I was expecting an entirely different story, but in the end, I was far from disappointed.

Going in, with "reaper" in the title I thought we'd see some pretty dark and actiony story, like some secret grim reaper society stuff. I would say the story is still a bit dark (and action packed) as the country is just out of a war and a devastating plague, but we get a quiet and noble main character named Cas who is returning home after being in a prison camp for 3 years. I love Cas so much! He's my boy y'all. The very core of him is all kindness and smarts. But on the outside is a dude who has just been through a lot and seen a lot of death. All that at such a young age!

The mystery and the story playing out in the background is the right amount of hints and pacing. And, oh! the quiet humor! Every character has their own levels of humor and heart ache and you just want to hug all of them and bubble with giggles. Very well rounded characterization.

After finishing it, I'm feeling that heaviness that comes with knowing a great story is over. I can see myself in the future coming back to drown myself in Olivera's fire forests.

Thank you Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for a review!

This wasn’t a book I would normally grab but I’m very glad I did. It was unique and something I’ve never read before.

I loved the development of the story. It didn’t drag out unnecessary points which basically had me bowing on the ground to this author. I also loved the relationships in this book. Cas had me swooning and I loved every second I got to spend with him in this book.

It’s hard to describe this book, because I truly was surprised by it. I’m excited to see what other people think of it!

The Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier is recommended for fans of Brigid Kemmerer, and I wholeheartedly agree. I absolutely LOVED this book!

In this stand-alone book (boy, do I wish there were MORE), we are immersed in a fantasy world reeling from war and devastated by a plague. When Lord Cassia disappears in the war, no one expects to see him again, but he appears three years later having survived the plague. He wants to forget the past horrors and just make it back to his family, but he finds nothing is the same. The King and Queen are temporarily residing in his ancestral home, and an assassin is slowly picking off members of the court. Lena, the King's sister, and Cas must work together to discover the identity of the assassin before more people are killed. All the while, Cas must work through what happened while he was held captive.

This book is filled with unexpected twists and turns and wonderful characters. I cannot wait to recommend it to students, and I plan to purchase lots of copies for my library.

A beautiful tale woven in a captivating storyline with unforgettable characters. The storyline was epic and gorgeous, it was beautiful and each scene and plot line was just as immersive as the next. The characters were real and beautifully written. Cas was near and dear to my heart throughout the whole book, he was honest and just someone you wish you knew. And Lena, what a treasure she was, she was outstanding, and there's a part in the story where she does something so sweet that if you didn't love her, that act alone makes you just want to hug her. I loved the writing and how there was no thrown in drama between characters or trivial fakeness, the plot and the characters stayed strong throughout the whole story. The brothers love and hearts for each other was touching and moving. It's nice to see a story where siblings actually care about each other. The romance was beautiful yet didn't overtake the story by any means. There were some dark moments in this book, and a couple very disturbing, however, it did pull together all the loose strings of the story. This was epic and one of my favorite books of the year so far.
Highly recommend to anyone who loves a good story with outstanding characters. This book will stay with you and you'll want to revisit it just to remember the beautiful story and people.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

*Review will be posted in my blog on 10/25/21*

**3.5 STARS**

LIKES:
*I requested this book because the cover caught my eye! I love how dark it is and the title is great too. The aesthetics of the books matches the story – there is a plague ravaging kingdoms and it’s death out there.

*Now I was very surprised with this book – I was expecting the fantasy but not the mystery aspect of the book. The writing is great and really kept me engaged in the story. It’s a quick read and I read it in one sitting.

*I enjoyed Cas, the main character. He has escaped a slave camp, survived the plague, we meet him as a grave digger, and now he is back at home and searching for a killer. He’s the perfect person taking on the task because he has Lena (a historian apprentice) at his side, he’s smart, level-headed and can even see ghosts.

*I thought it was lovely for Cas to have a supportive cast. He has a loving brother, the King and Queen has his back, Lena is a new friend and it just has a feel good vibe about it despite there being an assassin on the loose.

Random Notes:
Triggers: death, violence

*As great as the writing was in engaging me, the story was predictable. There were hints along the way and I figured it out early.

*I’m not the biggest mystery fan so I was waiting for this to have more action, but that happens at the end. I was in it for the fantasy aspect for sure and the mystery was surprising to me but if you like mystery I think it was well done.

*Cas being able to see ghosts was interesting and there’s no explanation for it. I was coming up with my theories which was fun but none of them panned out though.

Final Thoughts:
Overall I enjoyed the Year of the Reaper. I was expecting something a little different but the end result was still a good story that kept me engaged until the very end. If you enjoy a young adult fantasy with a mystery at it’s core, you will like this one.

Part fantasy, part mystery, Year of the Reaper is a forthcoming young adult novel set in an Iberian-inspired landscape.

