Synopsis
Koni gave up her high station to become Conwenna, a blacksmith’s wife and devoted mother. But duty calls at unexpected times. Sorrows await as Conwenna must become Koni again, or let cruel men come to power.
Alfswich has become wealthy by committing what others call sins. When a hag’s curse is leveled upon him, he commits murder, theft and betrayal to escape it. But is his solution worse?
Review
My thanks again to the author for the audio review copy! The continued narration by James Meunier is great, he does a solid job with bringing a different cast to life.
This was a real unique mix. It is prequel, it is sequel, it is side character origin story, and side mission story all rolled up into two novellas. I can only assume that the actions, interactions, and outcomes from the two will carry weight in the sequel. It didn’t feel like random characters or random locations, so I’m interested to see where it goes.
Conwenna, who we meet in book 1, must shed her identity that has kept her in hiding all these years in order to save her family name and a city about to be ruled by evil men. She must reassume the name of Koni, she must retake her place in society and power. Alfswich, who stole Grahme’s stone flowers, tries to return to the world of thievery. Somehow, while trying to stay in the shadows, he still can’t seem to avoid the spotlight. Both the thief and the blacksmith’s wife run afoul of treacherous hags, the repercussions of which will leave them cursed.
I thought the curses were fantastically chosen. Conwenna is a family woman, hiding in a plain life so that her family is safe. A lot of her story is about sacrifice, so the cost of her closest friend is just one more tally on the list of losses. I did however, dislike that when he is so upset and wants comfort he just outright asks for sex? It struck me as odd…I understand that it linked back to the hag’s curse, and it was probably part of her plan, but when you are particularly upset wouldn’t you just want someone to be there for you in the moment? To not be alone? This felt almost calculated, which I did not like for Blocky’s character.
Alfswich is a thief, a masterful one, so when the hag’s curse means he has to give away the six stolen stone flowers, he thinks there’s no catch because losing treasure is bad enough. He’s wrong. And I really liked how his curse forced notoriety onto him everywhere he went, taking away his nighttime profession. It did stick out to me though that he says he isn’t an assassin, that he only kills when absolutely necessary, and yet throughout the story he is most definitely a cutthroat.
I loved the combined and entwined conclusion. The way the stories connected back into the present. The main reason I am certain there will be an impact going forward into the next book. There was definitely good world building here, and the side story style allowed the author to present us with things outside of Grahme’s worldview, especially the Sorim.
This will hit for fans of the first book, as it is required reading, and for fans of side missions/completionism.
Leave a Reply