transition to a cutscene in which Rigan accidentally [SPOILER], etc. etc.). To be very honest, I started reading without remembering the premise of the book, and the first chapter did not remind me; until Chapter 2 and beyond started brushing up the world more (full of ghosts and ghouls, with the brothers living in a low fantasy city-state) I thought to myself, "oh, I guess it's a modern urban fantasy?" It's not.

However, the three main characters going from cardboard cut-outs to slowly coming to life from Chapter 3 and on gave me pause for a bit. I'm a sucker for close familial bonds, be it siblings having each other's backs, Found Family, what have you, and that was one of the reasons I jumped to read the book.

And while I can't say it leapt from 1 to 100 between Chapter One/Two and Chapter 5, it did improve some, with the dialogue between the brothers and their personal musings giving us a better feel into their mindsets and relationships with each other, and with others around their city-state. Some early moments even made me go "aw."

Even after it starts reading less like a video game outline and more like a (very) standard low fantasy fare from Chapter 3 on, though, it still unfortunately has a BIG problem of telling, not showing. Maybe because of that--because it's more the idea of a "video game plotline" than expected intrigue--despite some really cool concepts (rival guilds! merchant princes! blood witches!), it doesn't stand out, and feels mostly generic.

Lastly, and the thing that knocked down the score that low for me: women mainly seemed to feature when mentioned as lost loves or crushes or tragedies, and did A LOT of the suffering from cruelty or dying, but we don't get to experience anything from their viewpoint. Sure, the boys observe a few women kicking butt later, but it's like if ASOIAF had no main female POV characters--if that had been the case, the women would've come off as simply sacrifices without a voice of their own (and considering Arya's depersonalized viewpoint as she experiences the commoners' world due to PTSD, even in ASOIAF the common folk's perspective, especially women, kind of come off that way, but I digress). I'd like to have known more about Polly from her POV, for example.

TL;DR it's very messy. Chapter 1 and 2 are very dry, and while the story picks up afterwards, it's littered with exposition, and it always bothers the h*ll out of me when I have to read and see girls' and women's sacrifices without particularly getting to see through girls' or women's eyes.

[Paul Metheney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine the TV show 'Supernatural' mated with 'The Game of Thrones'. Don't work too hard at it. Just read Scourge by Gail Z. Martin. It feels medieval, but could be some far-off, dystopian future. And frankly, it doesn't matter to me which it is. It is definitely epic fantasy. And some of its best.

Three brothers inherit the family business (so far so good), in this case, undertakers, who battle ghosts, monsters and other demons. Part of their tasks are to summon the spirits, hear their confessions, and then send them to The After, using iron, salt, wards, & other semi-magical methods. The brothers hunt monsters nearly as much as they quarrel amongst themselves, while constantly concerned over each others' safety. In other words, a real family. (Sound familiar?)

What Scourge lacks in Game of Thrones-like intrigue and political manipulation (although there is plenty of that), it makes up for in action, world-building, and ... monsters. GOT keeps the dragons far offstage, while Scourge brings its supernatural aspects to the forefront, second only to the brothers loyalty and affection for each other.

Intertwined with the brothers' story is the scheming and maneuvering of the Lord Mayor, as he seeks to retain and garner more power, both political and otherwise.

The characters are very human, well-thought out, and perfectly flawed in the development. The plot lines between the brothers' story and the Lord Mayor parallel each other and then tie in seamlessly. Scourge is a fast read and you will easily get caught up in the world that surrounds the characters.

Scourge is a good read for teens and beyond (I am waaaay 'beyond'.). It does contain violence, some gruesome monsters, but to my recollection, no swearing (certainly nothing worse than what they would hear in middle school), no flagrant sex scenes, and Martin handles the more graphical scenes well, understating them, allowing the reader's imagination to fill in the blanks.

If you are into sword and sorcery epics, I heavily recommend adding Scourge to your Must Read list.

[V. Hartman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Undertakers as heroes?
Well, undertakers deal with the dead – so why not the undead?
When two brothers have everything taken from them, their home, their loved ones, their status in the community – everything except the capacity to care about each other and those who survive around them – they pledge to continue their work with the dead and the monsters that come from magic worked on those who have passed on.

This is the first novel in a series set in Darkhurst, a world with magics large and small, good and dark. It is a novel of discovery and of creating a setting and characters. As with any world-building, there are moments when I frowned and had to reread to figure out what was happening, but there is a thoroughness of history and religion and economics that paints a picture of where all of this is taking place.

The main characters are likable, drawing the reader into their lives. The villains feel nasty, deserving of whatever the heroes can dish out to them.
My reason for rating this a four instead of a five? Some of the scenes, notably battles with monsters and descriptions of the economic system, are lengthy; I tune them out and move on, but others may see this as a deterrent to reading.

