This novel seamlessly blends technological sci-fi themes with intense, deep magic of high fantasy. The protagonist, Wren, is extremely likeable, and I found myself cheering her on the entire time. The mystery themes kept me on the edge of my seat, wondering what was happening next and why. I definitely was curious to see the true way she died, and why she was brought back from the dead. This was truly a different look on things, as I do not think I've seen a full on return-from-the-dead for a protagonist as the start to a story, so I really liked this unusual start to the novel.
The novel itself is in a different format than usual, not necessarily linear, but going back and forth between the past and present. I only stumbled a few times, but that's because I'm the sort of reader to miss chapter titles at times, or misread them. I think it's important for readers to pay attention to those! They are extremely significant as the story goes, and the timelines are important to keep in mind, even just reading how far in the past the chapter title states. This made the puzzle all the more engaging and fun.
**SPOILERS BELOW**
We start off with Wren being brought back in an insane asylum, with several unfortunate souls being torn to shreds. There's a high amount of action right out of the gate, and we're introduced to technomancy, necromancy, and Wren's magic that earned her the title "Songstress". I really love how Wren's magic works, she reminds me of many bard concepts that I have come to adore.
As the story progresses, we meet Kaito, and learn about their past together. Wren holds a lot of venom for him, and for a very good reason, too. She thinks he betrayed her with a letter, but as it turns out, that isn't the case, as he didn't write it in the first place (implied hacked). I was so curious as to why something felt so... off with her hatred of him, especially when I was shown how they met and their building relationship, which was really well done, by the way.
We follow Wren in trying to figure out what exactly happened at the temple with the massacre, and try to figure out a way to clear the curse. Not to mention, as we see at the end of the story, why exactly she was brought back from the dead in the first place. During this, we are introduced to many monsters and so much mayhem that is very well described. I particularly enjoy how the chimera were defined, and the visit with the hexen x human couple pair. (This is a highly simplified summary, granted, but I want to share my thoughts more than summarize.)
In the end, we're left with a couple of questions. Where is Summer...and HOW was she brought back? What is she planning? Along with the purpose of Wren's final cut, of course. This leaves room for a very rich sequel that I definitely would read.
***END SPOILERS**
The author can tell the importance of building a relationship well, and I really appreciate the emphasis on consent. This was approached in a respectful manner that I feel we need to see more of in fiction, especially fantasy. The fact that it's in this story made me happy. Not only that, but I'm a big fan of slow burn relationships. That was shown properly, and that is all I'll say here as to not spoil.
One important thing I want to bring up is that magic isn't restricted here, something we learn in the story. One of my gripes is the 'only certain people can use magic trope', which in this story, it was mentioned everyone has a bit of magic. That's something I want to mention as really appreciating, and reading that made me super happy. The other thing, though, is that there's clear drawbacks of both magic and technomancy, which does keep power in check. This is an important element in the story for sure.
Wren, as a whole, is a wonderful protagonist. She definitely has her flaws--which is the making of a GOOD protagonist, no matter what. She isn't a Mary Sue, but she's also just a morally sound, great person all around. She's hot-headed, stubborn, but understands nuance. She questions the 'way of things', especially with how people are treated, or how they're not even seen as people in some cases. This questioning is important, and it comes up again and again with her character. Something that never wavers, as a matter of fact. She is a mixture of technology and magic, two contrasting ideas that, well, ended up working together. I love her respect for nature and animals (seen at the end with the bird) as well.
Kaito was a great contrast. Always extremely serious, and down to earth, but never too harsh or snappy. He had infinite patience, which was something good to see. At the same time, he did know when to put his foot down and stand up for himself, but not in a destructive or abusive manner. I feel like it's important to see this more, and that this is a good representation of how disputes should be handled more than screaming fits.
The concepts explored in this book when it comes to technomancy and magic were a journey that I really enjoyed taking. I highly recommend this story for any major fantasy fans, as it brings a breath of fresh air along with a strong sense of familiarity. I rarely found myself lost, and when I did, most of the time I was guided back as the puzzle pieces came together.
Rich writing voice, strong descriptions, and highly likable characters all come together with excellent worldbuilding and setting. Give this a read for sure.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
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