Name: Matthew S. Cox
Book Title: Of Myth and Shadow
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Publication date: 8/21/19
Publisher (or self-published): Division Zero Press
Any trigger warnings that bloggers/readers need to be aware of? Some flashback scenes to childhood abuse (dark elf nearly killed by her siblings for being ‘too nice’ when she was a tween). A side character implies she was raped as a past event, not shown.
Sexual content? No erotica scenes, but the book does have one moment where a sexual encounter happens a bit on the rough side. The intent of the scene is to highlight internal conflict in the character’s mind, not to titillate.
Any vampires? No but there are a few undead creatures ^_^
Book Blurb:
Aegaan is a vast and righteous kingdom, yet darkness gathers in the distant corners of the realm. Elven raids on small towns have inflamed racial tensions with humans, pushing distrust to hatred and the brink of war.
Anrael wanders the woods alone until a chance meeting tempts him to set aside his contempt for those who scorn his half-elven blood.
When Kylie, a naive elf terrified of humans, is thrust among them against her will, she begins to question her mother’s tales of dread.
Having lost everything dear to him, the bandit king Jhelan lives only to seek challenge in battle… until he finds himself willing to die protecting that which he hates the most.
The diabolical mystique of the dark elves cloaks L’an Thal’Sara in protection, but the cruelest lie she tells is to herself.
Thaelwyn, a virtuous knight, sets out to discover the source of the Elves’ aggression, but faces a much greater test within his mind.
Beneath the chaos, minions of the Destroyer search for their promised leader, a child possessing power beyond their years. If the innocent falls to darkness, a kingdom rife with hatred will surely crumble.
Purchase links: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WNYMDCQ https://www.amazon.com/Myth-Shadow-Cox-S-Matthew/dp/1950738116/ (let me know if you need non-US links)
Author Bio
Originally from South Amboy NJ, Matthew has been creating science fiction and fantasy worlds for most of his reasoning life. Since 1996, he has developed the “Divergent Fates” world in which Division Zero, Virtual Immortality, The Awakened Series, The Harmony Paradox, the Prophet of the Badlands series, and the Daughter of Mars series take place.
His books span adult, young-adult, and middle-grade fiction in multiple genres, predominantly science fiction, cyberpunk, post-apocalyptic, and fantasy.
Matthew is an avid gamer, a recovered WoW addict, developer of two custom tabletop RPG systems, and a fan of anime, British humour, and intellectual science fiction that questions the nature of humanity, reality, life, and what might happen after it.
He is also fond of cats, presently living with two: Loki and Dorian.
Social Media Links:
Twitter: @Mscox_Fiction / https://twitter.com/mscox_fiction
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MatthewSCoxAuthor
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/mscox
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/matthewcox10420/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7712730.Matthew_S_Cox
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mscox.author/
Author Website: http://www.matthewcoxbooks.com/wordpress/about/
========== Book Review ===========
An epic fantasy story enthralling from beginning to end. Superb character depiction, as each hero in the story takes on their own journey, their adventure intertwine with each other, and also the mythical fear eating dragon. The pacing of the book is just about right, keeping you turning the pages, yearning for more. The story advances with different protagonists by switching between them, as it develops, characters face their own distinct personal dilemmas and there is plenty of plot twists abundant with intricate emotions.
The story is mostly between different types of elves and humans together with a child wizard making up the full cast. There are valiant fights, there are evil plots, there are power struggles, there are touching family affairs, there are encounters with the undead.
Fantastic choice for an absorbing read, never a dull moment.