Disclosure: I received an advance copy of the book to review.
However, based on Gail Z. Martin’s other books, I’d have bought it anyhow.
And based on this book and the way her others have developed, I am confident that this series will come together quite nicely in its future volumes. I look forward to reading them all.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was supplied a copy of "Scourge" in exchange for an honest review.

"Scourge" by Gail Z. Martin is an excellent edition to her catalogue of fantasy. This particular first entry into "Darkhurst" could almost be considered grimdark as we follow the three undertaker Valmonde brothers. Each has their struggles as living in Ravenwood is not to be taken lightly. Not only are the town guards too busy harassing the locals to protect them, but there are nightly monster attacks that the average citizen is forbidden to confront. Magic is not so much outlawed as tightly controlled and those that wish to practice free of the Lord Mayor's control have quite literally gone underground to do so - hiding in the sewers.

As a fan of "The Chronicles of the Necromancer" series, it is nice to see Martin returning to the foray of fantasy after her urban novels. The characters are compelling and "Scourge" hits all the high-notes that make fantasy books so rewarding. Conflict is in no short supply and Martin is not only able to build tension between the protagonists and the machinations of the Lord Mayor but there is also the push-pull familiar to all sibling groups where the desire to stay together must override the self-interest of splitting apart. In short, I eagerly await to see what Martin produces for Darkhurst #2.

[Lindsey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Meh. A lot more telling than showing, paper cutout characters, no real or compelling dialogue, and a structure that feels disconnected (this happened, then this happened, and then this happened, and then this happened....).

Also, a complete lack of women - all the women are mothers, dead girlfriends, possible girlfriends, or being taken advantage of. 50% of the world population is women, you think maybe they could have roles in our stories other than cooking and cleaning?

[Dave-Brendon Burgh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scourge follows the stories of three brothers and an assortment of other characters, all equally important to the narrative, and is set in a world in which magic, monsters, and politics all collide while giving the reader glimpses of a larger and equally intriguing world beyond the tale’s focus.

The three brothers are Corran, Rigan and Kell Valmonde – they are undertakers, and their duty is to fetch and bury the dead according to the different customs which govern how the dead are treated. These customs are described in enough detail that the reader is given a good indication of their importance, and the customs also compliment various strands of the tale’s plot – i.e. the customs aren’t useless, and add a layer of important detail to the story while also adding more layers to the world -and city- the Valmonde brothers live in.

Corran is the oldest brother and is still suffering through the trauma of losing people important to him, a trauma which Rigan and Kell also share. Since Corran is the oldest, he’s the leader, the one who takes chances he wouldn’t want his brothers to have to take, and he also makes the hard decisions – not only does this lead Corran into more danger than he can safely handle, but also leads to conflict between him and his brothers.

Rigan hides an interesting skill, revealed in the first chapter, which eventually sets him off on his own path – a path that will take Rigan into depths and darkness shunned by most of the city-dwellers, but which shares an important connection with what Corran is doing, and Kell is learning the undertaker-trade while trying to keep his brothers off each other; Kell’s path intersects with each of his brothers’, and he is as important to the plot as they are.

The dynamic between the brothers is excellently written – each singular personality shines, each ‘voice’ stands out, and each of their roles, while unique, compliment not only their relationships with each other but also serve to generate those important aspects of characters like empathy and curiosity – I connected with each of the brothers and was really interested in what would happen to them as the plot unfolded.

There are other characters who swirl into and out of the plot, and the most important of these is the mayor of Ravenwood – his role, and the role he plays throughout the novel, ties together the influence he has has on the city’s various Guilds (the Valmonde-brothers, as undertakers, are part of a Guild), the political games and tactics he uses to maintain the balance between what he needs to do (for those he serves) and what he wants to do (for himself and to further secure his position), and the ever-present threat of the very interesting and important layers of magic and sorcery which affect everyone in the city. He’s a fully-fleshed character, in both his personality, ambitions, traits and foibles, and has concrete and believable reasons for being who he is and doing what he does.

Many other characters people the city, and though they don’t (understandably) get the focus the main cast does, they all add to the well-crafted illusion of a living, breathing populace with their own problems and points of view.

Ravenwood itself is a great character itself, even though it’s just a city – and because it’s not just a city, too. It’s obvious that Gail put plenty of considered thought into the hierarchy of its people, its layout, and how different it is in the day time compared to the night time. It also stands out in the wider world, remaining interesting even as Gail gives us hints of other places and events central to Ravenwood’s existence and place.

