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azrah786's review
4.5
[This review can also be found on my BLOG]
**I was gifted a finished copy of the book by Hodderscape for a blog tour in exchange for an honest review**
CW: plague/illness, implied torture, violence, gore, blood, death, animal death, vomit, amputation, human experimentation, immolation. neglect
A brilliant standalone, historical fantasy-mystery mashup that is bound to have you engrossed from the very first chapter.
Year of the Reaper transports us back in time and place to a fictional medieval land that has been ravaged by war and plague. We follow a young Lord named Cas who after surviving both imprisonment and illness is returning to his home town in the mountains after 3 years of being away. However, the home he returns to is no longer just his own as it is now acting as refuge for the King and Queen – a union formed just a year past between the rivalling kingdoms of Oliveras and Brisa.
Upon his arrival Cas happens to intervene on an assassination attempt, one that is targeting those close to the queen and thus he gets drawn into a mystery which could very much threaten the newfound peace between the two nations.
Lucier’s decision to go with setting a story in the aftermath of disaster rather than bang in the middle of one is just one of the things that really makes this story a standout. Not only do you get absorbed by the central mystery, which is masterfully put together and keeps you guessing page by page, but this book focuses just as much on the resilience of humanity in the face of adversity.
**I was gifted a finished copy of the book by Hodderscape for a blog tour in exchange for an honest review**
CW: plague/illness, implied torture, violence, gore, blood, death, animal death, vomit, amputation, human experimentation, immolation. neglect
A brilliant standalone, historical fantasy-mystery mashup that is bound to have you engrossed from the very first chapter.
Year of the Reaper transports us back in time and place to a fictional medieval land that has been ravaged by war and plague. We follow a young Lord named Cas who after surviving both imprisonment and illness is returning to his home town in the mountains after 3 years of being away. However, the home he returns to is no longer just his own as it is now acting as refuge for the King and Queen – a union formed just a year past between the rivalling kingdoms of Oliveras and Brisa.
Upon his arrival Cas happens to intervene on an assassination attempt, one that is targeting those close to the queen and thus he gets drawn into a mystery which could very much threaten the newfound peace between the two nations.
Lucier’s decision to go with setting a story in the aftermath of disaster rather than bang in the middle of one is just one of the things that really makes this story a standout. Not only do you get absorbed by the central mystery, which is masterfully put together and keeps you guessing page by page, but this book focuses just as much on the resilience of humanity in the face of adversity.
"Loss is a part of life, my lord Cassiapeus, and grief is constant. It is unbearable at first. Then you find you can indeed bear it. Over and over again. As many times as necessary."
Though action/battle scenes are few and far between, at its core this is a dark and brutal book. The writing immediately draws you into the bleak atmosphere of a place that is recovering from tragic events however, Lucier balances this brilliantly with the emotions and persistence of the various characters which adds an air of hope to it all. The fantasy elements are also on the subtle side but wow are they effective, particularly in helping capture the spirit of the setting as well as shaping the main protagonist.
I liked Cas as soon as he was introduced, his perspective was so interesting to follow. Though haunted by his past experiences, they have not totally hardened his personality. We follow him on a journey of rediscovering his world with a more mature perspective and on finding his place amongst his people again. In fact we see much of the people in this world re-accustoming their lives and learning to form new relationships with others.
There were some wonderful platonic and familial relationships presented in this book but my favourite has got to be the relationship that formed between Cas and Lena - the young and steadfast historian from the royal court. Their banter and understanding of one another brought them together beautifully, resulting in a slow burn romance that was soft and comfortable over angsty but one that pulls on your heart strings all the same.
"I'm not sure how to be around other people."
"By giving it one day...And then one day after that, and another after that. And if, after all those days, you still don't like people, what of it? It's no great crime to prefer the quiet."
My only complaint would be that I wish the book was longer because despite the 300 or so pages providing an ideal duration for the mystery storyline, the world building felt a little sparse in places and I would have loved to learn more about it all. I also wish we could have gotten a little more from the fantasy elements and time with some of the side characters too.
However, the fact that not all the secrets are given away in this standalone story opens up the possibilities of the author returning to this world and these characters and I would very much welcome that.
All in all this was an utterly satisfying and riveting standalone that I would recommend to YA fantasy and mystery lovers alike!
Final Rating – 4.5/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Gore, Blood, Death, Animal death, and Medical content
Moderate: Vomit and Grief
onceuponabookcase's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I was sent this review copy for free by Hodder & Stoughton for the purposes of providing an honest review.
When I first heard of Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier, I was immediately intrigued by the premise. A lord who was a prisoner of war, the royal court at his home, an assassin killing off the Queen's loved ones - I was excited about the possibility of this story. However, I finished with mixed feelings.
I was gripped by Cas' story from the very beginning. I was intrigued by the world he lived in; a world only just post-war, with a princess of the enemy now the King's wife and Queen to bring about peace, those who still feel uneasy about it, including Cas, and a world coping with he aftereffects of plague, and the heavy blanket of grief for all those who have died. Having been a prisoner for three years, now Cas has returned, he sees how different things are. Grief, war, and sickness have affected those he was closest too, and having returned after all thought him dead, there is relief, but also his relationships are just different. The people he knows and loves are changed - and so is he. I thought the relationship dynamics were really well done, and loved to see Cas finding his feet amongst people he doesn't quite know anymore.
Then there is an assassination attempt on Prince Ventillas, the King and Queen's young baby and heir to the throne, and things get super interesting. Especially, when the attacks on those closest to the Queen don't stop there. Who is behind the attacks? Why do they want to kill these people? Why hurt the Queen, but not kill her? What's the motivation? The return to war? Is the assassin one of their own or of the former enemy? It's a proper mystery, and one Cas takes it on himself to investigate. Something just doesn't sit right with him, and there are questions that aren't answered.
