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Fireborn – Aisling Fowler
I love me a good Middle Grade fantasy. And while it took me a while to get into Fireborn, once I got stuck in, I could not put it down! I adored Twelve and her quest to do the right thing and her desire to save her friends. This is a true Middle Grade gem, and I hope it finds its way into every (school) library and into the hands of as many children as possible.
Many thanks to Tina Mories and Harper Collins for the ARC, all opinions are my own as usual.
RELEASE DATE: 30/09/2021
STAR RATING: 4/5 ✶
SUMMARY: Twelve has spoken the Pledge and now she is a Huntling. She has given up her name to train in the art of fighting monsters and keeping the peace, and she won’t get to choose a new one until she has earned it.
But when the Lodge’s walls are breached for the first time, and a little girl is taken, Twelve is the only one interested in going after a child…
Teaming up with Dog, the Stone Guardian of the Lodge, Twelve ends up on an epic adventure that will change her life, her name – and her entire world. (from Harper Collins)
OPINIONS: Fireborn is a wonderful, complex, Middle Grade fantasy adventure. It takes a while to get going, and I think it took me about half the book to truly fall in love with the story (though that may well be because of my mood), but once I got stuck in properly, I couldn’t tear myself away from it. The story itself is fairly straight forward, though it addresses many complicated issues in a nuanced way – there are queer characters, the young characters deal with rejection, they have to overcome prejudices and deal with grief and loss. This makes Fireborn a suitable story for the entire range of Middle Grade readers – it is fine for younger readers, who can easily follow what is happening, but there is enough meat on those bones that older readers who are on the brink of switching to YA will still get a lot out of the story.
Harper Collins are marketing this as one of their lead titles for Autumn 2021 and with good reason. I can see the appeal of this series for a wide audience – and personally, I am very excited to read on and see where Twelve’s story and that of the Hunting Lodge continues. I adored Twelve, and found her to be a great main character. She underwent a huge growth arc over the course of the story, which I found wonderful to see – I love a good character development!
So, compelling story, great character development, and discussing deeper issues in an age-appropriate way. What more do you want from a Middle Grade fantasy? I especially appreciate that there is an openly queer character, which is often hard to add into a book for this age group! Highly recommended for both yourself and the kids in your life.
If you’re intrigued, you can add Fireborn to your Goodreads here, or pre-order a copy from Bookshop here (affiliate link).
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Little Thieves – Margaret Owen
You probably know by now that this is the kind of book that I’ll jump on without hesitation. Especially because the author has been teasing us with her own art of the main characters and Vanja basically looks exactly like me. Even more reason to hype the shit out of this book!
Margaret Owen’s character art of Vanja Many thanks to Kate Keehan and Hodder for sending me an ARC of this wonderful fantasy novel. All opinions are my own.
RELEASE DATE: 05/10/2021
STAR RATING: 4/5 ✶
SUMMARY: Vanja, the adopted goddaughter of Death and Fortune, was Princess Gisele’s dutiful servant up until a year ago. That was when Vanja’s otherworldly mothers demanded a terrible price for their care, and Vanja decided to steal her future back… by stealing Gisele’s life for herself.
The real Gisele is left a penniless nobody while Vanja uses an enchanted string of pearls to take her place. Now, Vanja leads a lonely but lucrative double life as princess and jewel thief, charming nobility while emptying their coffers to fund her great escape. Then, one heist away from freedom, Vanja crosses the wrong god and is cursed to an untimely end: turning into jewels, stone by stone, for her greed.
Vanja has just two weeks to figure out how to break her curse and make her getaway. And with a feral guardian half-god, Gisele’s sinister fiancé, and an overeager junior detective on Vanja’s tail, she’ll have to pull the biggest grift yet to save her own life. (from Hodder & Stoughton)
OPINIONS: This is delightful. Vanja made me crack up so much – she is such a fantastic character. One of my favourite scenes is early in the book where she has a conversation with another character over breakfast and uses her breakfast sausage to make him uncomfortable (the story is set in a pseudo-Germany, so the cuisine is very sausage based). Pleeease give me more magic thieves! The dynamics between her and Emric are wonderful, and it’s such a great enemies-to-something more relationship. I could read about them bickering forever. And while the main pairing is m/f, there is a sapphic side-relationship going on that I love.
