queenterribletimy's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Thirteenth Hour is one of the SPFBO 8 Finalists, which I'm a judge of. For the team review, please visit Queen's Book Asylum. Our combined score is 8.5/10, my personal is 8/10. Below are my own thoughts only.
I’ve been following The Thirteenth Hour since its publication. Even before that as I was involved with its cover reveal, so I was aware of the hype and high praise it received since. And thus was not surprised when it made it into the finals of SPFBO 8. I put off reading it for a long time, mostly because I’m usually not good with hyped books. But I was also curious how Skies pulled off a world in which there are 12 domains with their own gods and customs and people.
As such, my favorite part about The Thirteenth Hour definitely was the worldbuilding. It’s been a while since I came across something this cool. I loved the concept of time, and how each domain represented an hour, I loved the different people that came with each domain, and their different abilities and I can only imagine how many hours of brainstorming it must have taken to figure out all the details to make it all work. I’m definitely tipping my non-existent hat before Skies. I enjoyed the aspects of societal issues, the connection with the gods – generally all the mythological aspect, you know I love that stuff a lot -, the careful and thoughtful approach to the diverse cast of characters. I’m pretty sure everyone will find one character they can identify with.
This being a vast world and all that, it takes some time for the reader to get their footing and be able to sort in their minds who is who. As others pointed out, it’s a bit info-dumpy at places, and the pacing can be a bit uneven, but once things start to fall into place, it evens out. I also liked the initial premise of the book with a murder investigation at the heart, as I’m a sucker for those. It didn’t get as much focus as I would have liked to, but it was fascinating nonetheless.
I had a feeling that The Thirteenth Hour couldn’t quite decide if it wanted to be a plot-driven or character-driven story and it ended up being a bit out of balance for me. Toward the end, the plot became a bit overcomplicated (although not very predictable which is a big accomplishment if you have visions involved), and although we get to spend a lot of time with the MCs, I never really warmed up to them. Now that’s a problem (for me), because I tend to like books the most if I can be invested in the characters. And here I just couldn’t be. Not that I hated them or anything, it’s just that I couldn’t bond with them, if you know what I mean. I could feel for both Quen and Kayl, though, and I think if I had to pick a favorite I would pick Quen. That said, Skies put both of them through the grinder. If I ever found myself in this world, I would be very afraid of her indeed.
Keeping my review short, it’s never easy to live up to the hype and expectations. The Thirteenth Hour thankfully does not disappoint. I think if it was a bit trimmed and I could connect more with the characters (which is a totally subjective thing, so you know, it can be a me thing), it could very well become one of my favorite books in the competition this year. It definitely has the coolest worldbuilding, so there is that. If you like gaslamp/steampunky novels with a twisty plot, a diverse cast of non-human characters, and a detailed, complex setting full of magic, and you don’t mind having an emotional roller-coaster ride, then you definitely will like Skies‘ first foray into the adult Fantasy world.
I’ve been following The Thirteenth Hour since its publication. Even before that as I was involved with its cover reveal, so I was aware of the hype and high praise it received since. And thus was not surprised when it made it into the finals of SPFBO 8. I put off reading it for a long time, mostly because I’m usually not good with hyped books. But I was also curious how Skies pulled off a world in which there are 12 domains with their own gods and customs and people.
As such, my favorite part about The Thirteenth Hour definitely was the worldbuilding. It’s been a while since I came across something this cool. I loved the concept of time, and how each domain represented an hour, I loved the different people that came with each domain, and their different abilities and I can only imagine how many hours of brainstorming it must have taken to figure out all the details to make it all work. I’m definitely tipping my non-existent hat before Skies. I enjoyed the aspects of societal issues, the connection with the gods – generally all the mythological aspect, you know I love that stuff a lot -, the careful and thoughtful approach to the diverse cast of characters. I’m pretty sure everyone will find one character they can identify with.
