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A review by gennywren6237
Where Oblivion Lives by T. Frohock
4.0
I probably shouldn't be reviewing anything right now. I've got a head cold that has my brain meats throbbing to their own internal samba band. On the other hand, maybe that's precisely the right state to be in to review this book.
I was so excited to find out that this book had been published. I'd loved the first three, but I know that the publishing world - the writing world - is a difficult one, and that Ms. Frohock has to work full time which eats considerably into writing time. So while I'd hoped and hoped, I knew it would be a while before we saw these guys again.
Mind you, she's still doing it to me - hints of backstory without actually giving us all of the backstory. It drives me mad, but she does it so *well*. And it does have the added bonus of making you feel like you've just stepped into someone else's life. You don't get all of the answers because this *isn't* your world, it's theirs - and it's real, and dangerous and beautiful.
I really love the mythos that she's built up around the angels and the nephilim. Making music the key to their language and their magic may not be an entirely new conceit, but she makes it feel new - and it feels real enough in her descriptions that even those without a lot of musical talent can *feel* it, which does so much to add weight to the story that we're reading.
Once again, the character of Diago, dominates. Miquel and Rafael are there, and important, but it is very much Diago's story. We get more of his backstory here, as well as the story of one of his past lives. We also get some extra time with his boss, Guillermo, which is lovely - I really enjoy his character and it was nice to get to know him better.
I feel like I'm not doing this review the justice it deserves. I may come back and do some rewriting when I'm feeling a bit less head-spinny. What I will say is this: if you like historical fantasy, read this. If you like books about angels, read this. If you like books with strong, interesting gay main characters, read this. If, like me, you like all of this, but you particularly like characters who feel real and human and entirely relatable - definitely read this. You won't be disappointed. Ms Frohock has, once again, created a very tight, well plotted story, with a creative, richly mythological world. She's a treasure.
I was so excited to find out that this book had been published. I'd loved the first three, but I know that the publishing world - the writing world - is a difficult one, and that Ms. Frohock has to work full time which eats considerably into writing time. So while I'd hoped and hoped, I knew it would be a while before we saw these guys again.
Mind you, she's still doing it to me - hints of backstory without actually giving us all of the backstory. It drives me mad, but she does it so *well*. And it does have the added bonus of making you feel like you've just stepped into someone else's life. You don't get all of the answers because this *isn't* your world, it's theirs - and it's real, and dangerous and beautiful.
I really love the mythos that she's built up around the angels and the nephilim. Making music the key to their language and their magic may not be an entirely new conceit, but she makes it feel new - and it feels real enough in her descriptions that even those without a lot of musical talent can *feel* it, which does so much to add weight to the story that we're reading.
Once again, the character of Diago, dominates. Miquel and Rafael are there, and important, but it is very much Diago's story. We get more of his backstory here, as well as the story of one of his past lives. We also get some extra time with his boss, Guillermo, which is lovely - I really enjoy his character and it was nice to get to know him better.
I feel like I'm not doing this review the justice it deserves. I may come back and do some rewriting when I'm feeling a bit less head-spinny. What I will say is this: if you like historical fantasy, read this. If you like books about angels, read this. If you like books with strong, interesting gay main characters, read this. If, like me, you like all of this, but you particularly like characters who feel real and human and entirely relatable - definitely read this. You won't be disappointed. Ms Frohock has, once again, created a very tight, well plotted story, with a creative, richly mythological world. She's a treasure.