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Origo: Son of Darkness
When Inco and Gray witness the brutal slaughter of a Deiran village, they intervene, but they can’t save everyone. A young mother is struck down in the fray, and in her final waking moments, she pleads with them to protect her newborn son.
In no time, it becomes clear that this is no ordinary boy. As if being raised by DúHuman dragons isn’t unique enough, young Jak begins to show abilities no dragon or human has ever had. What’s more concerning is the darkness that grows within him … and the looming prophecy it carries.
As Jak grows, his family does everything they can to keep his true identity a secret and raise him to be a good man. He must learn to control his inner darkness. For it is said …
We all have darkness in us. It’s what we do with it that matters.
In no time, it becomes clear that this is no ordinary boy. As if being raised by DúHuman dragons isn’t unique enough, young Jak begins to show abilities no dragon or human has ever had. What’s more concerning is the darkness that grows within him … and the looming prophecy it carries.
As Jak grows, his family does everything they can to keep his true identity a secret and raise him to be a good man. He must learn to control his inner darkness. For it is said …
We all have darkness in us. It’s what we do with it that matters.
390 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 27, 2019
16 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 11, 2019
Inco and Gray are dragon shifters who happened to see a village getting raided and most of the villagers being murdered off.The only survivors are Aemma and her son,who Inco and Gray named Jak as Aemma passes out from her injuries and is placed in xenum sleep.Jak is raised by Gray,Inco and Gail and he fits the prophecy to be the son of darkness and later down the line,his sister fits the prophecy of the daughter of light.will he succumb to what the prophecy has chosen for him,or chose the values instilled by his family?I cant wait for the next book is there is one
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2020
I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this book. I have had it on my reading list for some time but I was glad I finally read it. It's a solid, different take on dragons and I really enjoyed the family aspect of the story, as well as the origin myth behind it. The second part of the book is probably my most favorite as this is where the events really begin to come together. I like where it finishes and it promises a good adventure in book two.
NB I won a free copy of this book in a competition and am leaving a review because I feel the book deserves it.
NB I won a free copy of this book in a competition and am leaving a review because I feel the book deserves it.
March 23, 2020
Wow
Fantastic writing! The story draws you in quickly and drags you along on this fantasy adventure. Impressive work. Can't wait to read more.
Fantastic writing! The story draws you in quickly and drags you along on this fantasy adventure. Impressive work. Can't wait to read more.
February 27, 2020
A very fascinating read. A new take on the world and how it beee whole adding dragons, elves and other mythological creatures. I found myself thoroughly enthralled in the story of Jak and his “ family “(he’s adopted). I found a few lulls that I just pushed through where the story just barely missed the full 5 star mark for me but overall I enjoyed it and recommend it.
October 30, 2019
I recieved an ARC copy of this for an honest review so here it is:
What an absolutely unique book! A completely unique take on dragons and other fantasy creatures!!
While it took me a little while to really understand all the original words and descriptions of the above mentioned creatures, once I did I was so invested in the story that I had a really hard time putting it down!
My absolute favourite character has got to be Raisin the Gollum 😁 he's an absolute gem! His take on the world and his speech had me giggling out loud often and when he met Mikey later in the story my giggling turned to sniggering! 🤣 learnt a few new phrases I will definitely be taking with me in RL 😂
I'm on the edge of my seat waiting to find out how Jak, Gray and the gang work together and see if the prophecy is about to come true or not!
Highest praise for Keri Brown! 😍
What an absolutely unique book! A completely unique take on dragons and other fantasy creatures!!
While it took me a little while to really understand all the original words and descriptions of the above mentioned creatures, once I did I was so invested in the story that I had a really hard time putting it down!
My absolute favourite character has got to be Raisin the Gollum 😁 he's an absolute gem! His take on the world and his speech had me giggling out loud often and when he met Mikey later in the story my giggling turned to sniggering! 🤣 learnt a few new phrases I will definitely be taking with me in RL 😂
I'm on the edge of my seat waiting to find out how Jak, Gray and the gang work together and see if the prophecy is about to come true or not!
Highest praise for Keri Brown! 😍
December 3, 2019
Next Up and Coming Series
Keri Brown takes everyone on a journey of grand proportions! Brand new amazing relatable characters and her descriptions of lands and surrounding areas nothing short of brilliant. Suitable for all ages and bound to be the next big thing! Would make an amazing television series! I recommend this book to everyone and is definitely deserving of a lot more than 5 stars!!!
