An executioner, a fishergirl, and a shifter walk into a bar...
No, this is not the start of a bad joke. This is Sedendum, where the players stake everything on one single wish...
To be granted by the Trickster.
This book is incredible.
American Gods meets Hunger Games but where the rules are: no participant is allowed to kill another. Because that's what the Trickster, God of Death, will be doing.
And it almost, almost met all my expectations!
The cast of seven characters is incredible. Even though none of them is properly sympathetic, I was still rooting for most of them, and especially for the three I opened this review with. Mai, the executioner, has a heart-rending backstory and for me was making the best of a really bad hand. Des, the demigoddess abandoned by her mother and left to rot in the human world has fought for her dream of taking her love of fishing to another level, and Ash has been a slave for most of his life but is finally promised freedom if he enters the games. These three sucked me in completely, while the remaining four characters added other elements that delved into the worldbuilding and really examined our own society and what superficial things are seen as important while we gloss over other far more meaningful elements of life.
There were some pretty awesome monsters too. Some were very reminiscent of African folklore and mythology and definitely gave me the creeps just as those original tales have. It was nice to have something so very believably modern although set in its own invented world, while also having so many elements that made it utterly magical and totally terrifying.
The Trickster god was also spot on. I totally loved seeing how he got all the contestants into play and chose people who were connected in some way or another. The dynamics of the group of seven was definitely entertaining, and fit the Trickster character very well. The stakes are immensely high. I don't think I've read a fantasy book with quite so believably high stakes. Often I'll enjoy the book but I know the HEA will be there. Not so with this novel. I had absolutely no idea how it would end, and the final twist took my breath away.
The one thing I feel the author could have done better was how the characters were introduced. As there are seven plus the Trickster, who features a lot in some of those early chapters, I did struggle to keep all the different people and their perspectives straight for the first few chapters. Once the challenge had been made and the plot really started moving forward, I managed to find my feet with the different characters and then I wasn't bothered by the switching perspectives in the least. I was utterly compelled.
If you're looking for something unique, that's compelling, I highly recommend this book. The slow start is only a small detractor. It really becomes unputdownable and is so worth it, and I totally LOVED the ending!
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