Really, all of the characters are great. Gisele, the cheated princess isn’t just a boring pastiche but a fully formed character with her own dreams (and not even necessarily all that upset about no longer having to be princess), Death and Fortune, Vanja’s Godmothers, are deliciously wicked. And Ragne, the demon girl sent to keep an eye on her is the most adorable of them all in her chaotic glory. They’ve all got such fairy tale energy while being brilliant characters of their own.
The story is funny and compelling, and I really enjoyed my reading experience. The one thing that did grate on me a bit is the use of a not-quite-German – words that were spelled just that tiny bit different to how I expected them to be written. As a native German speaker, that kept throwing me off, even though I was aware that it was likely intentional (and I’ve since been told that this is actually something that was worked on between ARCs and finished copies). But to end this review on a positive note, Little Thieves has the most brilliant content warning note that I have ever seen. Margaret Owen manages to be considerate and compassionate in just a few words and I love it so much:
If you like fairytale remixes and feisty heroines as much as I do, you can add Little Thieves to your Goodreads here, and pre-order a copy via Bookshop here (affiliate link).
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Monday Minis
Greetings from surprisingly sunny Edinburgh. Yes indeed, I have made it out of London for the first time this year, and I’m very excited. I reread T.L. Huchu’s The Library of The Dead on my train up to get in the proper mood, and I’m going to finish my TikTok about it later (yes, I’ve become THAT person). If you missed it way back, here‘s my review of The Library of the Dead from December. But without further ado, today’s Monday Minis. Once again, thank you to all the publishers for sending me review copies of these novels, all opinions are my own.
I struggled with Meet Me In Another Life by Catriona Silvey. I listened to this as an audiobook and kept taking rather long breaks, listening to whole books in between. This is the story of Thora and Santi, two people destined to meet again and again in Cologne, at different points in their lives, but with a shared love for the stars. There are some elements that stay the same across all of their lives, but some elements, especially their relationship to each other keep changing. Still, this makes the story feel very repetitive – there are only so many times I find the same characters meeting over and over again interesting. While there ultimately was a reason behind the story being what it was, I ended up mostly bored after the third repetition or so, and only kept listening because I didn’t want to give up. I don’t think this is a book I’d recommend, personally. It does explore interesting questions of how circumstances can change a person and how nurture influences character, and I can see how it might appeal to a more literary oriented reader. Ultimately it seems to put form over substance, and that is not the kind of reader I am.
Seven Deaths of an Empire by G.R. Matthews is an interesting one. It’s a huge epic fantasy tome, with all the trappings. It starts off great, and I loved the first few hundred pages. I originally found that while it used a lot of the tropes of epic Grimdark, it also subverted them and made them into something new and interesting. It is a military fantasy, but it also has central female characters, and I really liked the flashbacks introducing every chapter. However, once I hit the halfway point, I started struggling with this book. I don’t think there is necessarily anything wrong with the story, it probably has more to do with my reading mood than anything else. But it took me forever to actually finish it, and to be entirely honest, not much about it actually stuck with me. If you’re into classic Grimdark such as Mark Lawrence or Joe Abercrombie, this is a new author to check out, but if you’re more into diverse fantasy this might not be for you.
I devoured Composite Creatures by Caroline Hardaker. When I picked this up the other day, I just wanted to read a few chapters to get a feel for it, and suddenly I was halfway through the story. It is unsettling and creepy and all too close to reality. And Caroline’s writing is stunning and immersive. This is the story of Norah and Art, a couple living in a dystopian world, which unravels over the course of the story to show just how broken it really is. And if I’m honest, I wasn’t expecting to be as enthralled by this story as I ended up being – it’s not the most plot-heavy, but it is emotionally captivating and that took me by surprise and is a large part of why I ended up loving it. Composite Creatures is the kind of soft genre-defying psychological horror that I love, that focuses on unsettling the reader rather than being a gore fest. This one I do unreservedly recommend.
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August Hype Post!
And another month is almost over so it’s time for more books I can’t wait to get my grabby hands on featuring A LOT of dark academia…
The Devil Makes Three by Tori Bovalino will be published by Page Street Kids on the 10th of August (the UK edition is coming out from Titan in September). This is a YA dark academia fantasy and it sounds amazing. Set in a library, full of banter, enemies to lovers dynamics, insane chemistry, demons and witchcraft this ticks all my boxes. I look forward to getting stuck into the world and disappearing for a while – I think it’ll be great escapism. It does sound like it’ll be m/f, but I think the premise is awesome enough that I can forgive it that. And have I mentioned book-bound demon?! Get your copy from Bookshop here (affiliate link).
