Hello, everyone! Today I’m reviewing Legacy of the Brightwash by Krystle Matar, which is available now wherever you buy your books. I’ve seen nothing but praise for this book on Book Twitter and in reviews, and I was excited when it was recommended for my 12 months, 12 friends, 12 books challenge. Did it live up to all the hype? I’ll go ahead and answer that here. Yes. It did. Read on to find out why! 🙂

Follow the law and you’ll stay safe. But what if the law is wrong?

Tashué’s faith in the law is beginning to crack.

Three years ago, he stood by when the Authority condemned Jason to the brutality of the Rift for non-compliance. When Tashué’s son refused to register as tainted, the laws had to be upheld. He’d never doubted his job as a Regulation Officer before, but three years of watching your son wither away can break down even the strongest convictions.

Then a dead girl washed up on the bank of the Brightwash, tattooed and mutilated. Where had she come from? Who would tattoo a child? Was it the same person who killed her?

Why was he the only one who cared?

Will Tashué be able to stand against everything he thought he believed in to get the answers he’s looking for?

Legacy of the Brightwash was insanely good. The writing was fantastic, and the character work was some of the best I’ve read this year. It delved into thought-provoking thematic content with nuance, and kept me hooked with a riveting mystery. If you enjoy gritty fantasy with complex characters, a bit of romance, and lots of political maneuvering, then this is the book for you. Even if you don’t typically enjoy it, try this book anyway. It was that good.

I don’t even really know how to begin explaining everything I loved about Legacy of the Brightwash. I guess the best place to start is with my favorite thing, the characters. I became so engrossed in these characters’ lives, and they were all flawed, fascinating people. I’m not really sure that there were any standouts because they were all fantastic. The story spent the most time with Tashué and Stella, but there were many other POVs, as well. Each of them had distinct qualities, backgrounds, hopes, and goals that added something to the story and made their chapters a unique lens through which to view the narrative.

I could spend an entire essay dissecting the characters of Legacy of the Brightwash. I’ll leave the experience of getting to know them for when you read the book and instead discuss the rich thematic content. It approaches a range of topics, including the ethics of policing, the impacts of addiction, corruption, and the dehumanization of marginalized groups to make exploitation more palatable. Tashué’s experiences also provided a compelling look into the mind of someone struggling to decide what to do when their faith in the morality and rightness of the law has crumbled. There’s just so much to digest, and the struggles of the characters shed light onto so many stimulating lines of thought.

As you may have already surmised, Legacy of the Brightwash had a lot going on. The plot had more threads than I could count, and it did have a tendency to meander. It combined a murder mystery with romance and political machinations, while also adding in a dash of disaster relief, plenty of family drama, and some PTSD. There were times things did feel a bit muddled and bogged down, but it all came together really well in the end. The world-building was also a bit confusing at times, largely because of having so many moving parts, and there are still things I don’t understand. However, it didn’t bother me because I was so caught up in the characters’ lives.

All in all, Legacy of the Brightwash was a brilliant start to a new fantasy series with so many elements I loved. I am dying to spend more time with these characters, and, luckily, the sequel has already been published. I’ll definitely be picking it up soon! Therefore, I rate this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Have you read Legacy of the Brightwash? What did you think? Let me know down in the comments!