Forbidden

Fading Lights #1

by Samantha Kroese

Diajik clawed his way up from nothing in a world as dead and blackened as his own soul. All he wants is to be left alone to find some measure of peace with himself before the world ends. He knows how to save the world but why should he when no one saved him? Let them suffer as he has.

Surely a demon has nothing to fear from the darkness devouring his world. Or so he thought until the darkness takes away what little he’d scraped together for himself. The darkness should have known better than to anger a demon.

Now the apocalypse is personal. Will he risk everything to stop it?

371 pages, ebook

First published May 14, 2019

About the author

Samantha Kroese is the author of ten published Dark Fantasy novels including the best-selling Fading Lights Trilogy. She has also written The Assassins of Dakaal Series (Regret, Ladykiller, Niyx, Sephyrn), Restless Dreams of Darkness, The Darkest Sword, and Cursed Song.

She loves to write dark tales about hope surviving against impossible odds and brings a refreshing perspective to the genre. From a young age, her goal has been to write stories that will shine the light of hope for those living in the abyss. She has been writing fiction for nearly thirty years, ran a fantasy writer’s critique circle for fifteen years, and has edited works for other authors. She has completed writing dozens of fantasy novels and created thousands of detailed characters. She hopes to be able to present most of them to her reading public in due course.

Samantha is also an avid life-long gamer who enjoys story-driven role-playing video games. A big fan of comic books and superheroes, she enjoys exploring tales of characters who are larger than life and the ordinary people who interact with them. In addition to writing, she is an avid horse lover and an animal rescue advocate, often speaking out for horse rescue and feral cat causes. She writes from the frozen tundra of Minnesota where she lives with her Arabian stallion, that she is convinced is really a unicorn, and her army of delightful rescued cat minions.

Reviews

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This delicious dark fantasy was so addictive I read it in a single day and immediately downloaded the next book to my kindle. Diajik is a demon/elf who has been bought and sold and now is forced to work as a pleasure slave. He guards closely the secret that he has special powers, powers that he would be killed if anyone knew he possessed, and that he has dreams of young boys who were once like him that are being killed one by one. What really grabbed me about this book was the great world building—a complex world where women hold power and the complex species societal structure causes those with certain magics to be hunted.

I was really drawn to Diajik’s characterization. Despite everything that’s been done to him, he desperately wants a child of his own, and when complications develop with that plan, risks his own safety to rescue Bram, a young boy who like him also bears green eyes that signal he possesses dangerous magic for which he’ll be hunted and killed, and insists on pursuing the other boys despite great personal risk. There is also a romantic relationship and several friendships that are well drawn (I won’t say too much due to spoilers.) The world building is amazingly detailed. Everything from why reproduction is failing to the magic system to the character histories. I loved the level of detail in describing settings and establishing relationships. This is such a richly drawn series that I can’t wait to read more of.

[Anya Pavelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read much dark fantasy, but I very much enjoyed this book. The story centers around Diajik, a once-elf who became corrupted by demons. He also happens to work as a pleasure slave in a city where women hold the power. This world is dystopian and is being consumed by a dark magic Diajik wants to stop. Diajik plans on accomplishing this goal by rescuing young boys (with green eyes) who hold a forbidden magic. Someone, or something, is working to thwart Diajik's plans, though. Despite the evil that corrupted him, Diajik really does have a good heart, in my opinion. This becomes apparent when Diajik rescues Bram, a green eyed boy. Diajik hides him and protects the boy's innocence. This is a unique story with strong world building/descriptive imagery.

[D.M. Dore · Rating 4 out of 5]

This dark fantasy with its strong imagery and attention-holding plot, was a fantastic way to escape reality for a while. Diajik, once an pure elf now tainted by the cruel manipulations of demons, works as a pleasure slave to a Queen. While the work isn’t abhorrent, Diajik has other things on his mind. Nightmares of young boys with green eyes (a sign of forbidden magics) plague his nights and slice through his heart. They are being hunted down simply for being seen as threat. Diajik wants to protect them. He needs to. However, there are others at play who can prevent him from sheltering the innocent children. Will he be able to overcome the circling darkness, or will a surprise loss and betrayal cut too deep?
I greatly enjoyed reading this novel with its magical touches, strong emotional ties, and the twists that kept me entertained with each passing minute. If you haven’t read it yet, you definitely should!

[Sea Caummisar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading a book is like an escape from life (for me). Reading a dark fantasy book is an escape from life into a dark magical realm where imaginations run rapid. This author has a wonderful imagination. The writing was great, and I love that even though the book has a sex theme, it isn't full of detailed erotica. So in the story we learn of a world where creatures/people/ elves with green eyes have forbidden magic. Evil forces are hunting down the ones with green eyes, and our main character isn't going for it. His quest is to save these children and the world from the darkness.
I felt like I was immersed into another world while I was reading this book. I'm new to reading dark fantasy books, but I enjoyed it.

[Cinnia Literary Raccoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't quite know how to review this book/book series I've been reading for a bit, but I will say that I liked it in spite of my initial misgivings. Mostly because the author has very obviously put a lot of thought into the worldbuilding and how the worldbuilding specifically ties to the plot (and the characters driving the plot, at that). The story kind of launches you into the world from the start and then you have to put the pieces together and figure out what's going on, which might put off some readers but surprisingly not me. I have the whole trilogy and plan to finish them, after all.

Anyway, this is definitely the complex, dark sort of mature fantasy tale that I enjoy reading from time to time. As for why I didn't rate it more highly, that mostly has to do with the need for editing in the books. Specifically, the prose often has an issue where two complete phrases are smashed together without anything like an em dash or semicolon or anything so instead of flowing nicely, the prose has a bunch of run-on sentences that can be rather confusing to read at times. Also some misc. other errors (like the wrong word or capitalization rules here and there etc) but mostly the sentence structure issue was the largest source of confusion.

Overall, I did enjoy reading the book and will be working on the next one soonish!

[Halo Scot · Rating 5 out of 5]

An immersive and thrilling dark fantasy.

FORBIDDEN is Book 1 in the Fading Lights Trilogy by Samantha Kroese, and it packs an emotional punch. Rife with myriad magical creatures and beasts—including demons, dragons, elves, mages, and shapeshifters—this dark fantasy grips its audience from the start.

Our main character, Diajik, is an elite pleasure slave haunted by past tragedy. You’ll love him instantly, especially in his paternal, protective role to Bram, a boy with green eyes, hunted for his forbidden magic. The cast is expansive yet intimate, a perfect balance of social intrigue and personal reflection.

With breathtaking action sequences, arresting suspense, and elements of horror, FORBIDDEN is a character-driven journey narrated by a masterful storyteller. Kroese deftly navigates her magical world, threading darkness and violence amid hope and change. There are magic battles (epic), a hero’s quest (legendary), and intricate politics straining at a caste system. Fans of The Witcher, World of Warcraft, and Skyrim will inhale this story.