Synopsis
A gruesome curse. A city in upheaval. A monster with unquenchable appetites.
Marlinchen and her two sisters live with their wizard father in a city shifting from magic to industry. As Oblya’s last true witches, she and her sisters are little more than a tourist trap as they treat their clients with archaic remedies and beguile them with nostalgic charm. Marlinchen spends her days divining secrets in exchange for rubles and trying to placate her tyrannical, xenophobic father, who keeps his daughters sequestered from the outside world. But at night, Marlinchen and her sisters sneak out to enjoy the city’s amenities and revel in its thrills, particularly the recently established ballet theater, where Marlinchen meets a dancer who quickly captures her heart.
As Marlinchen’s late-night trysts grow more fervent and frequent, so does the threat of her father’s rage and magic. And while Oblya flourishes with culture and bustles with enterprise, a monster lurks in its midst, borne of intolerance and resentment and suffused with old-world power. Caught between history and progress and blood and desire, Marlinchen must draw upon her own magic to keep her city safe and find her place within it.
Thoughts
I am here to gush about another Ava Reid story. If it were not already obvious, she has become an auto-buy author for me. Her novels are a combination of dreams, nightmares, and magic. The prose is intoxicating and the vibes are indescribable.
Inspired by Brothers Grimm’s dark fairytale, The Juniper Tree, this is a gothic horror masterpiece. But it is not for the faint of heart, so please check trigger warnings. Perhaps it is Reid’s decadent prose, but I am somehow able to overlook the unpleasantness in her books to see the layered messages and beauty. This book gives its readers a lot to chew on, with themes including: feminism, classism, trauma, power, abuse, and love.
Pick this up if you enjoy heavier books, slow-burn, suspense, retellings, witchy vibes, magic, horror, or T. Kingfisher.
Quote
“Well, you’re my first secret then, my first lie. Does that please you?”