Victoria Lee’s A Lesson in Vengeance is one of my most anticipated books of the year. Out from Delacorte Press on the 3rd, this is dark academia of the most delicious sort. I loved their first duology and I expect this to be even better – this is sapphic and witchy and everything I like about a book. There is no way I’m not going to absolutely love this one. From the blurb: “Witchcraft is woven into Dalloway’s history. The school doesn’t talk about it, but the students do. In secret rooms and shadowy corners, girls convene. And before her girlfriend died, Felicity was drawn to the dark. She’s determined to leave that behind her now; all Felicity wants is to focus on her senior thesis and graduate. But it’s hard when Dalloway’s occult history is everywhere. And when the new girl won’t let her forget.” Order a copy from Amazon here.
Redemptor by Jordan Ifueko is the sequel to last year’s Raybearer, one of my favourite YA fantasy novels. This continues Tarisai’s story and concludes the duology and to say that I’m excited for it is an understatement. I’m planning on rereading Raybearer this week so you know… This is African-set fantasy at its best, unashamedly not adhering to western ideas of story-telling, and featuring some of the most wonderful characters out there. A true delight. Oh, and the writing is wonderful too. Out on the 17th from Hot Key, and you can order your copy from Bookshop here (affiliate link).
It’s no secret that I’ve been really into retellings of classical mythology, so it should not surprise anyone that The Women of Troy by Pat Barker is on this list. Out on the 19th from Doubleday, this follows The Silence of the Girls, which is the story of Briseis in the Greek camp during the Trojan war. This one starts as the war ends and the Greek warriors are desperate to return – but the good winds just won’t come and they have to wait to be able to sail home. I really enjoyed the first one, so I’m sure I’ll love this one too. It’s always great to be able to read a story from a perspective so different to the one it’s always told from. Order it from Bookshop here (affiliate link)
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Monday Minis
I have been remiss and missed last Monday to do a full review… I haven’t been reading as much as I would like so I had to skip one to have enough content – shame on me! Three very different books today, a YA fantasy, a horror novel and a queer historical story!
Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for sending me eARCs of these titles. As usual, all opinions are my own.
The Gilded Cage is the second book in Lynette Noni’s The Prison Healer trilogy. The series follows Kiva as she navigates life outside of the prison that she has spent most of her childhood and youth in. After the cliffhanger revelations at the end of the first book, she has to grapple with the tensions between her rescuer prince and her revolutionary family. This series is textbook YA fantasy – fun, easy to read, entertaining, with a sprinkle of romance and betrayal. But it isn’t necessarily a series with a TON of substance (which isn’t only negative! It’s great escapism). Kiva is a survivor and used to relying only on herself, which leads to interesting issues in her relationships. I thought that this second book had leveled up from the first one, and it’s definitely an enjoyable series that I will finish when the last book is released. It also ends with a huge bang, so I am quite upset about the wait now… Good thing they’re coming in close succession.
Devolution by Max Brooks is an odd one. It is a collection of diary entries, interviews and snippets about a fictional Sasquatch massacre. It follows Kate and her small community as they are first cut off from the outside world and then fighting the Sasquatch tribe. While this is a fast paced story with an exciting premise, I have to admit that I was rather bored by it. I struggled to connect with the characters and ultimately didn’t care what happened to them. This was the kind of book I had to make myself read a few chapters every day, and it sadly didn’t work for me. This may be more due to who I am as a reader, so do check out a sample if you’re intrigued by the concept.
The Dangerous Kingdom of Love by Neil Blackmore follows Francis Bacon during the reign of James I. It presents both Bacon and James as gay men, and takes quite a bit of liberty with history as it is known. I really enjoyed Bacon’s dry wit – the story is told from his perspective, and loved the atmosphere of seventeenth century England. What I didn’t enjoy as much is the very modern tone the story took at times, which broke immersion for me. I feel like this might have worked better as a secondary world story rather than one rooted in history, where liberties with characters and language are easier to accept for me. It did feel at times as if the strong focus on Bacon was to the detriment of all the other character’s depth. It’s a fun read (and the audio is well done) but not one that is a must-read.
