What do you think?
Rate this book
Darkness in the Midst #1
From the Darkness Comes
Revenge is not for the faint of heart.
Cadda ni Caridos is a revenant who desires nothing more than finding the man who made her that way – the same man who killed her father and captured her mother. The glowing eyes, night vision, incredible strength and speed that came out of resurrection might seem like a boon, but when she can’t control her abilities and starts bringing death to others, she realizes it’s a curse. Cadda must dodge the authorities while searching for her father’s murderer, a man who turns out to be a powerful duke, and the only person to know the fate of her mother.
Always one step away from the king and his elite order of bodyguards, Lord Kenric Dorsile is near impossible to get close to, especially for a lowly foreigner like Cadda. While scheming a way to do just that, Cadda is finally caught by the authorities. Being conscripted into the army as punishment and sent to the far edge of the kingdom to defend against barbarians – the enemy of her enemy – proves to be a mammoth of a challenge. Cadda must find a way to return to the capital, even if that way includes personally fanning the flames of war. Otherwise, she risks losing her mother forever and forfeiting the right to avenge her father and herself.
Cadda ni Caridos is a revenant who desires nothing more than finding the man who made her that way – the same man who killed her father and captured her mother. The glowing eyes, night vision, incredible strength and speed that came out of resurrection might seem like a boon, but when she can’t control her abilities and starts bringing death to others, she realizes it’s a curse. Cadda must dodge the authorities while searching for her father’s murderer, a man who turns out to be a powerful duke, and the only person to know the fate of her mother.
Always one step away from the king and his elite order of bodyguards, Lord Kenric Dorsile is near impossible to get close to, especially for a lowly foreigner like Cadda. While scheming a way to do just that, Cadda is finally caught by the authorities. Being conscripted into the army as punishment and sent to the far edge of the kingdom to defend against barbarians – the enemy of her enemy – proves to be a mammoth of a challenge. Cadda must find a way to return to the capital, even if that way includes personally fanning the flames of war. Otherwise, she risks losing her mother forever and forfeiting the right to avenge her father and herself.
- GenresFantasy
306 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 15, 2019
8 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Joy Demers
4 books4 followersJoy Demers is a writer from the north, a.k.a. Canada. She is a self-proclaimed geek with a love for fantasy, certain video games, history, and crochet. By day, she works in a finance department, crunching numbers and paying bills. By night, she tries hard to stay awake and write. Joy lives with her cats in a small Canadian town.
Joy's love of writing and books started at an early age. Her mother read stories to her before bed and that planted the seed for a lifetime. As a teenager, she wrote short stories, mostly about ghosts and zombies. As an adult, she prefers writing fantasy with not much actual magical elements in it, inspired by writers such as George R.R. Martin and Joe Abercrombie. She's also a history buff and has a bachelor of arts in History, with a minor in Classical Civilization. Joy is looking forward to putting pen to paper for some historical fantasy in the future.
Joy's love of writing and books started at an early age. Her mother read stories to her before bed and that planted the seed for a lifetime. As a teenager, she wrote short stories, mostly about ghosts and zombies. As an adult, she prefers writing fantasy with not much actual magical elements in it, inspired by writers such as George R.R. Martin and Joe Abercrombie. She's also a history buff and has a bachelor of arts in History, with a minor in Classical Civilization. Joy is looking forward to putting pen to paper for some historical fantasy in the future.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 18, 2021
“From the Darkness Comes”, Book One in the “Darkness in the Midst” fantasy series, by Joy Demers, is a grimdark tale of a re-animated woman on a quest for revenge that has unintended and weighty consequences. It was a well-written book that I enjoyed, and fans of fast-paced read with plenty of action sequences will definitely enjoy.
The protagonist is Cadda ni Caridos, a woman on a mission to avenge her slain father. Forces of a powerful noblemen raided Cadda’s village, driven most of her clan off, put many of its inhabitants to the sword, including HER and her father, and kidnapped her mother, forcing her into servitude. Cadda comes back from the dead, however, infused with abnormal abilities, such as enhanced strength, speed, and vision. It appears that the same nobleman responsible for the carnage at her village imbued her with her new powers, however she doesn’t know for what purpose. Cadda sets off to exact vengeance on the nobleman and rescue her mother. Enroute, she saves a band of travellers from certain death, and befriends some of those she rescues, including a young woman named Matty. In time she arrives in the stronghold of King Esmond of Ledonia, where the nobleman she seeks, Lord Kenric, is highly influential with the king. While trying to gain access to Kenric, Cadda causes mayhem and death, and is captured and prosecuted for slaying soldiers. Matty is deemed to be an accomplice, and the two accused women are given an ultimatum: join the army, or die. They chose life and forced conscription, and the adventure ramps up even higher after this juncture of the story.
The prose and plot are straightforward and easy to digest. Demers spins an intriguing tale, with plenty of fight sequences, heart-warming camaraderie, roguish figures, mysterious goddesses, and of course the vengeful, broken Cadda and her eerie glowing eyes, as she is relentless in her pursuit of vengeance and to discover her mother’s whereabouts. The worldbuilding was fairly subtle, and for my tastes I wanted to delve in a bit more into the various settings and cultures, however it was overall well-done. The best thing about the book for me was Cadda, because I love those protagonists with lots of blemishes. Cadda’s judgement does not always appear sound, and she is very driven, and sometimes appearing myopic in her quest. Yet, she is a fascinating character and she really carries the novel.
