How far would you go to find the truth? What is the truth?
Title: Truth to Light
Series: N/A
Author: Eddie Newton
Publisher: NineStar Press LLC.
Release Date: October 28, 2021
Heat Level: N/A
Pairing: F/F
Length: 265 pages
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Tags: action, adventure, angels, demons, cogs, aliens, Illuminati, magic users, mage
Content Warnings: death, deceased family members, death of a prominent character, murder, trans hate, transmisogyny
Blurb:
Sofía Hernandez has been looking for her truth all her life. She was adopted as a baby and never knew her birth parents. She was assigned male, and that wasn’t the truth either. So when she gets a phone call from someone offering to clear up the mysteries in her life, she starts on an adventure that leads to revelations she can hardly believe are true.
Sofía’s birth sister reaches out and reveals a world full of greater mysteries than Sofía ever could have imagined. A secret organization called the Illuminati created a universal lie about the population of Earth, concealing the true nature of the world. The Illuminati hides the real Wider World behind a magical glamour, concealing the existence of ghosts, aliens, monsters, angels, demons, and more.
Truth to Light is a novel that explores what it means to be true to yourself and what truth can mean to different people. Sofia is a transgender woman who must deal with changes both within and without. Her transformation will need to accommodate not only her own identity, but the very nature of the world around her.
My Review:
Any book that starts off with a mage pulling a dragon out of his hat, only to have the dragon proceed to eat the audience that is watching the magic show has my attention. Yup. That’s the opening scene folks.
Memorable.
But this book is exactly that, in so many ways.
Usually in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy realm tales are told with aliens, creatures on new worlds, or in Urban Fantasy you get magic users and occasionally the odd beastie – ghosts, werewolves, demons, angels, the odd elf, or gnome. It’s a truly unique read if you are greeted with golems or creatures from legends or urban myths we generally don’t see – selkies, manticores, and yuki-ona come to mind.
In Truth to Light, you get it all. And what’s more, Newton has managed to string them all together in one consistent tale that explains everyone’s existence.
The Great Lie.
Without being all spoilery, I can’t very well tell you anything more than this. You. Just. Have. To. Read. This!
What I can tell you is the story centers around Sofia Hernandez. She has a comfortable existence, complete with a lot of modern-day struggles. She may not have a perfect life, but hey – who does? All she knows is she has a devoted wife, a loyal dog, a deceased adopted mother, and an adopted father who tries, but struggles with her transition. We all have our crosses to bear, nothing is truly ever perfect.
And then events unfold that flip everything on its side and what Sofia took to be ‘life as we know it’, turns out to be nothing but lies. Sofia discovers she is the hidden insurance of one of the most important families on earth. A family who has a seat at the Illuminati table – the secret organization that ensures earth’s population remains steadfastly in the dark and follows a strict set of rules. One of the more memorable one: Love only within your own species. Except for the fact that no one really knows that there are many different kinds of species inhabiting the earth.
This journey is one of self-discovery, and understanding what is truth. Are lies okay if it preserves the balance of life? Can we live peacefully knowing what is truth? Is my truth the same as yours?
I can honestly say I have never read a book quite like this. It kept me turning the pages, was uniquely different, illuminating, and fun. Newton creates a spell-binding world, full of fascinating images, and deliciously different takes on well-known creatures.
Looking for something completely different? You need to pick this one up.
After all, we all deserve to know the truth, right? But which one? Yours? or mine?
My Rating:
Purchase Links:
Amazon | NineStar Press | Kobo | Barnes and Noble | International Buy Link
Meet the Author:
Edward Newton lives in Florida and enjoys few things more than the beach. An accomplished author, he received the Robert L. Fish Memorial Award from the Mystery Writers of America for the Best First Short Story. His previous works include Horrorfrost, a chilling tale, as well as several published short stories. Edward spent a year traveling the continental United States and found something intriguing everywhere he went—this country is an amazing and fascinating place. His heart is his family and he couldn’t do any of this without his wife Treina and his amazing kids Kobe, Gage, Oliver, and Bennett.
Catch Up with Eddie:
Goodreads | NineStar Press | Facebook | Blog
J.P. Jackson 