A triumphant return to one of the fantasy genre's most spellbinding and singular worlds. In Saint Death's Daughter, C.S.E. Cooney gave us a world stitched from whimsy and macabre, rich with invention and heart. In Saint Death’s Herald, she invites us back for more uncanny cultures, more glittering godly encounters, more friends and enemies, more glorious magic and necromantic hijinks. It’s a world I never want to leave, a world I could explore endlessly and still be left in awe.

Masterfully balancing wit and the fantastical with the dark and horrifying, Cooney's prose continues to dazzle. Lush, lyrical and immersive, her voice is unmistakable — rich with metaphor, alive with rhythm, and utterly transportive.

As a quest that follows previously unresolved threads from Saint Death's Daughter, the plot is more linear with a smaller scope and cast of characters. Cooney explores themes of personal identity, intergenerational trauma, the echoes of war and the complicated legacies we inherit and resist.

But at its heart this is still Lanie Stones' story. Her evolving relationships with friends, enemies and her god, her deepening power as a necromancer, and her ongoing inner transformation. An utterly unforgettable protagonist, Cooney reminds us through Lanie that coming of age isn't a single arc; it's a lifelong process - messy, painful, full of heartbreak and grace.

Saint Death’s Herald lingers not just for its wild creativity or beautiful writing, but for the way it speaks to transformation, to love, to what we carry and what we choose to become. It's ferociously smart, achingly beautiful and gloriously strange. I can't wait for more.

Thank you Solaris Books for the ARC.

Highlights
~Stripes the flying tiger-rug!
~limestone is officially the Best Rock
~shapeshifters like you’ve never seen
~a very sparkly hivemind
~ice, ice, baby

:minor spoilers for Saint Death’s Herald!:

Saint Death’s Herald is a very different book to its predecessor, to the point that I think some readers will be initially startled by it. But if you hang on long enough for the story to sweep you away – and it won’t take long! – then you’ll find that Cooney has penned another beautiful, brilliant, beguiling epic to enchant us.

There’s no gradual build-up this time: Herald hits the ground running (or should I say: flying?) and thereafter never slows down. The blurb covers the skeleton (pun absolutely intended) of the plot, but is a bit misleading: Lanie and Duantri are close on the heels of Lanie’s ghostly grandfather as the book opens, but although his plan is to head for Skakhmat, he gets side-tracked and ends up leading them into Leech, a nation of terrifying shapeshifters. Grandpa Rad has big, horrifying plans, and he means to use the very soul-matter of the shapeshifters to bring them to fruition.

The showdown, throwdown, is epic.

If Daughter was extravagantly sprawling, Herald is tighter, far more direct, all the glittering opulence of the first book distilled down to a blinding but laser-focused radiance. Herald is faster, more streamlined, all of Lanie’s natural exuberance – not reined in (never that!) but turned to a single purpose, from which nothing is going to sway or distract her. Where Daughter dances, Herald runs, not with a sprint, but with the unflagging determination of a persistence predator hunting a dream.

I do not mean to imply for even a moment that this means Saint Death’s Herald is a more boring book than its predecessor! It is, perhaps, slightly less wiggly (I cannot say, ‘more straightforward’, because ‘straightforward’ implies a conventionality that I doubt Cooney is capable of, even were she interested in trying)(this is a most adoring compliment) – but that is not to say that Herald has been pared away to the strictly functional, that here all Daughter’s gleeful whimsy has been sanded down to dull and plodding Sense and Seriousness! That is most certainly not the case!

Saint Death’s Herald is effervescent, glittering, as fizzy and breathtaking as a shower of shooting stars. It abounds with muchness, marvellously so; it is a magic carpet to rival Stripes himself, woven out of love and wonder and rainbow-streaked wildness, and it soars.

>Issue of ill-mage, heir of our arch-foe,
meet is our meeting, midst sky-road and soil!
Vengeance and vanquishment at last are upon us
Capitulate, craven–extinction ensues!<

No book where one language is presented in iambic pentameter (Quadoc) and another is in the alliterative verse of the freaking Norse epics (Old Skaki) is not spilling over with citrus-pink zest, okay??? This is, like its predecessor, a book that is not only endless fun to read, it was clearly also immense fun to write, and the joy and glee and delight that went into its writing radiates from the pages like sunlight. Saint Death’s Herald is so perfectly FREE: unselfconscious, uninhibited, entirely unashamed of its larger-than-life* lavishness. It glories in that lavishness, revels in itself and invites us into the revel too.

This is not a go big or go home book: it’s a go big because big is BEAUTIFUL! book.

And that is so much better.

*There’s a necromancy pun in there somewhere, I know it!

>Undeath, in Stripes’ opinion, was the greatest thing that had ever happened to him. He was supremely pleased to be operating on the z-axis after a lifetime of apex predatoring on the ground.<

I will never get tired of how these books about necromancy are fundamentally a celebration of life and living. That remains so impressively subversive, and creative, and inspiring – and such freaking FUN.