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Iron Widow – Xiran Jay Zhao
Some books you can tell immediately that you will love them. Iron Widow was one of those for me. Within a couple of chapters I was so engrossed in the beautiful writing and in love with the characters that I knew that I would love the book – and I was right. This is a book that will capture your heart. I know quite a few (reviewer) friends who have read it and all of them feel similarly – so do give this one a try!
Many thanks to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the eARC, all opinions are my own.
RELEASE DATE: 07/09/2021 (UK) / 21/09/2021 (US/CAN)
STAR RATING: 5/5 ✶
SUMMARY: The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the mecha aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall. It doesn’t matter that the girls often die from the mental strain.
When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it’s to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister’s death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected—she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is labeled an Iron Widow, a much-feared and much-silenced kind of female pilot who can sacrifice boys to power up Chrysalises instead.
To tame her unnerving yet invaluable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest and most controversial male pilot in Huaxia. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will miss no opportunity to leverage their combined might and infamy to survive attempt after attempt on her life, until she can figure out exactly why the pilot system works in its misogynist way—and stop more girls from being sacrificed. (from Penguin Teen)OPINIONS: Friends, this is SO GOOD. Everything just fits together so damn well. It is a brilliant book in every way – I started telling everyone around me to read this because I was sure I was going to love it as soon as I was just a few chapters in. Zetian is such a badass bitch who doesn’t take no shit from anyone. And silly me was originally not even going to pick up Iron Widow because I thought, eww, mechas, not for me. But I would have missed out. I’m so glad that I had friends who were raving about it and made me want to read it.
Think of this as anime vibes in smart and compelling book format. And with the most gorgeous cover art. Iron Widow plays with so many YA tropes and just turns them upside down and it’s glorious. Zetian goes out, seeking revenge. Gets revenge, and instead of being punished, she proves herself invaluable. Oops. A love triangle starts blossoming. Oops, a poly triad forms instead. It is one of the best YA novels I have ever read. And it’s a DEBUT. I can’t wait to see what they come up with next and I can assure you that I will be getting myself a shiny hardcover or special edition the moment it is available.
Seriously, this is so good that I don’t even know how to coherently write about it. Just, get it for yourself. It’s brilliant and you need it. If you’re intrigued, you can add Iron Widow to your Goodreads here, and pre-order a copy from Bookshop here (affiliate link).
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A Universe of Wishes – ed. Dhonielle Clayton
I love short stories. I love fairy tales. So it was a no-brainer that I picked up this wonderful collection from the folks over at WE NEED DIVERSE BOOKS and Titan – edited by Dhonielle Clayton. This is a wonderful collection of diverse reinterpretations of classic tales.
Many thanks to Lydia Gittins and Titan Books for sending me a review copy. All opinions are my own.
RELEASE DATE: 06/07/2021
STAR RATING: 4/5 ✶
SUMMARY: Anything is possible.
From We Need Diverse Books fifteen award-winning and celebrated diverse authors deliver stories about a princess without need of a prince, a monster long misunderstood, memories that vanish with a spell, and voices that refuse to stay silent in the face of injustice.
Alucard and Prince Rhy’s relationship in V.E. Schwab’s Shades of Magic series is finally revealed, Anna-Marie McLemore gives “Cinderella” a trans retelling, while letters supernaturally cross borders between Gaza and California
in Tochi Onyebuchi’s “Habibi”.Close your eyes. Make a wish. The universe is yours for the taking. (from Titan)
OPINIONS: A Universe of Wishes includes fifteen wonderful stories based on fairy tales. As a whole, I really enjoyed the collection and would love to read more stories in this vein – I am a huge fan of YA anthologies so this is exactly my thing. There are a couple of stories that are set within the author’s existing universes – “The Scarlet Woman” by Libba Bray, “A Royal Affair” by V.E. Schwab and “Longer Than the Threads of Time” by Zoraida Córdova. But while they are in a familiar world, they are entirely new stories, and some of my favourites in the collection. I loved reading about Rhy and Alucard’s back story in “A Royal Affair” (hi, yes, I’m a Schwab superfan) and “Longer Than the Threads of Time” with its dark twist on Rapunzel set in Central Park’s Belvedere Castle was brilliant.