The novel’s magic-system is both interesting and fresh, using both rituals, energy and herbs, to name but a few important aspects, and what also came through strongly for me was not only how the magic affected the characters and drove the plot (and by saying this, I mean that all seemed to be balanced and complimented each other) but also how much Gail enjoyed the magic-system she had created. There’s danger and excitement galore. 🙂

Plot-wise, the novel is quick and doesn’t waste any time – threads which become very important are sowed early on in a manner which adds flavour and layers to the tale, not simply because these threads are important to the plot. What Gail also does, throughout the novel, is keep not only the plot moving forward as she reveals more about the world and the magic, but the plot affects the characters and the characters influence the plot – two things which any novel needs to do, and do well, to keep the reader hooked. Gail makes it looked so damned easy… 😉

Scourge is strong, fine tale which takes the reader into a vibrant, dangerous and exciting world by using vibrant characters and an exciting plot, without having to use the massive battles and eons-long conflicts which so many Fantasy tales use. It’s tightly crafted and composed, features great stand-out characters, and doesn’t once tread anywhere near stereotypical characters or tropey excuses. Really damned enjoyable!

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. There were some elements I liked in this fantasy, but it failed to come together for me the way I hoped. I liked the three brothers, but couldn't quite believe in the world of the Ravenwood city-state. The lengthy political/economic sections were unnecessary and dull. In this political realm that the mayor was so wrapped up in there are dozens of names that had little to do with the plot. These sections were long interruptions that affected the pace of the novel. And there were too many different kinds of monsters. They just kept coming. Three to five kinds of monsters--OK, but enough already.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing

Loved it. Magic, monsters, greed makes for an action packed story. Magic is forbidden, guilds pay tax and for protection and monsters are set lose to keep the balance. Well written I couldn't put it down.

[Alisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read a book by this author before, but after spotting this on GoodReads and reading the synopsis...I had to read it. I mean....brothers....supernatural monsters...I'm envisioning Supernatural: Fantasy edition right off the bat and I wasn't very far off to be honest.

Scourge has a lively opening and I was immediately hooked in. I wanted to know more about the world, the characters and what the brothers could do. They're undertakers sure, but they can dispel ghosts and help them cross over, and that's not all there is to the boys either. Corran is the eldest of the three, none of the boys have had a great time recently but Corran's faced a bit more tragedy than the other two. He's been going out hunting the monsters with a group of Hunters...which is kind of against the rules, but if they don't do it, who will?

Rigan might be my favourite, he's the middle child, and he's got the totally awesome power of hearing a spirits last confession. It also turns out that he's a witch, so he spends a good portion of the book coming to terms with his power, and learning what it can do and how to use it. But ya know....Witch's are kind of frowned upon in the world of this book so it's not entirely without danger.

Then we have Kell. Arguably, Kell is the safest of the three because he's not a Hunter nor is he a Witch. He's just the regular younger brother, with a cheeky side business going on that's not really harming anyone. He's funny and smart, but I feel like we didn't get to know him as much as the other two. I should have seen things coming to be honest, when we didn't get as much of his POV as the other two. Now, maybe I'm just salty, but I feel like his sole role in the book was to be killed off because of the monsters and guards, to then spur Corran and Rigan in to action. I was expecting big things from Kell, and from the three of them in general, and I just think it's such a shame that he was killed off and for such a stupid reason. Like I thought the way he was taken by the guards was a bit ridiculous. We already knew the monsters where bad and the Guards weren't much better and I feel like we spent a part of the book waiting around for the perfect moment to kill Kell...then killed him and then Corran and Rigan found the balls to do what they where always going to end up doing anyway. Like of all the things that happened, there was plenty to spur them on. But you know..I'm probably just salty. So never mind.

So anyway, we get the POV of the three brothers, as well as Machison the villainous Lord Mayor who's up to no good. He's pretty much the nastiest character in the book, he schemes and plots and makes everyones lives a misery and I really couldn't wait for him to get what was coming to him. Although his paranoia was quite amusing because like....stop doing the thing if you don't want people taking revenge dude!

As for the brothers, they where all relatable and likeable characters. They had strengths and they had flaws which just made them all the more realistic. Each brother had a different voice, different wishes and plans and so on, and their narratives wove together well. I enjoyed the switching of the POV's because it let us get to know each of them better and see different sides to them...the side they show their brothers and the other side they're hiding. The POV changes also kept the narrative moving forward and Machison's provided some light dastardly plotting.

The world of the book is fascinating, it had a touch of the medieval to it, and there's plenty of intrigue and politics. You have the Lord Mayor and the Merchant Princes who are in charge...and then the Crown Prince that they all answer to. The Guild's have their own representatives and they're doing their own thing too. Everyone's out for themselves and out to get their rivals to get the best business and so on. There's lots of Trade agreements and pacts and such. Considering all the intricacies of the world and the politics and the plot, it's very well set up. Martin builds the world up around you easing you in to it bit by bit, and relaying information as when you need it.

