Unfortunately I was unable to finish this ARC as I found the writing style a bit too clunky and contrived for my personal taste. From the 115 pages I read, I think the straightforward 3rd person narrative worked quite well during the action scenes. However, the stilted dialogue and 'pick-me-boy' impression of the main character Liam sadly worked against the themes of trauma and connections being discussed. I also found myself struggling to immerse myself in the futuristic world initially described. Although the world-building did improve after a critical plot point about a third of the way in, it unfortunately wasn't enough for me to continue.

From the initial grip I got from the blurb and the concepts highlighted, I do think this could hold great promise and be a compelling read to an audience that appreciates this narrative style.

I didn’t finish this one but it wasn’t because it was badly written, I can’t get on board with fantasy novels with modern electronics and dialogue which is a personal preference rather than anything to do with the novel itself. I gave it three stars because I think people who like urban fantasy will like it a lot.

Erik D. Goodwyn's King of the Forgotten Darkness: A Raven's Tale Fantasy has, without question, an intriguing premise: a traumatized warrior living in the peaceful Midworld, yearning to escape the shadows of his past in Erentyr, a terrifying parallel world filled with darkness and magical creatures.

The story begins with Liam, a twenty-four-year-old warrior who has managed to carve out a comfortable life in a futuristic world, free from the chaos of his homeland, Erentyr. For fifteen years, the portals to this brutal and magical realm have been sealed, allowing Liam to live a life devoid of suffering in Midworld. However, when he discovers that a family member may still be alive in Erentyr, he is compelled to return, driven by a mix of terror and hope. This journey back to his roots is where the story truly begins, but it also reveals some of the book's weaknesses.

Goodwyn's writing style is quite straightforward, which can be both a strength and a limitation. While it effortlessly describes the wonders and terrors of both worlds, I found myself longing for more depth and lyrical prose that could have elevated the emotional stakes. The world-building, although rooted in intriguing and classic concepts, felt somewhat superficial and left me wanting more detail and complexity in its magical elements, creatures, and the cultures of Erentyr.

In terms of themes, the book touches on trauma, identity, and the quest for belonging, which are all compelling topics, and make clear the author's background as a psychiatrist.

One very positive aspect is the author's capacity to draw the main character's pain and struggle through the exploration of the remnants of his past. It was easy to connect with Liam on a visceral level and to root for his success. However, even though the dialogues had a constant touch of humour, most characters, especially Damien, were drawn in bold lines and were hard to connect with.

Ultimately, while it has a promising premise, a great start and some engaging moments, it didn't fully meet my expectations as a fantasy reader who enjoys complex world-building and deep character exploration. I would consider this to be a Young Adult fantasy book. If you're looking for a light fantasy read with a unique premise, this book is worth a try, and will be out in April 2025.

Thanks to Collective Ink Limited, Roundfire Books, and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Meld together what, at first, seems to be a light, low stakes fantasy adventure but is actually a deliciously satisfying epic fantasy with portals, living fae lands, found family, sword battles and magical beasts.

Welcome to a tale of two worlds, opposite in every way. As you learn more about each you struggle to decide which is utopia and which is hell. Follow Eric as he makes a mental and physical journey and adventure to his destiny, leaving a sterile easy world free of war, back to his home world full of savage fairywilds, brutality, magic and humanity. Where will he find his home and his people?

I was deeply invested and it surprised me in the best way. This book was amazingly different than the fantasies I’ve been reading lately and it’s a breath of fresh air with the unique plot, storyline and characters. World building was good - and I’m picky! The magic systems were intriguing and I loved the character development. I really felt a deep connection to them, they were realistic, vulnerable, yet strong. There is some romance but it’s is sub plot and necessary for the rich character development. It’s done very well, as was most of this book.

This is perfectly appropriate for YA and adult readers. I really could not put this down and I highly recommend it for any fantasy fans and I can’t wait to see what the next book holds!

It was the blurb of this book which kept me intrigued and wanting to find out what would happen next. Liam was a very interesting and gripping character, and developed through the book. With how the writing style of this book kept me gripped to the book. With the way the story developed very nicely to a point I couldn't wait to find out the ending of the book. And I really enjoyed the ending.

I really, really enjoyed this book! The story opens with the MMC Liam living in this paradise world called Midworld, where there is peace from war and suffering. Liam is not originally from here, but from a world full of magic and chaos called Erentyr. He is one of the last survivors that entered into Midworld before all of the portals to Erentyr were sealed. The two main characters of this story are Liam and Mia. They met as children in an orphanage in Midworld and both struggle with how they ended up becoming orphans. The story really focuses in on Liam’s struggles with the traumatic memories of his last days in Erentyr, guilt from watching his family die, and terrifying dreams of the evils that he faced in that world. One day following the anniversary of his families’ deaths, he meets a man who reveals that Liam’s mother actually is still alive and needs for Liam to return to Erentyr to help her save the world from a curse that is slowly spreading across the land. This pushes Liam onto a journey to illegally return to Erentyr to find his mother. Throughout this journey both Liam and Mia have to face their own traumas and find a way to overcome them. I really felt like the story of Liam and Mia’s journey through Erentyr was really well written, and the magic system in this world was really cool! If you enjoy high fantasy with a fun magic system, you should definitely check out this book when it is released next year on April 1st!

The authors background in psychology really shone through in this novel. This was a really interesting fantasy world to have something like that be so prominent and it really added to the characters overall. The cover really sums up what we are getting into here a futuristic looking city with an open portal into someplace more medieval. Absolutely stunning.

Review: This starts with a lame-o whining red headed step-child wandering around, lamenting his past. Thankfully it picks up.

Where this story diverges from the masses is that character valuations are flexible. There is no determinate story line that excludes character development. Liam moves off his myopic pedestal when others are dependent upon his courage and clarity. Mia is a great character as she is fairly grounded and not deeply relegated to a vinegar princess whom wuvs her mwans. She flits around overt independence but is subtly influenced with a direct perspective. In short she compromises to great effect. She digs Liam but is reluctant to openly commit. No trope barf there.

I really loved the world building where we are thrust into Erentyr's bizarre-o land where giants, gnomes and other weird shjt coexist.

I had a good time reading this and you will too.

I received this ARC for an honest review.

4.6/5

I find the Erik D. Goodwyn wrote a really interesting story that me engross in the story from start to end. A part of me didn't want to put this book down. At the same time i wanted to dra this story out as i didn't want it to end. It is a solid start to a new fantasy series and i am looking forward to see where the characters go from here. I am loving the mixture between the modern hi-tech world to a classic medieval fantasy place mixed with faerie.

I found the pacing was great, and it was super easy to read. Sometimes i struggle however it was just hitting the right spot for me.

There were some strong elements to the world building and plot. The main character was nuanced and felt lived in. There was some issues with pacing and plotting but enjoyable nonetheless.

I have always been interested in the idea of what it would be like to visit a fantasy world, as an adult or child, and what effect that would have on you years later. Paul Kearney wrote some excellent books like this such as Riding the Unicorn, and A Different Kingdom, and Mathew Stover also wrote his Cain books around this premise but there are not too many of them out there. I was delighted to stumble upon this book and get swept up in the adventures and trials of the main character who once lived in such a magical world in his youth and still feels its call despite how it haunts him. One of the first scenes is him hacking into a martial arts training dummy to illegally make it more of a challenge and then walking out to be tempted by an advertisement to take a pill to help him forget past trauma.I found him fascinating and would like to read more.

I found the note from the publisher section for this really interesting and actually found that the authors background really came through in the writing. This was a great fantasy read!