TL;DR Review: Magic-based steampunk with a colorful cast of characters, wicked gods, and a lovely slow-burn romance.
Synopsis:
WHEN THE SAINTS FAIL, THE SINNERS STEP UP.Cruel gods rule the steam-powered city of Chime, demanding worship and tribute from their mortal subjects. Kayl lost her faith in them long ago, and now seeks to protect vulnerable and downtrodden mortals from their gods’ whims. But when Kayl discovers powers that she didn’t know she had—and destroys a mortal’s soul by accident—she becomes Chime’s most wanted.
Quen’s job was to pursue sinners, until the visions started. Haunted by foreboding images of his beloved city’s destruction, Quen hunts soul-sucking creatures made of aether who prey on its citizens—and Kayl is his number one target.
To ensure Chime’s future, Kayl and Quen must discover the truth of Kayl’s divine abilities before the gods take matters into their own hands.
For a city that bows to cruel gods, it’ll take godless heathens to save it.
The Thirteenth Hour is the first book in The Cruel Gods series—a gaslamp fantasy featuring magical portals, gothic cosmic deities, quaint Britishisms, and steampunk vibes. This is an adult book containing strong language and mature themes that some readers may find disturbing. For a full list of content warnings, visit Trudie Skies’s website.
Full Review:
I love a good steampunk story for its ingenuity and creative approach to technology and gadgets. But what The Thirteenth Hour does so well is incorporate the steampunk flavor with more classic fantasy fare: magic, gods, and fascinating realms.
The story takes place in Chime, a sort of no-man’s-land-type city set between twelve realms, with each realm ruled by a different god and home to different fairie-like races with their own set of skills—from manipulating time to altering memories to high strength and resilience, and so much more.
So many classic magical creatures—from pixies to trolls to fish-folk to griffins—are represented with their own unique and fascinating twist. The disparate cultures, customs, religions, behaviors, and appearances of the peoples of the twelve realms was evocative of Zootopia, Elemental, and Inside Out, which I absolutely loved.
The story takes us on a ride with two POV characters:
Kayl, a Vesper (dark-skinned race with the ability to manipulate shadows) who is ruled by a goddess who demands too-high tithes and inflicts torment on those who fail to pay it. Many Vespers flee their realm to the safety of Chime (where the gods have no sway), but end up crammed into slums or filling the workhouses of the wealthier races. Kayl is a member of the “Godless”, a band of rebels who seek to defy the rules and customs of the gods (and the people who worship them) while also helping the “lower class” races (including the Vespers and other races better suited to work) to survive in Chime. She and her fellow Godless have to avoid the notice of the lawkeepers of Chime, the Wardens.
Which means it’s inevitable that our other POV character is…
Quentin, a Diviner (race with the ability to slow or speed up time) who is also a high-ranked Warden. In fact, he’s the DARK WARDEN, the one responsible for a massacre of the very same Vespers (and others) the Godless were formed to help.
As to be expected, Quentin and Kayl’s stories draw them together—first on opposite sides of the law, then reluctant partners, and eventually…well, I won’t spoil the fun on that. But yes, the book does set up a delightful slow-burn romance between them (and other characters) that creates for a great deal of delicious interpersonal tension between our hero and heroine.
Both characters are wonderfully flawed and broken in their own ways, and it’s the people around them—and each other—that help to put their respective pieces back together and set them down the path to becoming whole again. Kayl’s story, in particular, hits the “found family” vibes hard, with a wonderfully colorful cast of characters from many races to join her on the mission. This offers both excellent emotional and moral support as well as great insight into each of the races.
The story is addicting as the pair of them set out to uncover the mystery of why people are being murdered—gruesomely—and the dark undertones quickly turn to dark overtones as the veneer of Chime is peeled back and the tarnish beneath the brass and gold becomes more visible.
Unique, enthralling, and wonderfully complex, it’s a magic-forward steampunk adventure I highly recommend!
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