I seem to have built up quite the backlog of reviews. Every so often, you’ll find me sneaking in a review on a Thursday. Today is one of those Thursdays.

Why I picked up this book:

After a lot of searching for a grimdark fantasy world to read, and compiling a TBR list that’s much too long to read, I settled on this book because it was the newest—and I maybe wanted to use it for a comparative title for my current work-in-progress. This book is very dark, and it explores a lot of topics that sensitivity writers tend to side-eye. Which is what made this story very real.

This review may contain spoilers.

Beyond Redemption (Manifest Delusions #1)
	Faith shapes the landscape, defines the laws of physics, and makes a mockery of truth. Common knowledge isn’t an axiom, it’s a force of nature. What the masses believe is. But insanity is a weapon, conviction a shield. Delusions give birth to foul new gods. Violent and dark, the world is filled with the Geisteskranken—men and women whose delusions manifest, twisting reality. High Priest Konig seeks to create order from chaos. He defines the beliefs of his followers, leading their faith to one end: a young boy, Morgen, must Ascend to become a god. A god they can control.
But there are many who would see this would-be-god in their thrall, including the High Priest’s own Doppels, and a Slaver no one can resist. Three reprobates—The Greatest Swordsman in the World, a murderous Kleptic, and possibly the only sane man left—have their own nefarious plans for the young god. As these forces converge on the boy, there’s one more obstacle: time is running out. When one’s delusions become more powerful, they become harder to control. The fate of the Geisteskranken is to inevitably find oneself in the Afterdeath. The question, then, is: Who will rule there?

    

What I loved:

I honestly don’t even know where to start. Everything about this book is weird and heavy and deliciously hilarious. Almost every character is one I loved to hate and hated to love. There was such a strong duality to every single one, that I found myself both laughing and nearly gagging.

The relationship between Gehirn and Erbrechen is absolute murder. It is the bad clingy/loathing female meets the manipulative/desperate male and I laughed so hard sometimes I was crying. It was pathetic, loathsome and sang with this amazing realism and depth. I loved & hated it so much that I want to see this type of relationship in many more books.

The band of misfits this story opens with are fantastic. They are the epitome of gross and crude right from the opening page, and yet I fell in love with all of them, and loathed them all at the same time. Wichtig makes you both want to hug him and punch him. Stehlen is so disgusting and highly intelligent, but she’s also efficient. Bedeckt is supposedly the only sane person in the story from the opening page, but you just want to kick him and cuddle him. All three of these brutes had a very annoying relationship, and yet at times I laughed so hard at their quips to one another I couldn’t turn away.

Areas needing a touch of refinement:

I adore dark lore, but this book pushed my boundaries in two spots. Both times I nearly DNF’d it, but then the next page would have me laughing again. I honestly don’t think these two areas need refinement, but I’m pointing them out for potential readers. This story delves into very dark, triggering themes.

Overall:

I loved this book. There was so much to love and hate about this story, but mostly the hate was the crazy that ran rampant through all the characters. No one is sane. This world isn’t sane. But if you’re into dark fantasy or grimdark, it’s an enjoyable read I highly recommend. I look forward to reading the next one, but not until I clean my hands first. Those who have read the story would get this insider joke.

Want to read more reviews like this? Be sure to subscribe to my blog and be the first to know when new content is posted.