This being a vast world and all that, it takes some time for the reader to get their footing and be able to sort in their minds who is who. As others pointed out, it’s a bit info-dumpy at places, and the pacing can be a bit uneven, but once things start to fall into place, it evens out. I also liked the initial premise of the book with a murder investigation at the heart, as I’m a sucker for those. It didn’t get as much focus as I would have liked to, but it was fascinating nonetheless.
I had a feeling that The Thirteenth Hour couldn’t quite decide if it wanted to be a plot-driven or character-driven story and it ended up being a bit out of balance for me. Toward the end, the plot became a bit overcomplicated (although not very predictable which is a big accomplishment if you have visions involved), and although we get to spend a lot of time with the MCs, I never really warmed up to them. Now that’s a problem (for me), because I tend to like books the most if I can be invested in the characters. And here I just couldn’t be. Not that I hated them or anything, it’s just that I couldn’t bond with them, if you know what I mean. I could feel for both Quen and Kayl, though, and I think if I had to pick a favorite I would pick Quen. That said, Skies put both of them through the grinder. If I ever found myself in this world, I would be very afraid of her indeed.
Keeping my review short, it’s never easy to live up to the hype and expectations. The Thirteenth Hour thankfully does not disappoint. I think if it was a bit trimmed and I could connect more with the characters (which is a totally subjective thing, so you know, it can be a me thing), it could very well become one of my favorite books in the competition this year. It definitely has the coolest worldbuilding, so there is that. If you like gaslamp/steampunky novels with a twisty plot, a diverse cast of non-human characters, and a detailed, complex setting full of magic, and you don’t mind having an emotional roller-coaster ride, then you definitely will like Skies‘ first foray into the adult Fantasy world.
grimdarkurchin's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Having a strong feeling that you’re going to enjoy a book doesn’t always mean that you’re going to enjoy that book. The Thirteenth Hour by Trudie Skiessounded like my kind of thing, an expansive and original world, social conflict, and a pantheon of shithousering gods. There’s no lie when I say that I was mentally chefs-kissing with all the aggressive gusto of Gordon Ramsey finally having one of his Hell’s Kitchen entrants cook the scallops correctly.
The Thirteenth Hour is set in a rich and vibrant world, one that captivated and kept me enthralled through to the final page. The world feels alive and in constant motion with ephemeral details and peripheral action, making for a world that exists outside of each individual page or scene. Gaslamp isn’t something I’ve read a great deal of, despite loving the little that I have, but Chime and the wider world feel like a perfect fit for the genre. It has the dark grittiness of Krystle Matar’s Legacy of the Brightwash but also the magical shine of P. Djèlí Clark’s Cairo.
Characters are exceptionally diverse, with no humans in sight and a range of well-crafted races and gender/sexual fluidity throughout. Displaying breathtaking ingenuity, Skies manages to make every race, pantheon, and domain feel authentic, and like the cogs in a pocket watch, all of these individual elements move together smoothly and with perfectly imperfect balance.
The narrative does move at a relatively slow pace, though this is understandable given the extreme scope, but it was such a delightful read that it still went by far too quickly. The only negative I have is that there was perhaps a little too much information being given at times; with that being said, this is now one of my favourite fantasy worlds, so I have to say that the end justified the means.
sorayacorcoran's review
5.0
The Thirteenth Hour is a gem!
This book is for mature readers, and the author gives content warnings in the first page.
“For a city that bows to cruel gods, it’ll take godless heathens to save it.”
The book does not disappoint. Fantasy has always been my go-to and I’ve been increasingly drawn to steampunk vibes as of late. This book does more than deliver top-notch steampunk aesthetics; it’s woven tightly into the world and the plot.
Our main characters are colorful and complex as the world(s) around them. They drive the plot so well! The situation is dark and messy without being depressing for the reader. There’s two POV’s to follow, and though they’re in first-person, both had unique voice and were easy to follow.
I adored this book and its quirky characters!
This book is for mature readers, and the author gives content warnings in the first page.
