Synopsis
We choose our own gods here.
Karys Eska is a Deathspeaker, locked into an irrevocable compact with an eldritch being―three-faced, hundred-winged, unforgiving―who has granted her the ability to communicate with the newly departed. She pays the rent by using her abilities to investigate suspicious deaths. When a new case goes sideways and connects her to a dying stranger with some very dangerous secrets, her entire world is upended.
Ferain is willing to pay a ludicrous sum of money for her help. To save him, Karys inadvertently binds him to her very shadow, an act that may doom them both. Together, they must journey to the heart of a faded empire, haunted by arcane horrors, and the unquiet ghosts of their pasts.
And all too soon, Karys knows her debts will come due.
Review
This is a really tricky one because for 50% of this, I thought it would be my first 5 star read of the year. The second half was less strong, but still enjoyable. But the final 50 pages or so have really made me re-consider.
First – that is one hell of an opening. Incredibly well-written, super strong author voice, we’re thrust into the middle of otherworldly terrors in a dark fantasy that feels real and alive and properly imagined. The horror aspects heighten everything, and I was immediately hooked.
This is the kind of book I wish I could write. The prose, description, creativity, imagination, world building – everything is top tier and feels incredibly refreshing and unique. Absolutely fantastic and I utterly adored it.
We have death speakers, genuinely terrifying monstrous meddling gods, different cultures and religions, workings and engineering, and a world that is reeling from a recent war.
Your hand is not held with this. You have to read the context and figure out what Bhatuma and Ephirite and heralds and workings are, and the countries, and who is in which camp and what that means. If you prefer more on-the-nose telling, then this might be trickier for you to enjoy. I liked it very much.
I liked that we had a majority female cast (rare in epic fantasy), we had bisexuality rep, trauma done well, and complex, slow growth and character development that felt very real and grounded.
Sometimes Eska could be a little too sarcastic/dismissive/angry, particularly at times where I felt communication and more growth might have happened, but that was only a minor gripe.
Most of my reading I go into without looking up the blurb or synopsis, to avoid any bias. Perhaps if I’d realised this would take a left turn into romance in the final hurdle of the book, I’d have been more prepared. But I really did not like it. It felt far too convenient, strong, unearned, and frankly ridiculous. To the point it made me reconsider my rating. (Wanting to run off to an isolated part of the world after knowing someone for three weeks and interactions mostly being platonic? I don’t buy it. And the random scene in the library?? And none of the former fiancés or old flames have any issues??) I understand it was needed for the ending to make sense (and set up for the sequel), but I found it very jarring, out of left field, and just didn’t work for me.
It soured the end of the book and now I’m not sure how I feel about it as a whole.
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