The Killing Fog is the first book in the Grave Kingdom series by Jeff Wheeler. The Killing Fog is the first book I have read by Jeff, but I know it will not be my last. I really enjoyed this fantasy novel and I can't wait to continue on in the series. The writing is richly atmospheric, and I think the age of the main character lends itself to reader crossover appeal for fans of both young adult fantasy and adult fantasy novels.

In the Killing Fog, we meet our main character Bingmei. Bingmei is a warrior and she is hired with a group of other warriors to go on a quest to find a lost artifact. Bingmei and her group end up unleashing something much more sinister on their quest than they ever expected. I don't want to give too much more away, but I really enjoyed the plot and I can't wait to see how it is going to unfold further in the next installment. The world building in this novel is excellent. It was easy for me to fall into the world and gain my bearings, which is a rare treat for me lately. There is magic present in the kingdoms, but it is a different kind of magic structure than I am used to seeing in fantasy novels. Normally, the magic is front and center and sometimes the characters lean on it with a crutch. Here fighting and martial arts are front and center with the culture, and the magic element is secondary. 

Bingmei herself is a super fascinating character. She wasn't immediately likable for me, and at times I found her to be quite prickly, but seeing her think through and reason along her quest always got me thinking. And that is the kind of character that makes for an interesting read. There is tremendous growth with her, which I found to be very satisfying. The Killing Fog seemed to be a very plot driven novel, and the plot was great for sure. I tend to be more of a character driven reader, and while the characters were good, I found myself hoping to get to know them a bit more. There are two potential love interests in the story, that we might see developed in later novels, but there is almost no romance in The Killing Fog. This will come as a surprise to no one, but I was hoping for more in the romance department as I was reading. I am certainly hoping more develops in that regard in the next book. Overall, I really liked The Killing Fog, and I can't wait to continue on in the Grave Kingdom series.