It’s difficult to write reviews of books I enjoyed reading too much. This is one such difficult review. I’m fully prepared to gush over this plot, characters and narrative style and more prepared for a sequel right about now.

Hi! Welcome (back?) to another fantasy fiction book review. If you’re new here, please know that I don’t believe in spoiler-free reviews here. You have been warned. Now, I would like to thank Tiny Fox Press for providing an eARC via NetGalley for an honest review. I had a pretty confusing time reading this, ngl. But I mean that in the best way possible.

I had questions, so many questions, as more and more events unfolded and a lot was just not explained but all of that gets explained in an absolute mindblowing climactic scene. This is a story of Orpheus, Master Dark Wizard of the Exalted Court. He has helped Lore , the Empress, with Netherflame power, be it her army from Hell or drills that bring up the Hell straight to the surface of Earth and spread a rot that continues to grow over nature, cities and creatures.

This is a futuristic society, roughly 400 years in the future. I was confused by this since Orpheus had been talking about magic and government like it was the medieval times. It broke my heart to realize why. I know how I don’t do spoiler-free reviews but the spoiler is really everything here so I’ll hold back.

Orpheus believes that he is cursed. Every evil creature is trying to kill him and people in the way are getting hurt. The Dark Mage’s task is done when Empress Lore returns victorious. So she banishes him from his home, from everything he has ever known.

But more than the safety of the Palace, he misses Lore. Lore, who he had grown up with, saw as a friend and confidant, she who had cast him out as soon as his use was finished. His banishment is made worse by Fenrir, Lore’s previous general. Orpheus has made Lore an army of the undead along with weapons that spread the rot of Hell onto the Earth’s surface and quicken the pace of destruction. Lore has a new general, Ohm, and Fenrir seems to have been cast out as well.

With his easy ways, brutish manners and all the things he is not telling Orpheus, he cannot stand Fenrir. But Fenrir has different motives. He is planning an uprising against Lore, knows more about Orpheus than maybe even Orpheus does and he knows how to break the curse.

So Orpheus follows him, first to Red and then to the Pit.

The journey becomes one of revelations about the world as well as himself as Orpheus learns what he has been shutting out all these years. Learning the truth about himself also means learning the truth about Lore and the purpose of their existence. As a child locking himself away in the Palace’s library, he build his worldview based on the stories of knights he read – there are impressive references to classics in English literature – but this world that lay before him festering and on the brink of collapse does not match up to everything he has imagined.

There’s great scope for eco-criticism on this book that I found interesting. I would have liked more details about what had happened that led the world down this road, more information about the Incident, so maybe a prequel would be great too! But the author’s narrative style creates a delicious suspense while breadcrumbing the readers in the best way possible.

The romance between Fenrir and Orpheus (Fifi is so adorable) was not quite enemies to lovers but impressive nonetheless. I devoured the book in 2 days and was left gushing over the experience of reading it on Threads.

From the mature way of writing, you wouldn’t be able to tell that is Fiona Fenn’s debut novel. So if you’re looking for a story from the villain’s point of view who doesn’t even know that he is the villain, queer characters, betrayals of friendship and a truly bizarre world with tech and magic co-existing, this one is IT – 5/5.