goodfellows's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-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
3.75
wordsareweapons's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-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 think this book did a fantastic job of blending mystery, fantasy and a touch of horror. However I am still not sure how I feel about it. I was pretty lost on some things for a majority of the book. I think the characters were fine, the gods were a bit confusing. I feel like this started really strong and then just wandered a bit in the middle.
read_nap_repeat's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
starslang's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
michaellouisdixon's review
3.0
While this particular story wasn't my normal jam, I enjoyed it nonetheless. Hailey Piper crafts a very engaging story and I was never bored. I look forward to reading her future work.
MLD
MLD
daffodilcherry's review
I really wanted to love this book, it promised post apocalyptic fantasy set in a quasi 1940s noir city, complete with more mystery around disappearing gods. But it didn't really work for me, mostly because I found that the plot and tension were lacking.
Spoiler
I didn't enjoy the fact that we knew right off the bat who the murderer was and why they were murdering. It ruined some of the tension imo. I liked the idea of trapped gods but I didn't find the overall mythology very interesting, I don't know why. I think it would have been better to have one POV from the start consistently, and then a third of the way in then switch to another person.motaki's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.5
I'd like to thank Hailey Piper for giving us this brilliant book and Jodie Harris for her great performance in narrating it.
I really loved Arcadia and it pained me so much to see her so unmoored in the last chapters, she has suffered so much it's great go see her getting a little HEA.
I wanted to strangle Alex and Cecil most of the time, they represent the kind of people I despise, always ready to blame others for their awful behaviour. It is never their fault, they are just following orders or doing things for a greater purpose. Yeah, right..
Quoting Lilac "You can't own what you do."
And that's a massive toxic trait I can't excuse.
The world building was so good and immersive that I'd like to know more about glories and gods and how everything came to be.
Spoiler
Could other people stop bashing my poor Lilac? She isn't perfect but she is trying her best, and what do you care if she killed people? Aren't fictional women allowed to have hobbies too?I really loved Arcadia and it pained me so much to see her so unmoored in the last chapters, she has suffered so much it's great go see her getting a little HEA.
I wanted to strangle Alex and Cecil most of the time, they represent the kind of people I despise, always ready to blame others for their awful behaviour. It is never their fault, they are just following orders or doing things for a greater purpose. Yeah, right..
Quoting Lilac "You can't own what you do."
And that's a massive toxic trait I can't excuse.
The world building was so good and immersive that I'd like to know more about glories and gods and how everything came to be.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Alcoholism, Blood, Gun violence, Murder, Child death, and Violence
augiewitski's review
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
emilyrpf's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
raforall's review
4.0
Review in the June 2022 issue of Library Journal and on the blog: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2022/05/what-im-reading-june-2022-library.html
Three Words That Describe This Book: excellent world building, noir, thought-provoking
Draft Review:
The old gods have fled, no one knows why or even where they went. Without the deities' protection, human civilization is on the brink of destruction. Cities are flooding and entire countries are being drowned as monsters come out of the sea. In the city of Valentine, readers are introduced to this dark fantasy world, one only slightly askew from their own, as Piper expertly reveals its mythology, necessary background details, and current, dire landscape. A complex and fascinating cast of characters share the point of view: Lilac, the daughter of a Goddess, trying to summon her back with ritualistic killings, her girlfriend Arcadia, a former cop who works for the flood evacuation team, and PIs Alex and Cecil who add a noir twist to the mix. Their separate storylines, once established, quickly begin to merge, the immersive sense of dread and suspense increase exponentially as Gods and monsters return. Everything is called into question as this epic story races to its action packed conclusion.
Verdict: Piper, a rising star in horror, is announcing her intentions to break through onto a larger stage with this confident and compelling tale that is as fun as it is thought-provoking. Suggest it widely as The Sixth World series by Roanhorse meets Maguire’s Into the Drowning Deep with a pinch of Butcher’s Harry Dreseden.
Notes:
Epic in scope but the rotating pot and separate but constantly merging storylines add suspense and allow the necessary details of this expertly built work emerge with a compelling pace.
The world is ruled by its mythology and the gods that inhabited it before we enter, but it is not unfamiliar. Rather, with the strong cli-fi [flooding] frame the whole story has an alternative history feel. It is just similar enough to our world that it is highly unsettling.
But it is the depth of characters that makes this book better. You cannot have a good dark fantasy without great world building, sure, but the characters and their depth, back stories, motivations, details, that is what keeps your reading.
Draft Verdict for LJ: Piper, a rising star in horror, is announcing her intentions to break through onto a larger stage with this confident and compelling dark fantasy that is as fun as it is thought-provoking. Suggest it widely as The Sixth World series by Roanhorse meets Maguire’s Into the Drowning Deep with a pinch of Butcher’s Harry Dreseden.
Three Words That Describe This Book: excellent world building, noir, thought-provoking
Draft Review:
The old gods have fled, no one knows why or even where they went. Without the deities' protection, human civilization is on the brink of destruction. Cities are flooding and entire countries are being drowned as monsters come out of the sea. In the city of Valentine, readers are introduced to this dark fantasy world, one only slightly askew from their own, as Piper expertly reveals its mythology, necessary background details, and current, dire landscape. A complex and fascinating cast of characters share the point of view: Lilac, the daughter of a Goddess, trying to summon her back with ritualistic killings, her girlfriend Arcadia, a former cop who works for the flood evacuation team, and PIs Alex and Cecil who add a noir twist to the mix. Their separate storylines, once established, quickly begin to merge, the immersive sense of dread and suspense increase exponentially as Gods and monsters return. Everything is called into question as this epic story races to its action packed conclusion.
Verdict: Piper, a rising star in horror, is announcing her intentions to break through onto a larger stage with this confident and compelling tale that is as fun as it is thought-provoking. Suggest it widely as The Sixth World series by Roanhorse meets Maguire’s Into the Drowning Deep with a pinch of Butcher’s Harry Dreseden.
Notes:
Epic in scope but the rotating pot and separate but constantly merging storylines add suspense and allow the necessary details of this expertly built work emerge with a compelling pace.
The world is ruled by its mythology and the gods that inhabited it before we enter, but it is not unfamiliar. Rather, with the strong cli-fi [flooding] frame the whole story has an alternative history feel. It is just similar enough to our world that it is highly unsettling.
But it is the depth of characters that makes this book better. You cannot have a good dark fantasy without great world building, sure, but the characters and their depth, back stories, motivations, details, that is what keeps your reading.
Draft Verdict for LJ: Piper, a rising star in horror, is announcing her intentions to break through onto a larger stage with this confident and compelling dark fantasy that is as fun as it is thought-provoking. Suggest it widely as The Sixth World series by Roanhorse meets Maguire’s Into the Drowning Deep with a pinch of Butcher’s Harry Dreseden.