The Tenebrous Miasma is the third book in the Anterra Collection by Blake Vanier. As the series progresses, the books have gotten better and better. Reading this installation has been quite an adventure.
The narrative revolves around saving Anterra from evil. There is mystery and action, as I have come to expect from Blake’s works. This time around, more lands are uncovered. We also gain a better understanding of some events of the past. The story is a complex and cohesive one. I was surprised by the storyline twists, and I was hooked by the novel’s fast-paced plot and writing style.
Character growth has been excellent. Relationships between characters have developed. The plot of this book focuses on certain characters. There are some new characters as well.
The children we were introduced to in the first book are children no more and it’s refreshing to see that they’re not flawless. Additionally, it was great to see that female characters are shining in this book.
While creating a complex world like the one in this book is a challenge in itself, another difficulty arises when it must be presented to readers in such a way that keeps them interested and does not drive them insane. I must state that Blake has done an excellent job storytelling on that criterion. The book is very well written. The writing has been meticulous, and the vocabulary has been great. There has been a well-coordinated and thorough world-building effort. The maps have been quite helpful as well.
I did feel that the book might have benefited from a bit more editing. There was mature language and references to death and killing, which would make this book unfit for young kids.
One of the biggest things I appreciate about reading Blake’s books is the novelty of the plot and characters. I was surprised in the first book in this regard, and he has kept up his standards in the following two books.
Overall, Blake has not let us down. He has continued to maintain well-developed characters and create new ones in a complicated universe, and he has done an excellent job of immersing the readers in it. Some unpredictable parts of the plot surprised me and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series with bated breath.
The Rising Tilde 