Legacy of the Brightwash

Tainted Dominion, Book 1

By: Krystle Matar

Narrated by: Paul Woodson, Felicity Munroe

SPFBO Finalist

Stabby Nominee—Best Debut 2021

Stabby Nominee—Best Indie Book 2021

Follow the law and you’ll stay safe. But what if the law is wrong?

Tashué’s faith in the law is beginning to crack. Three years ago, he stood by when the Authority condemned Jason to the brutality of the Rift for non-compliance. When Tashué’s son refused to register as tainted, the laws had to be upheld. He’d never doubted his job as a Regulation Officer before, but three years of watching your son wither away can break down even the strongest convictions.

Then a dead girl washed up on the bank of the Brightwash, tattooed and mutilated. Where had she come from? Who would tattoo a child? Was it the same person who killed her? Why was he the only one who cared?

Will Tashué be able to stand against everything he thought he believed in to get the answers he’s looking for?

©2021 Krystle Matar (P)2022 Podium Audio

Critic reviews

"Legacy of the Brightwash is a grounded, realistic, and surprisingly dark book, but it’s a book with a fundamentally moral lead that keeps the darkness from feeling gratuitous."

-Ryan Howse, Grimdark Magazine

A very good fantasy book

This story was different from the other fantasies I have read. The audible telling was great also.

Scandal, tragedy and rumors abound. Does anyone care?

Tashue Blackwood is a decorated military veteran and a veteran of the domains tainted authority. A pseudo military organization with the responsibility of overseeing and managing the gifted citizens of the domain. Tashue comes face to face with the ugliest parts of society, from people wishing to leverage his controversial military career for political capital, to a dead child he can't seem to get anyone else to care about, to his own adult son who refused to register and is now locked in the rift.

The counterpoint to Tashue is Stella Whiterock a fugitive who is much more than she seems but she can't seem to stay away from Tashue, and he's good with her daughter.

A great opening to a series! can't wait to read the next one.

Paul Woodson, Felicity Munroe and the lovely people at podium audio do a great job bringing this piece to life. Especially loved Felicity's Stella voice and Paul's Tashue.

perfect for grimdark fantasy lovers

Tashué has been working as a Regulation Officer for years without issue, even when they arrested his son for non-registration as a talented and locked him in the Rift. He has witnessed his son wither away in the Rift over years, and while he fears Jason will die there, he's accepted the outcome because he sees Jason's continued refusal to register as the cause. Until a dead child washes up on shore of the Brightwash, tattooed similarly to those in the Rift and missing her arms and legs. Suddenly nothing makes sense, and the more Tashué searches for answers the more his faith and trust in the Authority facture.

This is the type of book that will make you think, make you feel, make you rage, make you invested. It's harrowing and deep. Emotional and devastating. Pain, despair, brutality, grief, and a different type of racism than color - it's all there. This book will try to tear at you from the inside out. It's so grimdark, you'd never expect such a strong romance to come out of it, but what a beautiful love story it is, offsetting the darker sides of this tale just enough. This book is unlike any other, especially with how the author delivered wonderfully with very difficult topics that make you stop and think.

Now to the book's best bits: the characterization. This is where the author's writing shined most. The characters bleed their emotions through every page. Honestly, the character work is fantastic. Each one is layered and complex with history and misgivings, each one perfectly flawed that as a reader, you can't help feeling for them.

Slow burn w/ emphasis on BURN

Ms. Matar has crafted quite a story here. The lore and the world are unique and engaging, which leaves me constantly uncertain in the best way. The various threads of mystery and intrigue are well-balanced throughout, and the blood is slightly more plentiful than the orgasms.

The metaphors/lessons are clear but not heavy-handed, and I appreciate that. I loved the depth and variety of characters, and the agony and ecstasy they felt. This is a world of struggle and cruelty adjacent to opulence and a veneer of refinement, and it’s wonderfully painful to inhabit.

enjoyed

Dark like whiskey, beautiful like the blonde red tresses like one of the MCs. So brutal it would make a Nazi blush.

Stunning Gaslamp Grimdark

My second trip through this story as I read it before listening on Audible. Vivid characters and brilliant world building. It is by turns, both beautiful and horrifying.

What are you waiting for?

If you. haven't read BRIGHTWASH right now, it's time. Sop hesitating. Just do it.

At first, I was intimidated by the book. This is a heftyboi, and it'll take some time to muscle through it, but it's evident that Krystle Matar knows this. Hers is a world lovingly-crafted, and in proper grimdark tradition, we're not just asked to wallow in the grime, but are invited to wade through it too! If you love absolutely astonishing world building in a setting that lingers somewhere between Victorian-era-without-steampunk and Peaky-Blinders-with-Magic, then LEGACY OF BRIGHTWASH is going to be your jam.

The protagonist, Tashue Blackwood -- a cigarillo-sucking Sam Spade -- tasks himself with solving the mystery of a young dead woman, and in the midst of it, struggles with his own personal demons, his family's past, and his dedication to both blood and what he *believes* the law should be. From the cover to the formatting, this is a beautiful book inside and out, but not one that embraces pretty circumstances. It doesn't have to: Matar's dialogue is snappy and authentic, her descriptions are beautifully-worded and memorable, and her fast-paced scenes never linger in the unnecessary.

