Not groundbreaking, but fans of the genre will thoroughly enjoy.
A young man finds himself trapped between the forces of heaven and hell in Netto’s latest queer romantic fantasy novel, the first in a series.
Bellwound Throvar has just had his 18th birthday, or, as it is known in his village, his Blood-date. According to tradition, he is now a man, but Bellwound doubts some of the traditions and fables he grew up believing. “Stories change as they’re passed down,” he tells his mother regarding their religious belief that their deity, the Pale Lion, cast down a rebellious angel, the Dove. “It’s very convenient to believe that there is an opposition and an ultimate blameless creator. Think with me. Shadow only exists because an object blocks the light.” When he wakes up the morning after his Blood-date, however, he discovers that his parents—as well as the parents of his best friend (and secret crush), Arnon Helvug—have been kidnapped…or, if the blood stains are any indication, something much worse. Bellwound soon learns that he’s bound up in a prophecy connecting him to the very Dove whose existence he doubted. What’s more, beneath the floorboards of his own house is a secret religious document whose message could undo everything people have believed for thousands of years. With some help, Bellwound embarks on a quest to fulfill his part in the war to come while pursued by a deadly sect of body-hopping immortals known as the Fallen Stars. Netto’s prose is urgent and bold, particularly in its more carnal moments: “I tossed my satchel on the floor and fell on the bed. I pulled up my shirt. A throb between my legs. My fingertips trailed over my stomach, making their way past my belly button, following the soft trail of hair that disappeared underneath my pants.” The mythology is dense, but its basis in the traditional story of Lucifer (indeed, the Dove is named Lucifer) makes it easier for the reader to grasp.
Not groundbreaking, but fans of the genre will thoroughly enjoy.Pub Date: July 5, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-578-36809-2
Page Count: 268
Publisher: Nettoverse
Review Posted Online: July 8, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A breezy and fun contemporary fantasy.
A tightly wound caseworker is pushed out of his comfort zone when he’s sent to observe a remote orphanage for magical children.
Linus Baker loves rules, which makes him perfectly suited for his job as a midlevel bureaucrat working for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, where he investigates orphanages for children who can do things like make objects float, who have tails or feathers, and even those who are young witches. Linus clings to the notion that his job is about saving children from cruel or dangerous homes, but really he’s a cog in a government machine that treats magical children as second-class citizens. When Extremely Upper Management sends for Linus, he learns that his next assignment is a mission to an island orphanage for especially dangerous kids. He is to stay on the island for a month and write reports for Extremely Upper Management, which warns him to be especially meticulous in his observations. When he reaches the island, he meets extraordinary kids like Talia the gnome, Theodore the wyvern, and Chauncey, an amorphous blob whose parentage is unknown. The proprietor of the orphanage is a strange but charming man named Arthur, who makes it clear to Linus that he will do anything in his power to give his charges a loving home on the island. As Linus spends more time with Arthur and the kids, he starts to question a world that would shun them for being different, and he even develops romantic feelings for Arthur. Lambda Literary Award–winning author Klune (The Art of Breathing, 2019, etc.) has a knack for creating endearing characters, and readers will grow to love Arthur and the orphans alongside Linus. Linus himself is a lovable protagonist despite his prickliness, and Klune aptly handles his evolving feelings and morals. The prose is a touch wooden in places, but fans of quirky fantasy will eat it up.
A breezy and fun contemporary fantasy.Pub Date: March 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-21728-8
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: Nov. 10, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
PERSPECTIVES
Spanning centuries and continents, this is a darkly romantic and suspenseful tale by a writer at the top of her game.
When you deal with the darkness, everything has a price.
“Never pray to the gods that answer after dark.” Adeline tried to heed this warning, but she was desperate to escape a wedding she didn’t want and a life spent trapped in a small town. So desperate that she didn’t notice the sun going down. And so she made a deal: For freedom, and time, she will surrender her soul when she no longer wants to live. But freedom came at a cost. Adeline didn’t want to belong to anyone; now she is forgotten every time she slips out of sight. She has spent 300 years living like a ghost, unable even to speak her own name. She has affairs with both men and women, but she can never have a comfortable intimacy built over time—only the giddy rush of a first meeting, over and over again. So when she meets a boy who, impossibly, remembers her, she can’t walk away. What Addie doesn’t know is why Henry is the first person in 300 years who can remember her. Or why Henry finds her as compelling as she finds him. And, of course, she doesn’t know how the devil she made a deal with will react if he learns that the rules of their 300-year-long game have changed. This spellbinding story unspools in multiple timelines as Addie moves through history, learning the rules of her curse and the whims of her captor. Meanwhile, both Addie and the reader get to know Henry and understand what sets him apart. This is the kind of book you stay up all night reading—rich and satisfying and strange and impeccably crafted.
Spanning centuries and continents, this is a darkly romantic and suspenseful tale by a writer at the top of her game.Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-7653-8756-1
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: June 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
PERSPECTIVES
PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
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