Reviews

Another amazing work by T.D. Cloud. Seriously, none of their work has ever disappointed and Ossuary is no exception. A darker, more horrifying work than their usual fare, but just as well written and powerful as their full length novels.

Thierry Pryor is a witch whose family previously hunted monsters, including vampires, and practiced dark magic. Even though Thierry does none of these things and his parents mostly kept him away from previous generations in an attempt to separate themselves from the sordid history of the Pryor name, Thierry is still an outcast and seen as a bomb waiting to blow. Everyone fears he will go dark eventually and ignores him at best and bullies him at worst.

This story involves Thierry going into the catacombs with three others; new witch Manon, head witch Basile, and witch Hippolyte. Honestly, I ended up hating them all. Hippolyte for his horrible treatment and lies about Thierry, Manon for being a gullible little girl and being sucked in by Hippolyte’s scummy charm, and Basile for being unable to have a backbone and be an impartial leader. I truly thought they deserved what happened to them in the end.

I don’t want to go into the story too much for fear of spoiling anything because it’s such a short read, but let’s just say that things, obviously, don’t go as planned and quickly descend into chaos and it gets bloody fast. I very much enjoyed the story for what was in the catacombs and why, how it relates aback to Thierry, and why Thierry is basically safe from what’s happening.

Content Warnings

readmeup's review

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dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.25

Reskinned queer Harry Potter fanfic vibes with a horror romance plot. Fun if it's what you're looking for!

joreadsbooks's review

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings: Emetophobia, blood draining, broken necks, childhood trauma (neglect)

Four curse-breakers venture into the Paris catacombs to do a bit of clean up. Spells decay over time and someone has to clear the frenzied magic. One such curse-breaker is Thierry Pryor, cursed with a family legacy he’d rather keep under wraps. His companions for this next venture are a novice, his schoolyard bully, and a manager more suited to the office than the field. When spells go awry and a tunnel collapses, gothic delights ensue and we learn the truth of what haunts Thierry both figuratively and literally. Steeped in magic and the gothic, both in mood and theme, a quick read that’s an absolute delight.

I really enjoyed how Cloud depicted the magic. There’s a clear sense of heft and consequence, where magic is something that affects the caster as much as it does the target of the spell. There is wand work with a focus on intention and outcome, rather than saying an incantation. The rules are set organically, and it’s easy for the reader to tell when things go wrong, particularly with how visceral the experience of casting magic is.

The atmosphere itself is claustrophobic, as one might expect from a tunnel story. The way Cloud describes the darkness raises the tension as much as the uncertainty. Plus, I found Thierry so captivating as a character. There’s a clear sense of backstory and this is definitely a work for those who are fans of professional competency stymied by office politics and bureaucratic nonsense. The character interactions are as stressful as the horror, and I really enjoyed how it comes together in the very end.

A really good read for a chilly afternoon with a warm mug of bitter tea. Claustrophobic, erotic, and goth with a surprising ending that makes me excited for more of this world and its characters.

triftwizened's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

sethxo's review

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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