That Dark Infinity starts with a demon exorcism, and we meet the first main character in the story. Ankou of Valacia is a demon hunter and an immortal who lives in a caravan. He has a twisted sense of humour but a strong sense of responsibility. It is in the first chapter we find a prophecy that relates to his fate.
“Lightning from the very earth, a hidden golden key,
and one whose palm is starry as the sky above the sea.
If the bound one gathers them, these destined items three,
he can walk the Fates unfettered, and come back whole and free.
But if he cannot find them, though faithful he may be,
then by her love she’ll bind him, and hers he’ll ever be!”
Kate Pentecost~ That Dark Infinity
In Chapter Two
We meet Florelle “Flora” Tannett, handmaiden to Princess Betheara Ilurosa of Kaer-Ise after the incident with Ankou, and how she ended up with him. There is a trigger warning in this chapter because Kaer-Ise was sacked by Skaardmen. The girls were talking about Flora’s coming of age ceremony, where it’s a lore in Kaer-Ise that was beautiful: The Calling of the Unicorn was a sacred part of Kaer-Isian culture and was also how they had won the Necromancer’s war. It is a lot to fit into the first two chapters of the story, but that sets up the premise nicely for the story to proceed.
Because after all the trouble to put those two together, we gotta have some conflicts and some demons to exorcise, right?
The Journey
What gave the Ankou hope was a sign that the prophecy has begun, he’s seen it in Flora. Thus began a journey to free himself from a curse made three hundred years ago. It is not a mystery how he got it, but undoing it was the dominant story. As Ankou and Flora seek to unlock the hints in his prophecy, they develop a friendship, then something more. Then they met Atonais, who represents one of the items three. By now, the Ankou has a new name: Lazarus.
And Lazarus and Flora had a new problem, so they had more motivation but less time. Initially, he had all the time in the world, but suddenly he only had days.
What’s in That Dark Infinity that’s so nice?
That Dark Infinity has a lot of elements: love, friendship, hopes and dreams. Well, that’s a lot of romance fantasy genres. But it does not shy away from ugly parts like assault, death, and the favourite ‘road to hell is paved with good intentions’. We are reminded frequently that a choice has consequences: intended and unintended. Courage is sometimes doing the right thing; and not doing the wrong thing as well.
Okay, and the chemistry between Flora and Lazarus was nice, too!
The ending
Though some reviews might say that the ending was rushed, and I agree with some of that. Personally, by the 2/3 way mark, I was already wanting the story to end, but every open question needs an answer. It had to tie, but perhaps not dragging out the messy middle would have been a better way to keep my attention? It was a little of a slog following them around, when I really wanted to jump to the resolution bit of the story.
Verdict?
I like That Dark Infinity because it had balanced the bad with the good well. Not too overly graphic in its gore, but it did not shy away from the ugly truths. The cover was pretty as well. If you read the book, you would understand how the design hints at the story.
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I love that cover!