And since I haven’t yet said so outright: everything I loved about Saint Death’s Daughter is here in abundance. The footnotes; the dazzling prose; the vocabulary, full (but not overwhelming so) of words unfamiliar to me, each one small and precious and perfect as the surprise in a Fabergé egg – a treasure within a treasure. (I love looking up new words from this series, especially because they are always such marvellous new words; but I do think readers who do not enjoy consulting the dictionary can get by perfectly well deducing the meanings from context.) And hey, all the incredible characters we fell in love with in the first book? Prepare to love them even more! Saint Death’s Herald isn’t only from Lanie’s POV; this time, we also see through the eyes of characters like Duantri and Datu (and several others I’ll leave as surprises!) I didn’t expect that – it’s a big change from Daughter, where we only have Lanie’s perspective – but it’s a much-appreciated addition! I loved getting to know these characters even better than we already do, and discovering what Lanie looks like from where they’re standing? Wasn’t just fun; in a few cases, it was a very necessary reminder that she appears very differently to other people than she does to us.

(We know Lanie as the adorable twitling who cuddles mice skeletons and nerds out over all things Quadoni and will forget to eat if she has cool bones to play with. It’s difficult to think of her as scary. It’s only by seeing her as others see her that we realise how – how world-changing she is, or has the potential to be. Which does mean terrifying, to some.)

>She is splendid, murmured the crystalskin. She is a walking terror of Athe.<

Not everything is all love and glitter, though. Because Grandpa Rad is the worst kind of monster, and he is, unfortunately, what Saint Death’s Herald revolves around.

>So there they were, his literal flock of siblings. Near at hand, easy to catch, fully matured. Cattle fatted for the slaughter. A massive resource, just waiting to be tapped.

And they all underestimated him.<

The dream Lanie is chasing, persistence-hunter style, is of a world where a necromancer’s powers are about a love of life, are for joy and helping and healing. Her Grandpa Rad is her opposite in almost every way, something that becomes more and more obvious the longer he’s running free; they are a study in contrasts, opposing forces that cannot coexist, cannot balance, because Rad wants to own the world and Lanie wants to love it. Lanie wants to let the world be beautiful, in all its wondrous strangeness; Rad doesn’t see beauty at all, and wants to subjugate or destroy everything that is different from him, that is Not Him.

>I can’t feel her anymore. Usually, with dead accident, I can feel the echo of the substance inside it. A link to Doédenna’s cloak, where the memory of life is kept stitched. That’s how I can sing the substance back, temporarily–through that link. But with this”–she gestured at the corpse–“there’s nothing to call back. It’s gone. He ate it. It’s all wrong.”<

Rad is so disgustingly awful that I wish it was harder to believe someone could really be Like That. He is obviously a villain, and anyone who didn’t already despise him from the first book will definitely do so after just a few minutes of Herald. In that, he is…not boring, because he’s not predictable, and he’s depressingly clever, but as an individual, he holds no interest for me. (Even if his narcissism has, at times, the can’t-look-away factor of a train crash.) The man has one layer (which makes his disgust with the physical makeup of the shapeshifters deeply ironic), and there was never a moment I even sympathised with him, never mind sided with him. But I’m curious to see how other readers react to some of his actions, because even if he’s unremittingly evil, he…might not always be wrong?

Because the shapeshifters of Leech are extremely Other. They are so alien that they don’t even eat food – they eat souls.

Stop for a second and think about that.

They EAT.

SOULS.

Rad might be one of the novel’s driving forces, but I think the shapeshifters are its fulcrum; are, in a very real way, a kind of test case for the themes of Daughter. We were happy to embrace the messaging of the first book, which can maybe be distilled down to celebrate Life. But can we walk the walk when we’re confronted with beings who, by any human measure, are unspeakably monstrous?

Do you still think Life is always worth defending? Can you treasure strangeness that is this strange? Will you love the monsters, too? CAN you?

Lanie can. Lanie does. This is why we love her.

>Lanie’s thoughts spun out in a ravelment of marvel.<

But it also might be the one moment in the entire series when readers really, genuinely struggle to follow where she leads. It’s not hard for me to imagine other readers recoiling from her reaction, when she learns about the soul-eating. Certainly the other cast-members have very different opinions on it!

And this – the invention of the shapeshifters, their placement in Herald, showing us the wildly different perspectives different characters have on them – my gods, this is why I will follow anywhere Cooney leads. Because she can create beings this alien to me. Because she is so clearly delighted by the creation of them. Because she so perfectly balances horror and wonder, in making them equally and genuinely horrifying and beautiful.

No, wait, that’s not quite it. It’s not that she can create something that appals and appeals. That is impressive, but it’s not an ability completely unique to her. What I think might well be is: she shows us, teaches us, how to look at horror and see beauty. Because she does make us see through Lanie’s eyes, feel with her heart, believe with her faith. Showing me a monster, and then showing me, teaching me how to see, that it is beautiful not despite the parts of it that terrify me, but because of them? So few storytellers can do that, can pull you so deep into the story that you become it, and it becomes you, so that you carry it with you long after you turn the final page, not the person you were before, transformed – shifted – right down to the marrow. Your perceptions are forever changed; you have a sixth sense, a seventh, an eighth you never had before, senses just for strangeness. So few storytellers can teach you to see a new colour, but Cooney can, and does.

What do you call that, except magic?