That being said...I do feel like it went on a bit too long in some places. I feel like some of the explanations about the world and the politics and such went on a little bit too long, usually in Machison's POV. I feel like we spent the first three hundred pages or so doing not all that much except meandering around the city, reading explanations that where a bit too long and waiting for the opportune moment for Kell to die, or all the lengthy explanations had to be got out of the way before Kell died. I'm not sure which. I think there where some parts that could have been cut out to make it snappier. Don't get me wrong, there where things going on. Corran and his hunting and Rigan learning to control his magic, and the tension was building up with the people of the city in general. They aren't happy with the monster situation and the evil and useless guards, which is easy to understand. But I feel like it all did go on a bit too long and we could have reached the turning point a bit sooner. Nothing significant really happened until Kell died and then everything kicked up in to high gear and moved a lot faster.

I also felt there where a couple of repetitive moments, Rigan getting beat up by the guards...again. Kell's love interest running away in to the night with no explanation and no clue as to her whereabouts, exactly the same and not long after Rigan's love interest did. Sure I knew there was an explanation for it, but it seemed a bit too samey. My one other niggle is the whole Kell making an offering, pact type thing to protect his brothers which then immediately became redundant because Rigan and Corran made their own pact, it just added another thing to my whole 'it was pointless killing Kell' argument.

Back to the positive stuff.....Aiden, Polly, Elinor and Trent are a good bunch of supporting characters and I'm looking forward to getting to see some more of them in the coming books! I'd like to get to know them a bit better. I can't decide if I feel like Rigan and Elinor's relationship was a bit rushed or not, so that's the only comment I'll make about that. It's not like romance is the main focus of the book anyway.

Towards the end of the book, like I said, the pace really picked up as everything came together and fell in to place. The book wrapped up everything from this story and left one thread to carry us over to the next book, it was intriguing enough and I had enough fun reading this book for me to want to read the next one. I'm intrigued to see what's going to happen to our characters next and what part of the world of the book we'll get to see next.

Scourge is a great blend of fantasy and the supernatural, set against an interesting backdrop and populated with relatable and realistic characters. There's some epic fight scenes and lots of blood and death, I'm not going to lie....I mean...our main characters are undertakers. It also has a sense of Supernatural about it...but you know, fantasy edition. Despite a niggle or two I had, I actually really enjoyed the book. It was fantasy and the plot had complexities to it, but even with the overly long explanations it wasn't too hard or complicated to understand. It's certainly original, and I also found it quite fun too.

[Cath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book one of the series and has three brothers, Corran, Rigan and Kell, who work as undertakers struggling to earn their way in the city of Ravenwood. Their father was killed by the city guards and their mother slain by a monster. The city is beset with monsters of numerous varieties, which seem to only target the poorer parts of town. As undertakers, the brothers have to pay protection money to the city guard, to keep their family business going, and also fees to their Guild (of undertakers), which makes money short. They use passed down chants and prayers to help the dead pass to the afterlife, not realising it is a form of grave magic. Magic is forbidden in the kingdom.

Ravenwood is run by a Lord Mayor, who controls the city guard and their actions, whilst ensuring taxes are collected and the Guilds are controlled. He is responsible to the Merchant Princes, and the King, whilst also having to come to a trade agreement with all the other regions of the kingdom and keep Ravenwood’s standings in a power list. Those regions not performing are set higher cull figures, which means more monsters and more deaths.

The people are beginning to realise they are not being protected from the monsters by the city guards and so groups of hunters are forming and taking matters into their own hands. The Lord Mayor has set a curfew and any caught breaking it, should normally be charged and released, now the guards are being very physical with any residents they find, leading to people disappearing or being found dead. Corran has joined such a group.

As the brothers continue to struggle, each in their own ways, they will pay a high price. The city is a battleground and it is the people who are suffering. Homes and businesses are being destroyed, while the Lord Mayor is only concerned with gaining more power. Magic may be forbidden for the common folk, but those in power are using dark magic for evil and power. The cull of residents is to power

There are great descriptions of the various monsters and some are very graphic and not for the faint of heart! You get to see the brothers working together, but also separately on each of their strengths - some more secret than others. Due to the secret parts of their lives, the brothers are hunted by various parties. They have lost family, loved ones and friends. They pray to the old Gods for help, not the guild gods, with their new temples and gaudy design, built by guild fees. There is lots of actions, both above and below the city.

It is a longish book, which you need to pay attention to, as there are quite a lot of different people to follow as the book progresses. This is the first book I have read from this author and I found the story to be engrossing. I wanted to see what happened to the brothers, the hunters in their fight against monsters, the Wanderers, the magical and ultimately if the Lord Mayor would get his comeuppance or not. It may not be a quick read, but I certainly enjoyed it, the further I got into it and I look forward to reading the second book in the series, Vengeance.

I received an ARC copy of the book from Hidden Gems and loved it so much, I’ve bought it as well! I have freely given my own opinion of the book above. It was hard not to give too much away in the description above, as the main parts of the story are not exactly covered in the synopsis for the book. Some parts you need to come across yourself, find out which characters you are pulling for and those that you want to see get what they deserve!