I particularly loved the honest romance (two people gravitating toward one another in the midst of heinous circumstances), the characters' constant vulnerability, and the thoughtful way that Matar weaves beauty and hope into an awfully ugly world. Also, when Matar describes physical altercations, she does so with a clear eye. No details get lost in the fights, and it's yet again a testament to her constant care with these characters and this world.

You ought to prepare to have your heart punched in.

Of particular note is the *awesome* Podium narration by Munroe and Woodson, whose work is top-notch, and really brings the point-of-view chapters to life. At no point did I find myself confused by the back-and-forth!

What also warms my heart about BRIGHTWASH is the diversity of its world. These are characters of all colors and creeds, of all sexual orientations, and there's a vast backlog of history to this world that is respectfully linked in concept to our own world's history. While this book loves to hang out in the anguish of its characters, it never seeks to base their trauma in their identities.

I could go on about this book forever. I will go on about it in the future. Just do yourself a damn favor and buy it. You won't regret it.

Legacy of the Brightwash is a deeply engrossing...

Legacy of the Brightwash is a deeply engrossing exploration of brilliant characters in a dark and difficult world.

Plot: 5/5
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Legacy of the Brightwash is a dark gaslamp fantasy which follows Tashué, a government employee who begins questioning who the laws are actually helping. Meanwhile, Stella is a “tainted” with a hidden past that is sure to cause no inconveniences whatsoever.

The plot is well written, and begins as an investigation into the death of a child (don’t eat while reading this part, fyi). The story transforms into a deep exploration of character and the coming to terms with working for a corrupt government. We see the story represented from several viewpoints and while at times it feels like the “main” plot doesn’t seem to be moving forward, the story sweeps us along with several other parts to keep investment long enough to see it all come together at the end!

Characters: 5/5
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Oh gosh, I said in the plot we get a lot of character exploration, and this is where the book shines at its brightest! Krystle is magnificent at characters, and exploring their emotions. Tashué is one of my favorite characters of the year, and he’s just one of many brilliantly written characters. And she will smack you in the heart with the emotion she generates through her characters.

Worldbuilding: 5/5
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I absolutely loved the worldbuilding for the Dominion. The magic system is intriguing and the only complaint I have is that I wanted more of it! But, that’s what sequels are for… I’m sure we’ll learn more, I’m just impatient. The world itself was built out well, and the many dynamics explored well enough to create a clear picture. I’m curious to see how it expands or deepens as the story continues.

Writing: 5/5
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The writing is fantastic throughout. There were so many moments where I laughed from the great humor (I love you, Ishmael!), and there were moments where I surely almost cried. The range of emotion is incredible, and though the book is very chonky, I don’t feel like time is wasted at any point.

Enjoyability: 5/5
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Yeah, it was okay…. I CAN’T KEEP A STRAIGHT FACE, THIS BOOK IS FANTASTIC! It has definitely soared to the top and contends with my other favorites of the year. I was so excited to delve into this and it really delivered. Now, I must return to yelling at Krystle about how that book ended…


OVERALL: 5/5 Cigarillos


Narration: 5/5
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Brightwash is narrated by Felicity Munroe and Paul Woodson, and while it took a moment to get used to the switch between narrators (this is the first time I’ve listened to an audiobook with multiple narrators that wasn’t a full cast situation), they were both spectacular at their narration. They voice the characters uniquely, and it is easy to recognize them across the narrators. And the emotion! It was so well done! If you prefer audiobook, I highly recommend reading in this form!

Beauty in a Grim World

This is the sort of book that sneaks up on you. The kind of book where it is very easy to lose yourself to the flow of words and plot and how it all tangles together. Krystle Matar’s prose and characters shine through the dimly-lit streets of the Dominion, and it makes every twist and turn hurt all that much more.

First, I’ve got to say, I heard this book would break me, and it’s probably the closest I’ve been to broken over a book since The Road by Cormac McCarthy. There was one moment when I was listening to the audiobook on the way home from work that I could feel the tears starting to form, and I just barely held it together.

From the moment in Day 1 where we are introduced to Tashúe and get to see who he is and what he’s about, I knew I was reading something special. Even the meandering plot, one that switches focus between characters and events from the loosely connected to the essential, kept me focused and wanting more. I didn’t care if they were only baking or drinking good (or bad whiskey) or fighting or whatever. These characters were my people, and I loved them for every moment good and bad.

I love that it defies easy classification and that it alternates between the soft and charming and the gritty and unspeakable. That’s what makes it feel so true.

I can’t wait until I’m back in the Dominion learning and breaking and healing with Tashúe and the others!

*A more detailed review will be on my website shortly after this review with a brief Q&A with the author!

This is THAT book...

... the book that you read really fast 'cause you have to know what will happen next but it takes you weeks to fully metabolize the beauty and horror of it.