>Her magic, at once familiar and alien, sang in Lanie’s bones: notes like needles-of-water; chords like calvings-of-icebergs; progressions of thundersnow and sleet, of graupel and permafrost and salt-ice upon the shore. She grew dizzy with the immensity of the symphony<

It shouldn’t be a surprise; wasn’t Saint Death’s Daughter a magnum opus that took the frightening and unsettling, and showed us a wildly different way of looking at it? This is a series about a necromancer, about death-magic, with regular appearances by the goddess of death – and yet this story is optimistic, jubilant, heartfelt. Cooney has been subverting our ideas of ugliness and horror from the first page of the first book!

And I love her for doing it yet again.

>From within her deep senses, the pearly caress of those sleeping bones tidal-tumbled through her, cuddling closer, memory-to-memory, sharing the sweetness of their divine rest.<

I can’t make myself wrap up without talking a bit about the gods here. I fell head-over-heels for them all in Daughter, and I love them still – and just as we learn more about the mortal cast in this book, we get quite a bit more insight into, not just individual gods, but also how divinity works in Athe, what gods can and cannot do, their connections to their chosen wizards, the risk that’s posed each time they create an artefact imbued with their power. All of which is massively plot-relevant, because a big chunk of Herald sees Lanie caught up in situations that are a direct result of the choices made by one god or another – or choices that a god refuses to make.

I want to mention this because I found it distressingly confusing when I first read it. I didn’t understand (and felt betrayed by Saint Death, which is ridiculous, and yet) and I have the sort of brain that can’t let go of something that makes no sense to me. This was going to ruin the entire book for me if I couldn’t figure it out. And hopefully, I can preempt that happening to any other readers. Because what I eventually realised – after going over that part of Herald much more carefully than I did the first time, given that that time I was turning pages as fast as I could because it’s probably the tensest, most action-packed part of the book – is that I’d missed, or forgotten, what should be very obvious about any death deity, and most especially this one.

To you and I, any choice between Lanie and Irradiant, aka Grandpa Rad, is no choice at all. So why is it that Lanie has to prove herself Saint Death’s best-beloved? There’s no reason for the epic, horrifying, cinematic showdown in Leech – no rational reason for Saint Death to not declare Lanie Her champion and have done – unless She still loves Irradiant too.

>You can’t favor us both, she muttered, but the only answer was the sharp twinge in her wizard marks.<

GALAXY-BRAIN MOMENT. We’re talking about the goddess of death. Of course She can’t stop loving someone! She’s DEATH. Death is there for EVERYONE. Possibly other gods can reject mortals, but death? Even if you disappoint Her, hurt Her terribly…by Her very nature, how can She hate anyone? And so, how can She choose?

(I have a feeling this was even stated explicitly in Daughter at one point, and I just forgot.)

Do I need to tell you that this – Lady Death being unable or unwilling to stop loving anyone – makes me incredibly happy? Not just because it makes sense of a confusion that bothered me, and not even just because it’s a wonderful worldbuilding detail. I love the theology of it. It feels deeply correct. I hope that makes sense, because I can’t figure out another way to put it.

(And I could write ANOTHER 10K word essay on how this plays into the theme of rejecting violence that was such an important part of the first book; how the situation Lady Death’s not-choice puts Lanie in showcases this so beautifully; what the results of Lanie trying to fight her grandfather mean for this theme of rejecting violence, especially as contrasted with Herald’s ultimate climax. The subversion of conventions and genre-norms!!! BUT I CAN’T WAX POETIC BECAUSE SPOILERS. Just. Take it as read that Cooney is a genius with this too, and pay attention when you read it!)

This entire deep dive into – the exploration of – divinity on Athe is one of my favourite aspects of Herald. One of the most beautiful moments in the entire book is when a character I did not expect to show up again communes with his goddess – a goddess who is, and is not, the Lady Death Lanie knows and loves. The multifacety of gods is something I always get excited about; the idea that, for example, Lucifer and Loki are different masks-and-costumes worn by the same Power is a thrilling one to explore or play with, and Cooney dances with it here, giving us such a deep, intimate look into the world she’s created, the workings of the world she’s created. It’s ridiculously cool from a worldbuilding perspective, breathtaking from a story one, and – honestly, kind of an honour, in being allowed a glimpse behind the curtain, especially when you remember that Athe is where all Cooney’s stories are set.

Which means this is not the last time we’ll visit it. Saint Death’s Herald feels like the second book in a duology, not the middle book of a trilogy, which makes perfect sense – and makes me feel very loved as a reader – when you learn that Cooney wanted to make sure we would not be left anxious or unsatisfied if for some reason Rebellion is foolish enough not to give her a contract for book three. I mean, I will riot if that happens. But if this is where this series ends, then my friends, it is a truly magnificent ending, and I will console myself with the knowledge that no matter what, we will see Athe again.

(But also, Rebellion, I will riot. RIOT.)

Truly, a more-than-worthy sequel to The Most Perfect Book to Ever Book.

3.5 rounded up

I was so excited to return to this world, but just kept bouncing off the plot and missing the twists and the interpersonal relationships of the first book. Another reviewer said this felt more like a side quest, and I agree- while the writing was still a delight, there was less substance than book one, leaving it feeling like filler. Very fun filler, to be sure, but a bit of a let down!