Other favourites include “Cristal y Ceniza” by Anna-Marie McLemore, predictably. This is a trans take on Cinderella, where the prince is non-passing and the narrator falls in love with him and his confidence. As always with their writing, this is beautiful and haunting and DAMN I WANT A WHOLE BOOK. I also really liked Tara Sim’s titular “A Universe of Wishes”, in which a boy commits grave robbery for the bodies innate magic. It is a stunning story of grief and falling in love featuring two soft boys. In “Dream and Dare”, Nic Stone sets up a wonderful world in which Princess Dare has gone missing. Dream, a femme-presenting tomboy (I identified with her fancy dresses while running through the forest so much) is the only one who can track down the missing princess… A beginning to a wonderful romance.
I can’t write about all the individual stories here, but every single one is unique and compelling, a collection full of hits. I definitely recommend! Get sucked into the magical world of stories by adding A Universe of Wishes to your Goodreads here, or ordering a copy from Bookshop here (affiliate link).
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The Tsarina’s Daughter – Ellen Alpsten
I’ve really been getting into historical fiction lately, and damn, is The Tsarina’s Daughter a good one. It is compelling, addictive and about as twisted and dark as you might expect it to be. Centering a woman with ambition, who refuses to back down even if it would be easier, this shines light on eighteenth century Russia and its politics. More please!
Many thanks to Becky Hunter at Midas PR and Bloomsbury for sending me an ARC. All opinions are my own.
RELEASE DATE: 08/07/2021
STAR RATING: 4/5 ✶
SUMMARY:
OPINIONS: So I couldn’t put this down. I kept telling myself, oh I’ll just read a couple chapters and bam, it was a hundred pages later. I raced through this and really enjoyed it – think the political machinations of A Song of Ice and Fire combined with a strong and stubborn main character, minus most of the sexual violence. And oh, it’s actually based on history so you learn some interesting things while reading. I hadn’t read Tsarina (yet), but The Tsarina’s Daughter works just as well as a standalone. I really do need to get me a copy now though, as I enjoyed this one so much.
Set in the eighteenth century, at the Tsarist court, The Tsarina’s Daughter really goes into all the politics and manipulation that go into ruling an empire, into determining what happens when there is not a clear line of succession. The story revolves around Elizabeth, younger daughter of Peter the Great, and her long journey to eventually become Tsarina herself. While rooted in history – and giving the reader a great insight into eighteenth century Russia, I have had a deep dive into the Romanovs myself inspired by the book – it is a thoroughly modern book. It is of course fiction, and an excellent one at that. I really liked that it didn’t take many easy ways out, there is very little sexual violence (though abuse happening off-page in different ways), which I always find is something that crops up too much in these sorts of political novels.
Elizabeth is charismatic, ambitious and so damn stubborn, which makes her a great character to follow. She doesn’t give up even when facing overwhelming odds, and is portrayed as smart and caring. Many of the characters in the story are not neccessarily likeable, but all of them are interesting and nuanced.
This is definitely one I would recommend if you like twisty books full of manipulation and politics, told through the eyes of a wonderful main character. Add The Tsarina’s Daughter to your Goodreads here, and order a copy from Bookshop here (affiliate link).
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Six Crimson Cranes – Elizabeth Lim
Look at this pretty shiny cover! Isn’t it stunning? I love Hodder’s editions of Elizabeth Lim’s books so much, their pastel glory manages to even capture my goth-y black heart. And it fits the story inside so well – a comforting fairy tale, adapted for modern sensibilities. Both sweet and sad, intense and fluffy.
Thanks to Hodder and Netgalley for sending me an eARC for review. All opinions are my own.
RELEASE DATE: 08/07/2021
STAR RATING: 4/5 ✶
SUMMARY: Shiori’anma, the only princess of Kiata, has a secret. Forbidden magic runs in her veins. And on the morning of her betrothal ceremony, Shiori loses control. At first, her mistake seems like a stroke of luck, forestalling the wedding she never wanted, but it also catches the attention of Raikama, her stepmother.
A sorceress in her own right, Raikama banishes the young princess, turning her brothers into cranes, and warning Shiori that she must speak of it to no one: for with every word that escapes her lips, one of her brothers will die.
Penniless, voiceless, and alone, Shiori searches for her brothers, and uncovers a dark conspiracy to seize the throne. Only Shiori can set the kingdom to rights, but to do so she must place her trust in a paper bird, a mercurial dragon, and the very boy she fought so hard not to marry. And she must embrace the magic she’s been taught all her life to contain – no matter what it costs. (from Hodder)
OPINIONS: I really enjoyed reading Six Crimson Cranes – I would say, probably more so than Lim’s debut. Based on the Grimm fairy tale of the Goose Girl, she takes this source material and weaves it into a new story inspired by Lim’s Asian heritage. This is a beautifully written, compelling fantasy. For me, the fairy tale atmosphere has something insanely comforting, so I had a great time reading this (I kept sneaking chapters on my phone).
