The writing in this story is lovely. I started out really enjoying things, with engaging characters and excellent world-building... but things soon became just a bit too complicated.

The multiple points of view were tough to keep track of as so much was happening with everyone, and it wasn't immediately clear how they related. I found returning to the book difficult, as while it was clear who was narrating, so much had happened since I'd last 'heard from' them that it took a while to catch myself up.

I will be finishing this in due time as it certainly was enjoyable - the magical technology was especially interesting - but for now had to DNF at about 1/3 through.

A fantastic start to what will surely be an amazing series of books, beautifully written, would recommend

First, I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of this book.

This Aztec-inspired novel is the beginning of an all-new fantasy series by Author Daniel McDaniel. While this is the first book I've read by this author, it was advertised as "perfect for fans of Brandon Sanderson and George R.R. Martin, so I was intrigued.  Plus, the cover art was gorgeous! While mostly sci-fi/fantasy, there are elements of horror as well.

In Grieving Gold, we meet 5 protagonist characters all living in Luminocity: Laxerion, and his brother Val-Gustus; young scientist Illumi; huntress Aiana; and conman Dawb. The world-building in this novel is beautiful and complex, full of detail and dark, twisty corners and a system of magic. The characters are well-developed, likeable and well-woven with unique and engaging POVs.. The author does a great job with the pace and writing in an easy-to-understand way and really transports you into the story and makes you feel like you're on an actual adventure. The book is very ambitious and a bit long, but the plot moves along very quickly. It really pulls you in and pulls you along so you can't put it down!

I will definitely be recommending this book to my sci-fi/fantasy friends, and also anyone looking for a new and different magic series. I really like this book and will definitely be anxiously awaiting the sequel (especially because of that cliffhanger) ...

This is such an epic fantasy, and I absolutely loved the world building! This was quite complex and sometimes confusing but the plot is interesting and addictive…

There is multiple POV which I personally love, and given the number of different characters, the story is well thought out. It was quite slow at times, but this is common for an epic fantasy, and it works well within the story. I will definitely be picking up the next instalment in this series!

Thank you for making this book available for reading!

This was a very enjoyable read. McDaniel really went all-in with the worldbuilding, creating a colorful, intriguing atmosphere, and characters filled with life, goals, plans and plots.

I specifically want to give credit to the wonderful writing, especially considering that this is not the author's mother tongue. It reads fluidly and is genuinely enjoyable and intriguing, reading quite like the works of other seasoned authors of the genre.

Some of the things I particularly enjoyed with this series was the magic system - it is original, something I haven't come accross before, and fits the world McDaniel created perfectly. The characters and points of view, albeit in quite a large number, were distracting at first, but over the course of the book things came to make sense, and really had me on the edge of my seat for the next chapter. I won't spoil too much, but I am really looking forward to see what will be next for this author and the series!

A slow start and a bit confusing at times early on but I bared with it and I'm glad I did. Multiple POV and world building leads to and interesting book, lots of characters and hopefully it will all tie up in the next volumes. Thanks to Endless Equinox and Netgalley for this review copy

4.5*

I haven't read something this unique in such a long time and I'm so excited to continue this series!

Normally with as many POV's as this book has it can be so hit or miss for me. The author has done such an amazing job of making each character distinct so there was never a point when it felt like they were all morphing together. it's rare that I enjoy every POV when there is this many but I wasn't bored by a single storyline.

The plot and the world this is set in was so intriguing and unique that I just loved seeing the story unfold. There was a few points when I was slightly confused by the abilities and the focus on light, but in all, there was no major info dumping which was nice. There's nothing that takes me out of a story more than masses of info dumping!

I will 100% be continuing with this series and can't wait to see where the story goes!

<i>Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an E-ARC of this book</i>

First of all I want to thank the author and NetGalley for gifting me this book!

I gave this book 3.5 stars. It was a bit slow in the beginning and I had no idea what it was about. Towards the 150 page mark it started to pick up and from then on it became really good and very entertaining. I do have to say that i still don’t know where this story is going. Their are to many pov’s and to many subplots to understand what the main plot is. The world building was amazing and very well written. The magic system was very cool and interesting. Though both the world building and the magic system needed more explaining. Some things you learn when you read through the book but other things I still don’t understand.
I did find the scientific explanations in this book amazing. I really liked ilumni’s point of view because of the science in it.

This book was very entertaining and I can’t wait for the second book I really want to see where this story is going.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC

I really thought this was promising at first but it really began to falter as the book progressed.

Pacing is a huge issue here. By the end…. Not much has actually happened. We’re somehow still setting things up.

The world building: I’m still unclear why the city is reluctant to go to war. I do love the premise of multiple suns and light vs darkness. I wish there was more about the magic of finding and losing things in the light - it seems not everyone can? And there are different kinds of affinities perhaps? Maybe my biggest gripe here is that the level of technology begins to show cracks (scanning cards? Hold music? How?).

