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Tainted Dominion
Tainted
Glaen must choose: the woman he loves, or freedom. Does he comply with the law of the Authority, or does he continue to see Gianna, the only light of his life? The consequences of his choice will ripple through more than he realizes. Revolution can start with a single shot.
Author's Note: Tainted originally appeared in the anthology DARK ENDS. It has been updated and expanded.
Author's Note: Tainted originally appeared in the anthology DARK ENDS. It has been updated and expanded.
ebook
First published February 29, 2020
About the author
Krystle Matar
9 books181 followersKrystle Matar has been writing for a long time, but things got serious when Tashué Blackwood walked into her life, an amber-eyed whirlwind. Her debut, Legacy of the Brightwash, is a SPFBO Finalist, an r/Fantasy nominee for Best Debut and Best Indie.
She is currently working on lots of stories set in the Dominion, is 1/2 of the Dripping Bucket Podcast, and is probably obsessively rewatching BBC’s Ripper Street and/or anything that Dennis Lehane worked on like Apple TV's Blackbird.
She is currently working on lots of stories set in the Dominion, is 1/2 of the Dripping Bucket Podcast, and is probably obsessively rewatching BBC’s Ripper Street and/or anything that Dennis Lehane worked on like Apple TV's Blackbird.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 13, 2022
Do you like darkness, heartbreak, and pain, beautifully rendered, with flawless prose and just enough moments of hope to carry you through?
Then this is the novella for you. It's set in the Tainted Dominion world of the incredible Legacy of the Brightwash, and features several characters from that book.
Without going into spoilers, this book includes a beautiful romance, some brutal death, some equally brutal prison sequences, some vivid action sequences, and, oh yeah, how could I forget the heartbreak?
Glaen and Gianna are both tainted--they have magical gifts, and their relationship is illegal. They've been warned by none other than Tashué Blackwood, that if they don't stop their relationship, they're going to the Rift, the prison for the tainted.
But when have dire warnings ever stopped star-crossed lovers?
What ensues is a tale of despair and revenge, of grief and loss and the hope that some things in the world can be redeemed, no matter how dark everything seems. We see Tashué, along with his son Jason, who's a prisoner in the Rift, and I love the perspective we get on Jason here, which is quite different from what we saw in Brightwash, being that it was colored in that book by his interactions with his father. I can't say more without spoilers, but I will continue to read everything Matar writes if it keeps being as amazing as her first two offerings.
Then this is the novella for you. It's set in the Tainted Dominion world of the incredible Legacy of the Brightwash, and features several characters from that book.
Without going into spoilers, this book includes a beautiful romance, some brutal death, some equally brutal prison sequences, some vivid action sequences, and, oh yeah, how could I forget the heartbreak?
Glaen and Gianna are both tainted--they have magical gifts, and their relationship is illegal. They've been warned by none other than Tashué Blackwood, that if they don't stop their relationship, they're going to the Rift, the prison for the tainted.
But when have dire warnings ever stopped star-crossed lovers?
What ensues is a tale of despair and revenge, of grief and loss and the hope that some things in the world can be redeemed, no matter how dark everything seems. We see Tashué, along with his son Jason, who's a prisoner in the Rift, and I love the perspective we get on Jason here, which is quite different from what we saw in Brightwash, being that it was colored in that book by his interactions with his father. I can't say more without spoilers, but I will continue to read everything Matar writes if it keeps being as amazing as her first two offerings.
March 27, 2022
I enjoyed this novella so much! It was a great introduction to this world, that it's so dark and twisted that it's wonderful.
The people who are tainted have different kinds of powers and because of that they're classified and they can't have any contact with each other. This story centers around Glaen who is tainted, very much in love and in a relationship with Gianna, also tainted, which make their relationship illegal. At the beginning of the story, they're threatened, by one of their supervisors, with the Rift (this world's jail) if they continue to see each other. And everything goes from there.
The story is so tragic, but there's little sparks of hope here and there. The world is one of pain and suffering specially for the tainted. They are shun from the rest of society, very repressed and force to endure terrible living conditions, they're little more than slaves. In the Rift is even worse because their magical abilities are completely suppressed. Work is all there is.
I loved the characters, they were great to follow. The love story is so beautiful and I think that all the things they faced in the Rift are a key to everything that comes next.
The world build itself around the narrative almost effortlessly. The flow of the story is amazing, there weren't any moments where this change. The plot was absolutely fantastic, though the story is character based I love the ending, which was for me very unexpected and a little shocking.