Saint Death’s Daughter was my favorite novel of 2022, so there was really no question about whether I’d read the sequel. The only question is when it would come out. Three years later, Saint Death’s Herald by C.S.E. Cooney is here.

Saint Death’s Daughter stars Miscellaneous “Lanie” Stones, a necromancer with an allergy to violence that finds herself the heir to an extremely complicated family legacy, with financial and moral debts aplenty. It’s a long book with excellent prose and a tone that adeptly balances the vibes of the cinnamon roll lead and her weightier circumstances. It’s a book I’d heartily recommend as a standalone, but it does leave one nagging detail to be handled in the sequel. Enter Saint Death’s Herald.

[Note: while this is a sequel review, I have endeavored to avoid spoilers for either book in the series]

Saint Death’s Herald switches perspectives much more frequently than the first book, opening with Lanie’s quarry before shifting back to the lead and her traveling companion. It’s an opening that quickly established the stakes of the chase while injecting plenty of levity via Lanie’s banter with her partner. The result is a book that hooked me fast.

Unfortunately, there really is just one major plot arc in Saint Death’s Herald, and once it becomes obvious that it’s going to cover the full book, it robs the story of a lot of tension. There are some heart-pounding moments in the first half—the midway climax particularly stands out—but it’s hard to get too invested in defeating the villain when he’s just going to find a way to wiggle himself out of trouble and set up another confrontation down the line. There are only so many variations of “almost catch your quarry only to see him slip through your fingers,” and Saint Death’s Herald goes back to the well a few too many times. I suspect this would’ve been better as a novella-length side quest, but there just aren’t enough storylines for a full novel.

On the plus side, the writing quality is really high, making an engaging read out of something that could’ve easily turned tedious. And the other major selling point here is the ending. Saint Death’s Daughter was almost perfectly satisfying as a standalone, but Saint Death’s Herald rectifies the almost and gives the story the ending I would’ve liked to see it have in the first place.

I believe there’s another book planned, and I’m not sure exactly how Saint Death’s Herald will serve in the ultimate trilogy structure. It doesn’t necessarily feel like it’s supposed to set up another book, so maybe it’s meant to tie up loose ends to pave the way for an unrelated adventure. If so, I’m certainly very open to giving book three a shot. But while Saint Death’s Herald is well-written and provides a last bit of closure absent in the first book, it runs longer that it should and doesn’t feel like a must-read for Saint Death’s Daughter fans.

Recommended if you like: Lanie going on a side quest.

Overall rating: 15 of Tar Vol’s 20. Four stars on Goodreads.

As soon as I heard that C. S. E. Cooney was delivering a sequel to Saint Death’s Daughter I knew that I had to get my hands on it. I absolutely adored SDD and an opportunity to return to the strange, curious, twisty and intriguing world that Cooney created for Lainie and her friends was an absolute no brainer.

Before I even start to give you an overview of the plot, I absolutely have to expound on the brilliance of Cooney’s writing and world-building. These worlds are complex, detailed, distinct, and truly awe-inspiring, without being overly complex or overwhelming. The world-building is such a brilliant from Lainie’s entry into the Skinchanger city of Taquathura via the Limestone Bridge to the magically complex Sky Houses of the Sky Wizards and how they are powered – all are described to such an immense level of detail that truly brings them to live but, NEVER feels like a lecture, they feel like beautifully painted works of art that you can truly see. Cooney’s artistry here is truly mindblowing and isn’t just limited to painting pictures in the mind of the reader, as there is also a depth of political intrigue woven into the picture that just adds to the depth and dimensions of the imagery. From

Then of course there are the characters old and new, from Lainie who remains the absolute darling that we met in Saint Death’s Daughter, albeit with a little more understanding of her abilities, but retaining her joy in finding beauty in the weirdest places. I absolutely adore Lainie, she is truly an innocent, always trying to think the best of those around her but, when push comes to shove, she is there in all of her power fighting for her Saint and what is right. There are a few other characters who you will recognise from SDD, to name a few, Datu, Undies and Stripes (I adore them both but, have got my unmentionables safely stowed, just in case!) Plus, a few new characters for whom Cooney ensures each has their own perspective, voice and unique personality, which is amazing considering the complexity of some!

Turning to the story, I have noted that some of the readers were disappointed that the plot of Saint Death’s Herald was very linear in comparison to Saint Death’s Daughter but, for me that really wasn’t an issue. I think I would have been disappointed if this book had simply been a carbon copy of the plot of the original but, I truly appreciated the continuity in the sense of the Terry Pratchett vibe, fart references and footnotes that were retained and continued – for me these truly continued that vibe and feel that I originally adored in SDD.

What more can I say without revealing the plot, Saint Death’s Herald progresses and expands the world of Saint Death’s Daughter, continuing Lainie’s journey and development whilst also delivering an epic quest and something totally new and intriguing to the series. If you loved Saint Death’s Daughter, don’t hesitate grab hold of Saint Death’s Herald now.

