Something has gone terribly wrong in Terrielle, and the Blood who was meant to nurture the Realm is instead ruining it, having become a perversion of their true nature under the rule of Dorothea SaDiablo and her lackeys. Strong Queens who dare oppose her are destroyed by the males who should have been protecting them, but who fear slavery and the Ring of Obedience so much that they go against their strongest instincts. The only hope which remains is that Witch will return, but many of those who should be waiting and hoping for her arrival are instead fearful of it, even to the point of wishing that the living myth, she who is dreams made flesh, will never return.

But for Daemon Sadi, called the Sadist, there is no doubt about he hopes for. The promise of her return is all that has kept him on the right side of sanity over the last centuries of slavery under Dorothea SaDiablo. That and his concern for his half-Eyrien half-brother, Lucivar, the only means through which—beyond the Ring of Obedience—that the corrupted Queens of Terrielle can hope to control a black-jeweled Warlord Prince. What he doesn’t realize is that someone else has also waited long for the return of Witch, so long that to most of the Blood he has become little more than a greatly feared legend, ruling the Dark Realm as the High Lord of Hell. For him, Witch is the promised daughter of his soul, and he is prepared to do just about anything to protect her.

A well-written, engrossing novel awaits anyone who dares to pick up this new entry into the fantasy genre. Be warned, however, that this is truly an adult novel, with much of the tale centered around the erotic nature of living as a pleasure slave in the politically-unstable realm of Terre d’Ange (Land of Angels). The main character and narrator, Phèdre, is born in a kingdom where everyone is beautiful and no wonder, for they all claim to be descended from angels that rejected Heaven to follow Blessed Elua, the offspring of the martyred Son of God Yeshua and Mother Earth. But Phèdre is imperfect, marred by a small spot of crimson in one eye, and thus without prospects within the Houses of the Night Court. But when Anafiel Delaunay recognises her mark for what it truly is, namely Kushiel’s dart, she is given a chance to serve Naamah after all, albeit in a special way. For Kushiel is the Angel of Pain and Punishment, and the bearer of his mark is an "anguiesette", a perfect masochist of sorts. This may give you an idea of the tone of the erotic passages.

Still, don’t let that frighten you. The eroticism feeds into the very dangerous politics that in some ways might remind one of a Dorothy Dunnett, a Guy Gavriel Kay, or even a George R. R. Martin. Set in a pseudo-Renaissance, Carey plays with the subtle changes from our world wrought by the different events of her world’s history, setting Terre d’Ange (obviously a France-analogue) against the barbaric Skaldi (a mixture of various Germanics, primarily Scandinavian) and the vipers in its own nest, nobles willing to destroy everything to grasp the throne from the ailing, aged king who has only a grand-daughter for his heir. Magic figures heavily towards the end, although in a surprising way that’s likely to leave a reader thoughtful about the nature of her artfully depicted world.

Review forthcoming.

Review forthcoming.

Review forthcoming.