The people who are tainted have different kinds of powers and because of that they're classified and they can't have any contact with each other. This story centers around Glaen who is tainted, very much in love and in a relationship with Gianna, also tainted, which make their relationship illegal. At the beginning of the story, they're threatened, by one of their supervisors, with the Rift (this world's jail) if they continue to see each other. And everything goes from there.
The story is so tragic, but there's little sparks of hope here and there. The world is one of pain and suffering specially for the tainted. They are shun from the rest of society, very repressed and force to endure terrible living conditions, they're little more than slaves. In the Rift is even worse because their magical abilities are completely suppressed. Work is all there is.
I loved the characters, they were great to follow. The love story is so beautiful and I think that all the things they faced in the Rift are a key to everything that comes next.
The world build itself around the narrative almost effortlessly. The flow of the story is amazing, there weren't any moments where this change. The plot was absolutely fantastic, though the story is character based I love the ending, which was for me very unexpected and a little shocking.
April 12, 2023
4.5 stars (rounded up)
Legacy of the Brightwash is one of my all-time favourite books, so I was beyond excited to read more of Matar's devastatingly beautiful stories. And gosh, this did not disappoint!
Tainted is a tragic star-crossed lovers tale following Glaen, who is one of the Talented/Tainted that Tashué has been assigned to look over. His romantic relationship with another Tainted is strictly forbidden, yet their love for each other might just outweigh their fear of The Authority and the dire repercussion of being found out.
And dammit, while I knew the general direction this story was going from seeing glimpses of it in Legacy of the Brightwash, this story still hurt like a bitch... in the best way possible.
Matar writes love, tragedy, despair, heartache and pain like nobody else, I am just so here for all the emotional destruction!
It was also fascinating to see this world and the main characters of Brightwash through another character's eyes, especially someone with such a different perspective than what we've gotten before. I mean, I knew life in The Dominion sucked (especially for certain oppressed groups), but this society is even more brutal and messed up than I already thought it was.
So, I think no one is surprised when I say that I absolutely loved this novella. It will make your heart swell with love and joy, only for it to then get brutally ripped out and stomped over... multiple times. If you want a taste of Matar's emotionally gripping and soul-stirring storytelling, then I highly recommend giving this one a go.
Legacy of the Brightwash is one of my all-time favourite books, so I was beyond excited to read more of Matar's devastatingly beautiful stories. And gosh, this did not disappoint!
Tainted is a tragic star-crossed lovers tale following Glaen, who is one of the Talented/Tainted that Tashué has been assigned to look over. His romantic relationship with another Tainted is strictly forbidden, yet their love for each other might just outweigh their fear of The Authority and the dire repercussion of being found out.
And dammit, while I knew the general direction this story was going from seeing glimpses of it in Legacy of the Brightwash, this story still hurt like a bitch... in the best way possible.
Matar writes love, tragedy, despair, heartache and pain like nobody else, I am just so here for all the emotional destruction!
It was also fascinating to see this world and the main characters of Brightwash through another character's eyes, especially someone with such a different perspective than what we've gotten before. I mean, I knew life in The Dominion sucked (especially for certain oppressed groups), but this society is even more brutal and messed up than I already thought it was.
So, I think no one is surprised when I say that I absolutely loved this novella. It will make your heart swell with love and joy, only for it to then get brutally ripped out and stomped over... multiple times. If you want a taste of Matar's emotionally gripping and soul-stirring storytelling, then I highly recommend giving this one a go.
October 15, 2023
Gahhhhh Krystle just packs so much emotional damage into so few pages
Just an incredibly talented author who has the exceptional writing capabilities to instantly make me emotionally attached and feel for her characters.
Just an incredibly talented author who has the exceptional writing capabilities to instantly make me emotionally attached and feel for her characters.
November 7, 2021
4.25***
August 30, 2022
4.5
This novella packed a lot of emotion in so few pages. It was dark, it was gritty, it was well written. Krystle gave readers just enough to want more. I loved this world, the characters, and the story was just enough to hook me. The magic system is the only aspect of the story I wanted more from, but that is what a full length novel is for. I will be reading Legacy of Brightwash in October as part of my Spooky reads.
This novella packed a lot of emotion in so few pages. It was dark, it was gritty, it was well written. Krystle gave readers just enough to want more. I loved this world, the characters, and the story was just enough to hook me. The magic system is the only aspect of the story I wanted more from, but that is what a full length novel is for. I will be reading Legacy of Brightwash in October as part of my Spooky reads.
