I’m a huge Jeff Wheeler fan. His books are an auto-buy for me. So when I found out he was starting a new series that is, as he describes it, “fun martial arts adventure story set in a world with a geography like Alaska and the culture like ancient China” I was eager to get my hands on an ARC.

Mr. Wheeler does not disappoint. Firstly, I really enjoy entertainment that features Asian cultures like anime, K-drama, Japanese light novels, and literature by authors like Amy Tan and Lisa See. This series is inspired by those cultures, and I love it.

He is an excellent fantasy writer, in part because his books are never heavy handed or hard to get into. They are easy to read and engrossing. I just got the second book as an ARC and I’m excited to get to reading. I think you will be happy if you pick up this series.

Song for this book: Princess of China – Coldplay ft. Rihanna

This is the first book from the series. For those who love twists and turns and adventure - you will be captured by the author's creative writing.
When you know what will happen - another surprise surprise you. Great read!

Due to college and the changes around coronavirus I was not able to read this before the ex pity date. I will keep an eye out for the book as it looks interesting.

I’ve been a big fan of Jeff Wheeler’s work. But this one fell a little flat for me. It had an interesting premise – a girl grows up with revenge in her heart and is seemingly chosen to be the savior of the world, even though she doesn’t really want it. There is magic that can draw a killing fog, which kills everyone it touches. There is an ancient evil that is raised from the dead. All sorts of cool things. But something was missing. Far too often the characters where just like “it is was it is” and then it would move on. But then the next thing that should be a relatively easy decision was like “OMG WHAT WILL WE DOOOOO.” It all sort of fell flat for me and there didn’t seem to be much of a conclusion either. I won’t be picking up the next one in this series.

What I liked about The Killing Fog:
- I liked that this was a fast paced fantasy story with strong familial bonds between a group of mercenaries for hire.
-I enjoyed that there was a glossary and a character list included. (It looks like there is a map included in the final published version.

What I disliked about The Killing Fog:
-In the beginning, I was very confused as lots of new words were being introduced with little no defining or context clues as to their meaning. However, I did find the glossary about halfway through.
-There was little to no backstory about the magic system, the mysterious fog, or the history of the government/ruling system.
-With the fast pacing of this story, there seemed to be a lot of jumping from one event to the next with very little development to the story or discovering the character's motives for their decisions.

Who would I recommend The Killing Fog to:
-Fans of Asian inspired fantasies
-Fans of martial arts
-Fans of the chosen one trope
-Young Adult and Adult readers

Overall Thoughts:
Overall, I thought that the concept for this story was unique and could be right up my ally, since I usually enjoy stories that include fighting/training schools. However, I was disappointed in the execution and the way the author sped through information giving parts of the story.

I would like to thank NetGalley and 47North for the e-ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this book intrigued with the premise. While I enjoyed the book, I found parts of it to be a little drawn out. I think the book could have been shortened. I wish there was a bit more characterization and relationship building, but I am hoping to find that in the next few books. Either way, I am excited to see where Bingmei ends up!

This is a book who fascinated me. I did´t expect anything that I read and then WOOW!!! What an awesome book.

We have a lot of girl power and that is amazing. In a oriental place where the man is most important of all the things, here we have so many warrior women who are kickass, powerful beautiful and human (they have defects too like all the human being).

Bingmei is a girl with the winter sickness (she has white air) who is an orphan because her parents and grandfather were killed when she was a little girl. Today is a warrior in a battle school and lived there with her master Kunmia, the women who rescued Bingmei when she was a child.

I feel very afraid because last year I read The Queens Poisoners and loved it and then, I read The Thiefs Daughter and hate that book. But when I read this book I feel very relief when I noticed that I really liked this book. You can find a lot of fantasy and lessons about the meaning of friendship and family, revenge and find yourself.

Bingmei had a lot of responsibility and feels afraid about that because accidentally she woke up Ecchion, emperor of The Grave Kingdom and the villain of this story. Her destiny is ready and she didn't feel good and secure.

