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| image copied from bookshop.org |
So this was a novel that I was initially drawn to by the amazingly beautiful cover art. Once I finally got around to actually reading it though, I was captured by the one paragraph opening prologue. Rather than the typical once upon a time beginning we are given this instead, "You know this story Bartholomew, though you do not remember it. I'll tell it to you the best I can..." Instantly, from this beginning, I wanted to read more, even though this paragraph doesn't seem to make sense with the rest of the narrative, even though we have to get nearly to the end to have enough puzzle pieces for it make sense. It is a true testament to Rachel Gillig's craft as a writer and storyteller that she is able to grab my attention with this one paragraph and then somehow bring it full circle near the end so that its meaning is fully revealed in a way that makes sense 300+ pages later. I'm in awe of that and that doesn't even cover the rest of the story.
In essence this book is a mystery, an adventure quest, and an exploration of the theme of blind faith. It is mostly told from the point of view of Six a diviner who lives in a creepy and isolated cathedral with her five other adopted diviner sisters. All of them are given numbers when they come to the cathedral and are brutally baptized into becoming diviners. In this way, their past lives are erased and they become servants of the cathedral, the abbess over it, and in a broader sense to the uppercrust of this society. Their only role is to serve and to foretell the future of those who pay for the privilege of having their fortunes read. The status quo of Six and her sister diviners is completely upended in the first couple of chapters when the new king arrives to have his future divined. Shortly after his divination, Six's sister diviners begin to vanish without a trace one by one. When no one seems to care what's happened to them, Six runs away from the only home she's ever known in the hopes of finding and saving them.
Aside from how this story opens, I loved so many things about this book. The world building for starters was truly well developed and full of so many unique and interesting things. There is magic, there are creatures that are subverted versions of those often rendered from fairy tales, there are kings and knights, and over them all are these mysterious Omens. Each godlike figure seems to represent some aspect of human desire such as prosperity, wisdom, strength or good fortune. Even more interesting, the villages and cities that are built around where each Omen is said to originate take on characteristics that reflect that Omen in some way as well. This just adds to the vividness of each part of the kingdom and to the mystery of who or what these godlike figures actually are and how they play into the mystery of what happened to Six's sister diviners.
Then there is the grumpy x sunshine relationship between Six and the irreverent knight, Roderick Myndacious (gotta love that name), who reluctantly agrees to help Six in her quest. He and King Benedict both agree to allow her to accompany them as the king visits each part of his kingdom since being officially crowned. Even though Roderick, or Rory for short, is a nonbeliever in the Omens, does not follow the normal code of conduct expected of most knights and is sardonic and cynical, he is actually the sunshine to Six's grumpy and aloof exterior. Despite his cynical outlook on the world, he's still funny and not afraid to cut loose and have fun. While Six has been isolated and forced to lead a strict and cheerless existence and doesn't really know the first thing about having fun. It makes for a fun dynamic between the two and as we come to realize how much Rory admires Six and longs to see her truly live her life, it makes the underlying tone of longing and yearning prevalent in the story that much more compelling. The other characters in the story and in this friend group that develops are equally interesting and singular in their makeup. Maude, the lady knight, becomes a mentor to Six as she learns to be more independent and better at defending herself. Benji, the boy king, becomes a source of knowledge about each of the Omens and the folklore that surrounds them. Six also comes to think of him as a younger brother figure in their group. And then there is the gargoyle who helps Six escape in the first place. His childlike attitude mixed with his inexplicable moments of wisdom make him a fun and endearing sidekick. He was one of my favorite characters despite his penchant for being melodramatic.
All of that said, this was a truly unique and captivating fantasy. It is by turns dark and hopeful, creepy yet humorous, and the mystery and adventure mixed in kept me reading to figure out what was going on. The themes explored of blind faith, idolatry and classism give the story depth as well. But the recognizable tropes of found family, rivals-to-lovers, and quests of self-discovery kept the deeper undertones from dragging the narrative down and kept it hopeful in spite of the challenges and heartbreak that Six must face along the way. Even better, if you haven't read this yet, the final installment for this duology is already out now. So, you can read one right after the other to see how it all ends.
For my November reviews, I'm switching gears and turning to more lighthearted reads. The first will be a holiday romance by Elle Cosimano and Hannah Morrissey, Home for the Homicides. The second will be Jane Austen's The Watsons, her famously unfinished novel that was recently completed by Claudia Gray who is known for her Mr. Darcy and Miss Tilney mystery series. Both the book covers and blurbs pasted below were copied from bookshop.org.
Welcome to Christmas, a town so cozy and charming it could be the backdrop of a Hallmark movie, where crime is never in season and it’s the holidays all year round. So when a tourist is found stabbed to death by an icicle ornament in the middle of the town nativity scene, the local police are out of their depth—after all, how do you find a criminal in a town where crime doesn't exist?
The stakes are high: the whole town is relying on Holly and Mark to solve the crime before the annual Jingle Bell Jubilee festival (which naturally the town's entire economic survival relies on), plus, whichever of them cracks the case will receive a promotion to Major Crimes—and there's only one spot.
Holly and Mark are both on thin ice after screwing up on the job. This assignment is their one shot at redemption, if they can put aside their bitter rivalry. And of course, it's not only their careers on the line, it's their hearts, too—regrets of their holiday party hookup last year haunt them like ghosts of Christmas past, so they both want to wrap up this rom-com gone wrong as quickly as possible. But with just twelve days until the festival, the countdown to catch a killer—without killing each other—is on.
Co-authored by New York Times bestseller Elle Cosimano (Finlay Donovan series) and USA Today bestseller Hannah Morrissey (Black Harbor series), Home for the Homicides is a sexy, light-hearted romp, with a dash of merriment and murder.
But Austen never completed this book—and therefore, her devoted fans have never discovered the answer, leaving the heroine’s fate undefined and open to speculation. Until now, as bestselling author Claudia Gray expands this story into a vivid tale of love, sorrow, social class, honor, and, as in any Austen novel, the ways these all become intertwined for a young woman in Regency-era England. Transforming The Watsons from an unpolished draft into a riveting ensemble novel filled with romance, humor, and social commentary, Gray recaptures the spirit of Austen’s most enigmatic story.
