Synopsis:
For a Godless like Azreal the Wretched, peace might be a more profitable time, but it’s no less bloody…
A decade into the armistice with Inath, the North, once united against invasion, finds itself a divided kingdom. Azreal – an infamous mage of the Northern military – operates in his native land as a contract killer, employed to hunt traitors by a king who is squabbling against his would-be usurpers.
But when the completion of his latest bounty unveils a foreign plot to dethrone the North altogether, Azreal is the only one who can cross the border and respond in kind…
Or he would have been, until betrayal at the final moment resulted in his killing of the wrong man and capture by those that he’s spent half his life fighting.
Now, imprisoned and awaiting his execution for the murder of an Inathian crown prince, Azreal finds himself across the interrogation table from Anamira Lestrade. A career criminal investigator, Ana is tasked with extracting the truth behind the assassination or dying in failure – linking the two through one last story that could stave off both their gruesome ends.
Possessed of few friends, countless enemies, magic blades that feast on his emotions, and the haunting rumors of how he won his name, Azreal the Wretched’s narrative pits him against traitorous conspiracy, brutal magical feuds, and broken promises of love. And if there is any hope of making it out alive at its end, he’ll need to conquer the price it cost him to paint the tale red:
Fear.
Review:
An incredible debut with a masterful, confident skill with language, wielding metaphors like swords and taking risks that pay off.
For fans of Joe Abercrombie, Jay Kristoff, and ZB Steele.
The greatest extractor of truths in all of Inath has only six hours to get the confession of a foreign assassin who murdered the Crown Prince.
Azreal the Wretched: self-professed merchant of death, one of the Godless, someone who really likes to tell the FULL story. Which might just turn out to be a grand conspiracy. A treasonous coup.
I love a framed narrative. Especially one where you have a countdown until the reveal. This lets you sit and reflect on what has been relayed, as well as the two character perspectives on the tale. An arrogant, weary prisoner and a stressed, impatient interrogator.
What is a life without color? What is a moment minus the feeling? What kind of a memory exists without the notion that it matters? What purpose is there to follow without a motive?
What I appreciated was how lived-in this world felt.
The world-building is clear and nicely integrated. There are factions, intrigue, and warring nations. History is carefully interspersed throughout in a way that felt natural.
The magic has a price. For Azrael, this means giving up emotions every time he uses his destructive weapons. A weapon that constantly hungers for more which results in Azrael becoming more and more numb whilst desperately trying to hold onto humane moments.
This was grotesque, hyper-violent bloodshed, and philosophical as our interrogator so aptly puts it.
Whilst this definitely cements itself in the grimdark niche and will (NEEDS) to find its audience, I did find it leaned into the genre conventions too much for my taste.
Whilst the humour worked better for me compared to Abercrombie and the philosophical musings were akin to Jay Kristoff (who I love), I still struggled with the repetitive literary troupes of the sub-genre. I’m not saying this is repetitive at all – this will have you whiplashed and glued to the pages; but for my personal preferences, I’m saying I noticed them more.
An extremely high, strong four stars that will be my new recommendation.
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