This was one of my most eagerly anticipated reads of the year so far. I loved Saint Death’s Daughter and necromancer Lanie Stones was one of my favourite fantasy heroines of that year so I couldn’t wait to find what happened next. Sadly, for me, Saint Death’s Herald didn’t quite live up to the promise of that first book.
I still love C S E Cooney’s writing and the world building is superb. From the skinchanger’s city of Taquathura to the sky houses of the wizards, the world is brilliantly brought to life. I really enjoyed the political intrigue too especially the witch queen’s desperate manoeuvring to keep her egg from harm.
Lanie is still a brilliant protagonist. In this second book, she is learning more about her power as necromancer and discovering what she is capable of. I loved seeing her magic and her relationship with her god develop. However, none of the other main characters really came alive for me which meant that the book lost some of the warmth and love that was such a big part of Saint Death’s Daughter.
My biggest issue however was the plot as it just wasn’t that interesting. The entire book revolves around Lanie trying to track down and defeat Grandpa Irradiant Stones and we just seem to keep reliving the same moments over again. As a villain, he lacked depth and although his actions were truly evil, I never really felt that there was any tension between the two main characters.
Most of the other reviews that I have read have been extremely positive so I think I’m in the minority here but for me, Saint Death’s Herald lacked the complexity of plot and characters that made me enjoy the first book so much.
I am hugely grateful as always to Net Galley and the publishers, Rebellion Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

C. S. E. Cooney is such a brilliant storyteller! This book brings us all the wonderfully elaborate world building, quirky and lovable characters, and unusual narrative style and dialogue that I enjoyed in Saint Death's Daughter. I'm a little baffled how Cooney's managed to create such a detailed and curious world here, and to grow it now in this sequel. Lanie remains absolutely delightful, her enthusiasm for the world and ability to see beauty in strange places make her equal parts charming and compelling. This story has multiple different perspectives throughout without being too overwhelming. Each character has their own distinct voice and personality, and an interesting perspective to share at various points. Though we see a lot less of some characters in this book, which is a shame, they're not entirely absent.

It's hard to describe how impressive Cooney's writing and world building is. No detail is overlooked, and it makes it at times quite a challenge to read but an interesting one, for sure. There's also some wonderful and humorous footnotes scattered around that reflect the quirkiness of the world in which the story's based through small facts and asides. It builds on the humour that's present in the book, which kept me amused throughout. One thing I would say is that it's a really long and wordy story (as was the previous one) and it would have benefited by being edited down a little. There's one action scene that covers a very short period in terms of the book's timeline but was around 10% of the book as a whole and it's scenes like this that wore me down a little. That being said, it's otherwise an incredible series and it was a pleasure to rejoin Lanie and her friends, family, foes and new acquaintances in this book. You'll really have to give it a read to appreciate Cooney's talent!

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

“Skinchangers do not eat flesh. ... What they eat is everything that makes a being itself. Their haecceity. Their thisness. Thisness is what they feed on.”[loc. 1052]

In Saint Death's Daughter, Lanie (short for Miscellaneous) Stones spent much of her time in the family mansion, avoiding anything and anyone that might trigger her allergic reaction to violence: when that was taken from her, she found a home above a school in Liriat Proper. In Saint Death's Herald, she leaves Liriat (and most of her found family) behind, determined to fulfill her promise to rescue Sari Scratch's son. Cracchen, possessed by the vengeful spirit of Lanie's great-grandfather Irradiant Radithor Stones (a.k.a. Grandpa Rad), is heading north: Lanie, accompanied only by the gyrgardi (were-falcon) Duantri and by Stripes (an animated tiger-skin rug of great valour), must follow.

Though there are brief interludes recounting the adventures of Lanie's nearest and dearest -- her niece Datu, Datu's father Mak, Duantri's partner Tanaliín -- on their pilgrimage, most of the story focusses on Lanie and her discovery of the wider world. She visits Leech and Witch Queen City, which turn out to be coloniser names for the Free Territories of Taquathura and its capital city Madinatam. She discovers the truth about the flying castles of the sky wizards of Skakmaht, and the chilling way in which they're powered. And though she's lonely and often in peril, her innate compassion and kindness extends even to the most implacable of foes.

Saint Death's Herald picks up where the previous volume of the hopefully-a-trilogy left off: it's definitely worth a quick reread of Daughter to refamiliarise oneself with names and events. There aren't as many footnotes in this volume, and the plot of the novel is at once darker and simpler. I missed Mak (of whom we catch glimpses) and Lir, but found Grandpa Rad's life story tantalising, and the skinchangers fascinating. And I love that, in this cosy-gruesome world, death is a balm, a release, a kindness.

Cooney's prose is an absolute joy. I'm occasionally reminded of Ysabeau Wilce, just for sheer rambunctiousness -- and it's a long time since I've had to look up the meanings of so many words while reading a novel (quop! tholobate! acroteria! anomural! phenocryst! and many many more) which is a pleasure in itself. Looking forward to the next volume...

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my advance review copy! UK publication date is 22nd April 2025.

The poor, mangled bird of his soul. How it had hunched, sullen, glaring at her: wings torn, beak broken, one eye missing, feathers the color of void, smelling of rotten citrus. [loc. 5641]

I was SO hyped when I found out Saint Death’s Daughter would get a sequel, and this did not disappoint! It is funny, it is thrilling, there are great battles, amazing magic, and amusing dialogue. And it is one of the few books I can think of that there is not a single character I dislike. I mean, there are villainous characters, but they’re so well written!
In this book the world building is expanded and the character development is so fun to read. This is a lighthearted comfort read to me, and I am really hope we will get more books in this world.

