Thank you to NetGalley for this Arc.

4.5 (rounded to 5 for NetGalley)

I loved this book from start to finish, the writing style, being fast paced and the impact it makes for me wanting the next book in the series immediately. Noah has put a lot of imputing to produce a fantastic world building book.


Will be definitely reading the next book to this series and his other works.

First of all, I really want to thank the author and NetGalley for providing an ARC. I loved this book. The world-building was great. Since it’s not a long book, I was a bit suspicious at the beginning about whether the world-building and character introductions would be done successfully, but they were handled very well. It was fast-paced, so you never get bored or feel like putting it down. As someone who has a hard time focusing, I finished it in one sitting. I will definitely be following up with the upcoming books in this series.

This was such a compelling read. The world-building is rich without being overwhelming, gritty and grounded, with the use of gunpowder giving it a sharp, dangerous edge. There’s also just the faintest hint of magic woven through the story, which adds intrigue without taking over.

Varres really worked as the MC. She’s deadly, yes, but also layered and complex, and I loved watching her navigate shifting loyalties and her own internal struggles.

This was a short read but it leaves me wanting more. Looking forward to explore more of the Mortal Realm in future books.

A promising prequel novella (~160 pages) for what I imagine is going to be a sweeping fantasy series.

The story flowed really well and immediately hooked me in. In the best way, this story felt much longer than 160 pages, immersing me with plenty of fantasy world building and action. The author has such a way with words, his writing was descriptive and the prose was perfect for the start of an epic fantasy book/series.

The author did a good job of setting up the world and main character(s) in such a short period of time. As I said above it flowed well, the pacing seemed natural for the story being told and I actually liked its faster pace of seeing the climax act itself out in a shorter amount of pages.

I immediately felt a connection/understanding towards Varre (the main character) and I think that is always a challenge in any book, regardless of the page count. But I seriously loved her, she was complex, hardened yet still had an ability to find forgiveness. Varre is a total badass and I totally see the Arya Stark comparison, though at times she gave me slight Gerald vibes too (okay but lowkey she was a fantasy John Wick??). She felt like the fantasy assassin FMC that books are trying to write, but never succeed, she made intelligent decisions and was an actual badass with skills, who knew her shit.

Action scenes can be hit or miss in books but they thrived here! I could feel the suspense and tension in each fight, could follow along with the descriptions and was rooting for Varre the whole time.

This also includes also LGBTQ+ rep (sapphic) but if you’re not looking for anything with romance don’t worry, it’s not the focal point, I actually think it adds to Varre’s character as she truly is more than a murderous assassin.

I will 100% be waiting for when book 1 drops :)

*ARC courtesy of netgalley*