a chilling fairytale in true Grimm fashion
Release Date: June 21st, 2022
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Pages: 368
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
PUBLISHER’S SYNOPSIS
“A gruesome curse. A city in upheaval. A monster with unquenchable appetites.
Marlinchen and her two sisters live with their wizard father in a city shifting from magic to industry. As Oblya’s last true witches, she and her sisters are little more than a tourist trap as they treat their clients with archaic remedies and beguile them with nostalgic charm. Marlinchen spends her days divining secrets in exchange for rubles and trying to placate her tyrannical, xenophobic father, who keeps his daughters sequestered from the outside world. But at night, Marlinchen and her sisters sneak out to enjoy the city’s amenities and revel in its thrills, particularly the recently established ballet theater, where Marlinchen meets a dancer who quickly captures her heart.
As Marlinchen’s late-night trysts grow more fervent and frequent, so does the threat of her father’s rage and magic. And while Oblya flourishes with culture and bustles with enterprise, a monster lurks in its midst, borne of intolerance and resentment and suffused with old-world power. Caught between history and progress and blood and desire, Marlinchen must draw upon her own magic to keep her city safe and find her place within it.”
MY REVIEW
After reading and loving her debut novel, The Wolf and the Woodsman, I just knew I had to read this one. And wow, this was even better than I could have imagined! Honestly, the description doesn’t nearly give this one justice.
Content Warnings: This book contains themes that may be triggering or unpleasant to some readers including: cannibalism, gore, abuse, self-harm, and sexual assault. If you are a sensitive reader or feel that any of these situations may make you uncomfortable, than this may not be the book for you.
It is my duty to make sure you are well-informed, but I also wouldn’t let this immediately put you off the book. I did not find these themes to be too explicit or done in a way that is distasteful. In fact, I think the author captures these things in a way that sheds light to the topics from the eyes of the one experiencing them, as we see the characters learn, grow, and become stronger individuals despite their traumas.
This story is gritty and real.
It’s delightfully dark and grippingly gruesome.
A marvelous structure of chilling fairytale in true Grimm fashion.
The unique voice and style is immersive.
The pacing of events is expertly crafted and I couldn’t put it down. I read it in two days.
The tension and conflict in the story flows like a building tidal wave that sweeps you away and crashes into shore.
I love Marlinchen, the main character; there’s something quirky and emotional about her. We get to see the world through her naïve perspective, as she has been sheltered under her father’s tyrannical oppression. And the author achieves this point of view spectacularly.
The family dynamics between Marlinchen, her sisters, and their father are complex and evocative.
We get to see the strain of resistance and adaptation that the industrialization of the Old World is having on this last remaining magical family.
The connection between Sevastyan and Marlinchen is innocently endearing, as they are brought together by their shared suffering.
The writing in this story is absolutely mesmerizing. It plays to all the senses and I truly felt like I was inside this world, experiencing the story.
The descriptive language is otherworldly good, making unexpected connections that show the characters and the world in exceptional detail.
I can’t say enough good things about this book. It is an absolute must-read! This one has truly affected me in the best way possible. And I will be most impatiently waiting for what this author will grace us with next.
Recommended for readers who like:
- disturbing fairytales
- coming-of-age
- perseverance through trials
- flowy, intricate language
Huge thank you to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for blessing me with an early copy of this amazing book in exchange for my honest feedback!
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