Dream of Death City
2022 • 538 pages

Ratings1

Average rating5

15

So not only was I offered an E-book for an honest review, I then won a giveaway for a signed paperback before the official release!
Let me start by saying that this is one of the most original fantasies I've ever read. Like I said for ‘Pyres in the Long Night' and ‘A Pale Box on the Distant Shore', with this story being a fantasy mixed with mystery, it definitely had the feeling of Morgan Rice's ‘Shadowseer: London', however Nwosu's features an entirely created fantasy world, while the former is urban fantasy. That for me stood out as singularly unique, at least in my reading experience thus far. 
It is a murder mystery set in this incredibly gritty, visceral, dark fantasy world. Death City is a far off island in the Red Kingdom. A kingdom in which a political party known as Purge House has incredible sway and commands the kingdom's people and fear. Those found guilty are literally burned alive publicly on pyres. They're feared in such a way that even innocent people avoid even looking at them. 
The main characters, Thora and Diem, are incredible. Emotional, stoic, real, and ever-changing. They don't miss a beat in this winding, twisty mystery. 
Honestly the description of the found bodies will haunt my dreams, so please prepare for a dose of horror in there as well. 
Incredible and professional level of world building, story weaving and editing. I will certainly continue to read anything this author has to offer. I will say for anyone thinking of getting a physical copy (if I had to pick one single small gripe) that the book is long and so tightly pressed that I really wish some of the outer margin had been sacrificed, as I found it practically impossible to read through it without cracking the spine—and I hate doing that. Beautiful quality though! 
Personally a 5/5*! This just released!! Get it and support. Right now!

November 28, 2022Report this review