Long story short: if you loved the first book, you won't be disappointed by this one.

Laine remains such an interesting main character who really stands out from any other type of main character out there (especially in a necromancy-based magical world). The found family dynamics were strong in the first book and are ever stronger in this book. The world is vastly expanded upon as this is partly a travel/quest narrative, and I really enjoyed getting to experience the more "global" magical perspective in this book. The first book felt more "local", by contrast, and so this was a nice escalation of stakes. In fact, the tension was fantastic in this book, never letting you look away or stop reading (particularly for the first half).

Overall, I can only recommend this book for staying true to its predecessor while still offering up something wholly new and immersive!

Thank you so much to Solaris and NetGalley for the ARC!

I am a HUGE fan of Cooney. Massive. I've read, thanks to this ARC, all of her works. She manages to surprise me so often with how EFFORTLESSLY everything comes to her, how natural every dip into a different genre is for her.

When she announced Saint Death's Daughter, I preordered it at my local store and was there on release day to pick it up. It was my pick for my book club. I was beyond ecstatic for that release. When she announced she was already working on the sequel, I knew I had to simply sit on my hands and wait; Cooney would deliver.

And in the meantime, the world of SDD lived in my head rent free. I found myself returning to and thinking of so many scenes from that book, and often. I requested the ARC for Saint Death's Herald fully prepared to not be allowed it, but remaining hopeful and when I got the email at work I had been approved, I was in disbelief!

The only thing I can say I disliked about Herald was that it ended. This world Cooney writes, with as much death and violence as it comes with, is genuinely so tender and so beautiful! Lanie and her found family, hot off the end of Daughter, are chasing down her undead grandfather, Irradiant Stones, who is hellbent on finishing the job he began in eradicating the Skaki sky wizards. Lanie being Lanie takes it upon herself to deliver Rad back to Saint Death's cloak.

Along the way, we find out more and get more worldbuilding. I thought Daughter did a fabulous job with the worldbuilding and explanation, but Herald shows Cooney has really got this whole universe mapped out. From the fascinating city of Tam to the Skaki tundra, Cooney knows her universe and shows it to us in such beautiful ways. It's the way nothing is alien or scary for Lanie, but fascinating and worthy of admiration and respect. The way love is so simple and natural in this universe. The beauty of family and friends and being able to talk to someone when you need your emotional support person.

We see what Datu, Makkovian, and Tanaliin have been up to and how they support Lanie's journey while finding out what the places they're in are like. We see Lir and the royal life they've been thrust into. We see Sari and the love she has for her children. We see Irradiant's past and the rare things he treasured. It's such a beautiful, funny, soft universe. As bleak as things can be, love truly does save the day here.

I loved seeing Lanie discover things about her necromancy, I loved seeing her grow as a necromancer and a person. I adore her, I adore her awkwardness and I adore how she has found her people and they love her, so much so they team up to take down a villain who could delete them as people.

The book ends perfectly, but I am crossing my fingers for a sequel. You can just see how much Cooney has poured her heart into these novels.

Along with Duantri and Stripes, Miscellaneous (known to her friends as Laney) Stones, Necromancer extraordinaire is in pursuit of her undead Grandfather Irradiant Stones, who is hitching a lift in the body of Cracchen Skakhmet. However, when they have their quarry in their grip, Grandpa Rad jumps ship and ends up in the body of a skin changer, the worst possible outcome for Laney and co.
In Saint Death’s Herald, the second book in C.S.E. Cooney’s Saint Death series, Cooney takes the hero of the first book, Saint Death’s Daughter, Lany Stones to the frozen lands of the north. The story propels her and her companions into the lands of the skin changers and up to the world of the Sky Wizards.
Cooney expands on both Laney’s character and the world in general in this second book. Unfortunately, the plot lets the story down a little as it seems to follow the same formula of capture, escape, rinse and repeat. In addition to this, there are several intermissions in the story that seem to break up the story rather than adding solidifying elements.
However, what elevates the book is Cooney’s writing which is both lyrical and poetic and has a beguiling strangeness to it which at times is reminiscent of Mervyn Peake.
Whilst not reaching the heights of the first book, Saint Death’s Herald is an enjoyable story that is full of adventure and dark humour that will keep the pages turning well into the night.

I was sadly disappointed by the second book in C.S.E. Cooney's Saint Death series. While the first book captured me with clever world-building and entertaining dark humor, I wish the plot hadn't been such a direct follow-up on the heals of the previous series. Not only was it difficult to recall the complicated series of events from the past book, but I had lost all momentum leading to the pace feeling uneven. I enjoyed the new characters, but wish the original cast had been permitted additional development.

As a followup to Saint Death's Daughter, Saint Death's Herald was a welcome return to the world of Miscellaneous (Lanie) Stones, our necromancer with an "allergy" of sorts to violence. In this book, Lanie has to track down Grandpa Rad before he manages to amass enough power to cause even more problems than he already is. Irradiant Stones is nothing if not a persistent pain in the Stones legacy. Or at least, in Lanie's life.