[S.B. (Beauty in Ruins) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Few authors can pull off the delicate combination of horror and fantasy. It's something of an awkward dance of genres, even when you're stretching the definition of fantasy with something like the grimdark movement. When you're talking heroic/epic fantasy, it becomes even more of a challenge, and yet Gail Z. Martin has done it again.

Scourge: A Darkhurst Novel is a book that opens with the exorcism of a violent, vengeful spirit, and then immediately leaps into a lynch mob extermination of a nest of undead, fast zombie-like monsters. It is almost like an urban fantasy in epic fantasy clothing, with some contemporary influences (like Buffy & Supernatural) that I'm sure many readers will catch along the way, but regardless of genre, when your heroes are undertakers, you know you're in for an unusual read.

This has all the hallmarks of a Gail Z. Martin novel. First of all, you have strong, complex characters with personalities, involved in real, often messy relationships. The Valmonde brothers are at the heart of it all - with all the bickering, infighting, and brotherly camaraderie you'd expect - but they're surrounded by an equally strong cast of supporting characters, and one of the more entertaining villains you are likely to come across in Lord Mayor Machison.

Second, you have a full, deep mythology, complimented by some exemplary world-building. The supernatural here is only half the story, but it is a fantastic half that delivers on all the promise of ghosts, ghouls, monsters, and more. On the more mundane side, it has the familiar flavor of a medieval fantasy, but with a strong political aspect involving merchant princes and trade guilds of Ravenwood. There is a little bit of info dumping, but it is crucial to the plot, even if it does drag the story down a bit.

On that note, there are some pacing issues with the book that may bother some readers. While it has a frantic, kick-ass opening, there are some prolonged lulls in the middle of the book, and the conclusion feels rather sudden. Part of that is due to the narrow focus, keeping the three brothers at the heart of the action. While a few more POV characters may have helped with the pace, they would have felt out-of-place in a story that belongs to Corran, Rigan, and Kell. Really, so long as you remember that this is the opening chapter of a new series, the pacing (and info dumping) is completely understandable.

If you're okay with swapping dragons for monsters and armies for merchants, with a family of undertakers as your unorthodox heroes, Scourge is a fun read that does something unique within a crowded genre. Well worth a read.


Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary ARC of this title from the publisher in exchange for review consideration. This does not in any way affect the honesty or sincerity of my review.

[Neil McGarry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scourge isn't a bad book, and it isn't a great one, but I can't figure out if it's a good one.

Author Gail Z. Martin has some good ideas here, and I was really into the idea of undertakers as part-time necromancers, making sure the spirits of the corpses they inter get on to the next world. I also liked the idea of Below, a bustling metropolis and home to outcasts, entirely underneath Ravenwood, where the story is set. I also think Martin was ambitious about constructing a complicated political situation that affects even the most humble of characters. Lots of ideas, to me, are in general a good thing.

That said, there are some problems here.

1) The prose isn't great, and I often found myself either wincing at word choices or tracking back to re-read a sentence that wasn't very clear.

2) Below is a neat idea, but it's not sufficiently fleshed out. That undercity should feel like a character in the story, and it seems more like a mere backdrop.

3) The political situation is complicated, and instead of being introduced gradually, it is poured over the reader in a concentrated form over three pages. That kind of info-dump leaves you running to catch up, and I wished I'd made a chart of all the provinces, guild masters and crown princes, because their names pop up again and again and I kept asking, "Who's this?"

4) Villains are reliably and unrelentingly evil, with no apparent motivation other than greed. Good antagonists have a point of view that is understandable if not admirable, but the lord mayor is really just predictably despicable, as are his henchmen. Speaking of which, the henchman are for some reason feared by the citizens of Ravenwood, even though they just aren't very effective. The main characters spend most of the book easily dodging guards, which makes one wonder why the guards are considered a significant threat. Same goes for the monsters, who seem much easier to kill than the humans they are supposed to be terrorizing.

5) Some parts of the novel are oddly compressed, such as Rigen's magic lessons, while others, like the many fight scenes, are described to the smallest detail. Honestly, by the fifth ghoul I was done with hack-and-slash, but I would have liked to know just how magic worked, and why.

6) You wouldn't think a female author would sideline her female characters, but Martin does so with the zeal of a Sad Puppy. There are two of note, and they spend most of their time healing the men, kissing the men, cooking for the men, and grieving for the men. If a female author won't center women in her books, who will?

I wanted to like this book, and for the most part I did, but with serious reservations. I think Scourge has too many ideas, which is certainly better than too few. Hopefully, Martin will refine her craft and her future efforts will highlight those ideas and not their shortcomings.

