Rebecca Nicole

I knew I was going to love this book from the very beginning. Well, as long as it had a decent ending I would love it. It did not disappoint.

The themes about parental abuse and forced isolation really spoke to me. Cordelia was way braver and more bold than I’d expected of anyone who has been abused their whole life, but I loved it. It made it feel like there was hope for getting out of awful situations.

This book was doing so much. It was dark, and cozy, and charming. T. Kingfisher has a way of telling dark, horrible, terrifying stories in a way that feels almost cozy and charming. The middle part of this book reminded me a little of Pride and Prejudice, but then something would happen to remind me how dark and twisted this story actually was.

I love Heaster as a protagonist and I love that we have an older person as a main character in the story. I also love that Heaster kept referring to the sorceress as Doom in her head. She used the expectations of old people against the sorceress in the best way possible, and often in amusing ways.

Seeing from both Hester and Cordelia’s perspective really helped paint a better picture of what was going on. Cordelia is socially awkward and doesn’t know how to handle many of the situations thrust upon her, but she knows that her mother is a sorceress and she knows some of her mother’s plans. While Hester might not know everything that is going on, she has a much better grasp on the social dynamics than Cordelia. In addition, we get to see Cordelia’s awkwardness both from Cordelia herself, and from an outsider.

As painful as it was to see Cordelia try and often mess up in social situations, I also loved that she was finally getting out of the isolation she had grown up with. I also love the conflicted feelings Cordelia has when she meets another sorceress who is really nice to her. It forces Cordelia to see things from a perspective she might not have encountered otherwise.

The side characters are wonderful. Practically all of them felt very alive and real. We have so many fun characters to hang out with too!

Basically I loved everything about this book. It’s one of my favorite T. Kingfisher books, and one I will definitely be rereading.

SPOILERS!!!

Also Cordelia is definitely a sorceress too, but she doesn’t realize it. Aaaah!!

What a fantastic story! This book has skyrocketed onto my list of best books I’ve read and is in contention for my best book of the year. I knew from chapter one that I was going to love the story, and the rest of the book didn’t disappoint. It’s perfection.

The short chapters really set the pace, and build the tension as our characters realize they are not alone in the tower, and a vengeful water demon is hiding in the shadows. Not only that, but the higher ups think they are overreacting. Everything in this story felt so real. So painfully, beautifully human.

We follow three very different characters on the day that their lives are completely upended and changed forever. We learn about their hopes, dreams, and fears as they try to navigate the chaos. They don’t like each other, and never come to like each other, but they agree to work together to survive.

A major theme throughout the story is the human capacity for working together for good, and for turning on each other and hurting other humans, especially those who are a little different. There are no easy answers here, and the story mostly asks questions, all while providing a trilling, suspenseful tale.

The climax of the story was truly beautiful. I’m getting chills just thinking about it again. It’s an open ending, and I absolutely love it.

It’s been several days since I read this book, and I can’t stop thinking about it. I will definitely be rereading it, and I have a feeling it will stick with me for a long time.

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year, so maybe my disappointment with this book is on me, with my expectations set too high. But at the same time this was advertised as a deeply personal historical fantasy based on the author’s family history, while it was actually an alternate universe Alina x The Darkling story.

My full review for this book is on my booktube channel, where I explain why this felt like an alternate universe Alina x The Darkling

The beginning was great, and I loved the first chapter as it really sets the stage for things to come. We are introduced to several of our main characters and their situations. We have Luzia who is a maid in a not so wealthy house, and unhappy with her position. She has magic, but since it comes from her Jewish family and is performed with a mix of languages, she knows she could be killed for using it.

We also have Valentina, who is trapped in a loveless marriage and longs for companionship, while being isolated by societal expectations. Because of this she often employs cruel attention seeking and controlling tactics on the two servants in her house.

The first few chapters of the book we are told that this story doesn’t end well and there are small things that happened that cause a domino effect. I generally find this premise interesting, but the problem is, looking back on this part of the book, I stopped believing that it was actually these small things that made a difference. Luzia was too power hungry and ambitious not to get caught eventually. Sure the bread incident might have been what tipped Valentina off, but Luzia was careless. She freakin’ fixed the torn dress right in front of Valentina. And you can’t convince me that Luzia actually thought Valentina’s wrath was better than her interest. Luzia revels in the attention. She wants people to notice her and notice how powerful she is. She was going to show off eventually, bread incident or not.

At times, I liked that we focused on a power hungry ambitious character. It was interesting to see how far she would take things, how far she could climb in social status before falling. But it got old when this was Luzia's only personality trait. I didn’t feel like the characters were well rounded, which might be why I felt that I was kept at arm's length from the characters. I had trouble getting immersed in the story.

I really enjoy Leigh Bardugo’s writing. She has some great punchy lines!

"Luzia saw her reflection in the goblet, changed but unchangeable, made perfect and ruined all the same"

I love this one, though it feels like a Grishaverse quote.

“She could be safe. ‘I'd rather be powerful” she whispered to no one”

Oooh I was so ready for a corruption arc!

“But did he deserve to die?”

“Death doesn’t come to those who deserve it. I can attest to that.”

The book is written using modern language, so if that is something that breaks your immersion in a historical novel, then this one is not for you. It is something I notice, but it doesn’t take me out of a book, so it worked fine for me.

Overall, I'm glad I read it, but I think this is my first Bardugo book that I've read and won't be rereading

I was captivated by this short story from start to finish! We follow two perspectives, both our protagonist, who is trying to find her place in the world, and our antagonist, who will, of course, disrupt that.

Ashâke was supposed to ascend to priesthood years ago, but has been overlooked by the gods yet again. In her disappointment and frustration she is unaware that she is in the middle of a cosmic war between the gods, and the secrets the high priests keep will determine her fate.

The use of dual perspectives really heightened the tension. In the first scene with our antagonist we see the immense power he has as he takes over the body of a pickpocket. Knowing that he can disguise himself as anyone makes it easy for him to pop up in unexpected places - which he continually does throughout the story.

There is a lot of world building packed into this little book! We see very few places in this world, but the world still feels immense. We learn about the gods and their histories, as well as getting glimpses into the lives of different people groups. The world feels vast and alive and lived in. It feels very real.

Ashâke goes on an emotional journey as she starts to question everything she has been taught. The world in this story pulls from African mythology and the journey Ashâke goes on is very much a religious one, using religious language. She has to figure out what is true, and she is, at times, asked to believe things without evidence. Readers will probably view the story differently depending on their own experience with religion.

While much of this story is driven by inner turmoil, it moves at a fast pace as Ashâke leaves everything she has known and encounters dangers outside the safety of the temple. While she doesn’t know who she can trust, she is able to open up to the kindness of the griots.

I loved seeing the griots and how welcoming they are to outsiders. Their magic in storytelling was also fascinating and beautiful to read. I would have been happy to spend more time with them and explore their way of life.

The ending was beautiful and devastating! Readers get the satisfaction of answers to the main questions presented in the story, but are also left with the knowledge that a bigger threat is to come.

I’m looking forward to reading the conclusion to this story with cosmic level stakes in the next installment!

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley.