#bookreview Storm Dancer by Rayne Hall

My Review:
The Djinn made me do it. This is the first epic fantasy book let alone fantasy story I’ve read and liked in a really long time. Which will make this a longer review then I usually write. The rating is correct. This is an R-rated story. The characters are complex in that there are no clear-cut ‘good guys’. The lead man is possessed by a nasty djinn and he rapes women and murders everyone else. The lead woman is a prig. What holds your attention is the detailed world where all this takes place. These personalities are shaped by the world they live in and it is harsh with prejudices and -isms. With a chance at redemption. Each battles their own quirks. There is a large supporting well-defined cast with interwoven stories resolved. The ending sucks. Why take so much time to build this up and end it so hastily? Other than that I thoroughly enjoyed the story!

Book Blurb:
Demon-possessed siege commander, Dahoud, atones for his atrocities by hiding his identity and protecting women from war’s violence – but can he shield the woman he loves from the evil inside him?

Principled weather magician, Merida, brings rain to a parched desert land. When her magical dance rouses more than storms, she needs to overcome her scruples to escape from danger.

Thrust together, Dahoud and Merida must fight for freedom and survival. But how can they trust each other, when hatred and betrayal burn in their hearts?

‘Storm Dancer’ is a dark epic fantasy. British spellings. Caution: this book contains some violence and disturbing situations. Not recommended for under-16s.

Author Bio:
Rayne Hall writes subtle horror and outrageous fantasy fiction. Currently, she tries to regain the rights to her out-of-print books so she can republish them as e-books.

She is the author of thirty books in different genres and under different pen names, published by twelve publishers in six countries, translated into several languages. Her short stories have been published in many magazines, e-zines and anthologies.

After living in Germany, China, Mongolia and Nepal, she has settled in a small Victorian seaside town in southern England.

Rayne holds a college degree in publishing management and a masters degree in creative writing. Over three decades, she has worked in the publishing industry as a trainee, investigative journalist, feature writer, magazine editor, production editor, page designer, concept editor for non-fiction book series, anthology editor, editorial consultant and more. Outside publishing, she worked as a museum guide, apple picker, tarot reader, adult education teacher, trade fair hostess, translator and belly dancer.

She edits a series of themed short story anthologies and teaches online classes for writers (‘Writing Fight Scenes’, Writing Scary Scenes’, ‘Writing about Magic‘, ‘Edit your Writing’ and more).

https://sites.google.com/site/writingworkshopswithraynehall/

http://raynehall.brandyourself.com/

twitter.com/raynehall(I follow back if your profile says that you read or write)

The author portrait is by the artist Kuoke.