[Anne Barwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the premise of this story, with the heroes being undertakers who, in this world, do far more than just bury the dead. I fell in love with the Valmonde brothers as soon as I started reading, and I also loved their abilities. Although this story is a fantasy and has a high fantasy backdrop, it also gave me an urban fantasy vibe. I loved the combination of the two, and thought they worked well together.

The world building is fabulous, and I had a clear visual as I was reading. I loved the detail especially, not only of how magic works but the history and feel of the setting. The city and its characters drew me into the story, and it felt like I was walking into a well lived in city with a long history. The culture of its people is very rich, and I particularly liked the details of the undertakers’ burial rituals. I also liked the Guilds, the balance between the world and dark places, and that using magic has consequences and drains the person using it.

The bad guy is an evil piece of work, and not so nicely layered. I thought his plan was very sneaky, and well thought out. He’s a force to be reckoned with, and I liked the feeling of a net being closed around those working to oppose him. I enjoyed the politics behind his planning too. It added depth to not only his scheming but the world too.

This is also a story about secrets, and not everyone is what they seem. I loved the action scenes which had me on turning pages as I wasn’t sure everyone was going to survive. As a side note I thought the fact that not everyone does added to the realism of the story, and the feeling that these guys have a hard road ahead of them. The monsters they hunt and fight are a wonderful mix of creatures, and none of them anything I’d want to meet in an alley, dark or not.

I loved the brothers’ relationship. They’re caring friends as well as siblings, and very protective of each other. One part of the plot threw me completely as I didn’t see it coming, but I thought it added an extra layer to their situation and how dire it is. The supporting cast are very three dimensional too, and I loved that the women were totally kick arsed and held their own. I loved Polly and Elinor. Aiden rocks, and his ability is very cool. I loved the twist on it, and enjoyed the obvious thought that went into the battle scenes which, although bloody, are so much more than that.

I thought the high body count—among the good guys too— added to the realism and high stakes feel of the story, and while I enjoyed the way this one ended, it sets up well for book 2.

I have yet to read a book by this author that I didn’t get hooked on, and this was no exception.

I’d recommend Scourge to readers who enjoy fantasy stories with detailed world building, layered characters, and a plot that keeps you turning pages.

[Jordan (Forever Lost in Literature) · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5

Find this review at Forever Lost in Literature!

If you are looking for some fast paced, action-packed, monster-filled fantasy then stop where you are, because Scourge is the book for you.

Scourge is an unexpected combination of the undertaker profession, monster hunting, and a strong focus on the bonds of brotherhood. The story centers around the Valmonde brothers -- Kell, Rigan, and Corran -- as they take over their family business as undertakers after the deaths of both of their parents. They use their grave magic to not only allow spirits to pass over, but also to banish bad spirits. They also become dragged into an attempt to unnerve just who is unleashing these deadly monsters upon the citizens of Ravenwood -- and why.

This seems to be a crossover of horror and fantasy and I really think it worked out well. The worldbuilding on Martin's part is really well done. Ravenwood is not somewhere I would want to live, namely because of the horrible guards that prowl the streets and readily take out their anger on those breaking minor rules or those who are caught past curfew -- often with violent results. I really felt trapped in this small town with the brothers and I could feel the fear build as the monster attacks increased. Not only does Martin create an intricate framework for her setting, but she also adds in such a wide array of monsters that you can't help but become involved in the folklore of the world she has created.

Despite all of the positive attributes I've just described, I also had some issues with this book. I actually found myself rather bored for a small portion of the chapters that are dedicated to the POV of another character, Lord Mayer Ellor Machison. This is where Martin's worldbuilding and political intrigue excels in depth and complexity, but falls short in capturing my attention. I just could not follow the endless info-dumping and detailed politics that she creates. If you are able to enjoy and follow that much exposition, then you might really like this, but I personally found it a bit tedious and overmuch.

Also, another minor quibble I had was that of the few female character that were in this book, they all seemed... the same. I'm really not sure if I could tell you the differences between two of the main supporting female characters, other than their professions and appearances.

My last issue was with the brothers themselves. Although I did enjoy each of their characters, they did feel a bit similar at times, and I occasionally seemed to have trouble discerning between each one at times. However, I did very much enjoy watching their relationship grow and develop as they had to learn to rely on one another more and more.

Overall, I've given Scourge three-and-a-half stars. If you're looking for some page-turning action, then definitely go pick up a copy of Scourge! That cover alone is enough to entice me, if we're being completely honest here.

[Deanna Scutt · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Scourge is a dark fantasy novel, and with its wealth of monsters, monster hunters and sketchy blood sorcery, it could almost be mistaken for a Bloodborne fanfic. Witchy, gory, and a little bit gothic, I cannot deny that it caters to my reading tastes, despite its pulpy prose.

