The Revels: The must-read spellbinding historical debut of 2023

Product Information

As well as a tale of witch-hunting, this is a story of how easily desperate people can be swayed to turn on each other. The story is filled with doubt at every turn, who can be trusted, who should be avoided, and who has been bewitched. The Revels is also a coming-of-age story for Nicholas, who must learn to stop fearing who he is, embrace his mother’s legacy and step out of the shadow of his brother and the guilt that binds them, release himself from his father’s manipulations, and judge for himself who is evil and who is not. But my taie [grandparent] had been brilliant. He’d been able to see what others couldn’t. In magic, and in life. It was what made him so dangerous to the Consul." is reviewed between 08.30 to 16.30 Monday to Friday. We're experiencing a high volume of enquiries so it may take us This book, like many other fantasy books, fell victim to this. The first few chapters were ONLY written for info-dumping. Not only that but they were also way too confusing. I felt like an idiot, and I am an idiot most of the time, but believe me when I say even Einstein would roll in his grave trying to understand what was happening. I get that it is needed to set the world and the scene but it could’ve been written better. I’m glad they were short though.

While witches are real, women and families are treated unfairly, being blamed for witchcraft over small neighbourly disputes and sentenced to death. When an overly enthusiastic and headstrong witch hunter rides into town, Nicholas and Will have to work together to bring him down. The dead have secrets to tell and Nicholas has to put his fear aside to speak up for justice. This has to be one of the most exquistely written books I have read for some time. The language, the sentences, the words chosen – it’s like reading a tapestry with those wonderfully coloured threads mixing to form the most fascinating of plots.Arcady, a human, and Everen, a dragon, have become bonded through a magical accident where Arcady pulled Everen from his world and trapped him in his human form, power diminished. They have to work together to complete the bond, complicated by their romantic tension and opposing goals. Many are still damned and many enjoy the spectacle of death. The year is 1645 and a macabre witch-hunt takes the stage in this beguiling post-Jacobean novel by Stacey Thomas✨ Witchcraft and witches were feared during these times, but this often led to many false accusations as people wanted more show than justice. It was interesting to follow Nicholas and his ability to hear the dead. Althamia was a great character and seeing her develop alongside Nicholas was interesting; the ending especially was a wonderful moment. It stands in huge contrast to how the story started. The book is slow-paced, but the pacing adds to the tension Nicholas experiences, almost in a 'hold your breath' kind of way.

In Thomas’s version, the main character is a young man, his situation made perilous by his employment and the constant need to conceal his powers. The narrative is heavy with the presence of the dead and the songs they sing of their endings. The theme of binding runs throughout the book: as the province of ‘knot witches’ who bind their spells by tying knots with thread, ribbons or hair; and the duty that ties many characters to roles they would rather not play. Dragonfall feels like a passion project in so many ways. It’s clearly a love letter to the dragon stories of the last 30 years (Priory, Realm of the Elderlings, Seraphina) but doesn’t feel derivative or underwritten.

Advance Praise

Beyond the darker side of this story is the special relationship between Nicholas and Althamia. I enjoyed watching their connection grow. She is a key figure and one who brings acceptance and love into his life. One who does not care that he is more comfortable with the dead than the living. I've been on the hunt for a good angsty romance for a while now, so when ARCs for this book started circulating, I made an impulse request. The spell connects to Everen, the last male dragon foretold to save his kind, dragging him through the Veil. Disguised as a human, Everen soon learns that to regain his true power and form and fulfil his destiny, he only needs to convince one little thief to trust him enough to bond completely--body, mind, and soul--and then kill them.