“For a city that bows to cruel gods, it’ll take godless heathens to save it.”
The book does not disappoint. Fantasy has always been my go-to and I’ve been increasingly drawn to steampunk vibes as of late. This book does more than deliver top-notch steampunk aesthetics; it’s woven tightly into the world and the plot.
Our main characters are colorful and complex as the world(s) around them. They drive the plot so well! The situation is dark and messy without being depressing for the reader. There’s two POV’s to follow, and though they’re in first-person, both had unique voice and were easy to follow.
I adored this book and its quirky characters!
rg9400's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I really loved everything with Quen, but I found Kayl a mixed bag. One of her relationships/romantic storylines really did not have the emotional weight that I felt the author placed on it. This is a really unique world, but it felt like the author continued to keep adding new things. This prevented some of the elements from gaining depth that they needed and also meant that even late into the book, we got a lot of exposition. I think with more aggressive cutting and focus, the author could have told a really strong story as there are some really cool ideas at play that get bogged down by the other stuff
lush505's review
It was fine but it was meant to be a popcorn read to get me out of a reading slump but once i put it down I never had the urge to go back to it
sara_g_2655's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
dominish_books's review
3.0
* You can find my full video review here: https://youtu.be/Psep_Rig_hg *
The Thirteenth Hour, book one of The Cruel Gods by Trudie Skies, is an SPFBO8 finalist, and whichever way you look at it, that’s high praise in itself. It isn’t though, the type of book I would normally expect to pick up. It’s a Gaslamp fantasy, set in a steam-powered city, and there’s a steampunk vibe throughout. So it’s a level of technology more advanced than that of my usual reads, and that should be taken into consideration when reading my review.
We have twelve domains, that are each very different settings. Each of these domains has its own people, and they all look different and have different mannerisms and to some degree different capabilities. So there’s a very varied world and although we don’t visit all of the domains, people do move between them, giving us access to different races during our reading.
I found this setting to be a very interesting concept. As well as the twelve domains, each the purview of that individual domain’s god, you also have the afore-mentioned steam-powered city, called Chime. This is the hub of this world, and the setting for the book itself. Here, there is a portal that can take you to any of the twelve domains, but on a twelve-hour cycle, so if you miss the crossing to your intended domain, you’ll have to wait twelve hours for the next crossing.
Chime itself is a very diverse city, with a defined upper, middle, and lower layer. This is the one place the gods can’t tread, so it’s where people from all domains can mix freely, although they need to remain faithful to their individual god as they do so. So overall, the worldbuilding was very well done. There’s clearly been a lot of time and effort put into this, and in the book itself, it all works very well.
The characters are not really defined by their domain, which is a good thing. Those who we see enough of have their own personalities and motivations, and in general, the interactions between the characters were quite good.
Our main characters of Kayl and Quen worked well, even if they would probably never work well together under normal circumstances. This story though is definitely not what they would call normal circumstances. As a Diviner, Quen has the ability to manipulate time, which is a very tricky thing to write into a story, as it can make a character overpowered, and make everything all too easy. I think that was well-handled here though, so it never became a problem.
The specifics around Kayl, that I must bypass for spoiler purposes, could lead to similar problems, and while I found there was sometimes a bit too much convenience to it, it was again, mostly well-done.
I listened to the audiobook and started out really liking the narration—the voice used was good on the whole—but as the book went on, I started to fall out with it a little. A couple of the issues I have with the book overall might stem from the audio, but it’s difficult to tell.
Firstly, the voices in general started to grate on me a bit towards the end of the book. With the story ramping up and various aspects leading to frenetic dialog, I felt there was a bit too much variation in the volume of narration, and I found myself cringing now and then and reaching to turn down the volume while listening with other people in the house (especially as I have a seven-year-old daughter and there was a fair amount of swearing in the book).
