Last week we traveled for spring break and my sister's wedding and I decided to bring this big honking chonker with me.
In a land once beset by ghoulish creatures, a soldier from another land arrived and vanquished the enemy. He then crowned himself king and ensured that no knowledge of resurrecting these entities would ever remain. Further to that, the bodies of the dead are ritualistically disposed of in a manner to support this.
Through all of this Agnes and her cousin, Marozia, have been trained as heirs to the house of teeth. Agnes has been taught the secret ways and prepared to do everything possible to bring back the old ways. Aiding in this effort is the beautiful Marozia, who is to be married off to the king's only heir thereby distracting him and giving Agnes access to the stronghold where they suspect secret knowledge might be held.
But nothing goes according to plan.
This is the first in a grim dark duology with wonderful world building and lush writing. It's not for everyone--in fact, it's definitely a better fit for fans of darker fiction.
I would be remiss by not mentioning that it was the discourse that surrounded this book that forced my hand. I had seen an ARC and assumed it would be too romance-y for my own taste. Which is a shame because there are likely other books being marketed at the romantasy fan base that would likely appeal to me as well.
But that's beside the point. In this particular case, clearly the book's marketing just didn't quite hit the right readers.
This isn't a romance! Yes, there is a romance subplot. I have thoughts about it! I'll have to see how it all plays out in book two, though.
For now, I want to point out that:
1. Yes, this is a dark read. There's abuse, there's cannibalism, there's worse. I don't think that any of it is particularly unnecessary to the overall plot but if you're a cozy romantasy fan, this isn't the book for you.
2. It's the first in a duology and the end is very cliffhanger-y! You will not get a resolution from just the one.
3. BUT the story that Innamorata sets up for the second book is a DOOZY! Whoooo buddy!
Honestly, if you're a fan of Game of Thrones, this is probably a better fit for you than some of the recent lighter fantasy.
The world building is great. The writing is affecting! There were times when I did feel that the story could have been tightened up or simplified to get to the point. But again, I'll grant leeway in assuming it's setting up threads that will play out in book two.
If you're wondering—I left my copy behind for my sister, this weekend's bride, to read. So yeah, I'd recommend it and I absolutely will be waiting with bated breath for the second installment. In the meantime, I have some Ava Reid backlist to tide me over!
Side note: I did listen to quite a bit of this one on audio. It's narrated by Moniqua Plante, who does a truly fantastic job!
Order a copy from your favorite indie via Bookshop.org!
(I received this book as an ARC with no promise or guarantee of a review, good or bad. This review is solely my opinion.)
