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They aren't a very competent thief, and they frequently overreact, scream, and generally cause a scene. Prizes are sent to winners prior to publication and so the cover may differ from the image shown, and may be an uncorrected proof copy. Why is "preterit" used for a dragon's human form? The literal meaning is something like "past," which implies dragons are humans, right? Is that the big secret? If so, is the word just a name to the dragons that use it, or are they aware of its meaning?
Sometimes I feel like I'll never read a good book again. Sometimes I have to settle for an "it was ok" one. The Promoter accepts no responsibility for winners not receiving the prize before stated publication date due to prize unavailability from the publisher, technical issue resulting in a delay from the publisher, or for any other reason. It is described as “a bewitching historical novel set in 17th-century England”. The synopsis says: “After his half-brother dies, aspiring playwright Nicholas Pearce is apprenticed to Judge William Percival, an infamous former witch-hunter who is under pressure to resume his old profession. Thief Arcady scrapes a living on the streets of Vatra. Desperate, Arcady steals a powerful artifact from the bones of the Plaguebringer, the most hated person in Lumet history. Only Arcady knows the artifact's magic holds the key to a new life among the nobles at court and a chance for revenge.I am fascinated by the history of witch trials and if we truly grasp the line of history, we can see there were underlying misogny towards women deemed abnormal or acting out of behaviours. Women who were thought as witched are hunted & burned at stakes, its horrible, despicable and ultimately discriminatory bcus it was pepretrated against women only. Beware of some triggering scenes in here bcus the punishments are violent and graphic. What attracted me to the book is the potrayal of the main character as he was fascinating to follow, his fondness with Althamia is quite charming and i love her too. Her strong will & passion in her interest really shined here, a very clever girl that doesnt feel afraid to be vocal about her thoughts amidst the whole event. Although, one confounding factor that detract a comfortable reading for me is the writing style, its complex & poetic nature, sometimes can get hard to read as i have to reread the sentences just to understand whats going on. Its not simple, its superflous with whimsy proses which may worked for others but a bit difficult for me. Everen is not the best narrator. He refers to Arcady summoning him, drawing him to the human world (which the dragons were evicted from), but the first chapter is him actively choosing to fly through an opening between worlds. He wasn't forced to do it, in fact he was pumped: "I was giddy with the potential spread before me." Later he says to Arcady, "You stole me from my home." He does this to manipulate Arcady, because for some reason if Arcady falls in love with him the bond is completed. But Cassia, Everen's sister, says, "This human is powerful, to have been able to draw you through in the first place." Her shoulders slump and she studies the fire. ‘Before, I was something to be protected. Now I am something to be shunted away. Yet I am what I always was: an object to be manoeuvred.” I was surprised to see how big of a part the romance played in the book. Like I knew there would be a romance since I'd read the blurb, but the romance seemed to take up a pretty large chunk of the plot. So readers who are looking for less romance in their epic fantasy might not like it. I actually loved the romance. The build-up was torturously slow, but it made the payoff and the angst even better. Since this is the first book of a trilogy, I expect the romance was focused to build up the rest of the books on it.
Beyond the darker side of this story is the special relationship between Nicholas and Althamia. I enjoyed watching their connection grow. She is a key figure and one who brings acceptance and love into his life. One who does not care that he is more comfortable with the dead than the living. In 1645 King Charles and Parliament were at odds with one another. Whilst witch-hunting was abolished by the King, where there were women who dared to fall in love, dared to show an ounce of power, to rise above their station or to show courage, there were those who would denounce it as witchcraft. Parliament, though in the midst of a civil war, feeling it their duty to uphold the nation's pious beliefs, began to call for the rise of witch-hunters once more to rid England of the Devil’s presence. And so began the gruelling witch trials that saw countless women wrongly executed. Witch-hunts are no more than a revel. The price of admission your complacent disregard for the innocents you push into their paths.’ This has to be one of the most exquistely written books I have read for some time. The language, the sentences, the words chosen – it’s like reading a tapestry with those wonderfully coloured threads mixing to form the most fascinating of plots. Set in 1645, at the height of the witch hunts, we follow Nicholas, who has been dragged into the realm of hunting after the death of his brother.
