Review: A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft

Rating: 5 out of 5.

In an isolated manor on the edge of town, sharpshooter Margaret Welty lives alone and yearns for the day her mother will return. When she spots the legendary Hala in the woods one evening, she knows that the annual Halfmoon Hunt is about to commence. Last in a line of mythical beings, whosoever kills the Hala will unlock its power, giving way to riches and knowledge unimaginable. Despite the fact that her mother is long gone, winning the hunt may be exactly what Margaret needs to bring her home. The only problem: she appears to be short a partner and only teams of two can register. What she needs is an alchemist. Her wish is granted when Weston Winters appears on her doorstep, requesting an apprenticeship with her absent mother. Although they appear an unlikely pairing and he came there for different reasons, Wes is the answer Margaret has been looking for. As the hunt looms closer, the walls begin to close in, and catching the Hala may not be a matter of their intellectual prowess, but their own survival.

A Far Wilder Magic is a heart-pounding and visceral exploration of belonging and loneliness, amidst a search for the answers inside one’s heart. Following the hit that was Saft’s debut novel Down Comes The Night, I had no doubt in my mind that her sophomore novel would deliver just as much tenderness and longing as before. Full of words that drown you in their depths and an evocative fantasy atmosphere, Allison Saft has ruined me for life. This book has it all: a mysterious manor on the edge of town, conversations in a moonlit wood, and a hunt for an ancient being of great power. Few books have I ever read that felt so comforting and familiar all at once without reading very far in, as this one did. Saft’s capacity for storytelling is truly unlike anything I have ever known, seemingly effortless, yet intimate and magical at its heart. She crafts scenes that peer deep into the soul, teeming with all the yearning required to leave me an emotional wreck. The elusive Halfmoon Hunt anchored in the story suspends like a thread above the heads of the characters for a majority of the novel creating a relationship-driven internal journey, unlike anything that I was expecting. As the plot unveils, the most heartwarming romance between Margaret and Wes is brought into focus. Both outsiders in their own way, the two become closer as the hunt goes on and they are called to lean on one another more than they ever expected. The individual struggles were incredibly poignant, with Wes wanting to live and not just exist, and Margaret trying to escape the loneliness and entrapment of her family’s past. The added slow burn between them was simply exquisite and their all-encompassing love threatened to ruin me completely. Full of alchemy, myth, desperation, and sheer romance Allison Saft has created an uplifting novel that remakes the soul. Cemented in belonging, love, and the creation of a life you never thought possible.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc to review.

Trigger Warning:  blood, gore, emotional abuse, neglect, antisemitism, xenophobia, nationalism, animal death and injury, ableism, parental death (mentioned), PTSD

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Review: Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

Rating: 5 out of 5.

It’s been ten years since Margot put her heart on the line with her best friend Olivia one fateful spring break – a week that transformed their relationship and forever shaped her outlook on love. In the fallout from their teenage romance, Margot has adopted a strict “no relationship” policy, convinced that they aren’t her style. Life doesn’t wait around, however, and now that all of her friends are in long-term committed relationships, Margot is second-guessing her stance. Fate offers up a chance when she runs into Olivia while touring a potential wedding venue with her engaged friends. Since they fell out with one another a decade ago, Olivia hasn’t exactly led the life she planned, but her new job as a wedding planner in Seattle offers a promising start. When an unexpected event leads her without a place to stay, Margot offers up the spare room in her apartment. Even though they haven’t talked in years, history bears repeating, and their chance encounter may lead them to rediscover the love that they’ve been looking for.