I think all the characters are important. I only have little problems with Quion because in this moment I can´t feel he is a necessary character... for now! maybe I was wrong.

When her family is killed by the Qingdao, Bingmei is taken in by Kunmia, the leader of a nearby quonsuun that served the king of Wangfujing. They collect weapons of power, and the collection of one such leads Bingmei straight into her destiny. The Phoenix Blade calls to her, but it compels her to awaken an emperor of time long ago who would take over the world once more. Now Bingmei is the only one who can rid the world of him, and the only one who can help the emperor achieve his goals.

I've seen Jeff Wheeler's name over and over throughout the years, but this was the first book of his I have ever picked up. When I saw it was available for request on Netgalley, I decided it was time for me to check his books out for myself. Going in to it, I wasn't sure of what it was about, but, since he's such a prolific fantasy author, I figured it would be good. Well, it was interesting, but I'm on the fence about how I feel about it.

The Characters: A Delightfully Conflicted Main Character

My favorite part of this book would have to be the characters. They were just so lifelike with faults and strengths, especially Bingmei. Since the story is told from her perspective, the reader really gets into her head and heart. I loved how conflicted she was, especially about her destiny. I loved that she wasn't a do-gooder who would willingly sacrifice herself. No, she was complex and still developing her values and morals. She held a few things important to her heart, but was always quite selfish, though I could certainly understand why.

My second favorite character has to be Quion. A fisherman's son, he ends up joining the quonsoon, but as a fisherman instead of a warrior. Still, he has the heart of a warrior if not the skills, and I adored how his heart was always, always in the right place. He was so transparent, so utterly good and knew exactly where he stood on everything that it was actually quite a joy to read about him. Every other character was complex and had negative pieces to their characterization, but Quion was just so achingly perfect that it was an incredibly wonderful foil to Bingmei.

I enjoyed all of the characters, even the more despicable ones. They made the story exciting and kept me guessing about what was going to happen next. Because the reader is only in Bingmei's head, it was impossible to really know another character's intentions unless Bingmei smelled it (yes, smelled. It's fascinating).

The Setting: Chinese-Inspired

Oh, I have such a love-hate relationship with the setting. This is a Chinese-inspired fantasy, which really struck at my heart as I am Chinese and was raised with many traditions and customs from China.

I started reading this book without having looked at the description in months, so I was pleasantly surprised to recognize Chinese elements. It felt strangely comforting and I enjoyed the sensation of familiarity. The terrain was well-described, full of mountains and plenty of water as well as a whole city hidden under a glacier. The broad brushstrokes of culture provided clearly indicated the Asian inspiration, all the way down to the names and terms.

However, the charm wore off fast. The more I read, the more off it felt. I get the inspired part, but I was also disappointed that bits and pieces felt a little too Western. The hardest thing I had to come to terms with, though, was the idea that this felt like an alternate timeline of China's history, almost as though something happened at one point and the future of China shifted into what this book offered. It was interesting, but I suppose my Chinese roots were too strong for me to fully appreciate what Wheeler was doing.

I thought the setting was interesting and I do love that it was Chinese-inspired. It had a nice Asian feel, but I was a little disappointed it wasn't a full immersion. Again, inspired. I just, personally, can't wrap my head around it.

The Plot: A Curious Agreement Between Character-Driven and Plot-Driven

This was a fascinating story. It's the story of a girl who was destined to wake a centuries old emperor, who would have to destroy him or be destroyed herself. I loved knowing that Bingmei is supposed to give her life to save the world and I loved how selfish she was in her desire to live, so I can see this story going either way.

The one thing that bothered me was that the first quarter felt a little slow. It was devoted more to world building and character development, but there were some parts that I didn't really get why they were included. Perhaps they'll be relevant later on, but I was a little annoyed when it took so long for the story to really get started.

Otherwise, this was a fascinating idea with interesting characters. Overall, the story moved well and continued forwards, though it sometimes felt like it was stalling or going in circles. There were parts that completely baffled me, but they tended to come from character-driven decisions. It felt a little caught between character-driven and plot-driven, but, somehow, they reached an agreement.

Overall: All About the Characters

I adored the characters in this book. Some of them felt simplistic and others were just brutal, but they each added an important piece to the fabric of the story. This book has an interesting concept, which worked very well with the characters, and I'd be curious to see how it all plays out as the series unfolds. However, the setting has me hesitating as it wasn't quite what I thought it would be. I was disappointed it sometimes felt more inspired than Chinese, but that's just me.

Thank you to Netgalley and 47North for a free e-copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
Link to review: https://thelilycafe.com/book-review-the-killing-fog-by-jeff-wheeler

This review is for the first two in this series. These are solid fantasy tales told with a nice style and lots of good imagination. The author has been around a while and knows how to tell a good story with well formed characters, an engaging plot, and some nice surprises. I'm not a huge fantasy fan, but this worked for me.

Thanks very much for the ARC for review!!

Wheeler's The Killing Fog kicks off his new Grave Kingdom series, introducing us to Bingmei, the orphaned child of warrior parents. Now she belongs to Kunmia's mercenary group. When their normal employer asks Kunmia's ensign to partner with another to locate the mythcal city of Fusang, it sparks an unprecedented chain of events. Ancient, restless energy has been awakened and it wants Bingmei.

This was a pretty cool read! It took me a minute to get into it, but once I did, I devoured it! I loved the Chinese culture inspirations, especially the Foo Dogs guarding the city entrance. They called them 'lions' but I knew what they were. We have two sets of them in our house. Haha. The description of Fusang itself, and especially how they found it, was definitely a descent to the underworld, as the city is buried intact beneath a retreating glacier. It reminded me more of the Celtic twilight realm of Annwfyn because of that, since there was ambient light and growing things.

It seems Bingmei has a variation of synesthesia, which I adored! I have a friend who senses emotion as colour via olfactory processing. Like Bingmei, it gets him in trouble sometimes! I've been seeing synesthetes showing up in books more frequently over the last year or so, and it warms my heart this unusual and fascinating condition is getting more attention. The magic was neat, being tied to the meiwood. It's creepy that using magic summons the 'killing fog' that leaves dead men in it's wake. I live in an area that is often foggy, so often that it has a name- Karl. Thankfully, Karl won't kill you outright. Just pay attention while driving!

Bingmei was a cool character who reminded me a little of a younger Arya Stark. Kunmia was probably my most favourite. She's a strong, capable, protective leader. Kunmia brought to mind Georgiou, from Star Trek: Discovery. So that's kinda how those two ended up being mentally pictured for me.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read, and I'm looking forward to continuing on in the Grave Kingdom series. Recommended for fantasy lovers who enjoy Asian-inspured stories.

***Many thanks to the Netgalley & 47North for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Reviewed for JBN Tours.

3.5/5.0
A complete and brand new turn for this very talented author! Unlike Mr. Wheeler's previous series, this one is set in a completely new and uncharted world. It has an Asian feel and most of the names attest to that origin, as well. It was quite slow going throughout much of the story, however, with spurts of action here and there. This is most likely due to the need to set up the characters, world etc. in anticipation of subsequent books and the overall arc. Still it made it a bit hard to focus and keep one's attention at times. The biggest challenge for me was in the lack of any real relationships. Everything in this area is completely surface, if at all. Hopefully they will deepen as the series continues but it was hard to really connect with the characters in this story because they didn't connect at all with each other!

Ultimately, the writing is wonderfully smooth and the world is interesting enough to be a promising start. It just needs to deepen in order to create the kind of can't-put-down awesomeness we have come to expect.

Great start to a new series. Sucked me in right from the start and I can't wait to see where this goes!

Woah! I have loved Jeff Wheeler books from the first time I have read them, but this may be the best. It has such wonderful character development and depth. The world is detailed and easy to picture. The plot flies by. I absolutely love and recommend this book.

"Dying is easy. Living has always been the challenge."

This was a solid start to a new east-asian inspired fantasy. The concept was truly excellent and very unique.