Shiori works really well as a main character – she undergoes such a growth arc over the course of the story that the girl at the end is almost unrecognisable from the girl at the start of the events. She starts out as a spirited, rebellious princess, spoiled and concerned mainly for herself and her future. But the events of the story change that. She grows up, and realises the impact her behaviour and actions have on the people around her. Nevertheless, she doesn’t lose any of her spunk and wit, which means it’s a joy to follow her.
TL:DR super addictive fairy tale retelling that I’d recommend. Also look at how pretty it is… Add Six Crimson Cranes to your Goodreads here, or order a copy from Bookshop here (affiliate link).
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Readalong for The Age of Madness Series by Joe Abercrombie
Joe Abercrombie’s The Age of Madness series is a lot of fun. Grimdark, but fun. So I couldn’t resist when Will at Gollancz reached out with the idea of a massive readalong. This is WEEK 4 – so we’re going from the Sinking Ships to The New Monument chapters of A Little Hatred today. Check out the previous posts in the series here (WEEK 1 – Grimdark Magazine; WEEK 2 – Novel Notions; WEEK 3 – Alhambra Book Reviews). But without further ado, let’s dive into the story. These chapters really take us into the meat of the revolution breaking out which means there’s a lot of action – and especially a lot of re-action from the various factions introduced earlier in the story.
Sinking Ships brings Vick and Tallow to Valbeck, where they join the Breakers, one of the factions planning the looming rebellion. This chapter does well showing the discontent spreading through the lower classes of the city and how there isn’t much tinder needed to set them aflame. Vick and Tallow find out that the Weaver, their leader, is in fact Superior Risinau, one of the members of the Inquisition that the Breakers (and their more violent cousins, the Burners) are rising against.
Welcome to the Future – oh the joys of capitalism and industrialisation! Vallimir shows Savine the budding factory which is teeming with child labour and exploitation. Not like they care though, it makes them money. But this is where things start to go really sour for the rich: they are attacked when the rebellion and its accompanying riots break out. Savine almost dies, and manages to rescue herself with the help of a handy river.
The Little People is the kind of chapter in which Abercrombie shines. I think he’s at his best in these mood-setting atmospheric snapshots. This chapter shows the impact of the beginning rebellion and riots on the population of Valbeck through a series of vignettes showing minor characters and what happens to them as the violence breaks out. I really loved this chapter in particular.
In Something of Ours, Savine is reeling from the heinous attack that she just survived. She is desperate to find shelter, though it is no easy feat. Eventually, May, a maid, recognises her as someone of importance due to the expensive clothes she wears (which are in rags by now) and takes her in.
The Man of Action takes us to the court of the Royal Family, where everyone is in uproar after news of the rebellion in Valbeck has reached them. The Crown Prince Orso is dispatched to help combat the rebellion – and of course ensure the safety of the story’s darling, Savine dan Glotka. (Hi, yes, can you tell she’s my fave) This, of course, means that he can’t follow his plans of going North to fight there…
Ugly Business brings us to Rikke and Leo dan Brock. We meet them again, tangled in bed, discussing royalty and war, when the army camp they’re in gets news of the events in Valbeck. As Rikke says “Reckon we’ll have to save ourselves.”
In the Mirror – the chaotic events in Valbeck are mirrored in the chaos at the court of the King of the Northmen. King Scale is holding a feast, when his nephew Stour returns, late, disappointing the king. Nevertheless, Scale officially names Stour heir – to the dismay of his advisors but much raucous feasting.
A Deal. Savine is recuperating with May and her family. They are simple people, and Savine is exceedingly grateful. May gets her to enter a deal: in return for taking care of Savine and rescuing her, Savine will use her influence to gain immunity for the family, so exchanging protection for protection.
The New Monument takes these chapters full circle. We’re back with Vick and Risinau, overlooking the destruction that happened during the course of the riots. Monuments have fallen, but what new ones will arise? Or will they all perish?
So, much that happened in those chapters, especially in terms of setting the scene and worldbuilding. There was a big focus on atmosphere, which I really enjoyed. On to the next nine chapters now!
A bookish nerd sharing reviews of current SFF novels
