A deeply imagined fable of faith and revolt.
In Carnes’ debut fantasy novel, a willful girl leads a rebellion against the religious status quo.
Before Gaelle was a heretical nun being held in a prison cell suspended high in the air, she was just a girl. Her mother died in childbirth, and her woodsman father raised her with the help of her mother’s sister, her wise aunt Jillian. When Gaelle is 15, her father is killed by a horse. By the law of the Imperial Church of Esaosh, the strict religion that governs Gaelle’s homeland of Celd, the horse is to be put to death, and the horse’s owner, Wilm, is to be beaten. It falls to Gaelle to carry out the punishment herself, and when she refuses, she learns that there are consequences for those who disobey: “If the victim doesn’t immediately carry out the law, the victim becomes a criminal.” Gaelle is willing to live as an outlaw, though she doesn’t yet know what that entails; Jillian, who bears a brand burned onto her chest for her own trespasses against Church law, has a better idea. Together, they question more deeply the tenets of the faith that was forced upon them, eventually discovering a new god to worship. Will the Church suffer these heretics to live, or will they be forced to bring down the Church itself? The narration shifts back and forth between the perspective of an elderly Gaelle in her prison and her younger self. Carnes unspools both threads with entrancing lyricism, as here, when the older woman describes the bird who roosts with her in her cage: “This co-sunning is the closest the bird has allowed me to get to him, so far. What I consider sharing might actually amount to his version of a territory war, but he doesn’t hiss or posture. When the warmth makes him redolent, he smells a little of dust.” It’s a slow, thoughtful book, one that takes both its characters and the systems that ensnare them seriously. While the pacing may be a bit too leisurely for some, patient readers will be rewarded.
A deeply imagined fable of faith and revolt.Pub Date: March 6, 2024
ISBN: 9798988120308
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Family of Light Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A beautiful meditation on queer identity against a supernatural backdrop.
Three women deal very differently with vampirism in Schwab’s era-spanning follow-up to The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (2020).
In 16th-century Spain, Maria seduces a wealthy viscount in an attempt to seize whatever control she can over her own life. It turns out that being a wife—even a wealthy one—is just another cage, but then a mysterious widow offers Maria a surprising escape route. In the 19th century, Charlotte is sent from her home in the English countryside to live with an aunt in London when she’s found trying to kiss her best friend. She’s despondent at the idea of marrying a man, but another mysterious widow—who has a secret connection to Maria’s widow from centuries earlier—appears and teaches Charlotte that she can be free to love whomever she chooses, if she’s brave enough. In 2019, Alice’s memories of growing up in Scotland with her mercurial older sister, Catty, pull her mind away from her first days at Harvard University. And though she doesn’t meet any mysterious widows, Alice wakes up alone after a one-night stand unable to tolerate sunlight, sporting two new fangs, and desperate to drink blood. Horrified at her transformation, she searches Boston for her hookup, who was the last person she remembers seeing before she woke up as a vampire. Schwab delicately intertwines the three storylines, which are compelling individually even before the reader knows how they will connect. Maria, Charlotte, and Alice are queer women searching for love, recognition, and wholeness, growing fangs and defying mortality in a world that would deny them their very existence. Alice’s flashbacks to Catty are particularly moving, and subtly play off themes of grief and loneliness laid out in the historical timelines.
A beautiful meditation on queer identity against a supernatural backdrop.Pub Date: June 10, 2025
ISBN: 9781250320520
Page Count: 544
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
PERSPECTIVES
A thrilling, immersive tale that shows that some bargains demand more than just a crown.
A reluctant princess is thrust into deadly political intrigue in Perry’s sweeping, high-stakes romantasy.
Odessa is the overlooked and underestimated princess of Quentis, whose life takes an unexpected turn when a deal is struck between her father and the formidable Turan warriors force her into an arranged marriage with their enigmatic prince, Zavier Wolfe. Intended as a mere formality to secure trade routes and military alliances, the betrothal spirals into something far more dangerous when ancient magic, a ruthless Guardian, and a looming war threaten to upend everything she knows. Finally emerging from the shadow of her seemingly perfect half sister, Mae, Odessa must navigate court politics, monstrous creatures, and her own uncertain place in a world where survival often depends on strategy rather than strength. As tensions rise, she finds herself entangled with the dangerous, enigmatic Guardian—a man whose silver eyes hold secrets of their own. Perry’s worldbuilding is lush and immersive, crafting a kingdom rife with old magic, deadly beasts, and political machinations that add depth. The pacing is relentless, carrying Odessa from one life-altering event to another as she grapples with duty, defiance, and a destiny she never chose. Her internal conflict is compelling, torn between the expectations placed upon her and the fierce independence that threatens to make her an outcast in her own kingdom. Romance simmers as Odessa struggles to reconcile her obligations with her growing attraction to the Guardian, whose past is as shadowed as his reputation. Mae is introduced as Odessa’s political foil, and although her presence drives much of Odessa’s internal drama—being constantly overshadowed or underestimated—she’s mostly seen through Odessa’s perspective. Her motivations, ambitions, and political maneuverings might have benefited from deeper exploration to give more nuance to the power dynamics. However, Perry’s evocative prose and intricate plotting make for a gripping tale. Readers looking for a slow-burn romantasy with rich political intrigue and a protagonist forced to create her own fate will find much to enjoy.
A thrilling, immersive tale that shows that some bargains demand more than just a crown.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9781649378514
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Entangled: Red Tower Books
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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