YES! Now that's what I'm talking about! This book was everything I look for in an epic fantasy! Incredible world building, strong character development and relationships, intriguing and intense plot, and just overall excitement and enjoyable! Highly recommend, especially to fantasy readers. Easy five starts!

A solid start to a series!
There are huge amounts of world building and lots of povs to follow so it did take me a while to get into the story - I had to read it in bite sized segments to absorb everything that was going on and remember what pertained to who. But once I got into the flow of things it was a lot easier to pick up the pace. Bear in mind, for me this was at around page 150 - it's a dense book! What kept me interested throughout was the characters; I mainly enjoy character driven stories where they are well fleshed out and so far that delivers here!

As this is the start of a series the majority of this book is setting all the ground work for the next one and I have certain favourite characters I hope to find out more about and follow their journey in the next one!

Ok I’m not gonN write a lot cause I don’t want to spoil, it is in fact a book best to go in blind. It was captivating and the magic system was unique in a way I only find for my favorite authors nowadays. It low key reminded me of the Silverblood Promise? Mostly the vibes I guess.

Ok so here's my dilemma with this book. I loved the world building and the intricacy of this book. However, I feel like I was misled by the synopsis. There was only one character mentioned in the synopsis, when this is actually a multi-POV story. I enjoy multi-POV, but I feel like I didn't get to stay with any character long enough to develop an attachment to them. It was also difficult to tell whose POV I was reading when the chapter started. That aspect made for a difficult reading experience for me.

I couldn’t get into the story just as I thought. Not disappointed but need more depth, I think. I can't remember when was the last time when I read a book in which the whole plot was 100% equal to what was written in the blurb and nothing more. There was no surprise there, no resolution to any of the plot threads and the whole story was blatantly predictable and painfully dull.

"Grieving Gold" by Daniel McDaniel is a dark fantasy novel set a world where divine powers of light and darkness govern the lives of its inhabitants.
I really enjoyed the world building and how the the author is drawing inspiration from Aztec mythology. McDaniel's depiction of Luminocity creates a captivating backdrop for the story and the magic system, centered around the powers to find and lose, is interesting, though a bit vague in how it works. Character development is another strong suit though the numerous POVs were initially confusing. The pacing is generally well-handled despite a feeling that the opening sections of the book felt like a bit of a false start.
Overall, it's a promising start.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!</i>

Wow! This book was one of the most immersive and in depth fantasy worlds I've read in a while. It really was very complex, with a lot of moving parts and characters, but also so intriguing! I found myself wanting to keep reading. Daniel's writing, worldbuilding and storytelling was fantastic.

This story follows a handful of characters on their own journeys within the world of Lumo No Se. These characters intertwine and become important in each other their stories as they try to survive in this apocalyptic world faced with many hierarchy imbalances. The world has just started to gain new technologies and discoveries, while there are 3 suns that protect the world from darkness. The magic system is sooo cool! Although it can be confusing at parts, it was really well thought out with Daniel thinking of every detail. There were aspects of science fiction with the different technologies and moving parts, which was an interesting addition.

I loved Dawb and his little crew. They were all so tough and had been through so much despite being kids. Lax and his storyline was also so interesting, and I found myself loving the progression of the storyline once he met Aaina. The characters all had goals to reach and their own motivations, but I did not find myself getting confused with the POV's or lost much.

Towards the end, it really gained momentum and sets up the next book really well. I really found myself interested and on edge, but my biggest complaint was I wish there was romance! But I did find myself not necessarily looking for it as the plot held well on its own without it.

Ok advance publicity told me that this was the first novel in what they hope will be an epic series, however I was still disappointed when I finished reading this first instalment.
The book is full of numerous intriguing and interesting characters and storylines which only intersect briefly and infrequently. Although each thread kept me engaged throughout I felt robbed of the time I had invested when I finished reading and none of them came to a satisfying conclusion.
A good read if you are a fan of fantasy and don’t mind being left hanging!

I would like to express my gratitude to Net Galley and Endless Equinox for providing me with an advance copy of this book.

I found this story to be truly captivating from the very first chapter. The vivid imagery drew me in, and I was engrossed in each character's unique storyline. The novel is structured with chapters dedicated to different characters' points of view, which added depth to the narrative. I often found myself eagerly anticipating the next chapter, as each one left me wanting more.

Despite my enjoyment of the book, I did encounter some challenges due to the large number of characters. It took a significant amount of time for their paths to intersect, and even when they did, the interactions were brief and left me craving more development. The ending of the book left me with more questions than answers, making it feel like I had only scratched the surface of the story.

Overall, I believe that the groundwork laid in this book sets the stage for an incredible sequel. I am eager to see how the story unfolds in the next installment of the series and look forward to delving deeper into the world and characters that have been introduced.

There is A LOT going on in this book - many characters, plot lines, and world building concepts. I found myself reading and digesting this story at a slower pace so that I could keep characters and plot lines straight. The final chapters of the book, where the plot lines of several of the characters began to converge, was when I decided I couldn't put the story down.

The world building was laid out so delicately by the author. Everything felt purposeful in a way that makes you feel like you're trying to solve a cold case. Did I mention that the uniqueness of almost everything in this book was refreshing? Well, it is. This is the sort of book that makes you want to take notes, because the little details resurface in later parts of the story and begin to fit together in satisfying ways. I'm looking forward to finding out what is in store next!

Really appreciate the opportunity,unfortunately this was not for me.
I found the world building and the whole concept of the book great,but the jumping from story to story was really confusing. It was like reading a book a long time ago and trying to remember what it was about,and then you would jump to another story and so on.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6498012014

Very imaginative and unique world building, and some promising characters who I felt I was starting to get to know and care about by the end of the book. The author also has a real talent for suspenseful set piece action scenes. On the flip side, there is a lot of ground - and a lot of different storylines and viewpoints - covered in this book, which meant it took me a while to get into it and which sometimes jarred as it chopped and changed between them. But I think that might be because this has been a labour of love for the author that he has been nursing for years - and all that time and care does show. I will read the next one in the series. Thanks to him, the publisher and author for the ARC.

