Book Review: Black Market Heart by Darby Harn
Genre(s): Urban Fantasy / Super Heroes
Book Synopsis:
The Interdictor searches for his heart. It may cost him his soul.
Nathan Regan thought himself a god, but a battle with a powerful sorceress left him a heartless zombie. When his father draws him into his growing ambitions in the criminal underworld, The Interdictor discovers a possible escape from his cold hell: sling magic.
The Interdictor seeks sling magic’s source, leading him to encounters with undead gangs, grumpy dragons, and strange dimensions. He discovers Conundra, a powerful street witch, and a shocking truth. The free use of sling magic erodes the tenuous barrier between the practical and the magical, threatening to destroy both worlds.
With existence in the balance, The Interdictor can prove himself the hero he imagines, or the villain others perceive.
Review:
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I want to start off by saying I have not read the first three books in this series, but if they’re even half as good as this one is, I need to fix that. But because I haven’t read the other books, I can’t say with any level of certainty how this one fits into the Eververse as a whole. There were some hints regarding previous events in this book, but nothing that made the story confusing for someone new to the series. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I think Black Market Heart works well as a standalone.
Our main character is Nathan, also known as the Interdictor. His power is super strength, but he can also fly—kind of like Superman, but darker and a lot more brooding. Considering what you learn about his past, I can’t really blame him for being that way. He’s definitely one of those morally gray types, but he does try to do what he believes is right.
But what he believes is right and what is actually right aren’t always the same thing. He makes mistakes. He doesn’t always acknowledge them, or if he does, it’s often too late to repair the damage. And with his power, everyone wants him on their side—whatever side that happens to be. He can’t trust anyone. And no one wants to trust him. I loved the complexity of his character, and it worked well with this story.
Nathan isn’t the only super power in the story. Some are “empowered,” those born with supernatural abilities granted from exposure to an alien technology that crashed on Earth decades ago. Some are magicians with the ability to use magic, or dwen. And some are…something else entirely.
And where there are superheroes, there must be monsters or villains. This book has both. There is so much detail in the worldbuilding. It spans not just Earth, but other worlds, other dimensions, and other versions of those places. Reading this was an immersive experience from page one, and there was so much to discover in the Eververse universe.
If you like superhero stories, definitely check out Black Market Heart, even if you haven’t read the previous books in the series. It’s well worth your time.
Black Market Heart will be available February 6, 2024.
Author website: darbyharn.com
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