Fear of the Light by Ross Harrison ~ a Review

by MK French

Someone has kidnapped the assassin Juni Lien, and now Travis Archer will do whatever it takes to find her. Doing so means passing trials that isolate him more and more, and has devastating consequences. Juni isn't helpless, and the two wind up discovering secrets from the past that threaten to destroy everything.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

November 2024; Indie; 979-8345325551
ebook, print (470 pages); space opera

Fear of the Light is book 8 of the Nexus series, but it follows a storyline first built up in Church of the Assassin and Forge of the Assassin. Basically, Alexiares was the foremost Assassin of the guild and threw it away to rescue and raise baby Juni. Then Juni was taken by the guild and training began to turn her into an assassin as well. There are summaries of prior books, including the ones I hadn't read, which freelance bounty hunter Travis Archer had starred in. Juni and Archer are a couple now, complete with getting matching tattoos that are practically a marriage proposal in her culture. This means that Archer is even more determined to get her back, and is willing to go into the underbelly of their worlds to do so. Juni was taken as revenge, and Archer walks a fine line in appeasing the one that took her and hunting him down.

It's interesting to see Archer dig through the past to try to hunt down the kidnapper, even as he tries to mentally and physically torture Juni. Given that he's of a species that uses psionic ability, he can attack people without being physically present, further isolating Archer and punishing him and his allies further. It's a race to the finish line, but people are hurt and killed along the way, both Archer and Juni suffer losses, and there are looming risks to the galaxy at large. It's a tense ride within this space opera, and the ending is not one that I had hoped for. I'm sure we'll see these characters again, because there's still a lot going on in this universe, and there will be repercussions for these actions.

Buy Fear of the Light at Amazon

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and a golden retriever. 

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