A spoiler free review of The Demons We See and The Nightmare We Know, the first two books in The Darsk Abyss of Our Sins series, by Krista D Ball.
I inhaled The Nightmare We Know, finishing it less than 24 hours after I read The Demons We See. I feel like I’ve been saying this a lot lately, I’m going to review them together. Even the second part of the review is spoiler free, I just refer to things as “a thing” and “the events”.
The Demons We See by Krista D Ball
The blurb:
Society was rocked when the Church asked Allegra, Contessa of Marsina, to negotiate the delicate peace talks between the rebelling mage slaves and the various city states. Not only was she a highborn mage, she was a nonbeliever and a vocal objector against the supposed demonic origins of witchcraft. Demons weren’t real, she’d argued, and therefore the subjection of mages was unlawful.
But that was all before the first assassination attempt. That was before Allegra began to hear the strange whispers in the corridors.That was before everything changed. Now, Allegra, and her personal guards race to stabilize the peace before the entire known world explodes into war with not just itself, but with the abyss from beyond.
So much for demons not being real
I’ve been in and out of a reading slump all winter, and picked up TDWS when I had a really busy time at work. So I ended up reading the first 30% slowly over two weeks, then when I finally had reading time one weekend I was physically unable to put the book down. And then I got the second one and I couldn’t put that down either, it was witchcraft I tell you.
Worldbuilding
I really liked the setting, worldbuilding, what have you. The series takes place in a secondary world, inspired by a 17th (I think) century vatican, with a few significant differences. Magic is real, mages are considered dangerous, and enslaved for society’s protection. Most mages aren’t very powerful, they can only do small enchantments. The powerful elemental ones are executed or sent to the mines as soon as someone accuses them. I really liked how there was both a practical explanation for how the mages could be enslaved, and a strong religious reason for it. The cool thing this leads to is that the church’s entire bigotry is targeted towards mages, and not gender and sexual orientation. So there are women cardinals and the pope is a happily married gay man (this made me very happy), and no one bats an eye over this. There’s still the odd misogynist here and there, but people call them out for it.
I love backstories, so I’m really curious to see if book 3 brings us any reveals about the backstory of this world. There are events that could be either history or legend, and I wonder if they’ll end up being important.
Characters and relationships
I don’t know why I started with the setting, because the characters are the best part. And their relationships. Right from the start Allegra and Rainer have these bantery arguments that are to die for. They are both witty and smart, they clearly enjoy talking to each other, while having different world views, it’s fun, it’s cute, there’s conflict, it’s well written, I highlighted 3 pages in a row. Even just going over my highlights has me grinning like an idiot. Another thing I really liked about Allegra was how she didn’t stop hesitating after she made her choice, all her previous didn’t just magically disappear, but stayed there to nag at her.
Dodd and Lex, two members of the Consorts under Rainer’s command, are a joy as well. They’re the typical pair of mates, always poking fun at each, but united by a deep bond of friendship. I loved how, rather that just giving them the usual comic relief role, they’re both fully fleshed out and competent, we even get Lex’s POV here and there, and their role, and the respect they are given, grows throughout the series.
Apart from the guy in the prologue, I loved all the characters we met in the quarter or so of the book. This made me greatly concerned as I waited for the assholes. I knew there couldn’t be a Krista book without assholes. Oh boy did she deliver on that front.
The dark abyss of our sins
This book is not light. Oh, the tone often is, I burst out laughing loads of times. Maybe that’s why it can go to the heart of things. It doesn’t just critique the evils of mage slavery and slave owners, but it heartwrenchingly sheds light on the lie of being a moderate in such a situation, and all the insidious ways small actions support a corrupt system. There are also plenty of depictions of poverty and fear, Allegra’s fear of being accused as an elemental is palpable. So is the vileness of people keeping others in poverty to cling to their power. Allegra calls it like it is, often pissing everyone off in the process. She also struggles a lot, makes dangerous choices, and really needs to get some sleep.
The story
The mages are rebelling more and more, and the stale church administration has been ineffective at doing anything to stop them. There’s a ton of political maneuvering, some travelling fraught with danger, a lot of people trying their best to help people. And then the ending is very action intense, dangerous and emotional. After the halfway point I started to see a tapestry of hints coming together to spell disaster, everything held in balance by a thin thread. It was clear shit was gonna hit the fan, and I just spent half the book feeling Krista had her hand in my chest, holding my heart, about to twist. Especially when some dangers were handled agonizingly slow, one of my eloquent notes reads : “jfk just pull the damn bandaid off!”
The ending is sort of a cliffhanger, but I think the hangingness was overstated a bit in HEA announcement thread. It’s not one of those first in series books that really works well as a standalone, but it’s not a first-in-trilogy book without an ending either. The ending of book one is a catalyst for the rest, but before cutting off we’re given a glimpse of everyone’s status. I felt like the situation in book one was over and what comes next would be a new stage. I still read the next book right away though.
QUOTES:
“ Stanton stood tall and proud against the wall and brooded. He knew he was brooding, and yet he could not turn it off. So he continued to stand there, guarding and brooding. “
“What’s she like?
In a word, opinionated, Pero said, In two words very opinionated. In three words, stunningly very opinionated”“Contessa, are you planning to argue with me this entire trip?
Maybe. I hope you have the stamina for such an encounter. I can be a very eager debater. I do hope you can rise to the challenge.”“This was the price of her freedom: the enslavement of others.”
The Nightmare We Know
Book 2 delivers all the great stuff from book 1, and I felt like it had much less chill. A thing has already happened, and the story hits the ground runnin and barely slows down till the end. There are a few breather moments and sweet scenes between characters, but they’re few, and sometimes abruptly interrupted. The tension is always there. The action to politics ratio is more balanced, especially as there is one big looming threat throughout most of the story. There’s still a considerable amount of bureaucracy, but it’s all under pressure.
The characters are again the main attraction. Allegra delivers a bunch of scathing speeches that are brilliant. There’s a lot of growth for many of the main cast. I liked how some relationships grow and others struggle under strain. The events of the previous books have real consequences in the way people relate to the world. This makes them change their minds, which is something I don’t see that often. Usually it’s at the end of the last book in a series that people start to change.
If not for stupid work Monday morning I would’ve read this in one sitting, and I regret putting it away at bedtime cause all night and day I couldn’t focus on anything else.
TL;DR:
Great series with amazing, developed characters and relationships. A lot of witty writing, tension, politics, slavery and demons. Despite lots of travelling and bureaucracy the tension keeps the pacing tight. Main characters are a joy to be around, and their banter is top notch. Some characters need a hug, in the face, with a chair.
Bingo squares:
self-published, local to Alberta, Canada, Any r/Fantasy Book Club / Read Along Book, novel with title of 4 words,
Links: goodreads, books2read
Other books by Krista that I’ve reviewed:
Comments