The second part was that this is a story told in the first person, and you have two main characters narrating their individual parts of the story. There were no indications at the start of a chapter whose point of view we would now be in, and I found there to be insufficient variation to be able to tell this by voice. So sometimes I would have to wait a little while before I could confirm whose head I was in.
So those two factors definitely make me feel like I might have preferred reading this physically rather than listening to it, but of course, there’s no way of telling if that would change my overall perception of the book. As it is, I ended up appreciating a lot of the book, but not enjoying it as much as I’d hoped I might.
The Thirteenth Hour, book one of The Cruel Gods by Trudie Skies, is an SPFBO8 finalist, and whichever way you look at it, that’s high praise in itself. It isn’t though, the type of book I would normally expect to pick up. It’s a Gaslamp fantasy, set in a steam-powered city, and there’s a steampunk vibe throughout. So it’s a level of technology more advanced than that of my usual reads, and that should be taken into consideration when reading my review.
We have twelve domains, that are each very different settings. Each of these domains has its own people, and they all look different and have different mannerisms and to some degree different capabilities. So there’s a very varied world and although we don’t visit all of the domains, people do move between them, giving us access to different races during our reading.
I found this setting to be a very interesting concept. As well as the twelve domains, each the purview of that individual domain’s god, you also have the afore-mentioned steam-powered city, called Chime. This is the hub of this world, and the setting for the book itself. Here, there is a portal that can take you to any of the twelve domains, but on a twelve-hour cycle, so if you miss the crossing to your intended domain, you’ll have to wait twelve hours for the next crossing.
Chime itself is a very diverse city, with a defined upper, middle, and lower layer. This is the one place the gods can’t tread, so it’s where people from all domains can mix freely, although they need to remain faithful to their individual god as they do so. So overall, the worldbuilding was very well done. There’s clearly been a lot of time and effort put into this, and in the book itself, it all works very well.
The characters are not really defined by their domain, which is a good thing. Those who we see enough of have their own personalities and motivations, and in general, the interactions between the characters were quite good.
Our main characters of Kayl and Quen worked well, even if they would probably never work well together under normal circumstances. This story though is definitely not what they would call normal circumstances. As a Diviner, Quen has the ability to manipulate time, which is a very tricky thing to write into a story, as it can make a character overpowered, and make everything all too easy. I think that was well-handled here though, so it never became a problem.
The specifics around Kayl, that I must bypass for spoiler purposes, could lead to similar problems, and while I found there was sometimes a bit too much convenience to it, it was again, mostly well-done.
I listened to the audiobook and started out really liking the narration—the voice used was good on the whole—but as the book went on, I started to fall out with it a little. A couple of the issues I have with the book overall might stem from the audio, but it’s difficult to tell.
Firstly, the voices in general started to grate on me a bit towards the end of the book. With the story ramping up and various aspects leading to frenetic dialog, I felt there was a bit too much variation in the volume of narration, and I found myself cringing now and then and reaching to turn down the volume while listening with other people in the house (especially as I have a seven-year-old daughter and there was a fair amount of swearing in the book).
The second part was that this is a story told in the first person, and you have two main characters narrating their individual parts of the story. There were no indications at the start of a chapter whose point of view we would now be in, and I found there to be insufficient variation to be able to tell this by voice. So sometimes I would have to wait a little while before I could confirm whose head I was in.
So those two factors definitely make me feel like I might have preferred reading this physically rather than listening to it, but of course, there’s no way of telling if that would change my overall perception of the book. As it is, I ended up appreciating a lot of the book, but not enjoying it as much as I’d hoped I might.
llmacrae's review against another edition
5.0
I apologise for how long it’s taken me to read this. This is purely a failing on my part and is in no way a reflection of this book’s quality or enjoyment - which are excellent.
Thirteenth Hour is listed as Gaslamp fantasy, which was something new for me. Think urban fantasy but with a strong flavour of victorian steampunk. There are tea shops, there are brass pipes, there are machines, and there is plenty of magic.
Set in Chime, a city where the 12 (somewhat ruthless and mostly cruel) gods cannot tread, it’s a melting pot of people from all 12 domains where their various gods rule. You know it’s a good book when you can recognise each race of people without having to think “wait, who/what is that again?”
Each of the 12 races have a distinct appearance and set of powers - Diviners can stop time (or slow it down/speed it up), Vesper control shadows, Glimmer control light, Fauna can transform into various animals etc. It’s wildly different, and while a few races are more typical fantasy fare, there are a lot of new spins on them. I was excited to discover each and every race, and learn more of them and their powers.
Fantasy books can be intimidating. There are whole new worlds to learn, people’s names, magic systems, the setting of the story. This is masterfully written. There are no infodumps, no exposition to drag things down. Need to know information is fed through in a natural way that never became overwhelming. There is a lot to get through in this book - it’s quite a chunk! - but at no point did I feel hit over the head with an onslaught of “and so this is how the world works” which was refreshing and greatly appreciated.
The book holds some familiar tropes - an upper city vs an undercity; found family; amnesia (sort of); and things being far more than they appear. There’s a thread of a murder mystery running through it, which is the driving force for much of the book, before it shifts gears into something altogether more sinister. The last quarter or so of the book charges forward at breakneck speed, making me desperate to read one more page - one more chapter! There are some dark things that happen, so be prepared for some parts that are difficult or uncomfortable to read.
Characters are one of Skies’ biggest strengths. Told from two first-person perspectives (a tricky ask at the best of times), Kayl and Quen lead the story. They are flanked by a colourful plethora of side characters, some major and some minor, and they all have vibrant personalities and are clearly distinct from one another (Sinder and Vincent were probably my favourites outside the leads). The story leads our cast down dark paths and into unexpected situations, and several times I was baffled as to how they’d get themselves out of trouble!
Also my advice is to have a snack with you while you read this (or eat a large meal before), because all the descriptions of tea and biscuits, scones and pastries, and other delicacies made me ragingly hungry for the most part!
So much of the world building and character behaviours - especially Quen - is quintessentially British. If you’ve spent any time in the UK, you’ll know what I mean, and that brought a flavour of comfort to the read in a way I didn’t realise I needed, but came to enjoy very much.
If you want something that truly feels different, unique, and original, I highly recommend The Thirteenth Hour. There are fresh ideas, brilliant worldbulding (Chime feels so lived in), exceptional characters, and an absolutely brilliant, beautiful writing style!
Thirteenth Hour is listed as Gaslamp fantasy, which was something new for me. Think urban fantasy but with a strong flavour of victorian steampunk. There are tea shops, there are brass pipes, there are machines, and there is plenty of magic.
Set in Chime, a city where the 12 (somewhat ruthless and mostly cruel) gods cannot tread, it’s a melting pot of people from all 12 domains where their various gods rule. You know it’s a good book when you can recognise each race of people without having to think “wait, who/what is that again?”
Each of the 12 races have a distinct appearance and set of powers - Diviners can stop time (or slow it down/speed it up), Vesper control shadows, Glimmer control light, Fauna can transform into various animals etc. It’s wildly different, and while a few races are more typical fantasy fare, there are a lot of new spins on them. I was excited to discover each and every race, and learn more of them and their powers.
Fantasy books can be intimidating. There are whole new worlds to learn, people’s names, magic systems, the setting of the story. This is masterfully written. There are no infodumps, no exposition to drag things down. Need to know information is fed through in a natural way that never became overwhelming. There is a lot to get through in this book - it’s quite a chunk! - but at no point did I feel hit over the head with an onslaught of “and so this is how the world works” which was refreshing and greatly appreciated.
The book holds some familiar tropes - an upper city vs an undercity; found family; amnesia (sort of); and things being far more than they appear. There’s a thread of a murder mystery running through it, which is the driving force for much of the book, before it shifts gears into something altogether more sinister. The last quarter or so of the book charges forward at breakneck speed, making me desperate to read one more page - one more chapter! There are some dark things that happen, so be prepared for some parts that are difficult or uncomfortable to read.
