This is one of the more unique fantasy novels I’ve read. It was a bit slow going at first, and I found myself waffling over whether or not to DNF at 50%. I’m still not sure whether I can say I truly enjoyed the book, or if I liked most of the characters, but I was definitely entertained and I felt like the last 50% of the book was better than the first. I would rate this a 3.5 stars, rounding up to 4 for creativity and the development of the main male character, the man who guards Death. There is no doubt that this debut novelist has a great imagination and the talent to build tension as she unspools a suspenseful mystery. I will be reading her next novel.

Hellevir was born with the supernatural ability to visit the edge of the afterlife: a space between living and the dimension where souls go to find their eternal rest. When Hellevir meets the sinister man in charge of this space, she learns that she can bargain to bring the dead back to life with pieces of herself, or for treasures that the gatekeeper asks her to find by solving riddles. When Hellevir agrees to the Queen’s plea to resurrect her assassinated granddaughter, Sullivain, she learns that the true threat to her peace and happiness is not the guardian of death, but a ruthless political game that threatens the lives of her family.

The best parts of this novel are Hellevir’s journeys to the afterlife and her interactions with the gatekeeper. And herein lies one of the biggest issues with the novel. Hellevir has off-the-charts chemistry with Death’s mysterious gatekeeper, but not the person who is supposed to be her love interest, Sullivain.

The narrative tells us that Hellevir and Sullivain have an inexorable pull toward one another, and implies that they cannot exist without the other after Sullivain’s resurrection. But as a reader, I didn’t feel any chemistry between them.

Sullivain is only ever a spoiled, petulant princess. While we’re told that Hellevir experiences Sullivain’s feelings of guilt over her political machinations, Sullivain is never likeable. Hellevir deserves someone who truly understands her, as well as the moral and ethical decisions she continually faces when it comes to her ability to choose life or death for other people.

I love Hellevir’s brother and his lover, who are fantastic characters, and have so much more chemistry than Hellevir and Sullivain have.

I am far more interested in the gatekeeper and about who or what he is, how he came to be, and what his motives are.

Above all, I think that readers will be surprised to find that this is not a light or fanciful read, and I would not even consider it to be a true romantasy, despite the title and cover art making it appear so. In fact, a major theme underpinning the novel is the dangers of organized religion becoming politically powerful. Hellevir is targeted for being unnatural and for threatening the eternal salvation of souls by the state endorsed religious order who is outraged to learn of her ability.

While there isn’t a new or profound message here, the author is clearly weighing in on the culture wars of the present day Western world. There is no pretense of subtlety that the author is calling out right wing extremism and the hypocrisy of its value systems, which will undoubtedly raise the eyebrows of some readers, and outrage about “wokeness” by others.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read and review this novel. All opinions are my own.