Brothers in the undertaker trade, Corran, Rigan and Kell Valmonde serve the dead of Ravenwood, preparing corpses for burial as well as using their inherited grave magic to help lingering spirits pass into the afterlife. It is not a bad trade to be in, since funerals are a reliable occurrence in this troubled city. Whether by the boot of degenerately corrupt guardsmen, or the teeth of flesh-eating ghouls which prowl the streets by night, death is always just around the corner.

As the narrative progresses, Corran and Rigan walk individual paths towards active resistance. The fightback against tyranny has begun, and with sword and sorcery they might just change Ravenwood for the better, if only they can avoid their own torturous demise in the Lord Mayor’s dungeons.

At 550 pages, this book is about 200 pages too long. Tedious paragraphs of pointless exposition often disrupt the pacing, and though the action and combat scenes are lively, getting to these sweet kernels necessitates picking through a veritable mountain of chaff. Scourge is not unreadable, but it has a chaotic, scruffy vibe, as though someone accidentally sent an early draft to the printing press and could not bring themselves to ‘fess up before the book hit the shelves.

You can read my extended review of this novel by visiting my site: https://darkerfables.wordpress.com/20...

[Judith Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full review up on my blog: https://chaininteraction.wordpress.co...

I’ll kick off with the positives: the monsters in this book are really cool. If you’re not a fan of gore (or in one instance insects) then I would steer clear because these creatures creeped the heck out of me. The scary, supernatural elements of this book are the best parts without a doubt, they’re where you find the most evocative writing and, unsurprisingly, the most action.

The division of the three brothers was also, for the most part, well handled. Did it take me a while to work out which one was which (and which one was oldest)? Indeed it did. But I lose track of characters all the time when I read so I’m not necessarily faulting the book for that. Once you’ve worked out who does what you can quite easily remember it. I liked all three of the brothers, they were well rounded characters and none of them felt to idealised or fake which was good.

But now I have to move on to the negatives which is never a nice thing to do but sometimes it is necessary. Remember these are just my opinions and you might find you feel totally different (and that’s ok!).

Firstly, for me, this book was way too long. Especially since I didn’t feel like it picked up the pace until about 60% of the way through which is a little too late for my liking. By the last chunk of the book I was really on board with the story and I was desperate to know what would happen but I found myself really struggling with the opening chapters. I think it would have been better if it had got away from the complicated trade agreements and guild discussions and really got to the action much earlier in the novel. At least that would have made me happier. You might really like descriptions of council meetings.

Secondly, I feel like there weren’t that many female characters? There are some, don’t get me wrong, there’s some lovely prospective wives and some witches too all of whom were pretty well written but they didn’t really get to do anything until the latter half of the book (again the point at which I really began to enjoy things). I get that this was a story about the three brothers but there were definitely opportunities to broaden the number of characters and include more women.

Will there ever be a time when I am satisfied with the women in a fantasy novel? Only time will tell…

I don’t think this book was conceptually bad. In fact I think it’s well worth a read if you’re willing to slog through the opening half. It just takes a bit of work which does give you that nice sense of achievement when you get to the end. I mean, the first time I read Eragon I remember it took me a good while to get into. If you like your fantasy ‘dark and supernatural’ you might really enjoy this and if you’re more used to reading longer books you’ll probably get on better with it than I did.

My rating: 3/5 stars

Scourge is being published on July 11 2017 so, if you’re intrigued, be sure to preorder your copy.

Buy the way, I received a digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher (Solaris) via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think fans of Supernatural will really enjoy Scourge. The bond between the Valmonde brothers reminds me so much of the Winchesters and just how far they are willing to go to protect their family.
I always enjoy Martin's take on Gods and magic and I did so here also. She can spin some seriously interesting mythology and magic into her tales,particularly when it comes to Gods and Death.
Throughout this story we get to see the brothers learn to hone their strengths as hunters of monsters and magic and communication with spirits. They and their friends must unravel a conspiracy that goes to the highest level of their Government.
We get to see things from one of the villain's perspectives and I found it really easy to despise him and his machinations which are pretty twisted and just deplorable.
This pacing of this tale is excellent as the characters find themselves in different situations. It can get pretty gorey and violent and as you get deeper into the book it gets dark both emotionally and magically.
Also this book has plenty of emotion to get you invested in the characters and their mission and there are plenty of developments both for the brothers and Ravenwood itself to keep you interested.
Anyway I'll wrap it up by saying I loved this and I think it could become a favourite series for me.
Its got a set of brothers that you will immediately like and root for, monsters and magic,interfering Gods and excellent world building. In other words; go read it!

