Book Review: The Killing Light by Myke Cole

Pros: intense, great slow-burn romance

Cons:

Heloise and her allies march on the Emperor’s city, but a ghastly glow behind them changes their focus when it becomes clear a rent has been torn into the demonic realm after their battle with the magicians in Lyse and demons have come through.

As with the previous volumes there is a lot of action, a lot of pain, and a lot of surprise twists. The book can get very intense at times, especially during the fight scenes. I had no idea where anything was going but the ending felt like the perfect wrap-up for all Heloise had been through.

I loved the relationship that formed between Heloise and her bodyguard Xilyka. Xilyka’s understanding of Heloise’s PTSD was wonderful to see.

Tone’s storyline was very surprising considering everything he did in the previous books and yet seemed to fit. I appreciated that though Heloise was hurt and angry, she never became a monster.

This is a great series if you want a heroine you can root for - the whole way through, one who grows as a person and doesn’t become corrupted by loss.

Book Review: The Queen of Crows by Myke Cole

Pros: great fight scenes, real consequences, long odds

Cons:

The displaced villagers of Lutet now face the full wrath of the Order. They realize they need walls to protect them and decide to take over the nearby town of Lyse.

Picking up immediately where The Armored Saint left off, Queen of Crows starts with an ambush and ends with a siege.

There’s a good amount of fighting and some real internal conflicts for the villagers in general and Heloise in particular. They suffer real losses (again) in this book.

I enjoyed learning more about the travelling people and seeing their knife dancing and magic.

The first book was so good I was a little concerned this one wouldn’t hold up, but the author nailed the ending. I can’t wait for the next book to come out.

Book Review: The Armored Saint by Myke Cole

Pros: feisty protagonist, interesting world-building

Cons:

Sixteen year old Heloise Factor’s world is upended when she and her father encounter members of the Order on the road. The Sojourner and his Pilgrims dragged the bodies of two female magicians behind their horses. Thus the Order keeps the people safe from the legions of Hell, which magicians unwittingly loose in their pride. But the Order has little consideration for the peasantry that feed them, and Heloise discovers that her fear must contend with anger at the mistreatment she and her father receive.

This character driven story is told from Heloise’s point of view as she learns that the world can be a terrifying place and that those who profess to do good are sometimes the most horrible. She’s a headstrong girl who can’t watch injustice without acting. This gets her - and others - into a lot of trouble. She’s also slowly discovering that she’s into girls, in a world where that’s not an acceptable option. There were a few moments where I wanted to yell at her for making poor decisions, but I can’t deny that Cole accurately tapped into a teen girl’s psyche, showing her fear, rage, and passion in equal measure.

The setting is medieval inspired with some minor steampunk style engines thrown in. I loved that there were quotations from various books of holy writ as well as her father’s journal from when he was in the war to give the narrative some historical grounding.

It’s very much a novel about family and what people will do for those they love. It’s also about communities that stick together, even when things get tough.

There’s a scene reminiscent of Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” and it’s just as uncomfortable to read. It also contains the sole scene of graphic, somewhat gory, violence in the book. There’s a brilliant fight scene at the end that’s brutal, but not gory.

This is a quick read that really grips you (I missed a subway stop reading it).



Note: If you liked this but want a fantasy novel with an older heroine, pick up Armed In Her Fashion by Kate Heartfield.