TL;DR: A great setting and world, kind of bland characters.
Source: NetGalley, thank you so much!
Plot: Eda needs to make a deal with a demon after her brothers get caught brokering deals with another demon.
Characters: This was the weakest bit for me, everything else was very nice.
Setting: I liked the setting, it was gritty and dark, I was very sold on it.
Romantasy: Because the characters felt so flat unfortunately so did the romance, whomp whomp.
Summary:
The penniless in Blackbridge have only two choices: Sell the body or sell the soul. And thanks to Eda Shaw, business is booming.
Indentured to a capricious demon known as Mr. Night, Eda and her brothers arrange illicit Pacts on his behalf, luring the city’s most desperate into trading years of their lives for their deepest desires. When a Pact goes awry and her brothers are arrested, Eda realizes she’ll need an infernal ally of her own: Kit’rath, an infuriating demon with a curious penchant for humanity and the only being in Blackbridge that Mr. Night seems to fear. As they race to rescue her family and save the city from ruin, an undeniable connection sparks between mortal and demon.
But Kit’s help doesn’t come cheap. Now, Eda risks losing her heart to the one who claims her years—and saving herself may prove the steepest cost of all.
Thoughts:
This one shows a lot of potential, with some practice on character work this author could drop some stunning works in the future. For now, the best part of this is the setting and magic.
Eda and Kit, are primary characters are very familiar to us. Eda is on the run from a bad decision she made that gets someone else (in this case her brothers) in trouble. She’s 20, young and fairy naive. Kit is a demon making deals who is also running, from his brother. He’s incredibly old and experienced and is looking for love in a 20 year old.
The world itself is neat though. It felt vague enough, but was some sort of historical British time period. It’s got a slightly steampunk feel, but it’s gritty and dark. The magic is based around deals and demons, who are truly spirits in a different realm. The religion of the world is also suspect and I really liked the ideas there.
Overall there is potential. But I couldn’t care less about these characters. If you’re in it for the fantasy and magic, this could work. But if you want strong, unique characters and voice? Maybe skip.
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