Keri Brown takes everyone on a journey of grand proportions! Brand new amazing relatable characters and her descriptions of lands and surrounding areas nothing short of brilliant. Suitable for all ages and bound to be the next big thing! Would make an amazing television series! I recommend this book to everyone and is definitely deserving of a lot more than 5 stars!!!
February 24, 2020
Drawing from multiple popular cultural outlets, Keri starts a believable, relatable, and compelling refreshing fantasy series that becomes its own tale of Origo. Full of unique dragons, magic, good versus evil, sadness and hope, I was left wanting more!
October 28, 2019
I enjoyed this book, it held me from the beginning, I liked Inco, Gray, Jak, Gail and Raisin.
I don’t know what to compare this to, I haven’t read anything like it before, and I will continue with the series to see how things develop.
I don’t know what to compare this to, I haven’t read anything like it before, and I will continue with the series to see how things develop.
February 14, 2021
When Inco and Gray witness the brutal slaughter of a Deiran village on Earth, they intervene, but they can’t save everyone. A young mother is struck down in the fray, and in her final moments, she pleads with them to protect her newborn son. It quickly becomes clear that this is no ordinary boy. As if being raised by DúHuman dragons isn’t unique enough, young Jak begins to show abilities no dragon or human has ever had. But there’s danger, in the form of a prophecy, looming over his head. As Jak matures on the planet Origo, his family does all it can to protect his identity and circumvent the prophecy. Jak works hard to conquer the darkness. For it is said… We all have darkness in us. It’s what we do with it that matters.
Writing a fantasy story (in this case book one of what will become a trilogy) has to be the most difficult of fiction genres to write. The author is, in a sense, playing God. S/he creates a complete world, builds it geographically (most of these epics include detailed maps), adds characters—people and/or creatures — and often new languages. They put all of this in some magical blender, add a cup or two of verisimilitude and viola, they have a fantasy tale to rival all the ancient mythologies and creation mysteries ever written. There are a few writing techniques that I thought especially noteworthy in Brown’s style and the story premise. She keeps it simple; she insures that even the most otherworldly of creatures or beings are relatable to persons or animals fully familiar to almost everyone and she has invented an intriguing space-time relationship that actually seems more viable than Einstein’s Theory of Relativity or the more modern, Space-Time Continuum.
Origo — Son of Darkness is an exciting kick-off for a multi-layered, epic fantasy tale. It is fast paced, highly entertaining, and I enjoyed every minute of the read. Nothing slowed me down... no, not true... wingless dragons gave me pause; just long enough to do a little googling to discover that dragons were all, originally, wingless. Winged dragons are a relatively new wrinkle developed in western cultures... who knew? Regardless, it takes only a minute to “get over it” as Brown’s dragons are remarkable and instantly relatable. The entire cast of characters, the plot, the sub-plots, the narrative and the inventive language and speaking traits of the different characters—exceptional!
I will not (yet) compare Keri Brown to J.R.R. Tolkien, George R.R. Martin, or the indomitable J.K. Rowling... but she’s still young, and this is her first novel. As stated, writing epic fantasy is hard... really hard, but Brown makes it look easy and in her first shot at it, she’s produced a professional and entertaining work of fantasy fiction guaranteed to excite readers from eight to eighty.
Writing a fantasy story (in this case book one of what will become a trilogy) has to be the most difficult of fiction genres to write. The author is, in a sense, playing God. S/he creates a complete world, builds it geographically (most of these epics include detailed maps), adds characters—people and/or creatures — and often new languages. They put all of this in some magical blender, add a cup or two of verisimilitude and viola, they have a fantasy tale to rival all the ancient mythologies and creation mysteries ever written. There are a few writing techniques that I thought especially noteworthy in Brown’s style and the story premise. She keeps it simple; she insures that even the most otherworldly of creatures or beings are relatable to persons or animals fully familiar to almost everyone and she has invented an intriguing space-time relationship that actually seems more viable than Einstein’s Theory of Relativity or the more modern, Space-Time Continuum.
Origo — Son of Darkness is an exciting kick-off for a multi-layered, epic fantasy tale. It is fast paced, highly entertaining, and I enjoyed every minute of the read. Nothing slowed me down... no, not true... wingless dragons gave me pause; just long enough to do a little googling to discover that dragons were all, originally, wingless. Winged dragons are a relatively new wrinkle developed in western cultures... who knew? Regardless, it takes only a minute to “get over it” as Brown’s dragons are remarkable and instantly relatable. The entire cast of characters, the plot, the sub-plots, the narrative and the inventive language and speaking traits of the different characters—exceptional!