The Killing Fog follows main character, Bingmei—translates to Ice Rose—a young woman with "Winter Sickness," a mysterious malady that gives her pale skin and white hair, not to mention disdain from townsfolk due to superstition regarding this illness. Even stranger, Bingmei has the ability to smell the intentions of others making her the best judge of character the world over. What seems to start out as a typical fantasy revenge story diverts from the script spectacularly with the introduction of quest to find a lost city known to the world only in fable. Lord knows I love a "lost city" story.

Like I said already, the concept was great and definitely made the book for me. I also loved the idea of the Killing Fog itself, a fog that appears whenever someone uses magic for too long, killing all its wake and leaving them dead yet unable to decompose, like a field of sleeping soldiers. Very spooky. There's also a Death Wall, akin in my mind to the Wall of China. A huge wall spanning the whole world that's existed since before human memory and which no one has ever crossed fearing the unknown on the other side. Some other readers have mentioned that they felt there was too much fighting but I enjoyed that as well. I felt like it was well written and easy to picture. The emphasis on the martial fighting style was also different than your average Western fantasy.

The biggest detractor for me was the writing itself. That sounds brutal so, to clarify, the writing isn't bad and I could always picture in my head what was happening on the page. I just found the writing to be a bit dry. It lacked the deeper descriptions to which I'm partial, and it could have used a bit more emotion from the characters. These are personal preferences, of course, and might not bother you at all.

Overall, I enjoyed this first installment, it was fun and quick to get through! I'll be picking up the next release when it comes out this summer

Jeff Wheeler is brilliant in the way he comes up with the special powers of his characters. Simple things like a heightened sense of smell for a character is something not many would think of. He always empowers his female characters to be the best version of themselves. In a world full of mostly male heroes, it's refreshing to have such strong heroines instead. The magic he has with his words you can easily put yourself in the character's place and feel how they feel and get immersed in their world and go through their struggles and triumphs. Making heroines and heroes out of the least likely people in his books. A young girl who seeks revenge for the death of her family and along the way finds much more important things in life than revenge. Embracing her unique powers and identity, even when others make it difficult. Having something as ordinary as fog as a lethal obstacle alongside other powerful enemies is just another example of the brilliance of this book. Can't wait to read all the books in this series!

I'm a little behind the curve on this one as it ended up being offered as a Kindle read this month.

I received the ARC over the holiday season and started it around the new year. It took me some time to make my way through it, however. I had been wanting to start a series by Jeff Wheeler for some time but wasn't completely sure where to start with his older series. When I saw this ARC description, I found a perfect starting point in a completely new setting for Wheeler.

Plus, I've been on a bit of an Eastern literature kick lately. I just wish I would have been more endeared by The Killing Fog. I always enjoy new types of fantasy mechanics, so I was very interested by Bingmei's ability to smell emotions. Plus crazy mystical weapons, a fight against evil, travelling quests; all the good old fashioned fantasy tropes to go with it.

The first few chapters were very promising, and then they became the same as all the following chapters. Bingmei's ability is utilized every few sentences and in exacting detail. It becomes wearisome.

Tied to that downside is Bingmei's special powers completely overshadow the incredibly interesting and mysterious artifacts that bring about the killing fog. These mysterious weapons make some awesome Chinese kung fu movie scenes, which really picked up my reading each time.

I can see why people enjoy Jeff Wheeler's fantasy worlds. He clearly has a strong world-building sense. I think in this case the author found a mechanic he fell in love with and got a little too excited and overshared. The bones of the story were good, and the characters were interesting.

I received The Buried World ARC and definitely plan on giving it a chance. Hopefully I'll find some better balance.

3. 5 stars. I received an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and 47North.

The Killing Fog is the first book in a new series by Jeff Wheeler. I had read and loved his Kingfountain series, so I was excited to read this one. The book takes place in an Asian-inspired world where the past is a mystery that has been lost to time. The protagonist is an orphan named Bingmei, or Ice Rose, so named because she has pale skin and white hair, which is extremely unusual in this world. She also has the ability to smell people’s intentions and emotions and this is an extremely useful gift that she utilizes throughout the book. After the death of her parents, Bingmei joins another ensign (a group of mercenaries that are hired to protect merchants and kingdoms). Her ensign is hired to find the lost kingdom of Fusang, which has been lost to history. Bingmei finds herself the chosen one who awakens the Dragon of the Night and unleashes his destruction upon the world. Now it is up to her to save the world if she can.