However, that detailed writing didn't hold up its charm for long. One of my biggest complaints about the overall narrative, in fact, is precisely that it's too detailed, in a not useful way. I love a story with good worldbuilding, but lengthy descriptions and good worldbuilding aren't the same things. One can write paragraphs and paragraphs about the soft carpets or green plants in a house, but that doesn't tell me anything unique about the world (unless you can make those carpets and plants special, of course, but that wasn't the case here). Most of the descriptions in this book were generic and unmemorable. With the exception of a few cryptic terms and some emphasis on gender inclusiveness (more on that later), it was hard to tell this world apart from any other medieval-esque fantasy setting that's been beaten to death. While witches are real, women and families are treated unfairly, being blamed for witchcraft over small neighbourly disputes and sentenced to death. When an overly enthusiastic and headstrong witch hunter rides into town, Nicholas and Will have to work together to bring him down. The dead have secrets to tell and Nicholas has to put his fear aside to speak up for justice. Ammil, the former last male dragon, went crazy hundreds of years prior. Is he still alive? Called it! How old is Everen? How was Everen conceived? It turns out the dragons reproduce asexually and the temperature determines sex. If that's the case, why does it matter that Everen is male? Moody, atmospheric, gothic historical fiction is my favourite. Add in witches, or more specifically, historical witch trials, and I’m hooked from the outset. The Revels was sublime from the start. Such a smooth and lyrical writing style, a wholly unique narrator, and a storyline with roots deep in historical fact. This story is set in a world where dragons have been banished to a different and harsh world. (Hm. I think it's not a spoiler if you discover that in the first chapter.)
This is an entirely different story to the largely portrayed “cunning” woman and I love that. With many twists and turns. Men were also wrongfully accused but that is so often overlooked in favour of the traditional horror stories of women and hags who fell prey to evil. Especially the Pendle Witches who you envision as spindly old women and children flopping around the Lancashire countryside. Long-banished dragons, revered as gods, return to the mortal realm in the first in this magical new epic fantasy trilogy from a bestselling author Nicholas Pearce, the narrator and protagonist, is an aspiring playwright and the master of his own murky secret. Upon his brother’s death, Nicholas becomes the wily, assured apprentice of retired witch-hunter and judge William Percival. Much to his disappointment, as Nicholas can hear the dead. A gift he keeps very close to his chest. Their misgivings, their voices and songs are all his to bear. All upcoming public events are going ahead as planned and you can find more information on our events blog The novel is set in London, 1645, and opens with playwright Nicholas Pearce returning home from Oxford. His brother Francis has died. Death and disappointment hang heavy in the space between Nicholas and his family. But we learn from the first line: (a great one it is!) ‘Death is a song.’ Followed by, ‘I’ve known its rhythm since birth, but I still flinch from it.’ Nicholas has a special ability. The dead sing to him and these songs are marked throughout the storyline. It will take many events over the course of the plot before he feels at ease with a gift that must be hidden. There is a real irony in this, considering the part he plays in the witch hunts.England, 1645. Nicholas Pearce is apprenticed to Judge William Percival, who is better known as a former witch hunter who spent his youth eradicating witches. Despite Judge Percival’s reluctance to return to such a position, there is huge pressure to resurrect the witch hunter role, and he eventually acquiesces. How does magic work? Arcady has a cylindrical amulet and does something and thinks about the dragon gods and boom, magic. The tone of this novel is superb from the very onset. Thomas’s prose is incredibly atmospheric, mixing melancholy with formality and creating an air of tension, darkness, whilst painting a gothic scene which really immersed me into the time period. This was a time when religion was so deeply embedded into society that it was no wonder fear of devilry and curses made the people susceptible to any given whisper of witchcraft. It was easy to see how even the most ridiculous claims, even ones of women flying and sending imps or familiars to do their bidding, could be believed. However, in Thomas’ novel certain powers do exist, that of knot magic, having the power to manipulate others and of hearing the dead. Yet for all those accused most were wrongfully so, and not all who had powers used them for malice; even so the atrocities they all faced was unimaginable, which Thomas does not shy away from. Throughout I was always on the edge of my seat knowing that no character, even Nicholas and William Percival himself, were safe from facing execution and so I feared for the twists that I knew would come. Nicholas Pearce, our main protagonist, is called home following the death of his brother, Francis. Wrapped in guilt for encouraging his brother to join the Royalist army, Nicholas enters an uneasy bargain with his father which sees him abandoning his potential career as a playwright and entering an apprenticeship with Judge William Percival, a former renowned witch-hunter. Unfortunately for Nicholas this is the last person he ever wanted to be charged to, for he harbours a dangerous secret, Nicholson can hear the dead sing. Fearing that this will see him hanged for witchcraft, he conceals what the dead reveal in their songs and keeps their burdens to himself. Yet with the rising demand for witch-hunters, William Percival is pressured into returning to his old occupation and Nicholas is tied to him. How long can Nicholas hide his true self? How many innocent lives can he watch be destroyed before he speaks up?
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