Characters: The number of POVs begins to expand to the point where some characters get let behind. Lax’s storyline started promising and then just became so incredibly dull. Val feels childish and annoying in his singleminded view despite having grown up in the realm of nobility. The others feel more fleshed out.

The building blocks are here, I’m just not sure this was executed to the fullest potential.

DNF at 25%

I wanted to like this one. I really did. The premise was so interesting and it sounded exactly like a book I would devour. Unfortunately, it was not.

Normally I enjoy multiple POVs, but for some reason with this one I just couldn't get into it. In the 25% I read there were 5 of them. Seemed to be a new character each chapter when I don't think there was really a need for it. It didn't give me time to connect and it took me out of the story since you had to start a brand new one ever chapter. Just felt like I got no where in the story.

The world itself is very unique and interesting. Maybe the way it is written is for some (maybe most) people, but for me I just couldn't get into it.

Spoiler free review

If you are looking for a fantasy novel not set in a medieval europe setting, this is for you! I loved the south american flavour to the story. Went in completely blind and was definitely a bit confused for the first couple chapters but that is totally normal for world build fantasy and I expected it. Really completing story telling and start to a really interesting start to a new fantasy series. Really intrigued to see where this goes.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review

Before I begin, I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this chance to read and review an ARC of this book. My apologies it took me so long to review after reading, this book had so many great aspects that it took me a while to arrange my thoughts coherently.

Grieving Gold is set in a (twice?) post-apocalyptic, Mesoamerican-inspired world. The majority of the book takes place long after one post-apocalyptic event, with all that remains of the past being impossible skyscrapers and scraps of lost technology. However, under the light of the three suns (yes, I said three!), the citizens of Luminosity are far from Luddites living in yesteryear. Oh no, they have managed to harness the power of their suns to do all sorts of technological marvels from lighting to rail systems and even weapons. Not to mention that certain gifted members of society can draw power from their sun gods with a little gift of blood. This is the art of “finding”.

This “finding” is one of the more unique magic systems I’ve come across and I love how it plays into the Mesoamerican themes. The use of sacrificing blood immediately calls forth the human sacrifices of Mayan and Aztec cultures, though I will admit I am not knowledgeable enough to know which or if it was an agglomeration of cultures that inspired this book. Either way, it created an atmospheric magic system that customizes nicely to the individual. Most individuals seem capable of “finding” basic skills like strength or speed, but each person seems to have a particular “finding” they excel at, which gives us a peak of their personalities. Though I must admit “losing”, similar to “finding” but occurs only in the dark, seems to be a little more overpowered. Maybe it’s just Aiana, but she seemed to be able to use a larger variety of skills than Lax or Val could with their “finding”.

This leads to one of the most fun aspects of the book, at least for me, the variety of characters that cover so many aspects of life in this world. You have Val and Lax representing the nobility, Dawb the forgotten dredges of society, Ilumi a member of some secret, far away village, and Aiana a would-be hunter from a society that seems to have been lost since the post-apocalyptic event. Now normally when you have so many characters there will always be favourite POVs and ones you can do without. However, with this book I enjoyed every perspective because they all wound around each other, slowly adding pieces to the puzzle.

Speaking of puzzles, this book will not hold your hand. If you’re expecting information dumps this isn’t the book for you, and I did see that lower-rated reviews mention it being complicated or hard to follow. Which is valid depending on the reader. There were times I didn’t understand what was going on, but I went in with the mindset that things would be slowly revealed to me, so I kept things in the back of my mind till I could connect them. This is why I enjoyed the alternating POVs, because it felt like a bit of jigsaw since very few of the characters overlap. Instead, the characters exist, in large, in the background of each other’s stories. Which will then add context when the POV switches.

Though I can certainly see where some reviewers are coming from. One criticism I did have was that I wish there was more of a payoff at the end of the book. Usually, when you have multiple POVs they get closer and closer together, and at the end of the book, there is some collision of characters that incite the next book. There was a bit of that, like Lax and Aiana or the Duke and Ilumi/Dawb, but nothing so big as to give me direction as to how the second book will start. Not to say there weren’t plenty of cliffhangers, several in fact, several that left me wondering which will take precedence in the sequel. Regarding pay-off, I also wish there were more revelations about certain plot points. I don’t need everything revealed, but I still felt like I knew as much as I did in the middle of the book as the end. With the exceptions being Dawb’s and the Duke’s plot lines.

Other than that, I really enjoyed this book. It was a bit of a surprise find because I wasn’t expecting such a full world-building. It was nice to immerse myself in something only vaguely tied to our world. I look forward to reading the sequel and I wish the author all the best of luck with wrangling all his characters' POVs. He has certainly set a monumental task for himself.

