The Crack at the Heart of Everything

By Fiona Fenn

Book Overview

He accidentally cursed himself...

When the consequences get him exiled to the land he helped terrorize, can this evil wizard find redemption... and love?

Orpheus can't believe it's come to this. After helping his childhood friend conquer the realm by raising an army of hell-beasts, the befuddled dark sorcerer finds himself banished when the price of his magic endangers the palace. Isolated and betrayed, the feared spellcaster isn't exactly thrilled when his irritating and handsome rival keeps stepping between him and certain doom.

Ill at ease in the barren wasteland his powers created, Orpheus slowly warms to the charismatic ex-general's relentless overtures. But as his feelings grow more intense, the former villain struggles with an inconvenient calling towards heroism.

Will dabbling in good deeds get him killed or open the doors to happily ever after?

The Crack at the Heart of Everything is the charmingly swoon-worthy first book in an epic LGBTQ+ fantasy series. If you like character-driven stories, snarky humor, and well-earned redemption arcs, then you'll adore Fiona Fenn's unexpected hero's journey.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1946501719
• ISBN13: 9781946501714
• Release Date: November 2024
• Publisher: Tiny Fox Press LLC
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.91 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

What a great start!

I found this to be a very fun audiobook to listen to! It is a wonderful tale of an evil mage, who after opening a crack to hell to help his friend and emperor conquer the world, is cast out because creatures keep trying to kill him and must go find out why and how to stop it. Orpheus is great, and even with all his powers he really is just a lost soul, not really evil. And I absolutely love the banter between him and Fenrir on their journey through a treacherous landscape full of death and creatures taking advantage of this life after the apocalypse. This world was quite well fleshed out and it made the story even more intriguing, especially how it is actually quite far in the future but things are still found that are recognizable as modern made (though the expirations dates make it very iffy for consumption!). And while this is mostly the journey of Orpheus to fix the wrongs he made (and perhaps find love in the ever stalwart and present and lovable guard that can do the impossible), I can see how there could be more wonderful stories in this broken world full of magic and promise! So, if you want lots of funny banter, awesome magic, and a trial for a previously evil but currently confused, doubting, yet wanting to be helpful, flame mage to fix the world and find love, then this book is just right for you. The audiobook is extremely well done and the narrator, Austin Ku, does a great job in bringing the characters and a fascinating world to life. I cannot wait to see what Fiona Feen writes next and look forward to seeing more about this Cursed Mage!

Broken Wholes & Spiritual Awakenings

It's been a week since I finished The Crack at the Heart of Everything, and I think about it a minimum once a day. Character depth is outstanding, and the world lore/building is developed in a way that unfolds as the main character, Orpheus, experiences it. The reader learns things right along with Orpheus and really gets the sense of how things are through him. I thoroughly enjoyed the dynamic between Fenrir and Orpheus and, even though she's not very present, Lore. HIGHLY recommend and now I need a physical copy for a shelf trophy.