November 4, 2021
Tainted is a gritty, gaslamp novella set in the same world as Krystle Matar’s amazing and popular debut novel, Legacy of the Brightwash, and is equally compelling. Our hero from the novel, Tashué Blackwood is seen in a completely different light in this story. It is told from the perspective of one of Tashué’s cases who we met in Legacy of the Brightwash, Glaen Forsooth. Glaen was arrested for fraternization with another tainted in the novel, and his beloved Gianna Tarbrook was shot dead by a Regulation Officer. Tainted begins before this tragedy and we live through it once more from Glaen’s heartbreaking perspective:
“Gianna gives me a reason to breathe. She is like the sun rising after a long and terrible night. But the night was more than only a few hours; the sun set for me years ago. Until I met Gianna. Now it has risen again.”
GLAEN FORSOOTH
After Gianna is shot Glaen mistakenly believes Tashué to have been her murderer and is consumed by hatred for him. He cannot understand how Tashué could work as a Regulation Officer for so long, condemning Tainted/Talented people who do not follow the rules to a life inside the Rift – the forbidding penitentiary where Tainted/Talented people are sent who break the rules. We saw this attitude from Tashué himself by the end of Brightwash as he came to realise what was important in life and question the rules set by The Authority. This lends some dramatic irony to Tainted, since Glaen has no idea of Tashué’s professional doubts and actual decency of character.
In Tainted we are once more greeted by Matar’s wonderful world-building skills:
“The Residential Institute for Feral Tainted and Non-Compliants—the Rift—stood on an island in the Brightwash river, a great ugly behemoth that loomed upon the rock. It was once a fort that stood guard against invaders coming downriver. A gated courtyard sprawled around the stone structure, making the edifice as imposing and unwelcoming as it was meant to be. The river ran fast around the island, surrounding the Rift in a haze of mist and water.”
We get to see much more of the Rift from the point of view of Glaen as an inmate. It had a certain air of mystery in Legacy of the Brightwash, so I found this exposé of the brutal regime and it’s guards who pick on the weak to make themselves feel stronger, particularly interesting.
When Glaen encounters Tashué’s son Jason inside the Rift he is even more shocked and horrified by Tashué – how could he let his own son languish in such a place? He comes to hate Tashué with a vengeance:
“When Glaen had met Hillbraun’s gaze and seen such hatred, he realized why Tashué Blackwood was so loathsome. As a tainted, Glaen was used to hatred. In fact, he expected it, at least from those without Talent. But Tashué’s lack of hatred was hard to swallow. He didn’t hate the tainted, but he still thought they needed to be regulated. He still thought that they couldn’t be trusted to make their own decisions. Sweet North Star, that was so much worse.”
Once again, the author brings the powerful theme of the fear of the other to the fore with the Tainted/Talented being locked away to keep untalented people safe from their powers. The Regulation Officers have been trained to be bigots who believe themselves more worthy citizens than the tainted, despite the fact that it is the tainted who keep the trams running, the lamps lit and who heal the sick with their talents in this world:
“The man thumbed back the hammer of that ugly rifle, his whole body tense and wild, eager for blood, his eyes filled with hatred so complete Glaen quailed in the face of it. It was hatred like that, unreasoning and blinding and consuming, which had turned the tainted into an inferior class. It didn’t care that they all bled the same blood, couldn’t be reasoned with or soothed. Hatred like that killed people.”
Tainted may be short, but it contains some fabulous characterisation. I loved Gianna’s free-spirited, carefree, positive nature, despite her short amount of time alive in the story, she is fully fleshed out. Glaen is much more cautious, almost her opposite. Scared to step out of line and live his life:
“The future hasn’t happened yet, but by living in fear of it, you’re paralysed. You’ll never grow, my love. The future lies like shackles across your shoulders. You’re stunted, chained to this half-life you live. Stand with me, Glaen. Look up. Look up into the sky and see the beauty our city holds.”
GIANNA TARBROOK
Jason is downtrodden and almost defeated, but has not let go of his hope to escape one day. Rezji is a tough, taciturn type with hidden depths and a probable tragic past:
“We all have our dead that we carry with us”
REZJI
This is another emotional story from Matar, something which she does so well. The action of the final stages of the story was fast-paced and hair-raisingly exciting and the final face-off had a fittingly tragic conclusion. Anyone who enjoyed Legacy of the Brightwash will love this story – Matar has knocked it out of the park once more!
“Gianna gives me a reason to breathe. She is like the sun rising after a long and terrible night. But the night was more than only a few hours; the sun set for me years ago. Until I met Gianna. Now it has risen again.”
