“Edge of the Breach” by Halo Scot —BOOK REVIEW

About “Edge of the Breach” by Halo Scot::

Genre: Fantasy; Dark; Mental Health; Thriller; LGBT

We all become monsters at the edge of the breach. In a post-apocalyptic world where season of birth determines power — spring healers, summer mages, fall shapeshifters, and winter shields — a man and a woman emerge from tragic childhoods to lead humanity on opposite sides of an interrealm war.

There is a hole in the sky. They call it the Rift. A portal to the gods. The scar of a suffering world. Through it, the gods rule the last scraps of civilization, harkening war. As chaos beckons, two leaders emerge from the ashes of a dying planet.

Julian Kyder is the son of an abusive rape victim who compensates for his abandonment through psychopathy. Sira Rune is a cancer survivor who dedicates her life to living free and fearless while experiencing the taboo and the unorthodox. Rune is the only one unafraid of Kyder, and that terrifies him, because he only knows how to function through fear. Even though she gives him more chances than he deserves, how much violence can she forgive? When is a person beyond redemption? While he struggles to control his demons and she struggles to find purpose, the gods drag the ruined world into war.

CONTENT WARNING: The Rift Cycle is a highly graphic series intended for mature audiences.

Other titles by Halo Scot that I’ve reviewed:
Echoes of Blood (The Rift Cycle Book 1)

This book literally blew me away. I cannot say enough good about it although I will warn readers that it is incredibly dark. The dystopian setting revolves around an apocalyptic Earth where Antartica, now a desert, is the only inhabitable area. Each person is born with powers based on the season they were born.

It follows Rune, a girl born on Winter Solstice, and Kyder, a boy born on Summer Solstice. The two’s powers are much greater per their birth directly on solstice. Rune is a shield while Kyder is a mage, but both lead lives tragic in their own ways. Kyder suffers from OCD, anxiety, and what appears to be antisocial personality disorder (I’d say sociopath, not psychopath). Rune, I would diagnose with major depressive disorder.

Not only are the main and side characters diverse by way of mental health (which, I may add were properly presented; not stereotyped), the author includes LGBTQ individuals in a casual manner in this non-heteronormative world. The psyches of the two main characters are amazingly well-developed and portrayed; as were their subsequent actions and experiences.

The two have much in common, including loss, their uniquely strong powers, and their eventual involvement in gangs yet their personalities and the way they handle obstacles are opposite. Both are determined to survive. Despite her depression, Rune steers toward the positive while Kyder isolates himself in a protective bubble of hate, incapable or unwilling to care about others.

Even so, Rune also falls into pits of hate, trying unsuccessfully to use that emotion to block out the good ones which seem to hurt more. Likewise, Kyder feigns happiness and care in order to be accepted by others and overshadow the evil within.

You might think that their eventual meeting would result in a blossoming romance or a mending of their broken minds and you wouldn’t be wrong. However, the way the author goes about such things is unique and mostly unpredictable.

Personal Note: I related deeply to both of them. Like Rune, I suffer from major depressive disorder and like Kyder, I also lived the first eighteen years of my life pretending to be what I had to for people to like me while truthfully being incapable of forming close attachments.

When I met my wife, I also hated her for making me love and care, for making me realize it was better to bond with others than live in a hateful shell. I found myself crying at many points in the story. It was all so real and relatable. Even the parts I couldn’t relate to, the author made sure I could empathize with.

I’m definitely over-eager to read the next book in the series.

Buy the ebook (FREE on Kindle Unlimited).

Buy the paperback.

Halo Scot can be found on:
Twitter @halo_scot
Instagram @halo_scot
Facebook
Amazon
Goodreads
Author Website

Want your book reviewed? Click here for more information.

~Sahreth ‘Baphy’ Bowden

Follow this blog through by entering your email at the bottom of the page (or through WordPress by clicking the +Follow button- make sure you turn on notifications in your reader view)! You’ll receive an email every time I post a new book review, free book, giveaway, and information on my own writing.