It is hard to describe this world, and this book, without either giving too much away or completely not doing it justice. There is wit and heart, along with intense emotion and a strong thread of duty and family. We go on a journey with Lanie as she learns more and more about what her powers can do, and how she has to adapt to meet Grandpa Rad at every turn. He may be annoying, but even as a ghost inhabiting other bodies, he is a wily bastard.

Stripes and Duantri are along for the ride with Lanie, along with other characters from the first book (both beloved, not beloved, and mysterious). We also meet new ones with their own terrifying abilities. As a whole, I adore this book and Lanie's journey. The writing gives hints of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel (in humor and footnotes/annotations). It also at one point reminded me very much of the magic battle between Mad Madam Mim and Merlin from the Sword in the Stone animated movie. Even in the slower moments, we are propelled along to see just how much Lanie and the others can work together to see if they can best Irradiant Stones and at least set a few past grievances aright.

Saint Death's Herald by C. S. E. Cooney picks up right where the first book, Saint Death's Daughter left of, so I would recommend a reread to refresh the memory before starting this book. Once again I loved the imaginative world that the author created and the complex magic rituals and religions that she has woven into an evocative tapestry that really immerses the reader in the story she is telling. The writing is lush and lyrical and readers who enjoyed that aspect of the first book will find much to treasure here.
In terms of plot, the stakes here just did not feel as high as in the first book and the villain is just not as strong or as terrifying as the Blackbird Bride. I also was disappointed to see that some of my favourite characters like Datu and her father were relegated to minor secondary characters in this book, only showing up infrequently in intermission style chapters, and I really missed them and the interplay and relationships between them and Lanie. I did like the character development we saw in Lanie though, as she learned more about her abilities and grew into her power.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

If necromantic fantasy with plenty of whimsy and heart is your thing, then the Saint Death series has the bones for you.

CSE Cooney’s first entry in the series, Saint Death’s Daughter caught my eye because it promised a blend of literary academic fantasy with necromancy tropes and that seemed like an intriguing blend. Daughter itself was a quirky book with elements that I liked more than others. It left me with enough flesh in my teeth to grab onto the review copy of the sequel Saint Death’s Herald to see this world broaden in scope and continue to push the plot into new and interesting territory.

Herald continues the necromantic adventures of Miscellaneous Immiscible “Lanie” Stones, the heir and sole surviving (let’s call it “alive” because the lines get blurred in this series) to the last family of necromancers in the known world. This time around, she travels to far-off lands in pursuit of the ghost of her ancestor Irradiant Radithor “Grandpa Rad” Stones, who fled his sepulchural prison at the end of the B-Plot of Daughter. Grandpa Rad’s goal is to possess the body/bodies of the Sky Wizards that caused his death in centuries past, thereby unlocking his full magical potential to push forward his plans of world domination.

Necromancy hijinks ensue. Simple enough.

The book continues to dial heavily into the whimsical approach to death magicks wielded by Lanie, who relies on a pure heart and rapier academic wit to get her through the plot. The were-falcon Duantri plays a more key role in Herald, taking the place of plucky sidekick and bodyguard as Lanie plays undead cat-and-mouse with her great-grandfather Irradiant’s ghost as he traipses all over the countryside hopping between creatures’ bodies to his heart’s content. The highlight of this entry for me was the evolution of Cracchen Skrathmandan (who starts off being Irradiant’s first possessed vessel, leftover from the concluding moments of Daughter). His character arc along with his dynamic with Lanie, Duantri, and his brother Haaken, along with his own shifting allegiances were enjoyable.

Completely bafflingly, one of the rising stars of Daughter, Lanie’s niece Sacred Datura “Datu” Stones, the strong willed bent-on-revenge scrappy young lady is compeltely sidelined in the sequel. In addition, her father Makkovian “Mak” also has his role reduced to C-cast at best. The Lanie-Mak dynamic was one of the highlights of Daughter given their complex circumstances together, and their evolving character pairing was something I looked forward to greatly in the sequel, to which I felt quite shortchanged. The decision to narrow down the cast of characters on Herald, felt like a misstep, especially since the diverse set of characters that Lanie encountered on her journey in Daughter felt fresh, unique, whimsically-on-brand, and did wonders to flesh out her world. One can only hope that she gets back to her unresolved A-plot to defeat the Rook in the next installment, and many of these characters come back to centerstage, with Datu playing a major role.

My major complaint is the lack of “teeth” to Herald’s major plotline. The Rook and her Council of Birds felt like formidable antagonists in Daughter, and the reader felt genuine concern for the safety of the protagonists whenever the Rook entered the scene. In contrast, Irradiant Stones felt like a very “fun side-quest to gain XP” villain. Admittedly, his over-the-top arrogance in his necromantic skills was fun to read, knowing that his comeuppance would be strong and swift. However, his journey felt mostly blase, with an utterly anti-climactic final showdown.

Lastly, as a personal “ick”, Cooney indexes very hard into the “love will conquer all” aesthetic on Herald, cheapening many of the tenser moments in the book, as far and far between as they were. Lanie is a “pure-hearted protagonist” to a point of saccharine nausea. The over-the-top sense of empathy and positive vibes that pervade every facet of this series, causes my cynical inner grimdark gremlin to hiss and retreat into the shadows.