GLAEN FORSOOTH
After Gianna is shot Glaen mistakenly believes Tashué to have been her murderer and is consumed by hatred for him. He cannot understand how Tashué could work as a Regulation Officer for so long, condemning Tainted/Talented people who do not follow the rules to a life inside the Rift – the forbidding penitentiary where Tainted/Talented people are sent who break the rules. We saw this attitude from Tashué himself by the end of Brightwash as he came to realise what was important in life and question the rules set by The Authority. This lends some dramatic irony to Tainted, since Glaen has no idea of Tashué’s professional doubts and actual decency of character.
In Tainted we are once more greeted by Matar’s wonderful world-building skills:
“The Residential Institute for Feral Tainted and Non-Compliants—the Rift—stood on an island in the Brightwash river, a great ugly behemoth that loomed upon the rock. It was once a fort that stood guard against invaders coming downriver. A gated courtyard sprawled around the stone structure, making the edifice as imposing and unwelcoming as it was meant to be. The river ran fast around the island, surrounding the Rift in a haze of mist and water.”
We get to see much more of the Rift from the point of view of Glaen as an inmate. It had a certain air of mystery in Legacy of the Brightwash, so I found this exposé of the brutal regime and it’s guards who pick on the weak to make themselves feel stronger, particularly interesting.
When Glaen encounters Tashué’s son Jason inside the Rift he is even more shocked and horrified by Tashué – how could he let his own son languish in such a place? He comes to hate Tashué with a vengeance:
“When Glaen had met Hillbraun’s gaze and seen such hatred, he realized why Tashué Blackwood was so loathsome. As a tainted, Glaen was used to hatred. In fact, he expected it, at least from those without Talent. But Tashué’s lack of hatred was hard to swallow. He didn’t hate the tainted, but he still thought they needed to be regulated. He still thought that they couldn’t be trusted to make their own decisions. Sweet North Star, that was so much worse.”
Once again, the author brings the powerful theme of the fear of the other to the fore with the Tainted/Talented being locked away to keep untalented people safe from their powers. The Regulation Officers have been trained to be bigots who believe themselves more worthy citizens than the tainted, despite the fact that it is the tainted who keep the trams running, the lamps lit and who heal the sick with their talents in this world:
“The man thumbed back the hammer of that ugly rifle, his whole body tense and wild, eager for blood, his eyes filled with hatred so complete Glaen quailed in the face of it. It was hatred like that, unreasoning and blinding and consuming, which had turned the tainted into an inferior class. It didn’t care that they all bled the same blood, couldn’t be reasoned with or soothed. Hatred like that killed people.”
Tainted may be short, but it contains some fabulous characterisation. I loved Gianna’s free-spirited, carefree, positive nature, despite her short amount of time alive in the story, she is fully fleshed out. Glaen is much more cautious, almost her opposite. Scared to step out of line and live his life:
“The future hasn’t happened yet, but by living in fear of it, you’re paralysed. You’ll never grow, my love. The future lies like shackles across your shoulders. You’re stunted, chained to this half-life you live. Stand with me, Glaen. Look up. Look up into the sky and see the beauty our city holds.”
GIANNA TARBROOK
Jason is downtrodden and almost defeated, but has not let go of his hope to escape one day. Rezji is a tough, taciturn type with hidden depths and a probable tragic past:
“We all have our dead that we carry with us”
REZJI
This is another emotional story from Matar, something which she does so well. The action of the final stages of the story was fast-paced and hair-raisingly exciting and the final face-off had a fittingly tragic conclusion. Anyone who enjoyed Legacy of the Brightwash will love this story – Matar has knocked it out of the park once more!
August 1, 2024
I read Legacy of the Brightwash earlier this year and I enjoyed it immensely. It's for sure one of my top Grimdark fantasy books of all time. I was really excited to dive into this novella because we reunite with a side character and get his POV on certain events as they unfold.
Tainted is the story of two star crossed lovers who dare to love when it is forbidden to them, with the punishment being either death or being sent to the rift. Our MC Glaen is sent to the Rift after refusing to give up his love, and our story unfolds from there.
It was really interesting getting the POV of what it was like inside the Rift, and getting even more insight into how corrupt and dark the Authority truly is. It was also fascinating to see how our new set of characters felt towards Tashúe Blackwood.
This novella was just as gutwrenching as Book 1, and now I know for sure I cannot keep putting Book 2 off any longer.
I feel that you can read this either before Legacy of the Brightwash or after, but I think it leaves a bigger impact if you read it after.
Krystle Matar is quickly becoming a favorite author for me.
Tainted is the story of two star crossed lovers who dare to love when it is forbidden to them, with the punishment being either death or being sent to the rift. Our MC Glaen is sent to the Rift after refusing to give up his love, and our story unfolds from there.