[Dee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Scourge is one of those books that pulls you in with some interesting concepts and a badass beginning but about halfway through you’re hoping that it gets better. Then you get 3/4 of the way in and you’re just hoping that the ending will make it all worth it, spoiler alert, it doesn’t.
I don’t have much positive to say about this novel so I’ll get the bad outta the way first so as to end on a positive note. First off, the politics. The political structure that Gail Z Martin has set up in this world is so complicated and unnecessary that from the first time that she starts describing it I literally set the book down and had a silent “wtf moment.” On top of that the chapters dedicated to The Lord Mayor and his political ongoing are EXISTENTIALLY boring and pointless. It very much feels like Martin read Game of Thrones and purposely tried to make as complicated a political stucture as possible and then force feed it down the readers throat in an attempt to show that she’s different and creative.
Second, Riggin saves the day at the last second with magic entirely too often. This makes even less sense when you take into account that the narrator is constantly telling us Riggin is so spent from using magic that he can barley walk but then he goes and uses even more magic!
Point one and two in conjunction with a few minor things such as the old gods vs guild gods thing being kinda quirky, the gods that reveal themselves being unconvincing, and the pointless epilogue, made this a rather strenuous read. Since this was my first book I’ve read by Martin, I waited a few days after finishing it and read a few chapters of her book The Summoner get the bad taste out of my mouth but I’m afraid that I find her style of writing rather bland.
I said I’d end on a positive note however so I will say that when the youngest brother, Kell died. I was genuinely surprised and taken aback. Also, how Martin incorporates magic into the society of Ravenwood is interesting.

[Candice Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just when I think I've found my favorite piece of work from Gail, she writes something I enjoy even more.

From the moment I got my hands on Scourge, I knew I was in for one hell of a ride.

For starters, the story is bound in an incredible cover. The blood spattered crest of Ravenwood beckons the reader to open its pages. I've been gushing over the cover since it was debuted and it's one of the top book covers I own. It's so simple but compelling.

The story itself follows the brothers Valmonde and their other Guild member friends as they try to discover the cause of recent monsters attacks in their part of the city and also survive the increased brutality of the city guards.

Ancient, magical blood runs through their veins forcing them to play a crucial role in the unfolding of the story.

Family bonds, brotherhood, ambition, manipulation, love, life, death and everything in between drive this page turner into the very depths of the After itself.

Oh and there will be blood.

If you are an epic fantasy reader that isn't afraid to get knee deep into a tale of survival, doubt, hope, uncertainty and retribution, Scourge is the book for you!

Get your hands on it now. In case it bares repeating, I highly recommend the physical book! It's just spectacular!

(Thank you to Solaris for sending over a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion of the book)

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Ravenwood, we find three brother undertakers (one of the many guild trades). The monsters are back, and the guard is doing nothing about it, leaving it up to the hunters to rid their town of the problem. Corren, Rigan, and Kell have all suffered loss at the hands, or rather teeth and claws of these monsters, and Corren joins a group of local hunters to have his revenge and keep his brothers safe. With a hero must come a villain. Aside from his questionable closed door practices, Lord Mayor appears to have a keen interest in keeping the ghouls and other monsters loose in Ravenwood.

A creative and original concept and plot mix together fantasy and horror, think Supernatural meets Penny Dreadful. Martin's book, written in third person omniscient, allows the reader to hear and see the inner thoughts of the characters. Sometimes the information and details about the brothers, world, and government became confusing and tedius. There are times when the characters of the brothers are similar in a way which makes it difficult for the reader to discern between them. The book was either fast paced action, or slow background information that sometimes felt as though it had no importance to the story.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary ARC of this title for my honest review.

[Steven Wendell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dark world needs heros...

I found this book the be very good. We are introduced to a dark gritty world where monsters stalk the streets and the leaders who are supposed to protect the common people are only interested in themselves, their profits, and their machinations. The story develops quickly with lots of action, sorcery and intrigue in true Martin style. Personally her Chronicles of the Necromancer Series has been my favorite series of hers, but given the setting and two main characters this series is already prob my second favorite, with the Ascended Kingdoms Series a strong third. You kind of get the same "feel" at the core of all of her worlds that she brings us to, but they are truly all stand alone series and have very different settings and characters. All of them are excellent reads and I would recommend them to anyone who enjoys a good fantasy book. With the intregue, monsters, sorcery and God's that liter this world I know it's going to be a great series and I look forward to the continuation of the story.

[Jess Crafts · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is absolutely packed full of Magic and monsters. It's an epic fantasy following three brothers who are all likeable and face their own problems. I liked all three brothers, and enjoyed reading about them. There was plenty of action but I felt like some of the monster attacks and and the guard showdowns started to feel quite repetitive in the middle. On top of that one of the POV's is very slow. I actually ended up skimming pretty much all his chapters and I honestly don't think I missed much. I do expect a certain amount of politics in an epic fantasy but it was just stretched too far. Half of the things we're told, we just simply don't need to know let alone in the amount of detail we're given it (repeatedly). If those chapters had been more succinct I think this would have been a four star for me. I did really enjoy the brothers and a lot of the side characters were great too, I think it should have stuck to those characters a little more.