To her credit, Cooney’s prose in the Saint Death series is top-notch, with imaginative turn-of-phrase, zest, and poetry interlaced into the world, much of the verses and general cadence of the prose matches the aesthetic she is trying to convey in this series. She also succeeds in broadening the scope of the world, introducing new locations, with the notable addition of the “skinchangers” species, forming key players in Herald. She also fleshed out much of the backstory of her world, giving interesting tidbits of prior history going a long way to cement the motivations of Irradiant and his tussle with the Skrathmandans and the skinchangers.

The Saint Death series continues the trend of “dark whimsy” that has seemed to latch itself on stories about necromancy. With similar stories by T Kingfisher, and more notably, the cult-classic necromancy science-fantasy series, Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir, the trademark atmosphere of gore and darkness that came along with necromancy has been enveloped by a “cutesy” aesthetic with plenty of whimsical bells and whistles taking away much of the visceral horror that was synonymous with the genre. I fully admit, that I may not be the target demographic for this series, with my grimdark proclivities. Others who like whimsical fantasy, with strokes of literary academia will get much more mileage out of this series.

Saint Death’s Herald suffers from middle-book syndrome and a weak plot. Cooney’s decision to forego the major plot hangover from Daughter to follow the B-Plot, leads me to believe that she may be targetting a longer more episodic nature to her serializing. With a mundane plot, lacking the bite that Daughter conjured, Herald felt quite barebones. I hope she gets all her skulls in a row, and raises the stakes in her next book, because Herald, while admittedly having plenty of heart, failed to put enough flesh on the series, leaving a currently anemic product.

This book was tough to get into. It starts right where the first one left off and assumes the reader remembers everything from the first book. I hadn’t read the 1st one recently so it took awhile for me to remember all the different characters and plot lines. Once I did, it was so much fun to read. Lanie and her friends are so unique, and there is so much love and support among them. They are the best kind of found family.

Saint Death’s Herald by C. S. E. Cooney is a delightful and fast-paced fantasy book filled with quirky characters, dark magic, and plenty of adventure. Lanie Stones, a necromancer with a passion for books and pastries, is called upon to serve Doédenna, the god of Death. While Lanie may not be the most traditional necromancer, her growing powers and her ability to lay the unrestful dead to their slumber make her the one person capable of stopping her powerful great-grandfather, the necromancer Irradiant Stones.

Irradiant’s goal is nothing short of world domination, and Lanie is the only one who can stop him. Along the way, Lanie embarks on an epic road trip across the realms with an unlikely group of companions, including an undead flying tiger rug and a former enemy-turned-ally. Their journey takes them through strange and dangerous lands, from negotiating with witches to saving missing children, all while staying one step behind her devious grandfather.

This book is an enjoyable escape into a vibrant fantasy world. It may not be the most complex work of fantasy, but it delivers a fun, engaging adventure with plenty of heart and humour. If you’re looking for a light-hearted, action-packed read with a touch of magic and a lot of charm, Saint Death’s Herald is a must-read.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

I continue to be stunned by the lyricality of Cooney's prose, and to see how she chooses to focus on the more alien consciousnesses here and the sheer absurdity of how necromantic powers can work (limestone!!!) as Lanie's story continues to unfold is amazing. There's more to come the way it looks, and I can't fucking wait to see where it goes. Pick this up and read the book before, Saint Death's Daughter, and enjoy the sheer wonderland of the prose.

Picking up immediately where book 1, Saint Death’s Daughter, left off, Miscellaneous “Lanie” Stones is hot on the trail of the necromancer ghost of her great grandfather Irradiant Stones. “Grandpa Rad” headed north, possessing the body of Cracchen Skrathmandan. With the help of Duantri, Lanie needs to put her grandpa’s spirit to rest and fulfill her promise to bring Cracchen home. But Lanie isn’t the only one hunting her grandpa. The spirits of the long dead Northern sky wizards he trapped for a century are after him too. And they have a worse fate in mind than releasing the spirit into his god’s rest.

If you haven’t read book 1 in a while, I highly recommend skimming or reading it again before picking this up, as there’s no recap and little to remind you of what’s happened thus far in the story.

The book has plenty of adventure. There’s the hunt, several dramatic fight scenes, and more magical experimentation. We get to learn more about the world, looking at Leech and Skakmaht. The skinchangers and their form of changeling magic was fascinating, especially how their explanation of the world was subtly different from that of the humans.

I was a bit disappointed by some of the characters who had very small rolls. Makkovian and Datu only show up in a few chapters and Lir is mostly forgotten. I did appreciate that Makkovian has his own quest to perform, showing his life isn’t on hold while Lanie is off doing her thing.

The middle of the book felt a bit slow. There’s a lot of great action and fun new world building and then things sort of pause for a while.

I thought the last third of the book, in Skakmaht, was fantastic. Learning more about the sky houses and the wizard magic was very interesting. I also thought the book had a fitting conclusion.

If you liked the first book this one builds on what was accomplished and fleshes out more of the wider world. Lanie keeps learning new ways of using her necromantic powers, and grows as a person. It’s a worthy conclusion.