I will not (yet) compare Keri Brown to J.R.R. Tolkien, George R.R. Martin, or the indomitable J.K. Rowling... but she’s still young, and this is her first novel. As stated, writing epic fantasy is hard... really hard, but Brown makes it look easy and in her first shot at it, she’s produced a professional and entertaining work of fantasy fiction guaranteed to excite readers from eight to eighty.
April 21, 2020
Solid 4.5 stars
I was given the opportunity by the author to, not only read book one in her series, but book 2 as well. As an aspiring author myself, I was delighted to ask her some questions around her writing methods and her inspiration to such a wide diverse imagination which she took time to answer.
It was basically the cover that caught my interest. I went into this book knowing almost nothing, only bits and pieces given by the author in the mini interview.
The prologue was gripping, opening the door into a world filled with creativity. The mythology of the world. How things were created, how they came to be the way they are now.
In the first chapter, we are introduced to the two main characters, Inco and Gray, two DúHumans. They are fun and quirky, easily relatable. It gave me a Jungle Book feel.
Keri didn’t hesitate or beat around the bush to create suspense. Oh no, she jumped right in and grabbed the bull – or should I say DúBull – by the horns, setting a tight rope around the readers’ neck, filling their hearts with anxiety and desire to know “what happens next!”
Overall this was a fun read. It had a quick but fulfilling pace. The world has a lot that it can expand on, which will help keep the reader’s attention and make them want to pick of the next installment. Uniquely creative, that will fulfill any reader’s book cravings. If you love portal fantasy, shapeshifting beings and adventure, I’d highly recommend picking up this gem.
I was given the opportunity by the author to, not only read book one in her series, but book 2 as well. As an aspiring author myself, I was delighted to ask her some questions around her writing methods and her inspiration to such a wide diverse imagination which she took time to answer.
It was basically the cover that caught my interest. I went into this book knowing almost nothing, only bits and pieces given by the author in the mini interview.
The prologue was gripping, opening the door into a world filled with creativity. The mythology of the world. How things were created, how they came to be the way they are now.
In the first chapter, we are introduced to the two main characters, Inco and Gray, two DúHumans. They are fun and quirky, easily relatable. It gave me a Jungle Book feel.
Keri didn’t hesitate or beat around the bush to create suspense. Oh no, she jumped right in and grabbed the bull – or should I say DúBull – by the horns, setting a tight rope around the readers’ neck, filling their hearts with anxiety and desire to know “what happens next!”
Overall this was a fun read. It had a quick but fulfilling pace. The world has a lot that it can expand on, which will help keep the reader’s attention and make them want to pick of the next installment. Uniquely creative, that will fulfill any reader’s book cravings. If you love portal fantasy, shapeshifting beings and adventure, I’d highly recommend picking up this gem.
November 8, 2021
Not as advertised but still amazing.
Origo is presented as a YA coming-of-age epic fantasy when it’s actually a wonderful love letter to fairytales and mythology. Jak is a happy boy raised in seclusion due to a prophecy branding him the Son of Darkness who will bring about the end of the world. His family only wants to keep him safe from those who would hurt him just to be on the safe side, and Jak only wants a normal childhood. When Jak is discovered, his family is revealed to be dragons living in human form and they all escape to Origo, homeworld of the dragons – this is when the book evolves.
Origo is a place of endless beauty, rollicking magic, and a wonderfully eclectic ecology of creatures from not only fantasy, but sci-fi, mythology, and folklore. What struck me most was not the wonderful writing, which is both poetic and clever, nor the deep emotional connections the characters express to one another, but the incredible breadth of cultures Brown pulls from to create her world. In a single chapter I found Norse, Native American, and Asian mythology woven into a smile blooming tapestry of creativity I haven’t seen anywhere else.
Origo is a wonderful debut, an action-adventure book about a boy, dragons, fate, myth, and acceptance, all written beautifully and sheltered under a single word, family.
Origo is presented as a YA coming-of-age epic fantasy when it’s actually a wonderful love letter to fairytales and mythology. Jak is a happy boy raised in seclusion due to a prophecy branding him the Son of Darkness who will bring about the end of the world. His family only wants to keep him safe from those who would hurt him just to be on the safe side, and Jak only wants a normal childhood. When Jak is discovered, his family is revealed to be dragons living in human form and they all escape to Origo, homeworld of the dragons – this is when the book evolves.
