A review by queerafictionado
Chrysalis and Requiem by Quinton Li

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book was a wild and bizarre ride! And it is probably not going to be what you expect it to be going in. It is filled with all kinds of morally gray (at best) characters, murder & mayhem, secret underground occult dealings, paranormal mischief, complicated (and often obsessive, codependent, and manipulative) relationships, dark academia and the underpinnings of elitism, teen angst and drama! It is utter chaos at times and exactly as the author has stated, “reads like a fever dream.”

The story is told from Veaer’s point of view, and while she might not be an unreliable narrator, the inner workings of her mind will take you to some interesting places and sometimes it’s hard to know what’s real and what’s not. Elise…well she’s a bit of a loose cannon too, but she is also cunning and manipulative. And let’s just say…there was not a single point in the story where I actually trusted her. Tychon is a ghost for most of the story and he’s probably my favorite - a trans tarot reader studying religion and mythology. He remains somewhat a mystery through the book, being dead and all, but he was a fascinating character and I loved watching his paranormal interactions. Haiwrin seemed to be the most level headed of all of them. And while I really liked Adair…I still have some mixed feelings on that one. Harq intrigued me and I both liked and didn’t like him. Izot I mostly didn’t like, but he may have slightly redeemed himself. He’s still an entitled rich boy though. Long story short - there were no characters that I absolutely LOVED and none that I fully trusted either.

I liked the way that Li shifted between the past and present, filling in pieces of the backstory that led to the sheer madness that the story begins with. I also loved the religious (and maybe somewhat antireligious) themes in the book - angels, idol worship, rebirth, transformation, and ascension. 

Whatever you expect this book to be…throw it out! There were times I was utterly confused while reading and, not gonna lie, did feel like I was in some kind of fever dream. At the end of the book I was still trying to untangle the complicated web of relationships and figure out exactly what went down and who did what and why. There were so many twists and turns and secrets revealed that it was hard to keep track of it all!

Was this book everything I hoped it would be? Not quite. The writing style was not my favorite and was confusing at times. It’s hard to tell, though, whether the writing itself wasn’t great or if the writing was intentional to give it that “fever dream” quality. I think those vibes could have been achieved other ways, but we were inside Veaer’s mind… All that being said, bizarre and tangled and chaotic as this story was, I did still enjoy reading it. 

 I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op. 

🏳️‍🌈Rep: Lesbian MC & LI; Gay, Bi/Pan, Trans & Nonbinary SCs; Cane User (SC)

📝Genre/Tropes/Themes: New Adult, Dark Academia, Fantasy, Thriller, Purple Gothic Prose, Morally Gray Characters, Trans Angels, Murder Lesbians, Occult and Rituals, Idol Worship, Paranormal, Secret Societies, Tragedy, Obsessive Relationships 
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