The Killing Fog by Jeff Wheeler

I'm a little behind the curve on this one as it ended up being offered as a Kindle read this month.

 I received the ARC over the holiday season and started it around the new year. It took me some time to make my way through it, however. I had been wanting to start a series by Jeff Wheeler for some time but wasn't completely sure where to start with his older series. When I saw this ARC description, I found a perfect starting point in a completely new setting for Wheeler.

 Plus, I've been on a bit of an Eastern literature kick lately. I just wish I would have been more endeared by The Killing Fog. I always enjoy new types of fantasy mechanics, so I was very interested by Bingmei's ability to smell emotions. Plus crazy mystical weapons, a fight against evil, travelling quests; all the good old fashioned fantasy tropes to go with it.

 The first few chapters were very promising, and then they became the same as all the following chapters. Bingmei's ability is utilized every few sentences and in exacting detail. It becomes wearisome.

 Tied to that downside is Bingmei's special powers completely overshadow the incredibly interesting and mysterious artifacts that bring about the killing fog. These mysterious weapons make some awesome Chinese kung fu movie scenes, which really picked up my reading each time.

 I can see why people enjoy Jeff Wheeler's fantasy worlds. He clearly has a strong world-building sense. I think in this case the author found a mechanic he fell in love with and got a little too excited and overshared. The bones of the story were good, and the characters were interesting.

 I received The Buried World ARC and definitely plan on giving it a chance. Hopefully I'll find some better balance.

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