What We Devour

June 1, 2021
In a declining world in which humans can access the power of banished demigods through self-sacrifice, a girl with a secret becomes a catalyst for change. Long ago, the humans who served and sacrificed to the Noble and the Vile overthrew them and claimed their magic. Now, the Crown, peerage, and common council maintain control over the noblewrought and vilewrought with intricate contracts and magical bindings. Lorena is the only living dualwrought--possessing both creative and destructive wrights--besides the Crown herself. Unlike the Crown, she's unbound and untrained. Free from the limitations of formal contracts, Lorena prefers nonphysical sacrifices like memories over gory self-mutilation. After a chance encounter with the Crown's infamous vilewrought heir, Alistair, lands her in his laboratory researching a mysterious Door that is hungry for human sacrifices, Lorena must choose between the quiet life she's built and the values she holds dear. The text's anti-capitalist thrust is grounded in depictions of extreme economic stratification, including Lorena's memories of childhood poverty and her mother's untimely death, as well as her growing awareness of how those who crave power like hers don't grasp the sacrifices required. Excellent asexual representation in Lorena, rich worldbuilding, political intrigue, and a cast of prickly, passionate characters round out the satisfyingly complex plot. Particularly masterful are the shifts in Lorena's narrative perspective that reflect the sacrifices of significant memories. A White default is assumed for primary characters. Mind-bending and incisive. (map) (Dark fantasy. 16-adult)

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July 1, 2021

Gr 9 Up-Lorena Alder, orphaned at a young age, has been hiding in a small village to conceal her noblewright and vilewright powers from the Sundered Crown. But with her fianc�'s father about to be arrested and sacrificed to the Door that separates banished demigods from the mortal world, she uses her vilewright to save him and unwittingly reveals her dualwrought status to Alistair, the heir to the throne. To save her fianc�'s father, she makes a deal with Alistair to work with him and other noblewrought to destroy the Door before it opens and allows the Vile to take over the world. Along the way she uncovers treason, evil, and a conspiracy to doom the working class. Lorena's asexuality and many other characters' nonbinary gender identities are refreshing bright spots among inadequate explanations and info dumps. Lorena's motivations throughout are murky until the very end, which will leave readers feeling less connected to her. The storytelling offers a poignant exploration of what sacrifice really means, but the messaging about income inequality is a little too overt. Lorena's and Alistair's ethnicities are unstated. VERDICT While the premise is original, this standalone dark fantasy novel fails to set itself apart from other works in the genre.-Candyce Pruitt-Goddard, formerly at Sno-Isle Libs., Marysville, WA

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