This book was . . . hard to enjoy. It promises epic, which is does give, but feels as if it bit off more than it could chew into easily digestible pieces. So many characters, two prologues essentially, a lot of info dumping in the beginning. There's a lot of great here too. Though I felt there were too many characters to get the pace flowing well and stay in the flow, the characters were great. I just had a hard time falling in love with the book or staying in love when I did. I wouldn't discourage people from giving this book a try though.

First, this cover is stunning—it made me so excited to have on my Kindle's lock screen! The world building was very creative and explained in a way that was easy to understand, as was the magic system. The duality of light and dark within this book made this a very intriguing read, and the scenes flowed well together, especially as we wove in and out of action scenes. While the science fiction aspect was a little challenging for me, that is due to my lack of familiarity with this area and nothing to do with the quality of the writing. I did find the amount of POVs to be difficult to stick with, but, again, that could just be a me thing!

Thank you to Daniel Makk, Endless Equinox, and NetGalley for providing an ARC!

So. Many. POVs. (Let's see... Lax, Val, Ilumi, Dawb, Aiana, that random Razu guy, the Duke, and then the two prologues and the epilogue)

Grieving Gold is an epic fantasy with multiple POVs and one of the coolest magic systems I've ever seen. Characters can either "find" or "lose" aspects of themselves, such as courage, strength, lies, and even who they are as a person. The way this was portrayed was very intriguing, and I also liked the mixture of sci-fi elements and fantasy elements. Honestly, the worldbuilding was what kept me reading in the beginning.
My biggest issue with this book was the plot and the lack of direction for the first half. I know multiple POV stories in which characters don't immediately meet can feel slower, but this one genuinely confused me at points. Not only are there five "main" POVs to keep track of, but the reader frequently goes more than five chapters without hearing back from some of the characters. While I found the ending more interesting, I still feel like the majority of this book was set up for the sequel, and while that isn't an inherently bad thing, I think some pacing issues could be resolved.
Because there were so many characters, I'll focus on the main ones. I think Ilumi was my least favorite just because she never really got "involved" with the other characters (besides Dawb), and I still don't understand how she ties in completely. I also had issues connecting with Aiana, but she is probably one of the more intriguing characters, given where she lives. I liked both Val and Lax a lot, although I went back and forth between who I liked more (and I think I decided on Val?). Dawb gave major Fishcake from Mortal Engines vibes, and I think he was probably my favorite.
Fans of epic fantasies with unique magic systems and what I presume will be a found family of some sort will enjoy Grieving Gold and all of its twisty character dynamics.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!
3.5/5

Grieving Gold drops you in the world of Lumo No Se that is full of lore, mystery and magic. We follow the lives of five intertwining characters that are each trying to find their own path to survive in an apocalyptic world where darkness is held at bay by the three suns.

The amazing world that Daniel McDaniel crafted is just superb in every nitty gritty detail. Every character in the story is diverse and complex with their own flaws and personality. The magic and science system flows into the story without needing an exact explanation but lets the readers know how it works.

This is a beast of a book that is filled to the brim in information, which means it can be confusing if the reader glances past something. Since there are multiple POVs without a heading on who we're reading, it sometimes takes a minute for the reader to know where we're at since the characters aren't all in the same place. It's both a positive and a negative since each characters' actions impact another. The pacing does lag a bit towards the end since there's so much setup and action that it feels like the overall book is more of an introduction to the rest of the main series and there isn't a real climax that was reached.

This is a fantastic start to The Luminocity Seed series that can stand on its own while hooking the reader for the next.

I received an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

It took me a while to get into this one, with so many characters and such a complex world and magic system. I hate to say it, but this book needed a couple hundred more pages to flesh out the worldbuilding and build so many characters all at once. That said, this was a fun book, and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

I like the premise of this book, and I thought the worldbuilding and magic was genuinely interesting, and a new refreshing take on the fantasy genre, especially with the scientific elements and complex nature of the world. I think it is such a unique and interesting concept that I want to know more about. Unfortunately, the book was... kind of hard to get into, though that may just be a symptom of being the first book in a series, so I try not to be too critical of that, given how intriguing the overall premise is. There were a lot of characters and POVs and a lot of information about the world, history, and magic system which at times was confusing and convoluted. In my opinion, first books are generally not the strongest in a series, so I look forward to how the world will develop in subsequent novels.
The main thing that holds me back from really enjoying this book is the writing style. I'm just not a fan of it. There were some glaring mistakes in the writing, even in the first chapter, which made it made it all the more difficult to really get into the story. The author also seems to really, really love using similes (particularly describing the buildings as being "like fingers") which took me out of the story every time. It felt like similes were being used in nearly every paragraph. There was such an overuse of similes to describe things that it made it difficult to read because I was noticing it every time and then looking back at what I'd already read because there was another simile just two paragraphs prior.
I like the premise of the book/world and I think it has a lot of potential, but I don't think I'll be reading any sequels.

Not my usual genre of book but I was intrigued by this one. Very creative and I'd imagine a great read for fantasy fans. I may be converted!

This took me quite a while to connect and get the concept but once it clicked, the story took off for me at that point. The story mainly revolves around the character Lax who has the ability to find lies which gives him an advantage being a gentleman thief I thought. The world created is quite complex and it has a lot to learn. Power is fueled by blood cutting yourself trigger abilities. I hope there is more stories in the world and hopefully the second or third book will flesh out and complete the story.