I really enjoyed the last half of this book. That’s when the action picked up and it was thrilling and suspensful and I wanted to know what was going to happen next. The beginning half of the book was much slower, setting up the world-building and with the ensign travelling for most of it. I had a hard time wanting to pick up the book during this part, but the last half made struggling through the first half worth it.

The ensign characters were easy to like, especially the leader, who Bingmei admires for good reason. They were a family and you felt the strong bonds between them, even when they disagreed. Bingmei is a trusted advisor for the leader of the ensign because of her special ability. It is an interesting gift, with different intentions and emotions having different smells, that sometimes are so strong they make Bingmei gag. It gave you an unique insight into the many characters that they meet, but it also made me think about how people can be good even if they sometimes have jealousy or ambition or whatever distasteful emotions that we all sometimes have.

I am still a little confused about why Bingmei was fated to awaken the Night Dragon and then also supposed to be his nemesis as this seemed at odds with each other, but the story is engaging enough that I didn’t spend a lot of time pondering this. I am looking forward to reading the sequel and finding out what happens next.

A very exciting fantasy world set in mythic-asia.
A breath of fresh air, as most contemporary fantasy is still stuck in a western world, so to have a massive fantasy world full of Asian themes is wonderfully refreshing.
I particularly love a female main character, and Bingmei's ability to smell emotions is immediately interesting and captivating.
Filled with dragons, magic, fighting and a slow, soft romance, I flew through this and leapt upon the next one - where Bingmei has to try and stop things that she has started...
I highly recommend if you enjoy any of Jeff's other works, or if you enjoy Brent Weeks, Sanderson or Jay Kristoff.
Five stars!

The Killing Fog is the first in a new Asian-inspired fantasy series by Jeff Wheeler. I’m ashamed to say I have seen his other works, but never got around to reading them even though they have been on my list for a while. So, I am very happy to be able to read this first one in his new series.

One of the main features fantasy readers always look to when attempting to decide if a book is right for them is in the world-building. In The Killing Fog, the world has associations called ensigns’, which are groups of trained warriors that can be hired for a variety of reasons. Magic is also in the world, but is never used as a first resort. Bingmei is part of an Kunmia’s ensign, an honorable ensign. The story truly begins when King Budei, one of their patrons, hires them to find an artifact at the Summer Palace. With fear of giving too much away the main story takes the reader to two different kingdoms as well as the Summer Palace, which is also called Fusang.

Although, I’m still not quite sure what to make of Bingmei’s personality, I can say for certain that I didn’t find her disagreeable, but I also didn’t find her shy or extroverted or anything particular memorable other than a special talent she has. She also has white hair – something she tries very hard to hide since her hair color is known to frighten people and make them uncomfortable. At the end of the book a very difficult decision is forced upon her and I suspect it will be her struggle with this decision that will begin to fully endear her to me.

Overall, I found the world-building easy to follow and never felt weighed down by too much being thrown at me. Lately I’ve been finding myself really enjoying the Asian-inspired fantasy novels that I’ve run across and this was no exception. At the same time, I did feel it lose just a little steam in a small portion of the book right before the climax began occurring. There was plenty going on at that moment so I’m not quite sure why I felt that way, but it occurred for me nevertheless. Even with this in mind, I definitely enjoyed the book and plan to pick up the next in the series.

Rating: 4 stars

Thanks to 47North and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy and opportunity to provide an honest review.

Another first rate book from the author of the Kingfountain series, Muirwood trlogy and Harbinger series (as well as others). An interesting twist on Chinese culture, this book is the first in Jeff Wheeler's new series. The plot moves well and the character development is interesting, It certainly kept my interest and I'm looking forward to the remainder of the books in this series. Well worth the read.