This debut novel by Kesia Lupo is a great new addition to the fantasy genre.  Full of mystery, dark magic, and intrigue, you’ll keep turning pages until the end.  And might be just a little surprised at where you end up.  

The characters in this book are limited in number and it makes the story easy to identify with and to dive into the plot.  I really liked that Lena, Emris, and Constance weren’t one thing.  They weren’t all good, and they weren’t all bad but had this blending of both light and dark that really kept me wondering exactly where the story was going to go.  While the idea of Lena (and other unnamed characters) as cryptlings, or keepers and preparers of the dead, might seem farfetched, it really isn’t.  Reminiscent of the caste system still in existence in countries today, it was relatable.  And Lena’s desire for something more, Constance’s need to connect with her mother, and Emris’s hero complex are all ideas that are easy to connect with and understand.

I also really appreciated that Lupo kept the setting and world in which the story takes place relatively straightforward.  There wasn’t a ton of having to figure out where in this world the characters were.  They were in one of two places and a forest separated the two.  I appreciated the simplicity as it really allowed the focus to be drawn to the characters.  The various temple gods were a lot and could have been confusing, but Lupo doesn’t spend a ton of time on them and therefore you don’t feel overwhelmed.  A nice summary was included in the front of the book which I found helpful, especially when matching color magic to the characters.

This was a great debut novel.  Fantasy readers will enjoy a new choice in the genre and this page-turner will keep you guessing till the end.

Review of an Advance Reading Copy

This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Bloomsbury USA

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  2 religious exclamations; 6 mild obscenities; 3 religious profanities; 1 derogatory name; 2 anatomical terms.

Violence/Gore:  Cat drags dead mouse; hounds chase girl to kill (scary); numerous depictions of corpses being prepared, found or magically moving/walking; rap to knuckles; threat with knife; multiple deaths due to strange magical illness; character attacked by snake and kills snake; sword sparring; character stricken resulting in cut; report of hanging during riot; 3 page scary vision where arrow is shot thru hands; man falls from tower to his death; numerous multiple page magical battles resulting in bloody injuries, graphic violence and death; hostage situation with two deaths and injuries; men tied up; four verbal threats; magical creature kills woman; recall of whipping; blood stains on floor; face is forcibly held by another; riot with solider shooting into crowd. 

Sex/Nudity:  Hand hold; caress of head; 3 kisses; implied sex; brief discussion of man’s attraction to the same gender; 2 instances of laying hand on shoulder.

Mature Subject Matter:

Caste-style society; war; death; abandonment; mental illness; ethics; murder.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

Adults drink wine.