Rebecca Nicole

I knew I was going to love this book from the very beginning. Well, as long as it had a decent ending I would love it. It did not disappoint.

The themes about parental abuse and forced isolation really spoke to me. Cordelia was way braver and more bold than I’d expected of anyone who has been abused their whole life, but I loved it. It made it feel like there was hope for getting out of awful situations.

This book was doing so much. It was dark, and cozy, and charming. T. Kingfisher has a way of telling dark, horrible, terrifying stories in a way that feels almost cozy and charming. The middle part of this book reminded me a little of Pride and Prejudice, but then something would happen to remind me how dark and twisted this story actually was.

I love Heaster as a protagonist and I love that we have an older person as a main character in the story. I also love that Heaster kept referring to the sorceress as Doom in her head. She used the expectations of old people against the sorceress in the best way possible, and often in amusing ways.

Seeing from both Hester and Cordelia’s perspective really helped paint a better picture of what was going on. Cordelia is socially awkward and doesn’t know how to handle many of the situations thrust upon her, but she knows that her mother is a sorceress and she knows some of her mother’s plans. While Hester might not know everything that is going on, she has a much better grasp on the social dynamics than Cordelia. In addition, we get to see Cordelia’s awkwardness both from Cordelia herself, and from an outsider.

As painful as it was to see Cordelia try and often mess up in social situations, I also loved that she was finally getting out of the isolation she had grown up with. I also love the conflicted feelings Cordelia has when she meets another sorceress who is really nice to her. It forces Cordelia to see things from a perspective she might not have encountered otherwise.

The side characters are wonderful. Practically all of them felt very alive and real. We have so many fun characters to hang out with too!

Basically I loved everything about this book. It’s one of my favorite T. Kingfisher books, and one I will definitely be rereading.

SPOILERS!!!

Also Cordelia is definitely a sorceress too, but she doesn’t realize it. Aaaah!!

I was captivated by this short story from start to finish! We follow two perspectives, both our protagonist, who is trying to find her place in the world, and our antagonist, who will, of course, disrupt that.

Ashâke was supposed to ascend to priesthood years ago, but has been overlooked by the gods yet again. In her disappointment and frustration she is unaware that she is in the middle of a cosmic war between the gods, and the secrets the high priests keep will determine her fate.

The use of dual perspectives really heightened the tension. In the first scene with our antagonist we see the immense power he has as he takes over the body of a pickpocket. Knowing that he can disguise himself as anyone makes it easy for him to pop up in unexpected places - which he continually does throughout the story.

There is a lot of world building packed into this little book! We see very few places in this world, but the world still feels immense. We learn about the gods and their histories, as well as getting glimpses into the lives of different people groups. The world feels vast and alive and lived in. It feels very real.

Ashâke goes on an emotional journey as she starts to question everything she has been taught. The world in this story pulls from African mythology and the journey Ashâke goes on is very much a religious one, using religious language. She has to figure out what is true, and she is, at times, asked to believe things without evidence. Readers will probably view the story differently depending on their own experience with religion.

While much of this story is driven by inner turmoil, it moves at a fast pace as Ashâke leaves everything she has known and encounters dangers outside the safety of the temple. While she doesn’t know who she can trust, she is able to open up to the kindness of the griots.

I loved seeing the griots and how welcoming they are to outsiders. Their magic in storytelling was also fascinating and beautiful to read. I would have been happy to spend more time with them and explore their way of life.

The ending was beautiful and devastating! Readers get the satisfaction of answers to the main questions presented in the story, but are also left with the knowledge that a bigger threat is to come.

I’m looking forward to reading the conclusion to this story with cosmic level stakes in the next installment!

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley.

What a fantastic story! This book has skyrocketed onto my list of best books I’ve read and is in contention for my best book of the year. I knew from chapter one that I was going to love the story, and the rest of the book didn’t disappoint. It’s perfection.

The short chapters really set the pace, and build the tension as our characters realize they are not alone in the tower, and a vengeful water demon is hiding in the shadows. Not only that, but the higher ups think they are overreacting. Everything in this story felt so real. So painfully, beautifully human.

We follow three very different characters on the day that their lives are completely upended and changed forever. We learn about their hopes, dreams, and fears as they try to navigate the chaos. They don’t like each other, and never come to like each other, but they agree to work together to survive.

A major theme throughout the story is the human capacity for working together for good, and for turning on each other and hurting other humans, especially those who are a little different. There are no easy answers here, and the story mostly asks questions, all while providing a trilling, suspenseful tale.

The climax of the story was truly beautiful. I’m getting chills just thinking about it again. It’s an open ending, and I absolutely love it.

It’s been several days since I read this book, and I can’t stop thinking about it. I will definitely be rereading it, and I have a feeling it will stick with me for a long time.

On my third attempt to read this, I finally got into the story. I just had to push that that incredibly dull and boring first half.

Honestly the plot wasn't that impressive, basically one big chase sequence with far too many references to the movies, but I'll give it a pass since it kept me entertained and I kept wanting to listen to more of the audiobook.

Speaking of which, like all Star Wars books, the audiobook is great.

Thrawn is totally uninteresting and his scenes are boring. Hopefully he will develop into a better villain for the series.

Mara Jade was the most interesting part of the story. (not quite as interesting as my girl Vestara Khai, but this is only Mara's introduction after all) I basically know what happens with her story line though, which kinda takes the punch out of it, but I'm still looking forward to actually getting to know Mara Jade better as a character rather than just a general story line.


Noted inconsistancies
- Luke can't understand R2's beeping without his ship's read out (and we are told such since he can't understand R2 when he ship loses power) but later Luke and R2 are in different rooms, again without power and no way to display a read out, and they hold a whole conversation, and understand each other perfectly.
- Unless I'm mistaken, Thrawn, or at least Pellaeon, was aware that Luke was on the planet yet later act like they didn't know

a standalone heist fantasy comped with The Lies of Locke Lamora and Six of Crows? That's all I need to know!