The Midnight Sea
Publisher Description
They are the light against the darkness.
The steel against the necromancy of the Druj.
And they use demons to hunt demons….
Nazafareen lives for revenge. A girl of the isolated Four-Legs Clan, all she knows about the King's elite Water Dogs is that they bind wicked creatures called daevas to protect the empire from the Undead. But when scouts arrive to recruit young people with the gift, she leaps at the chance to join their ranks. To hunt the monsters that killed her sister.
Scarred by grief, she's willing to pay any price, even if it requires linking with a daeva named Darius. Human in body, he's possessed of a terrifying power, one that Nazafareen controls. But the golden cuffs that join them have an unwanted side effect. Each experiences the other's emotions, and human and daeva start to grow dangerously close.
As they pursue a deadly foe across the arid waste of the Great Salt Plain to the glittering capital of Persepolae, unearthing the secrets of Darius's past along the way, Nazafareen is forced to question his slavery—and her own loyalty to the empire. But with an ancient evil stirring in the north, and a young conqueror sweeping in from the west, the fate of an entire civilization may be at stake…
Praise for The Midnight Sea
"A spellbinding fantasy with some moral weight and a meatier narrative than usual, one likely to leave readers quite satisfied... Ross conjures an epic of demons and daevas, family, loss, and the turmoil of a kingdom in peril."-Kirkus Reviews
"An addictive, action-packed, glorious page-turner!" -Am Kinda Busy Reading
"For a world of shifting alliances and trusts, fully realized and multi-faceted characters, and a fantasy that takes place in a little touched upon setting in young adult literature, The Midnight Sea delivers on all fronts and starts off a new series of romance, magic, and a well-written and captivating story." -Bibliobibuli YA
"GUARD YOUR HEART. For in The Midnight Sea, Kat Ross delivers a riveting fantasy of unparalleled proportions that stole a piece of mine." -Flylef Reviews
"I really hate the word ‘epic’ because, let’s face it, it’s so overused and it’s lost its true meaning, but this book deserves that word." -Book Reader Chronicles
"The Midnight Sea has everything I enjoy in a fantasy and more. I highly recommend it for readers who love elemental magic, kick-ass heroines and a captivating story." -Cover2Cover Reviews
"Kat Ross creates a rich fantasy world, full of new and scary creatures, lots of magical powers, and an intricately woven plot that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page." -Book Briefs
Customer Reviews
Eventfully addictive and exciting!
Initially difficult to follow, The Midnight Sea thrusted me into a completely different world of magic, politics and religion. Nazafareen’s journeys and battles are filled with adventure and mystery that held my attention throughout. After learning about the empire and collection of various beings throughout the chapters, I was able to link together seemingly unrelated events all while getting to know Nazafareen better. I loved the arcs that certain characters demonstrated and can’t wait to read the next in the series, Blood of the Prophet!
Worthy of Praise!
This is an amazing story. The mix of historical and fictional is done well. Great characters, writing and dialogue. I rarely leave reviews but this book deserves one!
Not for anyone who knows much about the ancient world
I understand that writers of historical fantasy tread a fine line. However if you want your world to be based on a real historical world, you need to be aware that completely making up major things will eventually lead readers who already know about the historical period to be jarred into no longer suspending disbelief. Alexander the Great practiced slavery, including selling some of the people he conquered into it, and for me the last straw was when the book posited that he was so heavily anti-slavery that (I’ll redact the rest for spoilers). This after there were already a number of other things over the course of the book that were ahistorical. If you want to make up a new world or a counterfactual world, please do, just don’t pretend it’s the history of the world that your readers live in. I came to this book after reading the entire Nightmarked series (my first books by Ross) in only a week and I finished this one very disappointed.