After spending nearly three years as a prisoner in a hostile neighboring country, Cas, a young nobleman, returns home with nothing except scars, a nameless horse, and the disturbing, inexplicable ability to see ghosts. All Cas wants is to reunite with his brother and finally have some respite from the suffering in his past, but he's not so lucky. No sooner does he arrive home to his family's remote mountain holding than he finds that the king and his new bride - a princess from the same country that held Cas captive - have taken up residence there. Worst of all, the royal family is targeted by an assassin, and Cas quickly gets drawn into the thick of it...

If my attraction to media like Poldark, The Count of Monte Cristo, and CW's Arrow are any indicator, I can't resist the "protagonist returns home years after being presumed dead" trope. The premise quickly drew me in, and the rest of the book kept me hooked until the end. Though it's set in a fantasy landscape, the actual plot has elements of a murder mystery. I thought I had figured out the culprit, but Lucier serves up some twists and turns I did not anticipate. It's a tightly written book that I read in a matter of hours. However, the story hits all the appropriate emotional beats.

Relationships between Cas and other characters are deftly established and developed, often with welcome touches of humor born out of interactions that feel authentic. I was immediately invested in Cas' strong bond with his much older brother Ventillas, who hides a few demons of his own. There's a sweet, understated romantic connection (and a neverending joke about a horse) that forms between Cas and Lena, a cheerful aspiring historian. I also appreciated the complex dynamics of Cas' evolving connection to the king and queen.

From the opening chapter, it is clear that Year of the Reaper might not be for more sensitive readers. There's some gruesome descriptions scattered throughout, and in a world ravaged by sickness and violence, many of the characters have endured grim experiences. They face tough decisions without easy answers, and sometimes pursue brutal solutions. Nevertheless, at its core, Year of the Reaper is a story about recovery from grief and trauma in order to embrace love and life.

I'd recommend this book to fans of Rae Carson's (criminally underrated and similarly pseudo-Iberian) Fire and Thorns trilogy, The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold, and Juliet Marillier (who has also given Year of the Reaper a positive review!).

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for review

This was an interesting book for me. I'm not generally a fan of YA books. Sure I've read the Grishaverse books, and also some VE Schwab, some Naomi Novak, Maas, Etc. But for some reason I always focused on adult fantasy. It's silly really because some of these YA books are more violent and risqué then many of the "adult" books out there. Once I realized labeling books as YA or Adult was more of a marketing strategy, rather then a bar for my enjoyment, I decided to start reading a few YA books and seeing what I'd make of them. I enjoyed this book, the story was interesting, there was suspense, romance, twists, disease, death, ya know all of the fun stuff. I connected to the main character , I too want to run away sometimes, though I'm too old and I believe it would just be called moving. I would give this book a solid 4. I can't name anything wrong with it at all, again it was enjoyable, I read it in 2 sittings, maybe it's my YA prejudice that keeps me from giving it a 5? Hmm, let me sleep on it. More to come closer to release.

I picked out this book even though the synopsis didn't jump out at me, mostly because I loved "Isle of Blood and Stone." As soon as I started it, it grabbed me by the throat. I finished it in two large chunks, only spaced out because I'm currently so busy.

Based only on these two data points, I feel like hastily drawing some conclusions:

• Lucier just really likes infectious disease. And who can blame her? I too really like infectious disease, so please let this theme continue.

• Some good relationships. IoBaS had very solid friendships and loyalty dynamics. The romantic relationships were understated but still compelling, just the way I like them. "Year of the Reaper" also has some good friendships and sibling relationships. I love Cas and his brother's relationship. I love Cas's brother and the king's relationship. I love the lost little girl. My only complaint is that these relationships are (realistically... reasonably...) understated as well. BECAUSE-

• -SHE IS WASTING NO TIME. Honestly, the extent to which nothing is "extra" here is impressive to me. In the day and age of 800-page fantasies where entire chapters are spent on one travel scene or slow worldbuilding, this book is a sleek, aerodynamic machine delivering its plot punches with surgical precision. You get exactly what you need, which is great because it keeps the story moving and keeps you interested. BUT, as a slow-story aficionado, I do wish we could see a little more of the world and the relationships sometimes.

• I don't know how to describe the plot themes that I see repeating in this book and in IoBaS. "Year of the Reaper" almost has a murder-mystery whodunnit sort of thing going on. IoBaS was totally different, but it's still uncovering a past secret that led to present troubles. However this kind of thing should be described, I REALLY enjoy it.

It's sort of a smaller and family-oriented main problem, even though it might still affect the fate of kingdoms. Refreshingly different from the type of "chosen one must save entire world from supernatural destruction" and "angry youth must bring down society" plots that come around so often.

• Cas... is GREAT. I love him, and I love how a) his trauma is dealt with slowly and honestly and b) he is out here with a mcfreaking supernatural power that we just get NO worldbuilding for and one hundred percent do not fully address. Like, okay. I can respect that.