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A review by dawn_marie
The Thirteenth Floor by Trudy Skies
3.0
The Thirteenth Hour, the first installment of Trudie Skies' Cruel Gods was a thoroughly engaging and entertaining read. The story follows the perspective of two main characters, Kayl and Quen as they form an uneasy partnership to solve the mystery of who or what is stealing the souls of the residents of Chime, and what is behind Kayl's unusual powers.
I thought the world-building was exceptional. The author created a Victorian-inspired gaslamp world split into twelve domains each ruled by a god, and centered around the city of Chime where a large clock tower serves as a portal to each of the twelve domains, each appearing at a specific hour. The mortal citizens of this world "belong" to one of the twelve domains and its ruling god, and when each mortal dies, their soul is returned to their god.
The gods are often capricious, mercurial, and cruel, caring little for their mortals except for tithes they must pay. It is this nature that has caused a group of residents, along with a mysterious benefactor, to form the Godless, a group whose goal is to expose the cruelness of the gods. While working for the Godless, Kayl (a Vesper) stumbles upon Quen (a Diviner) who is currently investigating suspicious activities at Glimmer workhouses. After a godless mission goes awry, Kayl and Quen find themselves working together to solve a series of unusual deaths and manage to uncover a deeper conspiracy.
The main characters were well-developed and complex, with various hints about their past being dropped like a trail of breadcrumbs leading to that SOMETHING. The secondary characters weren't as complex, but they were entertaining. I liked the friendship among the Godless, especially Kayl and Dru.
The plot and pacing were good, with enough action, twists and turns, and reflective moments to keep my attention.
Trude Skies notes there are several content warnings in the book and lists them all on their website (https://www.trudieskies.com/the-cruel-gods-content-warnings/). While a fantasy novel, the author does tackle some heavy topics including slavery, sexual, mental, and physical abuse, and human trafficking.
I thought the world-building was exceptional. The author created a Victorian-inspired gaslamp world split into twelve domains
Spoiler
(i.e., Memoria the domain of memory manipulation and academic studies; Solaris, home to the golden-skinned Glimmer, the domain of virtue, holiness, and other "religious" institutions; Eventide, home to the indigo skinned Vesper with the ability command shadows; Kronos home to the silver-skinned Diviners, mortals with the ability to manipulate time)The gods are often capricious, mercurial, and cruel, caring little for their mortals except for tithes they must pay. It is this nature that has caused a group of residents, along with a mysterious benefactor, to form the Godless, a group whose goal is to expose the cruelness of the gods. While working for the Godless, Kayl (a Vesper) stumbles upon Quen (a Diviner) who is currently investigating suspicious activities at Glimmer workhouses. After a godless mission goes awry, Kayl and Quen find themselves working together to solve a series of unusual deaths and manage to uncover a deeper conspiracy.
The main characters were well-developed and complex, with various hints about their past being dropped like a trail of breadcrumbs leading to that SOMETHING. The secondary characters weren't as complex, but they were entertaining. I liked the friendship among the Godless, especially Kayl and Dru.
The plot and pacing were good, with enough action, twists and turns, and reflective moments to keep my attention.
Trude Skies notes there are several content warnings in the book and lists them all on their website (https://www.trudieskies.com/the-cruel-gods-content-warnings/). While a fantasy novel, the author does tackle some heavy topics including slavery, sexual, mental, and physical abuse, and human trafficking.