Nectar for the God (Mennik Thorn, #2) by Patrick Samphire Published by Five Fathoms Press on December 2nd 2021
Also by this author: Shadow of a Dead God, Strange Cargo
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 462
Format: ebook
Goodreads
In the city of Agatos, nothing stays buried forever.
Only an idiot would ignore his debt to a high mage, and Mennik Thorn is not an idiot, no matter what anyone might say. He’s just been … distracted. But now he’s left it too late, and if he doesn’t obey the high mage’s commands within the day, his best friends’ lives will be forfeit. So it’s hardly the time to take on an impossible case: proving a woman who murdered a stranger in full view is innocent.
Unfortunately, Mennik can’t resist doing the right thing – and now he’s caught in a deadly rivalry between warring high mages, his witnesses are dying, and something ancient has turned its eyes upon him.
The fate of the city is once again in the hands of a second-rate mage. Mennik Thorn should have stayed in hiding.
Thank you to Patrick Samphire for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Nectar for the God is the second book in the Mennik Thorn series. This review is a little bit different since I haven’t reviewed the first one on the blog yet, but I promise it’s coming! I have read it though, so I’m not going in blind. Ok, ok, I’ll give you my thoughts about Shadow of a Dead God in one word: AMAZING.
Let’s get on with the main topic of the day, Nectar for the God. For those who don’t know Mennik Thorn, or Nik to friends, is one of the most unfortunate mages in the history of magic. Trouble finds him like flies attracted to a turd. Some might even compare him to the turd in more ways than one because it seems to be his almost daily perfume, although not by choice. I’ll be honest, I love reading about his misadventures because it makes me feel a little better about myself. I’m someone who sees the worst possible scenarios but lucky enough to never see them come true. It’s different for him. He also sees the worst possible outcomes, but then that happens, plus something else. As a reader, you know something wild is going to happen to him and that keeps you reading.
Samphire’s world-building is also incredibly rich. The two books both take place in just one city but we see parts of the world outside of it too. We see the history, the different cultures, the different classes. He has made excellent choices in his cast of characters and I honestly can’t wait to read more about them. (If you like short stories, sign up to his newsletter now and get Sereh’s short story delivered to your inbox soon!)
What grabbed me the most in this book is one specific part. Nik has another mystery to solve, and towards the end of the book he finally figures out what’s haunting him. But throughout the book, you see glimpses, this sense of dread. Creepy and unexplainable things happen. Samphire does an excellent job of portraying the fear Nik experiences. It’s beautiful and haunting at the same time. It also destroyed me, left me gasping for air, probably much like Nik did. It’s been awhile since I’ve had such a visceral reaction to a book.
I give Nectar for the God by Patrick Samphire 4,5 stars. I’m not giving five yet because I need more. There’s one thing I missed in the wrap-up and I hope he’ll address that in the next book. I honestly can’t wait for more of Nik’s adventures but I know it’ll take some time. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes rich world-building, fantasy, and flawed characters.