Count Your Lucky Stars is the book that has solidified Alexandria Bellefleur as a romance god in my mind. Truly no one else could have me laughing out loud and screaming in sheer frustration all at the same time. Having read the other two previous books in the series, I was thrilled to hear that its conclusion would center around Margot, a character who always gravitated attention from the sidelines. Given that this third installment features tropes that I would sell my soul for: mutual pining, forced proximity, and childhood friends to lovers, it was high up on my list of anticipated releases. Bellefleur has always had a knack for creating compelling characters and I have to say that Margot and Olivia are her best to date. The banter between them was so amusing and refreshing to read and I loved witnessing the complicated history between them unravel. Second-chance romances have always been an underrated trope in my opinion, and this one had me by the throat like no other. The chemistry with Olivia and Margot was already there to explore, along with years of miscommunication and unresolved feelings. This led to so much angst and pining on both sides that was incredibly entertaining to read. As this incorporates characters from the previous books there were so many little moments between the friend group and past couples. It was so touching to see where everyone ended up, even more, to see Olivia as a new character fall entirely into place with that. The backdrop of Seattle continues to dazzle here, with new locations and meaningful moments interspersed throughout the city. Count Your Lucky Stars may be a conclusion, but it is no less impactful or delightful than the first two books in the series. For as long as Alexandria Bellefleur keeps writing the queer romances of my dreams, I will be there championing them forward. 

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review

Trigger Warnings: infidelity, death of a parent, alcohol consumption

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Review: The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman

Rating: 4 out of 5.

In a world where magic is all but a coveted resource, four estranged siblings will reunite to search for a fabled object said to unlock a new source of magic, before their enemies surpass them entirely. Vira is the Maharani of Ashoka, tasked with maintaining a country on the brink of war and upholding her predecessor’s legacy. Behind the walls, magic is the only thing keeping Ashoka’s enemies from completely overtaking them, but its source is nearly spent. The only solution is the legendary Ivory Key, an ancient relic said to be capable of unlocking the magic that was previously sealed away by a once-revered secret society. In order to pursue and retrieve the key, Vira and her siblings must reunite to piece together lost clues that will have them journeying deep into enemy territory. Amidst shifting agendas and continued harbored secrets, this treacherous quest is no easy undertaking and may be the thing that finally tears apart their family and the world that they love for good.

With complicated family dynamics and intricate puzzles to solve, The Ivory Key is an artful love letter that pays homage to Indiana Jones and National Treasure with its central quest. As a longtime fan of elaborate sibling dynamics, what first caught my eye here was the core focus on four estranged royal siblings that are forced to reunite and work together to save their country. In turn with my love for quests, hidden clues, and lost relics, The Ivory Key peered deep into my heart and promised it all. Beyond these various layers to the plot, the world that Akshaya Raman has created within is so vivid and vibrant it fully came alive inside my mind. Grounded in a myriad of distinct cultural elements from India and South Indian architecture, it’s clear that Raman poured a part of herself into this world and its foundations. Hearing about all the different foods that were described at length specifically, only served to make me hungrier than I was when I began. The Ivory Key promised angst between siblings and boy did it deliver. No doubt my favorite part of the entire book was the differing agendas and fractured relationships that came into play with the quest for the key. Each of the characters had been on separate paths that had to be reconciled with who they had become and what they were trying to save. My only real setback with this was the timeline for everything. The first half of the book was devoted entirely to set-up and drawing the siblings back together, and while that was interesting, it left less time to execute the search for the treasure. Once the quest was underway, I was completely swept up in the clues and mysteries being unlocked. There were some clever twists here and there that reminded me of past treasure movies and made me all the more excited to reach the end. In combining secret societies, hidden temples, and ancient treasure, Raman has drawn together an immersive world that I am not so quick to leave. At its heart, The Ivory Key examines the bond between siblings and the identity that can be found with family and on one’s own and how those can be reconciled. 

Trigger Warnings: blood, violence, death, murder, death of a parent, grief, alcohol consumption

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Review: Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong

Rating: 5 out of 5.

It’s 1927, and Shanghai stands divided by blood. Allied to the Scarlet Gang through family ties, Juliette Cai gambles the safety of those around her to protect those she loves from the inevitable fallout. Having chosen a necessary betrayal over her own heart, Juliette is completely undone, possessed by an impossible need to prevail against the White Flowers and her own family. Roma Montagov believes her cruelty for the supposed murder of his comrade, but Juliette must keep up the game if she ever hopes to keep her cousin from ousting her as the Scarlet Gang’s heir. Deep within the city, something far more dangerous lurks primed to strike. It brings with it great evil, a final chip in the marble that could bring Shanghai to its knees. A betrayal may have torn their reunion asunder, but Juliette and Roma will have to shed the hatred binding them together to become something far greater to each other and to the city that they hold dear.