Origo is a place of endless beauty, rollicking magic, and a wonderfully eclectic ecology of creatures from not only fantasy, but sci-fi, mythology, and folklore. What struck me most was not the wonderful writing, which is both poetic and clever, nor the deep emotional connections the characters express to one another, but the incredible breadth of cultures Brown pulls from to create her world. In a single chapter I found Norse, Native American, and Asian mythology woven into a smile blooming tapestry of creativity I haven’t seen anywhere else.
Origo is a wonderful debut, an action-adventure book about a boy, dragons, fate, myth, and acceptance, all written beautifully and sheltered under a single word, family.
February 25, 2021
A whole new way to look at fantasy’
Wow! That was one absolutely unique book! Hits you with a completely original view on dragons as well as other fantasy creatures! Putting this book down wasn’t an option. I had to keep going, though I have a truckload of work ahead of me, this reaches inside your brain and overrides your abilty to stop. If I go blind, I’m blaming the fantastic authors I’ve found lately, Keri Brown being one of them! With today’s technology this would make a wicked movie or TV series. All I can say is I better find book two waiting for me very soon! I must know more!
Wow! That was one absolutely unique book! Hits you with a completely original view on dragons as well as other fantasy creatures! Putting this book down wasn’t an option. I had to keep going, though I have a truckload of work ahead of me, this reaches inside your brain and overrides your abilty to stop. If I go blind, I’m blaming the fantastic authors I’ve found lately, Keri Brown being one of them! With today’s technology this would make a wicked movie or TV series. All I can say is I better find book two waiting for me very soon! I must know more!
June 5, 2020
This book captured my attention from the first page and kept me interested throughout the entire book! The characters were amazing and relatable which I find hard to do with fantasy. I felt the suspense with every chapter and could not wait to find those big "ah, ha" moments. I cannot wait for the second book! Such imagination and detail of another world, truly a must read!
March 17, 2021
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed learning about the world and the characters in this book. I found it to be a slow pace read so it took me awhile to get through it all. A few spots lost my interest but overall it was fun to follow Jaks growth. This book sets up the series well and I'm looking forward to reading the adventures to come.
I enjoyed learning about the world and the characters in this book. I found it to be a slow pace read so it took me awhile to get through it all. A few spots lost my interest but overall it was fun to follow Jaks growth. This book sets up the series well and I'm looking forward to reading the adventures to come.
September 19, 2021
Immerse yourself in Origo
A humor filled tale of time travel, portals, familial love that goes beyond forms, dragons and prophecy. Characters that make you root for them every step of the way and a slow moving tale, wrapped in many layers. A damn good read.
A humor filled tale of time travel, portals, familial love that goes beyond forms, dragons and prophecy. Characters that make you root for them every step of the way and a slow moving tale, wrapped in many layers. A damn good read.
January 3, 2020
I received an ARC of this story in exchange for an honest review.
I absolutely love the premise of this story. It's really unique and has the potential to be a fantastic series. I also really love the idea of a half-light, half-dark world and all the great word-building details woven into this one. Plus, you can never go wrong with dragon stories. <3
However, I'm going to set this aside to finish at a later date. I'm not sure if it's the headspace I'm in right now or that the story jumps in and out of characters' heads in a more omniscient style. One of the things I've come to love in a story is a clear hero/heroine with a purpose, and this story is so rich with characters that I'm not seeing that singular clarity. Again, it's me as the prose is strong and there is some fantastic conflict from the first page forward.
I'd definitely recommend this story to dragon lovers, high fantasy lovers, or even if you're just fiending for a bit more gore in a story.
I absolutely love the premise of this story. It's really unique and has the potential to be a fantastic series. I also really love the idea of a half-light, half-dark world and all the great word-building details woven into this one. Plus, you can never go wrong with dragon stories. <3
However, I'm going to set this aside to finish at a later date. I'm not sure if it's the headspace I'm in right now or that the story jumps in and out of characters' heads in a more omniscient style. One of the things I've come to love in a story is a clear hero/heroine with a purpose, and this story is so rich with characters that I'm not seeing that singular clarity. Again, it's me as the prose is strong and there is some fantastic conflict from the first page forward.
I'd definitely recommend this story to dragon lovers, high fantasy lovers, or even if you're just fiending for a bit more gore in a story.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews