Synopsis:
The morning before he found the dead body, Jathan Algevin thought he had his whole life just the way he wanted it.
He knows his city inside and out, and doesn’t bother carrying a sword, trusting his wits and his fists well enough to get by, hustling extra coin by ratting out loathsome magi to the law for execution.
He and his sister, Lyra, have watched out for each other ever since the day they were orphaned by a bloodthirsty rogue sorcerer, and now they finally have steady work, good friends, and the freedom to spend every night laughing at the bottom of a bottle.
But nothing lasts forever.
When he stumbles across a brutal murder, Jathan discovers a strange crystal lens that opens his eyes to an invisible world of magick and terror lurking just beneath the surface of his own, making him question everything he thought he knew.
But will gazing into this new arcane realm lead Jathan to save lives, or help destroy them?
With dangerous people hunting for the lens, monstrous lies unraveling his life, and a hidden underworld calling to him, it is only a matter of time before his whole world comes crashing down.
Will he find the answers he is looking for, or will he only find a monster needing to be fed?
Review:
The Monsters We Feed is a page-turning, fantasy noir that kinda reminds me of Alfred Hitchcock films tossed in a Joe Abercrombie grim world, featuring a morally grey protagonist that isn’t exactly likable. So yeah, definitely noir.
Set in the same world as Riley’s We Break Immortals, The Monsters We Feed follows Jathan Alegvin as he finds a mysterious magical monocle that allows people to see the afterglow of magick. Jathan finds said monocle on a dead body and thus he is thrust into the labyrinthine underbelly of Kolcha where he discovers a magi brutally killing anyone who can perform magick.
‘Everyone’s life changes the first time they find a dead body.‘
So let’s get this out the way first, Jathan is a monstrous in-world bigot and is pretty much a douche. In Riley’s world, magick is not only forbidden, but users are shunned and burned alive, so people like Jathan turn in anyone found using (or rendering as it’s called). He has ‘reasons’ for hating magi, but his hatred is on clear display here, there’s no hiding it as we first meet him giving some magistrates a tip for some extra silver. He’s not a hero, nor is he a good person, even if some of his intentions can be deemed ‘good’ (he is self-aware though, so that’s a start I suppose). He’s also quite obsessive, hence once he steals the monocle and discovers the murdering magi, he just won’t stop. He’s also kinda a prick to his older sister, as there is a lot to unpack between them but I’ll let y’all RAFO for that. But even though Jathan is all that and more, he IS a compelling morally grey protagonist, and that comes down to Riley’s writing and handling of the heavy topics. Things just sort of make sense in this awful, grim world and the Jathans of it are necessary.
I will say Lyra, Jathan’s sister, was an excellent foil. And Jathan’s two lovers from completely different social-hierarchical worlds were also great characters for their own reasons (and both lovers really enjoyed some good old fashion alleyway sexy times, again, pretty noir…). There are plenty of other side characters, but they do get lost in the shuffle against Jathan’s arc. Even the villain, Seder Geddakur, is more a murderous specter than a true character, but that’s okay, we don’t need him to be anything other than that.
The world is very intriguing and I really liked the persecuted magi concept, especially the way people will snitch on renders. It mirrors a lot of 1930s Germany unfortunately. The magic system is neat and the afterglow concept is really original, as each person has an unique color glow and the monocle can help track these magi down, the color getting stronger the closer they get or fades as they get further away. The villain is essentially one-note, but I liked that because it fit the noir trope while also allowing Riley to build this crazy underbelly of Kolcha. And Kolcha is basically a character unto itself, with its twists and turns, dead-ends, warring gangs, rogue magistrates, pockets of hidden magi. Just such a fun world to get lost in, but one that is so grim and dark. It’s a bad bad place and I loved everything about it.
‘Our secrets and lies are the monsters we feed.‘
But when it comes to a proper noir story, the writing has to be spot on, and I can definitively say Riley nailed it. From the moment we meet Jathan, to when he gets the monocle, everything just sort of builds upon itself. Early scenes where Jathan goes out drinking with friends, starting fights, flirting with lover one, obsessively wondering about Lyra’s nightlife, meeting lover two in the city’s dark alleys, it all just sets the stage and builds Jathan as a character. Then as we meet Seber, things just get grittier and grittier, and Jathan’s plot really takes off. It takes a special gift to truly show a descent into madness and/or obsession and Riley certainly has that gift. I was glued to the pages, just waiting to see what would happen next, to see Jathan feeding his monster. The prose is exquisite, especially in setting the scenes. We feel like we are in Kolcha’s underbelly. We feel the destitution of the magi hiding there. We feel the pain, the hatred. Everything. I loved all the in-world terminology like ‘lushborn v scumborn’. Riley is just a master wordsmith, there’s no question.
There was just something about The Monsters We Feed that just dragged me in. I felt like I was pulled into this cat-and-mouse game where no one is the hero and the world is just out to screw everyone. It was a phenomenal read. One that was dark, funny at times, harrowing at others, but it truly stuck with me and will for a long time. I highly highly highly recommend this book!
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