The thing about Our Violent Ends is that I didn’t want the ends to be violent. I spent most of my time reading this denying that the duology was in fact a Romeo and Juliette retelling and instead choosing to focus solely on vibes. Right from the start, Chloe Gong does not hold back, amping up the action and drawing an exquisite picture of betrayal and intrigue. The complexities arising from the conclusion of the previous book stay strong, give or take some added angst that set my soul ablaze. There’s just something about the betrayal trope that drives forth this finale into something dark and tragic. A foreboding atmosphere that seeps into every crevice of the story, threatening to fracture apart growing relationships and the fate of the characters. Much like the previous book in the series, the politics, and complicated alliances play against the emergence of an outside threat, but one far greater than before. Roma and Juliette really excelled here, as they ultimately reach the tipping point for compromise and a search for power amidst the blood feud that has fueled the city for decades. Seeing all of these complex feelings play out, especially after the events that concluded the last book, was simply delightful. Gong has a talent for keeping the emotions of her characters in check until the last second, which drove me completely insane. By the time that the inevitable reconciliation came around, I was utterly ruined by it. Roma and Juliette have this passion mixed with a tenderness that is so rare to read about. I certainly won’t be getting over their journey anytime soon. With so many allusions to the original text, I was afraid of how this was going to end, but Chloe Gong crafts a compelling and bittersweet ending that simultaneously tore my heart to pieces and restored my faith in love. In this explosive finale set in the chaos of a city divided, two people find their way back to one another and must fight against the bonds determined to destroy them both.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc to review

Trigger Warnings: blood, violence, gun violence, death, murder

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Review: The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

The crumbling manor at Lindridge Hall hides a deadly secret, one that will be unearthed when its new mistress steps over the threshold. Jane Shoringfield is nothing short of practical, and having reached the end of her living period with her guardians, decides that the most logical way forward will be to secure herself a husband. The chosen candidate for this transaction is the reclusive, yet handsome, doctor Augustine, whose profession may provide her with the very independence that she requires. Augustine agrees to this marriage of convenience, on the agreement that Jane never set foot in Lindridge Hall, his family estate just outside of town. Nonetheless, on the night of their wedding, a chance storm leaves her stranded and Jane is forced to return to the manor. When she arrives, she finds the demeanor of her husband gone, and in its place a frightened and paranoid man unable to discern reality from fiction. Morning comes, and Augustine is himself again, but Jane knows deep within her bones that something is horribly wrong with her husband and the house she now occupies. A profound fear only magnified by her continued stay within the manor’s walls.

Placed within the realm of Crimson Peak, Rebecca, and Shirley Jackson, The Death of Jane Lawrence is an impressive gothic horror novel that fucked with my mind in the best way possible. Set in a dark version of Post-War England, packed full of supernatural and spooky vibes, this is one of the most brilliant and unnerving books that I have read all year. Part of the journey with this novel is in just how much it upends what is understood at any given moment. I started this off scared of the Crimson Peak comparison, and that feeling really never went away because of how often the book turned all of my expectations on their head. The first section is ominous, hung over with impending dread that is drawn out like poison from a wound upon the first occurrence with Jane and Augustine at the manor. This was reminiscent of so many Gothic novels of the past, that sudden shift in tone from an incident, that traverses through to the end of the narrative. There was an unsteady ground between Jane and Augustine present in the first half, as both characters were hiding secrets from the other. Altogether, I loved not really knowing who to put trust in, as I fell into the book’s rhythm to be entirely unpredictable. Past the first half of the novel is where the atmosphere twists into something slightly enigmatic. This is where I puzzled with the text a bit more and was left completely shattered by the end results. A tangled web that I endeavored to take apart in order to make sense of it all. While I will say this section could have been pared down, at that point, it was like the top of a rollercoaster and I was just along for the rest of the ride. In every respect, Caitlin Starling has created a haunting tale, charged with callbacks to iconic gothic fiction of days past. The Death of Jane Lawrence is an eerily brilliant novel that bends reality and twists the mind towards its breaking point.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger Warnings: blood, gore, violence, death, animal death, medical procedures

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Review: Comfort Me With Apples by Catherynne M. Valente

Rating: 4 out of 5.

