Broken Stone

by Jameson Rivera

Ruiz Gravenor longs to destroy the Kingdom of Lygos, to finally revenge himself on the imperialist regime that subjugates his homeland, the island of Fieroe. In a trick of fate, he is chosen by the eldritch god hibernating beneath the island and bestowed with otherworldly powers. As Ruiz travels Lygos, he uses his talents to incite resistance. Still, he is but one man with many enemies 一 including the Lygian Saint-King’s right-hand man, Gideon Minmose.

Despite their animosity, both are far from home, haunted by traumatic memories. And Gideon, burdened with responsibility, is also chosen by a god. For all that Ruiz and Gideon appear as enemies, they have forged a secret partnership to eliminate Lygos’ reign. When forgotten rituals to revive the ancient gods are suddenly unearthed, they must risk everything for a chance at victory. With the gods’ rebirth comes the promise of freedom, but failure means certain death. What’s more, the gods are old and unknowable, and meddling with them could tear reality apart.

[Trigger Warnings: Alcoholism/Alcohol dependence, Colonialism, Gore, Allusions to CSA/Nonexplicit discussions of abuse, Consensual sex/Explicit sexual content, Body horror]

Genres: Fantasy

261 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 1, 2021

Reviews

[Jameson Rivera · Rating 5 out of 5]

FIRST haha okay, so that's cheating because this is my book and I wrote it, but oh well. I think it is good, and I hope you will like it! I've been working on this story for a long time, and I feel it's high time I pushed it out of the nest.

[Harri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written with wonderful characters and an exciting plot.

I need a sequel, and I need more of Gideon and Ruiz please.

[Shuya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book because it makes me go "oooooomg yes yes yes yes YES YES YES YES" at every single thing. The characters are charming and dynamic (Calix my beloved), and the main couple in particular (who r also gay and trans4trans☺️) have a very wrenching complexity to them...they're clever, they want, they're angry, they're hurt, and they aren't necessarily good people but they're trying to do the best by the people they care for TT_TT.... I also really admire the imagery and worldbuilding at play here, which is at turns endearingly lovely, terribly tragic, and fantastical and epic. The angels are sicckkkkk, I love the cosmic horror-type vibe🤠 And the manifestation of their abilities is soooo fucking cool.
There are a lot of sensitive themes handled very adeptly and with a lot of kindness in this story, and it's such a relief to read after sometimes putting myself through a book that deals with colonialism and warcrimes and oppression and shit and discovering no real justice or satisfaction to the way it turns out, even in fiction. That's not the case here––problems obviously don't just go away, but their consequences are explored in a way that leaves hope for rebuilding in the future, and a sense of a better world our heroes are willing to work toward.
Highly recommend this book !!!!<333 Can't wait for sequel :DD

[Melissa Polk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story has such a fascinating cast of characters. I could honestly read individual tales about each one. As a sucker for found family, you can't beat Ruiz and his band of friends. Add to that seemingly effortless worldbuiding in a land that is almost but not quite our own. To round it all out--the mythos is amazing. I adore the idea of the Named and the Blessed and maybe especially the fact that there were little angels that one could almost imagine were simply birds. Love love love this book. Adore this author. Please pick up a copy of Broken Stone and give it a try!

[Phoebe Barr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is mythic, full of gods, folk tales, prophecies, warped reality etc., and super large in scope, but I love how it also manages to dwell on and develop its human conflicts and relationships. The central romance isn't exactly the focus, but it's still prominent, and you get a lot of insight into all the side characters as well. A good combination of tropes like evil empires, chosen ones, apocalypse, in a way that felt very unique

[Alex Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

I may not be done yelling about this book for a minute... The mythos is so well done and the characters had me attached to them immediately. The themes of found family, healing from trauma, and fighting against colonialism are handled excellently, and the ending was both unexpected and satisfying in the exact right way.

Also, I would die for Calix.

[Riley Neither · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderfully queer and complex cast of characters, powerful and heartfelt anti-colonial themes, strange magic and stranger gods, all blended into one great story! It was a little heavy on the gore and killing for my tastes, but that's hardly unusual in the genre. Overall, a very promising debut; I can't wait to see more by this author.

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing and beautiful! Lovely characters with a cute found-family dynamic and just the most adorable couples. And everyone is LGBT+!!!!!! And 4/5 of the main crew is canonically trans!!!! Fantastic, beautiful, wonderful I would rate it a billion times if I could. This is a book I definitely think every fantasy fan (especially if you’re LGBT+) should read. Interesting lore and powers AND THOSE DESCRIPTIONS????? I won’t get into it for spoilers sake but the way gore and specifically decay is described in this book? Effervescent.

[Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really great read! A wonderful exploration of trauma and healing with themes of how they connect to colonialism. I loved the characters and the worldbuilding.