I received an eARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. It has not affected my opinions.
Genre: Fantasy
Age Range: Adult
Star Rating:
Series: first book
Blurb:
Dimitri Alexeyev used to be the Tzar of Novo-Svitsevo. Now, he is merely a broken man, languishing in exile after losing a devastating civil war instigated by his estranged husband, Alexey Balakin. In hiding with what remains of his court, Dimitri and his spymaster, Vasily Sokolov, engineer a dangerous ruse. Vasily will sneak into Alexey’s court under a false identity to gather information, paving the way for the usurper’s downfall, while Dimitri finds a way to kill him for good.
But stopping Alexey is not so easy as plotting to kill an ordinary man. Through a perversion of the Ludayzim religion that he terms the Holy Science, Alexey has died and resurrected himself in an immortal, indestructible body—and now claims he is guided by the voice of God Himself. Able to summon forth creatures from the realm of demons, he seeks to build an army, turning Novo-Svitsevo into the greatest empire that history has ever seen.
Dimitri is determined not to let Alexey corrupt his country, but saving Novo-Svitsevo and its people will mean forfeiting the soul of the husband he can’t bring himself to forsake—or the spymaster he’s come to love.
Blurb taken from Goodreads. Add to your shelves here.
Review:
THE SINS ON THEIR BONES is a dark fantasy about finding courage from others’ steadfast love to heal and stand up for yourself.
It is a bloody, brutal tale that does not shy away from the dark label – it is one that feels deserving of the label even though it shuns some of the aesthetics of it. There is death and sacrifice and abuse on page, exploring what it can do to a person and how guilt can cripple us.
At the heart of the tale is the found family around Dimitri, their steadfast support for one another as they all face demons in their past – and real ones in the present. I love a found family tale and this book certainly delivers on that promise. They are a tight unit who love one another, knowing when to push and when to give space, and would die to save each other.
The book is told from the perspectives of Dimitri, Alexey, and Vasily. It was interesting (if very uncomfortable at times) to see inside Alexey’s head. He absolutely believes he is in the right and that his actions are those from love, that it’s right he has to punish his lovers for defying him. It is an unflinching look at religious fanaticism.
I thought this book was a standalone at first but then I hit the ending and realised it had to be a series (it took a look of searching to find the confirmation.)
Sifa Elizabeth Reads 