The gated community of Arcadia Gardens may seem perfect, but within the confines of the neighborhood, a poisonous truth begins to fester, threatening the very serenity promised to its inhabitants. At surface level, adoring housewife Sophia couldn’t ask for a more perfect circumstance. Her life in Arcadia Gardens, her house, and her increasingly absent husband provide her with everything she could possibly imagine. Still, there are things that beg to be questioned, like the strange lock of hair decidedly not hers, or the sliver of bone expertly placed in her knife block. It seems that things might not be as splendid as they seem, and when Sophia goes digging she unearths something that could destroy her seemingly perfect life in seconds.

Comfort Me With Apples is a fantastically dark thriller that delighted and surprised me in unexpected ways. With a bit of The Yellow Wallpaper vibe interspersed throughout this strange mystery, Valente crafts a story made to be questioned at its core. A slowly decaying fruit of a novel that becomes harder and harder to ignore. While not everyone will love the twist of the knife designed, nor the lack of an accurate Gone Girl comparison, those that enjoy being unsettled will love where this novel takes them. Catherynne Valente has always excelled in her prose and Comfort Me With Apples demonstrates that clearly, with gloriously strange, and utterly imaginative language. The rules of the gated community, partnered against the actual storyline cultivates a sense of unease that preys upon the mind until right up at the end. An atmosphere that becomes increasingly more and more ominous. Where the story takes an unanticipated turn, is in the biblical elements included. These surprised me more than I thought they would, but thought they ultimately flushed out the commentary and made the reveal at the end all the more horrific. It really makes me want to go back and read the story all over again to see where the paving was laid. A lot of people have already commented on the incorrect marketing surrounding this book, and while I don’t think this was anything like Naomi Novik’s Spinning Silver, or Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, the domestic thriller and fantasy vibe is definitely present here. The only thing that really irked me with Comfort Me With Apples was the length. There was a lot of build-up in the first two-thirds of the novel, and then the confrontation at the end left me with so many questions that could have been avoided had time been taken to draw out the reveal. Key opinion with this one: I just wanted more. Catherynne Valente certainly knows how to write an idyllic story with otherwise sinister undertones, however, something that will be perfect for the upcoming Halloween season.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc to review.

Trigger Warnings: death, murder, gaslighting

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Review: A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Sleeping Beauty comes crashing into the multiverse by way of Alix E. Harrow, author of The Once and Future Witches and The Ten Thousand Doors of January. Destined to not survive her twenty-first birthday due to a rare genetic disorder, Zinnia Gray has always felt a strong affinity to sleeping beauty, someone who shares in her fate. Then miraculously her birthday arrives and nothing of note occurs, that is until her best friend decides to throw a birthday party worthy of sleeping beauty herself. All Zinnia does is prick her finger on the spindle of the spinning wheel and she’s transported far from her hometown to a strange world, one not so different from her own. Though the world may be lacking in some respects there in it also lies a girl desperate enough to escape her fate. Together Zinnia and Beauty rally other sleeping beauties from across the worlds to try to change their circumstances, taking their destinies into their own hands.

