The Upstream Writer: Reader's Review: "Diamond Stained" by JMD Reid

Synopsis from Amazon:

Burdened by regrets, a disgraced guard turns to a magical blade he is reluctant to wield.

Life had gone wrong for Obhin. Once a respected palace guard, now he sells his sword as a bandit. Trapped by his missteps, he little reason for hope...

Until one young woman sees more in him.

Passionate and headstrong, Avena has no patience for bullies. Haunted by her own bleak past, the healer sees in Obhin a chance for escape...a chance for them both.

This misfit pairing must learn to trust each other as they struggle to survive in a city of poverty and vice, for dark sorcerers, underworld crime bosses, and brutal bandits scheme to destroy them.

Can they polish clean their stained souls?

>>>>>>>>>>>

My Review:

I've been getting more and more into the grimdark genre, in spite of how squeamish I usually am. Take any movie with above-average violence (for example, if they show the wound actually happen, or the limb actually breaking...) and I'll usually hide my face behind a pillow or turn away from the screen when I know a particularly visceral visual is coming. It's less striking in novels, as I can just "jump" my eyes right over the paragraph detailing the exact moment of injury... but still, when I have to do that in every other scene, it begs the question: am I actually reading the novel, or just skimming it, and where is the enjoyment in that?

The one thing I have noticed, though, in the really good novels-with-a-surplus-of-violence, is that the ones I will continue reading have really great prose! That's what keeps me coming back, more often than not, is the fantastic character arcs, and the meaningful, thought-provoking prose that happens between fight scenes. Those are the parts I slow down and relish; that's what I keep in my mind every time I think of those books.

Guess what? JMD Reid is one of those "good authors" I mentioned a bit ago.

This may be less "grimdark" and more "sword and sorcery with extra violence", but there is quite a bit that I absolutely loved about this book, to counter those things that came across as too intense for me!

First, can I just rave about the magic/religious system that he's invented for this world, one based on gemstones that grant different abilities based on the type of gemstone--that's the magic part. The society views these gemstones as gifts from their deity, and the colors of each gemstone are associated with a specific virtue--and there's a whole set of religious beliefs based around that. The adherents seek to build their lives around pursuing these "color" virtues, while shunning the Black: all that is wicked and evil and colorless.

But that's just one dimension of it. Another group takes these "colors" and interprets them as "tones": the virtuous Tones exist in harmony with one another, and the Black represents dissonance and disharmony. Both belief systems stem from the desire to emulate these virtues, as a sign of their commitment to their respective deity, the highest standard of morality.

And that's just one facet of what makes this story fascinating! Another is the characters Reid has crafted: Obhin, the dark bandit with his unorthodox views on modesty and his strange personal moral code that permits him to kill and run with gruff and uncouth mercenaries... and yet wracks him with guilt the whole time he's doing it. Avena, with her deep personal trauma that colors her every step and haunts her every moment, that drives her to recklessness and danger... yet it's also that trauma that gives her such keen insight into the nature of wounds and a drive to alleviate even the hurts that the healing topaz won't reach. Normally, the two wouldn't have anything to do with each other, but their fates converge and Obhin switches from attacker to protector, as dark forces conspire to wreak havoc among the people and twist the benefits of these gemstones to amass power for themselves and accomplish their nefarious goals.

Diamond Stained is a brilliant adventure with top-notch storytelling, plot twists that will make you hold your breath, characters that make you laugh and send shivers down your spine at the sight of their name, and all-around a magnificent tale set in a spellbinding world full of richness and depth, the way a fantasy novel should be! I give it *****5 STARS***** in rating--if you're looking for a new world to immerse yourself into, and you don't mind a hefty side of graphic violence in between paragraphs of singing prose, then may I say, Welcome to Kash! The Jewels of Illumination series awaits!

Further Reading: (Sword and Sorcery/Excellent World-Building/Strong Characters)