I really did persevere with this, but after nearly two weeks, I was forced to give up at 71%. The plot was actually ok, it seemed to have a well thought out magic system, and there was a lot going on. It was just not very well written. The dialogue was so stilted and unnatural, that it was just kind of painful to read. There was also an over-abundance of narrators. This can be used really effectively, but in this case, it just didn’t work. And although some of the characters were engaging, and their stories were interesting, a lot of them were just a bit boring, and seemed only there for backstory. I almost wanted to know what happened at the end, but not enough to finish the book. And definitely not enough to read the rest of the series.

DNF at 50%

I made it 50% of the way through and I was still just as lost as I was when I first started the book. Interesting things were going on but the book switched so often to a different character that you were never able to get any answers. I think the book has potential but the pacing was slow enough that I found myself just becoming more frustrated than anything.

Daniel McDaniel sets his tale of Grieving Gold(hard from ‎ Endless Equinox) on a continent shaped like a lizard that is lit by three suns, each a different color. The light has weight and the citizens of Lumo No Se use that light for their technology. Each of the suns are considered gods and a fourth god fell thousands of years before and may be manipulating events. Some people, by releasing blood, can gain powerful talents. There are three levels to the city. The surface city is run by a corrupt council. Laxerion Tama is a thief who thought his noble father had disowned him who can manipulate lies. Ilumi has come to the city with an invitation to become a research assistant to a prominent scientist, but she is really a spy. Dawb is a street urchin whose friends are being murdered by priests and he wants revenge. Below the city are ruins of an ancient city that used our technology. Below that is a system of caves filled with monsters. Aiana hunts monsters in the darkness. I found the characters fascinating and the background amazing. Hopefully more of the story is on the way.

Grieving Gold is the author's debut novel and the first in the planned epic fantasy series of Luminocity.

There is a lot going on here with the complexity of the world building, unique magic system, introduction of so many interesting characters and five main points of view.

With so many POVs and having to learn about the world as well as be introduced to the plot it inevitably means a slow start but stay with it because you will be rewarded with one of the most intriguing and interesting fantasy novels that you're likely to come across.

The city of Lumo No Se is built on the ruins of an old civilization with forgotten technology.
Three suns give their light over the city and are thought to be gods.

For certain individuals, sacrificing a little blood to the light can trigger powers. Abilities can be found or lost to the darkness.
Cut yourself and find strength or speed, order or lies, chance or doubt, weight or any number of other attributes. It really gives the novel an incredibly different feel to other fantasies.

The main characters are all so different and as the stories progress and we find out more about them the pace picks up. I was very invested in what was happening with them and it was harsh for each storyline to end on cliffhangers waiting for the second book in the series.

The two brothers of House Tama are at the centre of events. Laxerion, the wayward son, pulling heists and being in debt to a very scary individual. Finding his lies in the light while his brother Val, a general tasked with preparing for war with nearby Texocan, needs strength and order.
There's Dawn, a street urchin who encounters great darkness and terror, Ilumi who travels to the city for scientific research which has a tinge of steampunk about it & she also has secrets and then from the tribes in the darkness is the huntress Aiana.

Monsters dwell in the dark, both in the city shadows and underground. The body stealing being is truly scary as are the spiders! And the voided eyes!

Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read the ebook. This series is off to a great start.

This was a good start to the series, although maybe one of the prologues could either be placed as an interlude elsewhere in the book or removed altogether.

Firstly, there are a LOT of characters, and information about them, to digest! Maybe not too surprising in the first book of a series, but...it was exhausting! That said the characters were all relatable in their own ways and I'm sure they'll all come together in future episodes. Also not quite sure how the 'light' magic actually works in all honestly, but hey....it was a good read, but definitely not a 'sit on a beach' read...this requires attention...and lots of it!

I really really tried to finish this book. I was so excited to read it when I requested and was approved for the request. I just cannot get into it. The world building is complicated and 100 pages in we still have not met all of the main characters. It's a lot to digest. I am the type of reader that, when I am reading, forgets that she's reading and sees the scenes play out like a movie. That was not happening with this book unfortunately which made it so much harder to get into. .

I can see that the author is talented and I have faith that this would be a great book for the right audience. I just don't think I was that audience.

Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley, and especially the author for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. I will likely return to this author one day and have confidence that this author will go far with his career.

The characters in this are amazing. They are so in-depth and detailed and I wasn’t sure how it would all fit together but it really does, and beautifully. And their voices and POVs are all so different it’s wonderful to read. The world is rich and in-depth, and reflects the characters so well, and is just incredibly detailed without being too ‘info-dumpy’. The author has said he was influenced by sanderson, and while thats noticeable in the form of the magic system, theres still enough of a twist it feels unqiue and different.
This has all the markings of the start of an epic series, and I already cannot wait to read the next book and see how it all unfolds. You can feel how much love and work went into this