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A review by eggduck
Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
As someone who reads a lot of explosive and intense fantasy, I didn't realize I was missing out on the subtler, more down to earth aspects of the genre.
Despite the grim setting, this is a refreshing take on plague tales, a hopeful story is about healing, resilience, and love. Set during the aftermath of the plague rather than during it, we're taken through the quiet horrors--a child left in a decayed home, bodies abandoned, the weight of collective grief.
I absolutely loved Cas as a protagonist. He's experienced horrible things, has done some bad things, and starts of the story battered and closed off. And yet, he's just so genuinely kind. This kind of protagonist is so refreshing and I cared about him instantly.
I didn't know this was a mystery and was pleasantly surprised. Can't go too much into that without spoilers, but I really liked the directions that went in.
My only complaint is that I wanted more time to sit with a lot of stuff that happened in the end. I loved all the developments, but I wish I could've felt the payoff more.
Jehan died pretty quickly, and I didn't feel the aftershocks of her tragedy as much as I wanted to.I also wanted a bit more angst with Cas' admittedly misplaced anger at Lena for the wall chains. Again, it just felt like it was resolved a bit too quickly. While I enjoyed Lena's character and their relationship, she didn't feel nearly as fleshed out as she could've been. Cas' ghost seeing abilities sometimes felt a little underused and didn't have much of a resolution, but that's not something I have a real problem with considering it's a standalone.
Despite the grim setting, this is a refreshing take on plague tales, a hopeful story is about healing, resilience, and love. Set during the aftermath of the plague rather than during it, we're taken through the quiet horrors--a child left in a decayed home, bodies abandoned, the weight of collective grief.
I absolutely loved Cas as a protagonist. He's experienced horrible things, has done some bad things, and starts of the story battered and closed off. And yet, he's just so genuinely kind. This kind of protagonist is so refreshing and I cared about him instantly.
I didn't know this was a mystery and was pleasantly surprised. Can't go too much into that without spoilers, but I really liked the directions that went in.
My only complaint is that I wanted more time to sit with a lot of stuff that happened in the end. I loved all the developments, but I wish I could've felt the payoff more.