Characters are one of Skies’ biggest strengths. Told from two first-person perspectives (a tricky ask at the best of times), Kayl and Quen lead the story. They are flanked by a colourful plethora of side characters, some major and some minor, and they all have vibrant personalities and are clearly distinct from one another (Sinder and Vincent were probably my favourites outside the leads). The story leads our cast down dark paths and into unexpected situations, and several times I was baffled as to how they’d get themselves out of trouble!
Also my advice is to have a snack with you while you read this (or eat a large meal before), because all the descriptions of tea and biscuits, scones and pastries, and other delicacies made me ragingly hungry for the most part!
So much of the world building and character behaviours - especially Quen - is quintessentially British. If you’ve spent any time in the UK, you’ll know what I mean, and that brought a flavour of comfort to the read in a way I didn’t realise I needed, but came to enjoy very much.
If you want something that truly feels different, unique, and original, I highly recommend The Thirteenth Hour. There are fresh ideas, brilliant worldbulding (Chime feels so lived in), exceptional characters, and an absolutely brilliant, beautiful writing style!
bory's review against another edition
4.0
Great world-building, unique settings, great principle protagonists. Quen is so delightfully awkward and British, with his tea and biscuits (even though Britain doesn't exits in this world) that I couldn't help but love him.
The story strikes a good balance balance of action, mystery, character development, and some darker themes.
I appreciate the variety we see in the twelve different mortal races, and that they are not your bog-standard elf, orcs, dwarfs, etc.
I'm not going to lie, though, all the religious prattling god old fast. It makes sense in the context of the book, but still.
My copy of The Children of Chaos can't come soon enough!
The story strikes a good balance balance of action, mystery, character development, and some darker themes.
I appreciate the variety we see in the twelve different mortal races, and that they are not your bog-standard elf, orcs, dwarfs, etc.
I'm not going to lie, though, all the religious prattling god old fast. It makes sense in the context of the book, but still.
My copy of The Children of Chaos can't come soon enough!
dinipandareads's review against another edition
5.0
I read this book as part of the blog tour hosted by The Write Reads. Special thanks to the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review! 4.5 stars rounded up.
If you look at my reading history over the last year and a half, you'll see that I haven't been in much of a fantasy mood, so I wasn't quite sure how I would feel about this read. I needn't have worried though because Trudie Skies managed to so quickly reel me into this incredible world that they've created, and I didn't want to put the story down for a minute—at over 500 pages, this one's a bit of a chonkster but I finished it in a little over a day. I have a feeling my review is gonna be a bit of a mess despite trying to write something coherent lol? But long story short: if you enjoy fantastic world-building with diverse realms and cultures, a great cast of main and supporting characters with found family vibes, and a compelling mystery in a fast-paced urban setting, then you won't want to miss out on this gem! This is one of the most unique urban steampunk portal fantasies that I've had the pleasure to read and I'm so glad that it came across my radar!
side note: for those who are subscribed, you'll find this title on Kindle Unlimited. you're welcome!
If you look at my reading history over the last year and a half, you'll see that I haven't been in much of a fantasy mood, so I wasn't quite sure how I would feel about this read. I needn't have worried though because Trudie Skies managed to so quickly reel me into this incredible world that they've created, and I didn't want to put the story down for a minute—at over 500 pages, this one's a bit of a chonkster but I finished it in a little over a day. I have a feeling my review is gonna be a bit of a mess despite trying to write something coherent lol? But long story short: if you enjoy fantastic world-building with diverse realms and cultures, a great cast of main and supporting characters with found family vibes, and a compelling mystery in a fast-paced urban setting, then you won't want to miss out on this gem! This is one of the most unique urban steampunk portal fantasies that I've had the pleasure to read and I'm so glad that it came across my radar!
side note: for those who are subscribed, you'll find this title on Kindle Unlimited. you're welcome!