Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: September 26th, 2023
Pages: 384
Publisher: Inkyard Press
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Publisher’s Synopsis:
“The bloody plague is finally past, but what fresh horror lies in its wake?
Princess Imogen of Goslind has lived a sheltered life for three years at the boarded-up castle—she and the rest of its inhabitants safe from the bloody mori roja plague that’s ravaged the kingdom. But Princess Imogen has a secret, and as King Stuart descends further into madness, it’s at great risk of being revealed. Rations dwindle each day, and unhappy murmurings threaten to crack the facade of the years-long charade being played within the castle walls.
Nico Mott once enjoyed a comfortable life of status, but the plague took everyone and everything from him. If not for the generosity of a nearby lord, Nico may not have survived the mori roja’s aftermath. But does owing Lord Crane his life mean he owes him his silence?
When Lord Crane sends Nico to search for more plague survivors in the castle, Nico collides with a princess who wants to break out. They will each have to navigate the web of lies they’ve woven if they’re going to survive the nightmares that lie ahead.”
My Review:
I have read and enjoyed this author’s previous books. When I heard this one took inspiration from Edgar Allen Poe, I was so excited for the opportunity to read an early copy!
The first line definitely hooked me.
“Eldridge Hall was a castle built on lies.”
The first half (approximately) of the book I thought was really interesting and building up well, but the second half things just started to fall off for me. The writing started out strong and I was loving the simultaneous plots unfolding and converging.
The two main characters are definitely a highlight of the story. They are very endearing. Although their “romance” lacked conviction and the fade-to-black scene was super awkward.
Other parts of the story also didn’t work well for me. I thought the world-building was okay. I liked the setting but the time period felt a little weird to me for some reason. I think it didn’t mesh well with other aspects of the story. In general, a lot of the story felt disjointed in this way.
The lore and rules of the magic system felt very cliché to me. With little to no explanation as to why it worked that way, or why those choices were made, it just wasn’t totally believable.
The religious issues (though I commend her for wanting to include important themes) felt preachy and disconnected from the rest of the story. The plot was predictable, and by the end the book was skimmable. I think the biggest issue was that all the parts weren’t cohesive enough to make a satisfying whole.
I’m so sad to say that this one was a little disappointing to me. It is definitely my least favorite of this author’s books thus far. It’s unfortunate because it had so much conceptual potential that just wasn’t executed compellingly. Overall, this one is just okay for me, solidly middle of the road as far as ratings go.
I’ll still read anything this author writes. I hope that in the future we can go back to the level of storytelling that Luminous was at. Since then, her books have slowly gone downhill for me.
Disclaimers:
Huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me an early copy of this amazing story! I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This post may contain affiliate links that I may earn a small commission from with no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support 🙂
Have you read this book? Planning to add it to your TBR?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
I love a good book discussion. 🙂
Leave a Reply