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lkozilski's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars rounded up to 4. The world that Roanhorse has created here is dark and full of secrets, lies, betrayals, and misguided trust. The ending reminded me of Gone With the Wind for some reason.
carlosernesto's review against another edition
An interesting blending of urban fantasy and weird western genres, which also achieves a solid noir vibe.
shaytype's review against another edition
4.0
This book surprised me and I'm glad for it. One thing I love about this author's narrators/focal characters is their blatant flaws and unbalanced self awareness. Roanhorse finds a common trope and puts a costume on it, while letting some of its most delightful elements peek through. And I mean...an angels demons western whodunnit is just plain fun.
franklc29's review against another edition
5.0
I want an entire series set in this world! I mean, talk about leave them wanting more! The only negative thing I can say about this is that it is too short. I adore Roanhorse and this is more proof why. A fascinating look into the way religion amplifies racism and social division while also showing the danger of myopic and blinded thinking. Highly recommend!
kittybetty's review against another edition
5.0
What a great book to start the year. I'd been scanning the horizon for a good book for my first read of 2023, and, lo and behold, my ship came in: my library request for Tread of Angels at last came through.
It was as good as I'd hoped, and better. Rebecca Roanhorse writes the most perfect monsters.
It was as good as I'd hoped, and better. Rebecca Roanhorse writes the most perfect monsters.
fv_angela's review against another edition
4.0
Review originally posted at https://smexybooks.com/2022/12/review-tread-of-angels-by-rebecca-roanhorse.html
I can’t help but snap up each new release by this author. I’ve come to really love her complicated world-building and messy characters. This novella is not a romance, but an all-new angelic wild-west inspired fantasy world.
Tread of Angels starts off with a bang, and a brawl in the middle of a saloon-type establishment in the city of Goetia. The main protagonist, Celeste, who is considered a half-breed, deals cards and generally plays protector to her sister Mariel. So when Mariel is dragged off by the angelic police force for murder, she is determined to prove her innocence and save her life. This means she will have to deal with her ex, Abraxas, a demon lord, and work all the clues she uncovers, with very little help from the powers that be in the town.
This world of angels and demons was a sweet surprise. For a novella, the worldbuilding and character development are so well done. I really enjoyed the wild west feel. Celeste has a foot in both worlds, raised by her father in the rich part of town, but aware of her demon ancestry from her mother. She comes across as a good guy at first, but as she travels around town, searching for clues and finding out secrets about her sister, she slowly devolves into an anti-hero. And I loved it.
The ending was predictable, but satisfying. I’m hoping this author decides to write more stories in this world.
Final grade- B
I can’t help but snap up each new release by this author. I’ve come to really love her complicated world-building and messy characters. This novella is not a romance, but an all-new angelic wild-west inspired fantasy world.
Tread of Angels starts off with a bang, and a brawl in the middle of a saloon-type establishment in the city of Goetia. The main protagonist, Celeste, who is considered a half-breed, deals cards and generally plays protector to her sister Mariel. So when Mariel is dragged off by the angelic police force for murder, she is determined to prove her innocence and save her life. This means she will have to deal with her ex, Abraxas, a demon lord, and work all the clues she uncovers, with very little help from the powers that be in the town.
This world of angels and demons was a sweet surprise. For a novella, the worldbuilding and character development are so well done. I really enjoyed the wild west feel. Celeste has a foot in both worlds, raised by her father in the rich part of town, but aware of her demon ancestry from her mother. She comes across as a good guy at first, but as she travels around town, searching for clues and finding out secrets about her sister, she slowly devolves into an anti-hero. And I loved it.
The ending was predictable, but satisfying. I’m hoping this author decides to write more stories in this world.
Final grade- B
brightredglow's review against another edition
3.0
I like the size and length of "tread of angels' by Rebecca Roanhorse. The plot and details are pretty interesting. Her prose style is straightforward which I like a lot. It doesn't go over long. Pacing is good too.
I just didn't like the main character of Celeste. It is a testament to everything else that was working for me that I finished the book because right to the last page, I loathed the main character. I wonder though if that was a feature to the plot and not a bug though. Maybe I was supposed to not like her?
I just didn't like the main character of Celeste. It is a testament to everything else that was working for me that I finished the book because right to the last page, I loathed the main character. I wonder though if that was a feature to the plot and not a bug though. Maybe I was supposed to not like her?
col13en's review against another edition
3.0
I received a copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. A lot of elements in this space western novella: a mystery, a legal drama, romance, the fallout of a battle between deities, justice and injustice. I liked the story and the imagery, the backstory weighed it down in places. I appreciate the ways Roanhorse subverts expectations and character types in the fantasy genre.
londonreine's review against another edition
Okay, I had high hopes for this book. I am a big fan of Angelology, and I picked it up from a bookstore that had it in the "Employee Recommended" section. A BIG let down.
Do not read this book if you want a happy ending or a satisfying mystery. You can guess the outcome from the first 50 pages. The author expects you to sympathize with the characters from vague backstories that aren't even written. Almost none of the characters are sympathetic in this way–we just don't know them. The main character is frustrating and unrelatable. Character dialogue was cringe, and actions are erratic (not in a good way). I was very amped for the setting of a Wild West-like town full of angels and demons, but the world-building was minimal at best.