It was really interesting getting the POV of what it was like inside the Rift, and getting even more insight into how corrupt and dark the Authority truly is. It was also fascinating to see how our new set of characters felt towards Tashúe Blackwood.
This novella was just as gutwrenching as Book 1, and now I know for sure I cannot keep putting Book 2 off any longer.
I feel that you can read this either before Legacy of the Brightwash or after, but I think it leaves a bigger impact if you read it after.
Krystle Matar is quickly becoming a favorite author for me.
December 26, 2021
4.5/5 stars. “Perhaps tea wasn’t the only cornerstone of civilization. Perhaps conquering the darkness was just as vital”
Ah the story of Glaen hurts my heart. The first part of the story is what we know from Legacy of the Brightwash put told from his perspective but then it goes beyond that and I’m eager to see that story told in the sequel.
Ah the story of Glaen hurts my heart. The first part of the story is what we know from Legacy of the Brightwash put told from his perspective but then it goes beyond that and I’m eager to see that story told in the sequel.
October 1, 2023
Nice expanded insight into the Talent and also an inside look at the Rift. If you enjoyed Legacy of the Brightwash, you'll want to read this.
December 31, 2022
Non Spoiler review:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌠
(4.5 stars)
Tainted is a novella taking place in a world where segregation of those with biological powered magic (taints) are oppressed and controlled by those without (the Authority).
We follow the main character of Glaen, a tainted street lamp operator, and his coming to terms with his place in the world.
Matar manages to write such a real but dark feeling world. It mostly resembles early industrial era America. With the talk of new and life changing inventions like tram lines, medicine, and housing, though all of them are reserved and given freely to those without the 'taint'. Our main character of Glaen struggles to see his life as anything but soul crushing. Seeming to find no joy or reason to exist other than the sheer unfairness of his situation. His life feels meandering and hopeless until he meets Gianna, another tainted who they instantly form a connection with. Now, having something to live for, it also brings along with having something to lose in life.
The intermingled emotions of hopelessness and hope are so masterful and tragically written. Watching Matar's characters and world collide together over these 90 pages made me feel so invested in what was going on. I probably read this as one of the fastest novellas in the lot. Every glimmer of hope for our main character had me wishing for the best, even knowing the worst is equally possible to happen.
I am both amazed and frustrated at how connected Matar has made me to these characters, only for me to find out this is her most recent work!!!
The book before it takes place before the events in this one, so I'm currently unable to see more of any of their life's or what happens next.
How dare you make me fall in love just to rip it all away. xD
Anyway, I loved it, and as always, 10/10 would recommend it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌠
(4.5 stars)
Tainted is a novella taking place in a world where segregation of those with biological powered magic (taints) are oppressed and controlled by those without (the Authority).
We follow the main character of Glaen, a tainted street lamp operator, and his coming to terms with his place in the world.
Matar manages to write such a real but dark feeling world. It mostly resembles early industrial era America. With the talk of new and life changing inventions like tram lines, medicine, and housing, though all of them are reserved and given freely to those without the 'taint'. Our main character of Glaen struggles to see his life as anything but soul crushing. Seeming to find no joy or reason to exist other than the sheer unfairness of his situation. His life feels meandering and hopeless until he meets Gianna, another tainted who they instantly form a connection with. Now, having something to live for, it also brings along with having something to lose in life.
The intermingled emotions of hopelessness and hope are so masterful and tragically written. Watching Matar's characters and world collide together over these 90 pages made me feel so invested in what was going on. I probably read this as one of the fastest novellas in the lot. Every glimmer of hope for our main character had me wishing for the best, even knowing the worst is equally possible to happen.
I am both amazed and frustrated at how connected Matar has made me to these characters, only for me to find out this is her most recent work!!!
The book before it takes place before the events in this one, so I'm currently unable to see more of any of their life's or what happens next.
How dare you make me fall in love just to rip it all away. xD
Anyway, I loved it, and as always, 10/10 would recommend it.
April 27, 2026
Rounding up. I read books 1-2 from the series before this novella. The novella repeated scenes and dialogue from those books so I felt myself skimming. I was expecting more chapters of the couple before things got bad. I probably would have enjoyed the novella more if I had read it first or waited longer after finishing book 2. But I think the last part was new...I wonder if that will be featured in book 3. Even if I was a little disappointed by having to reread certain events, the writing was not a disappointment. This was a good introductory standalone whether you choose to continue the series or not.
August 17, 2022
I love this series/world/the complexity and relatability of the characters. I’m SO excited for the next one!
February 1, 2023
Definitely enjoyed this much more than Legacy of the Brightwash which I rated a three star. The first book would have been much so better had this story been woven within it.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews