Name: The Deathless
ISBN: 9780008228989

Peter Newman

From one of fantasy's biggest recent breakthrough authors comes an exciting, brand new series. Peter Newman's new series takes readers to the world of the Deathless, beings as immortal as the precious stones from which they take their names.

The Deathless

From the Gemmell Award-winning author of THE VAGRANT, a thrilling new series of power, intrigue, and magic.

The Deathless (The Deathless Trilogy, Book 1)

Sade A

Well that was disappointing. 
It feels like Newman went from refreshingly new to a run of the mill plot that doesn't try remotely hard to engage.
*Cries in bought this book at full price*

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So this book. *🥁🥁* Immortal beings squabbling. 
Which sounds really cool and totally isn't an unwelcome plot. But with this book, felt like reading about children arguing. Everyone wants to write about political scheming without the finesse that such a plot would require. 
The plot was clumsy, contrived and ill-befitting of being referred to as anything but subpar. 
I don't know if it's just me, but I feel like if I'm going to read about beings that are for all intents and purposes, immortal, then they should, for the love of God, be smart and calculating. 

There is a sense that Newman wants this book to go one way and one way only, 'family member feel slighted and betrays the rest of the family'. There is no nuance to this book. (view spoiler)[Vasin for example, is primed as a character with no motivation conveniently waiting for his supposed betrayed mother to feel his head with thoughts of righting perceived wrongs. Convenient that this is a time he decides he hates absolutely hates his whole family, even though to be fair he has no reason to.  (hide spoiler)]

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For an author that wrote a book carried on the back of an extraordinary mute character, the characters' Newman presents in this book move between mediocre and just plain weird.
Pari, Chandni, Nidari and the rest are just your typical run of the mill fantasy immortal characters, lacking everything that would make their exploits stay with you. 
(view spoiler)[Satyendra is supposedly a human baby that can have fully formed thoughts (hide spoiler)] for no reason at all and it was just not something that the author was able to fully sell to me as plausible, Infact I don't think Newman explained how that could have happened. 

A sizeable part of this book takes place in the Wild but little of the Wild's workings is explained especially as it seems this lack of explanation is used to ensure the survival of the main characters.

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 All in all, there's definitely huge potential with this story and the end does pick up but Newman doesn't seem to be able to prop up the story as a whole successfully. Leaving you with the kind of book where neither the characters' nor the plot stays with you long after you're done.

⭐⭐ disappointing stars