The Inaccessibility of Heaven

I have been waiting to read this novelette since it started getting acclaimed and nominated for all the top SFF awards, but I just never got around to it. I'm glad I'm finally reading it before the end of the year.

I love the Dominion of the Fallen trilogy, so this felt like a fun addition to it but slightly different. The awe for the City, the despair of the Fallen and their hope to get a glimpse of it once more - this story might be a murder mystery but it's the emotional connect that keeps one going. I loved Sam and O'Connor and how they kept their conviction to help solve the problems despite knowing that they are just humans meddling in Fallen affairs. As always, I'm in awe of Aliette's writing and how much magic she creates even in such few pages. The ending is heartbreaking but also maybe hopeful and it definitely left me feeling a lot. Definitely deserves all the accolades.

Merged review:

I have been waiting to read this novelette since it started getting acclaimed and nominated for all the top SFF awards, but I just never got around to it. I'm glad I'm finally reading it before the end of the year.

I love the Dominion of the Fallen trilogy, so this felt like a fun addition to it but slightly different. The awe for the City, the despair of the Fallen and their hope to get a glimpse of it once more - this story might be a murder mystery but it's the emotional connect that keeps one going. I loved Sam and O'Connor and how they kept their conviction to help solve the problems despite knowing that they are just humans meddling in Fallen affairs. As always, I'm in awe of Aliette's writing and how much magic she creates even in such few pages. The ending is heartbreaking but also maybe hopeful and it definitely left me feeling a lot. Definitely deserves all the accolades.