Well Alix E. Harrow certainly never misses the mark when it comes to crafting a fascinating story I would sell my soul to read immediately. This time it’s a short sleeping beauty retelling that spans a little over a hundred pages but crosses multiple worlds. I would say this is in the vein of Into the Spider-Verse since it deals with multiple dimensions and characters of similar titles joining hands. Just as her first two novels completely mesmerized me, this one was no different. Turns out even when Harrow writes a shorter novel I am still bound to enjoy it as much as the others, to the point where my only complaint is that I wish it was longer. Sleeping beauty was never one of my favorite fairy tales for the reasons Zinnia so aptly points out at the beginning of the novel. However, I am happy to say I have changed my tune now that Harrow has sunk her teeth into a reimagining of the story. This crossed a search for agency with the original tale so brilliantly I cannot stop thinking about it. There is just something about finding unity among those to which you share similar situations with that Harrow has exemplified in her writing time and time again. Though Zinnia and Beauty are from different worlds and backgrounds, there is a sense of solidarity that binds them and the other sleeping beauties together as they go forward on their quest. It really was one of the more compelling parts of the text. Not that the entire novel did not sway my emotions and make me have deep feelings at any other point than that. A Spindle Splintered is Alix. E Harrow’s love letter to the transcendence of sisterhood and the common struggles that bind all women. Ties that can bring us together oftentimes in strange ways, but are by no means any less powerful.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc to review

Trigger warnings: blood, genetic disorder, terminal illness, rape (mentioned)

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Review: The Bronzed Beasts by Roshani Chokshi

Rating: 5 out of 5.

What began in the streets of Paris concludes in a blazing glory over the winding canals of Venice. Still reeling after the betrayal of Séverin, the crew is irrevocably severed. Following a mere handful of clues, they manage to make their way to Venice, Italy, in an effort to track down Séverin and the Divine Lyre. Allied with Ruslan, the patriarch of the fallen house, Séverin plays a balancing act. He must manage unstable tempers while searching for the entrance to the temple beneath Plague Island, the one place where the Divine Lyre can be played and he can achieve godhood. With less than ten days until Laila succumbs, the gang will do whatever it takes, undergo any ordeal, in order to save her from her fate. Divinity may divide them, but in this glorious finale to The Gilded Wolves Trilogy, the crew will have to set aside their convictions in order to reach the steps of the golden temple and tempt the gates of godhood. Even if the powers within may enact a price that they are not at all prepared to pay.

The Bronzed Beasts is honestly one of the most satisfying heart-wrenchingly beautiful endings to a trilogy I have read in my entire life. It made me laugh, cry, rage, seethe, and agonize, only to redeem itself and do it all over again. Trademark to Roshani Chokshi’s writing style, the opulent atmosphere and lush language flourishes in this third installment. Made even stronger by the setting of Venice, Italy, with lively masquerades and gondola rides. Tensions are undoubtedly high after the events that concluded The Silvered Serpents, and I adored reading about the fallout from Séverin’s betrayal and how it affected everyone. It made for an intense emotional conflict between all of the characters, with trust needing to be re-established, but with little time to do so. Laila and Séverin have always been utter perfection and the added angst because of this only heightened that. Besides our main couple, there were so many little relational developments happening on top of the central conflict. Certain ones that I’m sure will make many readers very happy (vis a vis who ended up with who). Characteristic to the entire series, the plot dealt heavily on intricate puzzles, building upon those from the previous two books and tying in mind forging in an entirely new way. The added mystery shrouding the Divine Lyre and Laila’s fate assembled with this to form quite the intense conclusion. One that I’m not sure I’ll ever recover from. How Roshani Chokshi was able to embody National Treasure energy, with found family and an ending that ripped my heart out in this, is beyond me. Regardless, this series will always hold a special place in my heart and I look forward to returning to it time and time again. For the time being you can find me in the corner crying over that epilogue. Add this to the list of books whose authors I’ll be billing for emotional distress.

Trigger Warnings: blood, death, murder

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Review: The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Sometimes a family can be a lesbian, her girlfriend, and her two ghosthunting dads, and I think that is truly beautiful. The editor for The Dead and the Dark described it as “like Riverdale, but good,” and they are absolutely right about it. In a quiet town in Oregon on the edge of nowhere, the tragic disappearance of a young boy marks the beginning of a descent into upheaval. Enter into the chaos TV’s resident ghost hunting duo, Brandon and Alejo, returning to their hometown of Snakebite after many years in hopes of solving the disappearance. Joining them in this endeavor is their daughter Logan, who has never felt more out of sorts than she has upon her arrival in the strange town. With more teenagers winding up missing, and still no answers in sight, Logan begins to take matters into her own hands as she enlists the aid of an unlikely stranger. Someone who just might help her discover what lurks behind the shadows.