There is a prequel to “From the Darkness Comes” called “Awakening” and I wish I would have read that book first, to find out more about Cadda’s backstory. I will read “Awakening” as well, and the rest of the “Darkness in the Midst” series by Demers – definitely recommended. I can’t wait to see how Cadda will find her way forward from the explosive ending of “From the Darkness Comes”! 4 out of 5 stars! Very good read!
The protagonist is Cadda ni Caridos, a woman on a mission to avenge her slain father. Forces of a powerful noblemen raided Cadda’s village, driven most of her clan off, put many of its inhabitants to the sword, including HER and her father, and kidnapped her mother, forcing her into servitude. Cadda comes back from the dead, however, infused with abnormal abilities, such as enhanced strength, speed, and vision. It appears that the same nobleman responsible for the carnage at her village imbued her with her new powers, however she doesn’t know for what purpose. Cadda sets off to exact vengeance on the nobleman and rescue her mother. Enroute, she saves a band of travellers from certain death, and befriends some of those she rescues, including a young woman named Matty. In time she arrives in the stronghold of King Esmond of Ledonia, where the nobleman she seeks, Lord Kenric, is highly influential with the king. While trying to gain access to Kenric, Cadda causes mayhem and death, and is captured and prosecuted for slaying soldiers. Matty is deemed to be an accomplice, and the two accused women are given an ultimatum: join the army, or die. They chose life and forced conscription, and the adventure ramps up even higher after this juncture of the story.
The prose and plot are straightforward and easy to digest. Demers spins an intriguing tale, with plenty of fight sequences, heart-warming camaraderie, roguish figures, mysterious goddesses, and of course the vengeful, broken Cadda and her eerie glowing eyes, as she is relentless in her pursuit of vengeance and to discover her mother’s whereabouts. The worldbuilding was fairly subtle, and for my tastes I wanted to delve in a bit more into the various settings and cultures, however it was overall well-done. The best thing about the book for me was Cadda, because I love those protagonists with lots of blemishes. Cadda’s judgement does not always appear sound, and she is very driven, and sometimes appearing myopic in her quest. Yet, she is a fascinating character and she really carries the novel.
There is a prequel to “From the Darkness Comes” called “Awakening” and I wish I would have read that book first, to find out more about Cadda’s backstory. I will read “Awakening” as well, and the rest of the “Darkness in the Midst” series by Demers – definitely recommended. I can’t wait to see how Cadda will find her way forward from the explosive ending of “From the Darkness Comes”! 4 out of 5 stars! Very good read!
July 9, 2021
Cadda is back from the dead, seeking revenge for the burning of her village and death/enslavement of her family.
I’ll just say that I love broken protagonists. I enjoy reading sympathetic characters with deficiencies who have to work to overcome them—and Cadda is a hot mess, with tons of issues to work around. I really connected with her. Other characters are diverse and believable; I specifically liked Cadda’s friend and sidekick Matty. World-building is understated but feels reasonable and I came away with a good sense of difference between the protagonist’s culture and the one in which the story occurs.
The book moves at a rapid pace, especially in the final third, and the first-person prose is easy to read and follow. And the book ends not on a cliffhanger, but with a “what-the-hell-does-she-do-now” vibe that make me keen to continue reading.
The plot was serviceable but other than one whopper twist that made my jaw drop, the major events were fairly predictable, and the main character does make a handful of questionable decisions. While I loved Cadda, part of the lure for me of damaged protagonists is seeing them overcome their issues and she hasn’t changed much yet. I know there are two more books in the series but I would like to have seen a hint at her progression as a character.
Because I liked the main character and the flow of the prose, I ended up enjoying this book a lot, I highly recommend it, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.
I’ll just say that I love broken protagonists. I enjoy reading sympathetic characters with deficiencies who have to work to overcome them—and Cadda is a hot mess, with tons of issues to work around. I really connected with her. Other characters are diverse and believable; I specifically liked Cadda’s friend and sidekick Matty. World-building is understated but feels reasonable and I came away with a good sense of difference between the protagonist’s culture and the one in which the story occurs.
The book moves at a rapid pace, especially in the final third, and the first-person prose is easy to read and follow. And the book ends not on a cliffhanger, but with a “what-the-hell-does-she-do-now” vibe that make me keen to continue reading.
The plot was serviceable but other than one whopper twist that made my jaw drop, the major events were fairly predictable, and the main character does make a handful of questionable decisions. While I loved Cadda, part of the lure for me of damaged protagonists is seeing them overcome their issues and she hasn’t changed much yet. I know there are two more books in the series but I would like to have seen a hint at her progression as a character.
Because I liked the main character and the flow of the prose, I ended up enjoying this book a lot, I highly recommend it, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.
September 2, 2020
Heroic heroine saves the day
The characters were well drawn and I especially liked Ry and Matty. The story focused solely on Cadda seeking vengeance for the death of her father and the finding of her kidnapped mother. There was a lot of action and suspense which I enjoyed. Unfortunately, I felt like Cadda's character was shallow and single-minded, which got tiring at times.
The characters were well drawn and I especially liked Ry and Matty. The story focused solely on Cadda seeking vengeance for the death of her father and the finding of her kidnapped mother. There was a lot of action and suspense which I enjoyed. Unfortunately, I felt like Cadda's character was shallow and single-minded, which got tiring at times.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews