What a journey. I was absolutely drawn into this book immediately from the beginning to end.

I loved the world building in this book. The author did a really great job describing everything in detail, but in no way did it feel forced so you get a clear imagery of world as the story continues. Multiple POV was done well in my opinion but others may disagree. I love books with multiple perspectives, but some authors do not write it well once it is above 2-3 POVs and I followed through 5 perspectives without any problem. It gives you a unique added perspective to the book that makes you feel like you're watching a movie in your mind. The only thing I did struggle a little with grasping was the magic system, perhaps more information was needed as other reviewers have mentioned.

I cannot wait until book #2 is out to see how it continues. Thanks to Netgalley that I was able to read and discover this book that I otherwise may not have stumbled across. Enjoyed the read, thank you for the ARC!

It's a good and entertaining story with multidimensional characters and cool twists. I enjoyed reading it and appreciate the well-thought-out plot and the author's ability to keep the reader engaged. Worth a shot.

Grieving Gold offers a compelling cast of characters navigating intricate lives in a captivating new world. Woven through the perspectives of a thief, soldier, scientist, hunter, and orphan, the story tantalizes with glimpses of interconnectedness while leaving ample room for exploration in future novels. Despite an at-times opaque magic system and the challenges of a multi-POV narrative, the author masterfully builds a unique setting, from its treacherous jungles and wondrous caverns to the dystopian city perched atop ancient ruins. While the overarching narrative direction remains somewhat nebulous, Grieving Gold leaves a lasting impression thanks to its richly realized world and diverse characters, leaving me eager to delve into the series' future installments.

This book is an amazing journey from start to finish. Daniel McDaniel draws readers in from the first page.

The characters are fully formed and oftentimes grey (like real people so often are). Each with their own paths, it was interesting to see how their stories intertwined and affected the others’. The magic system in this book is interesting and complex, but takes a while to really figure out. This was the most challenging aspect of the book to me, but once it clicked, I really enjoyed it.

Grieving Gold feels different than and reads unlike the majority of fantasy books that are popular today. The unique landscape, city, characters, the vibrant descriptions and beautiful command of language lend to a great and immersive reading experience.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this early!

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this. I enjoyed the heavy world building, which I found extremely creative and wonderful. It took me a few chapters to really get into this. I do agree with other reviews that the origin of magic/powers could have been explained in more detail. However, the multiple points of view and individual characters ended up getting me hooked. I was interested to find out how all the characters connected. I especially like Lax and Ponlu. I enjoyed this very much and am looking forward to the second book.

I am eagerly awaiting book #2 and beyond. The mix of horror and fantasy is rarely done so well and this book was an epic example of getting it completely right!
I especially enjoyed the character building and development. Having 5 POV's throughout the novel gives such an interesting angle for each story. I hope in the second book we see more direct involvement between them.
I will say this...I LOVE the name Luminocity. It's a perfect name for a city with 3 suns.

I was given this Arc via NetGalley and Endless Equinox in return for an honest review. Thank you!

I loved the imagery and beautiful descriptions in this book. It reminded me of reading Game of Thrones with the multiple points of views. Looking forward to the next one

1.5 Stars.

So sadly I did not finish this book, I left it at about 20%.

I did really try to keep it going, but I could not find myself intrigued enough in the story to keep up with the heavy world building of Luminocity.
The beginning of this book felt very rushed, I did struggle to keep up with it and retain the information given, but for my taste there just wasn’t enough information given for how high fantasy it is. I would have loved a more vivid picture of this world that McDaniel is building, but it felt like I was drifting away and constantly grasping at threads.
This was a very interesting book, I’ve never seen anything like it, extra .5 for creativity!

Thank you NetGalley and Endless Equinox for the ARC.

Grieving Gold is a multi perspective novel following five characters living in a world ruled by three suns. McDaniel's world building of Luminocity is fantastic and engulfing. The five point of views are distinctive and occasionally intertwine throughout the novel. My only critique is the magic system is not fully explained and a tad confusing. Hopefully as the series evolves the reader will get a better understanding of all that the magic system encompasses. Despite this, the story is excellent, and I'm excited for the next book.

Thanks net galley and Endless Equinox for this ARC!

This book just jettisoned to the top of my favorite books list. I’m obsessed!

Grieving Gold follows the lives of five separate yet interconnected characters living in a world ruled by three suns. Some have the ability to find special abilities in the light, while others can lose less desirable attributes in the dark. These findings and losings help our characters navigate a world rife with political mind games, nefarious street gangs, and things in the depths that have far too many legs. As each character strives for their own personal goals, a greater mystery unravels. What lurks deep below the city? And what does it want?

For those wondering if this is the book for them, it is reminiscent of Game of Thrones, The Lies of Locke Lamora, Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and The Road to Eldorado. All while still maintaining a fresh and unique identity.

Each character comes alive with depth and complexity.
The story shifts between the viewpoints of five characters much in the same style as Game of Thrones. This method of writing keeps the story moving at an exciting pace as readers discover how the lives of the characters are connected.

With influences drawn from South American culture, this dark fantasy does not read like the traditional medieval European story that most people have come to expect in fantasy. There are no knights in shining armor, no wizards in purple cloaks, no fairies with weird love triangles. Instead there are golden ziggurats, tropical verdant jungles, llamas and jaguars, and descriptions of delicious meals that center around corn.

This series is going to be big. It breaks out of the stale tropes that have infiltrated the genre in recent years, giving readers an unparalleled experience. For those looking for a fast-paced, fresh fantasy story, Grieving Gold leaves little room for competition. With vivid characters and a propulsive plot, readers will be dying to read the next book in the series.

5/5 stars. Read it!

Reader’s Advisory Notes:

This book is light on romance which makes it a comfortable read for Ace (Asexual) individuals.

There are some scary scenes, but nothing too distressing.

This book contains a lot of spiders. Arachnophobia individuals beware!

Adult fiction, but also suitable for Young Adult readers who love horror and fantasy.

This book was a fun and engaging ride with loads of potential! The different perspectives were well done, making it easy to follow each character. The effort put into creating the world, from jungles with interesting creatures to a dystopian city with a new world on top, was clear, and I appreciated it.

However, I wish there was more information on the magic system. It's a bit complex, and I didn't fully grasp it. Adding a guide at the beginning of the book or tweaking the explanation could help. Despite this, the story is excellent, and I'm excited for more!

This is such a character driven and lore heavy book – and in my opinion too much so. There’s too much happening to keep the story comprehensive. I couldn’t keep track of the characters without constantly going back to my notes and that took away a lot of the experience.

I do however feel like there is something there. It just need a good edit or two to really sort out the characters and the lore.

Grieving Gold immerses you in a world unlike any other I’ve ever read. A multi-POV book, McDaniel is able to give each character their own unique voice to tell their captivating stories. There wasn’t a single point of view I didn’t enjoy reading. I only wish it was longer because I have so many questions left unanswered. I am anxiously awaiting for the next book in the series to find the answers.

Well done fantasy and great start to the series. Heavy on the world building but that works. Would recommend.

Overall I enjoyed Grieving Gold.

This book featured interesting and distinctive POVs that at some points intertwined. However, I wish there were more interconnected elements within the story.
One of the strongest points of Grieving Gold was the world-building, the author managed to paint a vivid picture of Luminocity, it did at some points feel a tad bit info-dumpy, but that is to be expected considering this is the first book within a series.
My biggest complaint with this book is the magic system, I still couldn’t sit here and tell you in great detail the in and outs of it after 450 pages, and this is mainly because the book doesn't feature much elaboration about the origins of the magic system or why some people possess different abilites.


Thank you to both Netgalley and Endless Equinox for the arc.

“There were more ways someone could lie than just with words.”

“Grieving Gold” by Daniel McDaniel is a five POV book. In a world where light is strength, when the light starts to fade, and shadows get more powerful everyone’s lives will change. Laxerion, noble son turned thief, deals with his father’s passing and his responsibility to his family and friends. Val-Gustus, Laxerion’s brother and general, deals with the family obligations and the threats upon the city. Ilumi, a scientist, juggles with creating and morality. Aiana, a huntress in the depths, guggles her darkness and need to get respect for her accomplishments. Dawb, an orphan boy, is determined to fight monsters in the dark because of his grief.

I loved this book so much! The lore and world-building were so great and all encompassing. All the different POV’s created a great unbiased look on what’s going on in the book but also it helped me view the entire world in different aspects that I felt I knew every crook and crevasse to the world. I cannot explain enough how much I loved this world. The writer wrote about the world building better than any book I’ve read before, it was seamless. The lore was so unique and interesting. I did not get bored for a second while reading. 5 out of 5 stars, so good.

-Multi POV
-Poverty
-Sun Gods
-Futuristic Technology

this book blew my mind. all the povs were distinct and i loved that i could differentiate between who was who throughout.

a lot of effort was put into the world-building for this and i truly appreciated that! i hate it when the world isn't developed properly and it's not done justice to. the magic systems were a little hard to keep track of, but overall a pretty solid debut novel! i recommend.

Grieving Gold was a good story with interesting characters.

The story is made up of a few POVs that will interweave at times or maybe not at all. There is a thief, a soldier, a scientist, a hunter, and an orphan. Each of there stories are interesting and complex, but at times I do wish there was some more interconnected elements to help bring the story together.

This being the first novel in the series it was doing the heavy lifting of world building. Jungles and caverns with strange creatures, a dystopian city that has built a new world on top of it and a magic system involving light, blood, and finding and losing things.

Overall I enjoyed the story, I do wish the magic system had been explained a bit more, at times it was confusing. It was also hard to pick out the overall direction of the story with the different POVs, but the world that had been built still leaves me excited for future novels.

Thanks net galley and endless equinox for this ArC

I was really able to enjoy this fantasy book a lot! From the writing style and storytelling it reminded me a bit of V.E. Schwab's books and City of Brass, which I both absolutely adore! The world-building ist great and the story is told very vividly. I love how the character's stories get woven together as the plot continues. Great book!

This is a thrilling and captivating novel that takes readers on a journey through the city of Luminocity, a place where the light of three sun gods shines down upon the decaying ruins of an ancient civilization. But beneath the surface, there is darkness and danger lurking, as a dark god seeks revenge and holds a grudge against the city and its inhabitants.

The story follows the intertwined fates of five characters as they navigate through the treacherous world of Luminocity. Laxerion Tama, a disowned noble son and leader of a heist group, suddenly finds his life turned upside down when his family and a past enemy come back into the picture. His brother, Val-Gustus Tama, a general and favored son, must take on the responsibility of protecting the city as war looms on the horizon. A young scientist, Ilumi, is faced with moral dilemmas as she discovers new and controversial technologies. Aiana, a huntress, struggles with her past and inner demons. And Dawb, a young boy overcome with grief, searches for monsters in the city's darkest corners.

The author has created a rich and vivid world in Luminocity, with detailed descriptions of the decaying city and its inhabitants. The characters are complex and well-developed, each with their own unique struggles and motivations. The plot is fast-paced and full of twists and turns, keeping readers on the edge of their seats until the very end.

One of the most intriguing aspects of this book is the exploration of morality and the consequences of advanced technology. The characters are faced with difficult choices and must grapple with the consequences of their actions. This adds depth to the story and makes it more than just a typical fantasy novel.

Overall, this is a must read for fans of fantasy and science fiction. The story is engaging and captivating from start to finish!