Upon starting The Dead and the Dark, I began to feel myself slowly unwind as I was led deeper into its tangled web of secrets. Secrets that built up inside my mind until they threatened to crash down the very foundations that had been so delicately composed. All this is an elaborate way of saying that this book not only architectured an intricately layered horror story, but managed to make me cry in the process. A feat that has never been easily attained in my book. Courtney Gould’s inquiry into grief and loneliness is certainly one that evokes emotion and left me with not much else to do but grapple with all that had been expressed. The novel’s subtle exposition of a darkness taking root in a small community, and the ramifications associated with giving such a darkness voice, was such a powerful component throughout. I’ve found that horror grounded in truth will always triumph over everything else and never fail to leave an impression on me. Which is perhaps the strongest part of this debut, and had me thinking for days afterward about the meaning behind it all. Going into this, all I really had in the back of my mind were two things: sapphics + ghosts, and dammit if either of them weren’t flawlessly represented in all parts of the novel. The ghost hunting girlfriend representation the world was waiting for and we all deserve. From the cover alone, I should have known this book would give me everything I needed. A look into an eerie town and the secrets it contains, and a visualization of the resentment that often follows people from place to place. I loved the deep dive into family dynamics and the commentary on how unresolved trauma can adversely impact the relationship between parent and child. Throughout the sinister undertones, that remained apparent and was touched on well. The twisting nature and Stranger Things vibe of this will certainly draw people in, but much like the darkness at work within the town, they will stay entirely for one messy ghosthunting family.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc to review.

Trigger warnings: blood, violence, murder, attempted murder, drowning, funeral, death of a main character, homophobia, homophobic language, hate crimes

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Review: She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

This was pitched as Mulan meets The Song of Achilles, and it was that and so much more. A glorious epic in every sense of the word. Fate is a tricky thing, and after hearing a fortune teller give reference to her brother’s destiny for greatness, the girl expects to hear very much the same. However, her own destiny is revealed to be just that: nothing. While her brother is fated to rise up and leave his mark upon the world, she is expected to fade from view, unremembered. Starving and desperate, an unexpected event changes the trajectory of her entire future. She takes her chance, seizing her brother’s identity and assuming his fate in the process. Under this new circumstance, she may just find freedom, glory, and a way to change her destiny forever.

She Who Became the Sun is, simply put, a masterpiece of a debut. It’s a powerful, evocative, and brutal high fantasy that will leave you utterly wrecked and begging for more. Parker-Chan blends history with fiction in this sweeping story that chronicles Zhu Yuanzhang’s ascent to power and the rise of the Ming Dynasty in 14th century China. It’s the perfect novel for anyone looking for complex characters set amid a backdrop where loyalties are tested and the stakes are high. The lyrical prose paints a vibrant picture of a war-torn period, reimagined, but ultimately true to its roots. Right from the get-go, I was pulled into the ambitious nature of the narrative amidst its definitive passion and decisive action. I straight up devoured this in under a few hours and then realized I would have to suffer in silence since none of my friends had finished reading. What it means to be an arc reviewer am I right? The exploration of gender and gender identity, tied up in a story that is so brilliantly queer, is the true hero of all of this though. There was a very nuanced conversation taking place within the novel, that I appreciate and can tell will be carried over into the next installment. To see a character that was not only flawed and determined but honest with themselves about their own identity and who they are was incredibly powerful to read. Looking forward to seeing just how that evolves in the next book. And my God, that ending. So devastatingly beautiful it may just keep me up for the next few nights. If we’re lucky, otherwise I may not ever get to experience sleep again.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review

Trigger warnings: starvation, death, abuse, public execution, mass death, misgendering, ableist language, dysphoria, life-altering injury, offscreen murder of a child

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