And well, I have to say that Garth Nix has struck again with yet another spectacular book that will drag you in and keep you reading until the very end.... Here's the book for if you were wondering what it was all about:
More than a century has passed since Liliath crept into the empty sarcophagus of Saint Marguerite, fleeing the Fall of Ystara. But she emerges from her magical sleep still beautiful, looking no more than nineteen, and once again renews her single-minded quest to be united with her lover, Palleniel, the archangel of Ystara.
A seemingly impossible quest, but Liliath is one of the greatest practitioners of angelic magic to have ever lived, summoning angels and forcing them to do her bidding.
Liliath knew that most of the inhabitants of Ystara died from the Ash Blood plague or were transformed into beastlings, and she herself led the survivors who fled into neighboring Sarance. Now she learns that angels shun the Ystaran’s descendants. If they are touched by angelic magic, their blood will turn to ash. They are known as Refusers, and can only live the most lowly lives.
But Liliath cares nothing for the descendants of her people, save how they can serve her. It is four young Sarancians who hold her interest: Simeon, a studious doctor-in-training; Henri, a dedicated fortune hunter; Agnez, an adventurous musketeer cadet; and Dorotea, an icon-maker and scholar of angelic magic. They are the key to her quest.
The four feel a strange kinship from the moment they meet, but do not know why, or suspect their importance. All become pawns in Liliath’s grand scheme to fulfill her destiny and be united with the love of her life. No matter the cost to everyone else. . .
So, this book has quite a few different POVs - something that I can't usually get on board with, but I had no issues here. All the characters personalities came through really well, and I feel like you really got to know all of the MCs separately - not one of the characters overshadowed any of the others which I found particularly wonderful. I know it's weird, but I did love Liliath's POV the most, and I actually really liked her as a character, she was one of my favourites despite everything that went on in the book, and I think that you really see her complex personality come through once the book concludes.
Most Garth Nix books have amazing world-building, and this one lived up to that reputation too, with different countries and different Archangels for each of them. It was such an interesting take on Angels being part of the world, and I loved hearing about all the different angels and their different 'scopes' that each has - it will be so fun to re-read this book now I have a physical copy with all the maps, it will be so much easier to visualise everything with how beautiful the maps are.
Most Garth Nix books have amazing world-building, and this one lived up to that reputation too, with different countries and different Archangels for each of them. It was such an interesting take on Angels being part of the world, and I loved hearing about all the different angels and their different 'scopes' that each has - it will be so fun to re-read this book now I have a physical copy with all the maps, it will be so much easier to visualise everything with how beautiful the maps are.
Well, if I don't stop now I'll just keep singing the praises of this book, so all I'll say is that if you are a fan of Garth Nix's previous books you won't be disappointed, so you should pick it up. I know this is a standalone book, but I really hope to see more of this world at some point - and I can't wait to get my hands on the bonus chapter in my Waterstones edition of the book when it comes!
Overall, I give this 5 cats (of course)
This book is out 17th October, you should definitely go and order your copy. Don't forget to keep an eye on the rest of the tour stops this month, with the first half shown below!
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