A shorter review for the debut fantasy novel from author Timothy Wolff
Hello fellow readers! Today I’ll be talking about a book that’s a bit outside the realm of my usual book discussions over coffee and cookies: “Platinum Tinted Darkness” by Timothy Wolff.
I’m relatively new to the world of high fantasy, so this review may be a deviation of the norm. Bear with me, y’all.
This book is a 3 out of 5 stars for me. There were times where it was a slow read for me. However, I did like the character of Serenna; she is a badass and while it was against the rules, her breaking the Guardian vow and entering the fight for her homeland showed her big heart and I really liked that. She fights valiantly for her homeland and for her friends, so that endeared her to me.
A big reason why I didn’t rate this higher was due to some of the relationships in the book. They didn’t feel as rich and full as I would’ve liked. They bring in the character of Zeen, who becomes the newest Guardian. He develops a crush on Serenna that over the course of the book turns into something more, eventually ending with Serenna returning his feelings and having a cute moment between the two. However, due to the battles and war going on around them, there wasn’t much time for the relationship to develop and breathe more. This could be on purpose; again, I’m relatively new to the genre. I did love the character of Zeen. He gives off the “must protect at all costs” vibe due to his own big heart and lovable personality. Even though he’s been through a lot and is a soldier who has lost many friends, he keeps a positive attitude throughout and believes that all can be saved or helped, even when it doesn’t seem possible. It’s natural for Serenna to gravitate toward that. Maybe there will be more development in future novels. If so, I’ll be a happy camper.
There was a major character death that occurs pretty early on, and it could’ve been how early it was in the book, but it didn’t pack as big of a punch a pretty big character’s death should. I believe it didn’t get the emotional punch it deserved, so when that character died, it wasn’t a huge deal for me. It was abrupt and we moved on. This is a character death that changes the course of one of the main characters, David, and leads him down a dark path and will most definitely have lasting implications throughout the course of the series. So without this gut-punch, the decision David makes doesn’t pull on my emotions as much as it could. This may be unfair, but I didn’t feel sadness over the situation. The death seemed like a means to an end (of the first half of the book).
When it came to the dialogue and inner dialogue, there were definitely some times where I was pulled out of the story. There were times where the dialogue didn’t match the fantasy world they were in. Again, this could be me being new to the genre, but when some of the characters would exclaim some phrases that we use in the modern society of 2023, I would shake my head and think, “What??” It was jarring and would take me some time to get back into the story.
Overall a slower read for me, but did have exciting moments with enjoyable characters. I will read the next book in the series for sure. It ended on a cliff-hanger for some characters, so I’d like to see how it all plays out. It’s just a bummer that I seemed to enjoy more of the supporting characters than the main ones, but it’s the first of the series. While I’m not sure how many books will be in the series (if it continues), I’m hoping more questions will be answered within them.
Thank you to Timothy Wolff and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. “Platinum Tinted Darkness” was released March 10, 2023.
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