I was very frustrated at the romance subplot, how forced and stereotypical it was. Like a very cheap spin off of ACOTAR with a bad ending.
Again, in reference to plot, DO NOT READ if you want a satisfying ending. Not sure why this was recommended to others. An exciting idea, just very poorly executed.
Do not read this book if you want a happy ending or a satisfying mystery. You can guess the outcome from the first 50 pages. The author expects you to sympathize with the characters from vague backstories that aren't even written. Almost none of the characters are sympathetic in this way–we just don't know them. The main character is frustrating and unrelatable. Character dialogue was cringe, and actions are erratic (not in a good way). I was very amped for the setting of a Wild West-like town full of angels and demons, but the world-building was minimal at best.
I was very frustrated at the romance subplot, how forced and stereotypical it was. Like a very cheap spin off of ACOTAR with a bad ending.
Again, in reference to plot, DO NOT READ if you want a satisfying ending. Not sure why this was recommended to others. An exciting idea, just very poorly executed.
hbdee's review against another edition
4.0
Rebecca Roanhorse is a powerful storyteller who creates believable worlds and characters while telling exceptionally tall tales; I'll read anything she writes. Tread of Angels is a novella but take your time, savor it.
In Goetia, there are two ineradicable castes: the Elect, who are angels and the descendants of angels--and the Fallen, who comprise Lucifer's family. The primary source of wealth in Goetia is the mine where divinity is extracted to run machinery and provide electricity. There are also AIs, non-sentient, insensate figures without faces, that are activated by this same divine mineral core.
In an earlier time there had been a war between the Elect and the Fallen, led by Abaddon, and the archangel Azrael pierced Abaddon's heart. (In Revelation 9:11, Abaddon is described as "Destroyer" and "angel of the Abyss," often interpreted to mean he reigns over the realm of the dead.) His body decayed as the Goetian mountain, and the mine is what remains of Abaddon's divinity. (Watch the defunct TV series "Supernatural" on Netflix for a refreshingly modern take on Abaddon.) Abaddon's mined remains exact revenge on the Elite who come near it with a toxic poison, but the Fallen are immune. Therefore the miners are Fallen, while, of course, the Elect own the mine.
Talk about wealth disparity--you'll recognize the U.S. and its gross income disparity in Goetia, along with many other crushing aspects of end-stage capitalism. Yet, Roanhorse artfully manages to remain subtle about clear comparisons.
Celeste is a mixed young woman whose father was Elect, while her mother was Fallen. Unlike her sister Mariel, whose aspect is clearly Fallen, Celeste can pass as an Elect. When Mariel is accused of murder her older sister leaps to her defense, willing to clear Mariel at any cost.
This is a love story, both about familial love and romantic love, with an absolutely gobsmacking twist in its finale.
Roanhorse's afterword is a must-read; she writes about "the trope of the 'tragic mulatto'" and how she wanted to explore--and upend--it. She succeeds. Wildly. (There is always something untamed and wild in this author's works, which is emphatically why I love her.)
Highly recommended, especially for readers who were immersed in religiosity in childhood--and who grew up to grok the ginormous differences between trained faith and genuine morality. Something this nation's MAGA evangelicals desperately need to learn.
In Goetia, there are two ineradicable castes: the Elect, who are angels and the descendants of angels--and the Fallen, who comprise Lucifer's family. The primary source of wealth in Goetia is the mine where divinity is extracted to run machinery and provide electricity. There are also AIs, non-sentient, insensate figures without faces, that are activated by this same divine mineral core.
In an earlier time there had been a war between the Elect and the Fallen, led by Abaddon, and the archangel Azrael pierced Abaddon's heart. (In Revelation 9:11, Abaddon is described as "Destroyer" and "angel of the Abyss," often interpreted to mean he reigns over the realm of the dead.) His body decayed as the Goetian mountain, and the mine is what remains of Abaddon's divinity. (Watch the defunct TV series "Supernatural" on Netflix for a refreshingly modern take on Abaddon.) Abaddon's mined remains exact revenge on the Elite who come near it with a toxic poison, but the Fallen are immune. Therefore the miners are Fallen, while, of course, the Elect own the mine.
Talk about wealth disparity--you'll recognize the U.S. and its gross income disparity in Goetia, along with many other crushing aspects of end-stage capitalism. Yet, Roanhorse artfully manages to remain subtle about clear comparisons.
Celeste is a mixed young woman whose father was Elect, while her mother was Fallen. Unlike her sister Mariel, whose aspect is clearly Fallen, Celeste can pass as an Elect. When Mariel is accused of murder her older sister leaps to her defense, willing to clear Mariel at any cost.
This is a love story, both about familial love and romantic love, with an absolutely gobsmacking twist in its finale.
Roanhorse's afterword is a must-read; she writes about "the trope of the 'tragic mulatto'" and how she wanted to explore--and upend--it. She succeeds. Wildly. (There is always something untamed and wild in this author's works, which is emphatically why I love her.)
Highly recommended, especially for readers who were immersed in religiosity in childhood--and who grew up to grok the ginormous differences between trained faith and genuine morality. Something this nation's MAGA evangelicals desperately need to learn.