False Covenant
Author: Ari Marmell
Series: A Widdershins Adventure (#2)
Publisher: Pyr
How Received: publisher ARC
Release Date: 26 June 2012
Read my review of Thief's Covenant.
A creature of the other world, an unnatural entity bent on chaos and carnage, has come to stalk the nighttime streets of the Galicien city of Davillon. There’s never a good time for murder and panic, but for a community already in the midst of its own inner turmoil, this couldn’t possibly have come at a worse one.
Not for Davillon, and not for a young thief who calls herself Widdershins.
It’s been over half a year since the brutal murder of Archbishop William de Laurent during his pilgrimage to Davillon. And in all that time, Widdershins has truly tried her best. She has tried to take care of Genevieve’s tavern and tried to make a semihonest living in a city slowly stagnating under the weight of an angry and disapproving Church. She has tried to keep out of trouble, away from the attentions of the Davillon Guard and above the secrets and schemes of the city’s new bishop.
But she’s in way over her head, with no idea which way to turn. The Guard doesn’t trust her. The Church doesn’t trust her. Her own Thieves’ Guild doesn’t trust her.
Too bad for everyone, then, that she and her personal god, Olgun, may be their only real weapon against a new evil like nothing the city has ever seen.
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Warning: Upon finishing this book, you may experience feels.
I don't just mean the kind of feels where you're sad that you finished a good book, or that you wish something else had happened, or that you loved it a lot. I mean the kind of feels you feel at the end of a good season finale, where you're screaming and wanting more and half crying because there was a lot of drama and awesome and you just don't know how to handle yourself.
If you can't tell, False Covenant meets all the expectations I had going into it, and then some.
I adored Thief's Covenant; I had an overwhelming sense of pride when one of my review quotes was chosen for an ad for it; I've been recommending it to all of my friends who love fantasy. The characters, the world, the plot -- all of it was amazing.
False Covenant was just as amazing.
Widdershins is one of those characters - and False Covenant is one of those books - that will imprint on your mind for a lifetime. She's clever and snarky and impatient and rash and sneaky and just a beautifully well crafted character. Olgun? Fantastic. We never hear from him except for what we get from Widdershins, but you can't help but love him.
The plot in this was absolutely stunning; I'm going to keep this review spoiler-free, but it's just as fast-paced as the first one with even more twists and turns. I love not knowing how this story was going to end.
And let me tell you, I was shocked at how it ended. I started yelling at my book - the first time I had in ages, and much to the alarm of my roommate - before devouring the last few pages. It's an ending that had me shocked and hurting and proud and confused and man, oh man, do I need the next book now.
I should also mention that all of the other characters are equally as fantastic to read about as Widdershins, especially considering the book occasionally derails to follow their stories -- the only book to do that that I've actually enjoyed, rather than keeping it focused to one point of view. Renard makes me giggle; Robin makes me proud; and Julien? I'm not sure if I want to be him or marry him.
If you're a fantasy lover and you haven't read this series, you're missing out on one of the best young adult fantasy series to come out in the past few years. Ari Marmell's characters, plots - everything is fabulous. Pick it up now.
And for non-fantasy lovers who are looking into dabbling, this is a brilliant place to start. It's not all magic and flashy battles -- there's a level of realism to the characters, to the setting, even to the plot to an extent, that I'm absolutely in love with.
Overall Rating & Final Comments: 10/10. One of the most engaging books I've read in a very long time; I can't think of a single thing I disliked.
Cover Comments: It's Widdershins! It's a simple cover! The font is fantastic! Maybe I'd move Ari's name, and make "A Widdershins Adventure" a little smaller, but besides that I love it.
Have you read this series yet? What do you think?