I loved the relationship between Cas and Lena, the historian and the King’s sister, as they work together trying to figure out what happened on the journey that could possibly make sense of the current attacks. Their's is a cute, slow burn romance, but sweet subplot running alongside the mystery. I loved them both individually, honestly, they were just great characters. But the mystery was what kept me turning the pages. And when the huge, massive twist I absolutely didn't see coming, I was completely floored! I was so excited by this turn of events, and what this would mean for all of the characters involved.
I think it's clear that I enjoyed Year of the Reaper, but as I was reading, I was always expecting more. Why? Because it looks and sounds like and adult high fantasy, but it feels more like YA. That's not to say the author has written down to teens, not at all. But in my experience, there's a difference between adult and YA high fantasy. Adult has elaborate world building, intricate magic systems, more often than not with court/political intrigue, and, in the case of war, maybe even strategic war councils, whereas YA will focus on maybe a couple and leave the rest. As it's not marketed as YA, I was expecting the former, but got what felt like the latter.
We have no idea why the two countries were previously at war. There's a small cast of major characters, and so court or political intrigue is minimal. We learn very little about the world as a whole, mostly only hearing about Cas' home. There is no magic system; since contracting the plague during his time as a prisoner, Cas can now see ghosts. We never find out why, and only occasionally does this fact matter to the plot of the story. And despite the assassinations, there's never any hint of preparation for the fall out. The investigation is actually very small. With the length of the book, at just over 330 pages, before the twist was revealed I was expecting there to be a sequel. There's got to be consequences, there's got to be ramifications; someone is targeting the foreign queen, surely when her people find out about it, crap is going to hit the fan! And even when the twist is revealed, there are still questions about what this could mean. But this is a standalone, and it never really goes beyond the investigation and the effects on the small group of characters. In the great scheme of things, not a huge amount actually happens. I did enjoy the story, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't quite disappointed.
Year of the Reaper is a quick, enjoyable read, but one that isn't too complex, or a great deal of depth. Other people have really loved this story, so do check out other reviews before deciding whether or not to pick it up.
When I first heard of Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier, I was immediately intrigued by the premise. A lord who was a prisoner of war, the royal court at his home, an assassin killing off the Queen's loved ones - I was excited about the possibility of this story. However, I finished with mixed feelings.
I was gripped by Cas' story from the very beginning. I was intrigued by the world he lived in; a world only just post-war, with a princess of the enemy now the King's wife and Queen to bring about peace, those who still feel uneasy about it, including Cas, and a world coping with he aftereffects of plague, and the heavy blanket of grief for all those who have died. Having been a prisoner for three years, now Cas has returned, he sees how different things are. Grief, war, and sickness have affected those he was closest too, and having returned after all thought him dead, there is relief, but also his relationships are just different. The people he knows and loves are changed - and so is he. I thought the relationship dynamics were really well done, and loved to see Cas finding his feet amongst people he doesn't quite know anymore.
Then there is an assassination attempt on Prince Ventillas, the King and Queen's young baby and heir to the throne, and things get super interesting. Especially, when the attacks on those closest to the Queen don't stop there. Who is behind the attacks? Why do they want to kill these people? Why hurt the Queen, but not kill her? What's the motivation? The return to war? Is the assassin one of their own or of the former enemy? It's a proper mystery, and one Cas takes it on himself to investigate. Something just doesn't sit right with him, and there are questions that aren't answered.
I loved the relationship between Cas and Lena, the historian and the King’s sister, as they work together trying to figure out what happened on the journey that could possibly make sense of the current attacks. Their's is a cute, slow burn romance, but sweet subplot running alongside the mystery. I loved them both individually, honestly, they were just great characters. But the mystery was what kept me turning the pages. And when the huge, massive twist I absolutely didn't see coming, I was completely floored! I was so excited by this turn of events, and what this would mean for all of the characters involved.
I think it's clear that I enjoyed Year of the Reaper, but as I was reading, I was always expecting more. Why? Because it looks and sounds like and adult high fantasy, but it feels more like YA. That's not to say the author has written down to teens, not at all. But in my experience, there's a difference between adult and YA high fantasy. Adult has elaborate world building, intricate magic systems, more often than not with court/political intrigue, and, in the case of war, maybe even strategic war councils, whereas YA will focus on maybe a couple and leave the rest. As it's not marketed as YA, I was expecting the former, but got what felt like the latter.
We have no idea why the two countries were previously at war. There's a small cast of major characters, and so court or political intrigue is minimal. We learn very little about the world as a whole, mostly only hearing about Cas' home. There is no magic system; since contracting the plague during his time as a prisoner, Cas can now see ghosts. We never find out why, and only occasionally does this fact matter to the plot of the story. And despite the assassinations, there's never any hint of preparation for the fall out. The investigation is actually very small. With the length of the book, at just over 330 pages, before the twist was revealed I was expecting there to be a sequel. There's got to be consequences, there's got to be ramifications; someone is targeting the foreign queen, surely when her people find out about it, crap is going to hit the fan! And even when the twist is revealed, there are still questions about what this could mean. But this is a standalone, and it never really goes beyond the investigation and the effects on the small group of characters. In the great scheme of things, not a huge amount actually happens. I did enjoy the story, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't quite disappointed.
Year of the Reaper is a quick, enjoyable read, but one that isn't too complex, or a great deal of depth. Other people have really loved this story, so do check out other reviews before deciding whether or not to pick it up.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Blood and Vomit
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