The shadow of the great usurper, King Fogosombre, has kept the East in darkness for twelve long years. Made paranoid by a foretelling of his downfall, the king’s indiscriminate violence reaches a new zenith, leaving twins Arsenio and Mariana orphaned and homeless, their village burnt to the ground.
Now, as the dying embers of their rebellion fade into the night, the twins make a promise to find aide for their people in foreign lands. To get out from under the king’s reach, they must venture across the Great Ocean into a world they had only dreamt about through travelers’ stories. From their perilous quest arises a tale of emperors and queens, marauders and mysticism, fortitude and forbidden love.
Meanwhile, King Fogosombre conducts profane rituals driven by his lust for indomitability. Toiling with malign magic that may yield dire consequences for all the known world, he seeks a pact with the shadows, a plan to cement his reign indefinitely: a design of darkness.
Author: R.D. Pires
Release Date: June 21, 2024
ISBN:
Paperback: 978-1-956037-37-1
Hardcover: 978-1-956037-38-8
eBook: 978-1-956037-36-4
Cover Artist: Elizabeth Jeannel
Genre:Â Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Word Count: 117,000
Sex Content: Non-Explicit
Mirann Hughes –
This is R.D. Pires’ best work yet! As a fairly new fan of fantasy, I found Design of Darkness to be a perfect balance of intricate world building and effortless storytelling. I’ve found that I can sometimes get lost in the complexities of other fantasy worlds, but Pires made his world of peace vs. war, light vs. dark, and hope vs. destruction so easy to navigate and immerse myself in.
The story is told through multiple perspectives, which I love. It really allows the reader to experience the wide range of emotions that the characters are faced with when making their decisions and how it progresses the series of events.
I am always impressed by Pires ability to tell a compelling story that makes you want to keep reading to find out what happens next, while at the same time making you feel deeply connected to the characters. Design of Darkness is no different. I always wanted to know the next step in the plot, but also found myself wanting to pause and give space for the heartache I felt for certain characters.
If I could give this book 10 stars, I would! I can’t wait for the next book of the series!
Alexander (verified owner) –
RD Pires’s Design of Darkness is a masterclass in world building. I could feel the fires as the consumed Corva Sum Rio, smell the exotic foods in the night markets of Black Tide Cove, and taste the salty air whilst sailing across the Endless Ocean. This novel effortlessly switches perspectives between a cast of characters as varies as the settings they inhabit. I quickly found my favorite in the tentative Emperor Kaori and loved to cheer him on as he found his truth amidst the politics of Kingfisher Palace. I’ve never loved to hate a villain as much as King Fogosombre, whose irredeemable nature was solidified during a gruesome introduction that I still can’t get out of my mind. I could sing the praises of RD Pires’s characters to no end – from the tenacious Avilla siblings, to the mysterious Jade Dagger, to the flamboyant Captain Elwin – even the minor characters have meat on their bones and mirth in their laughter. While it was the characters and settings that drew me in, it was the tantalizing plot that kept me turning the pages, eager to discover what would happen next. Design of Darkness is truly the start of an epic fantasy series. While extremely satisfying as a standalone novel, the first entry in the Tides the Reign series left me eager to read what are hopefully its numerous sequels.
Nikki Herrera (verified owner) –
3 words come to mind whenever I think of this book: captivating, expeditious, and allegiance. This is R.D.’s best work so far. He has always had an incredible way of telling his stories but something about this book really stuck with me. I was completely hooked by the first paragraph in the first chapter. The world building part flowed so well that it wasn’t hard to keep up. Another bonus about this book is that R.D. attached a guide on how to pronounce characters names as well as locations which was helpful because who wants to mispronounce anything in books lol. I was on the edge of my seat at times ready for the resistance plans to come into play, I was curled into a ball rooting for the characters and their forbidden love, I was ready to throw down the tyrant myself! It was an incredibly emotional rollercoaster that I was happy to be on (no, seriously).
I honestly couldn’t put this book down. I’m still thinking about it and I am just so excited for the rest of this series and to see how each of these storylines unfold and come together. And before you ask, yes this put me into a book hang over for like a week. So you definitely will not regret reading this book!
Kate –
I loved this book! The richly imagined world seems to extend far beyond the pages of the book (hopefully future books will reveal even more of the book!) The story is told through multiple subplots/points of view, seamlessly woven together. The characters are relatable without falling into the trap of being “whiny” (not an easy task). I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!