#tmhie

Quick disclaimer : I was honored to receive an eARC of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, if you don't follow Quinton on Twitter, what are you waiting for ? You should do it immediately (and maybe preorder their book ?).

TMHIE is a cozy fantasy, with plenty of representation. The characters and overall story is very cute, with many mentions of magic. It also focuses on tarot, which is something I'm interested in, so I really liked the whole aesthetic.

However, I personally prefer when the stakes are a bit higher and we get more action, hence why I gave it 3 stars on GR. I would have loved for the story to be deeper.

Hello hi!! I offer you... a very rambling infection with the first chance to monologue <3

Tagged by @bloodmoodtrash to find book, look, took, shook and I am doing it for Tell Me How It Ends <3

Book

Now, hunched over the wheel and keeping his stare fixed on the horizon, he pretended they were a lot closer to their destination than they actually were, and noted his posture was too stiff, that he’d get stiff if he didn’t relax soon.  “You’ll get stiff if you don’t relax soon,” Raya said from the passenger seat. “Chill out.” “It’s dark,” he pointed out feebly. “Well, no shit. It’s night time. Course it’s dark.” She turned the page of the book she was reading, brushed a strand of hair away from her face, then added, “You can pull over if you want.”

Look

Five minutes into the process, with his hoodie and shirt weighed down to wash in the current, a twig snapped. Cain glanced up, his palms full of water, and came eye-to-eye with the point of a sword.  “Ah,” he said, and traced the blade up to examine its wielder. Tall, dark-haired, icy blue eyes, and a face twisted in hatred. It felt like his entire skull was buzzing in anticipation. “Hello.” It’s their Hero, the Blight whispered, thrilled. It’s their Hero! Oh, look at them, Kavon! What a sweet thing they are! 

Took

Maybe [Sky] had hoped for help from the worship it received here, so many people trekking up these cliffs to praise its name. It hadn’t helped. It had burned and bowed all the same, mouth open wide in a scream, golden scars gracing its ebony-black skin. Did its face look any more afraid than before? Any remnants of divinity twisting in fear as their demise finally bore down on them? Cain took a step closer- -and the Blight took the next, demanding this moment be its and its alone. 

Shook

A few valuable seconds ticked by. A final, normal, rational explanation exposed itself, and he clung to it, shook aside any obvious errors. “Are you, um…” Theo gestured loosely at his head, fingers circling around the side of his skull. “Is this an… episode?” Slowly, Cain turned to face him. His pleasant smile was still in place, his face artfully peaceful, similar to pictures and paintings of Priests and Heroes of old, but a dangerous edge slit directly over the middle of Theo’s tongue. “I thought you were one for encouraging that sort of thing,” he commented. “Am I wrong?”

I did! You bamboozled me! You fiend!!!

Hundreds of years after the six gods' potential death, a single prophet is born. When his twin brother is possessed by a holy sickness, a race begins to preserve or destroy the last relics of dead divinity, and refuse or give forgiveness for errors of the past.

Starring!

Theodore Novak (Theo): the prophet. Desperately does not want to be a prophet. A nervous wreck most of the time, becomes a little strange when he grows comfortable around you. Has not seen his brother for almost a year, and eager to apologise for previous cruelties.

Cain Kavon: The brother, and vessel to the Blight. Controlled by his anger, and by having his mind changed around him. Schizophrenic, and suffered from his brother unknowingly encouraging a delusion to dangerous levels in the past. Prideful and headstrong and terrified thrilled to now belong to the Blight.

The Blight: The divine sickness. Sourced from human anger and frustration at the gods. Recently escaped the trap the final god put it in, weakened and needing something to reside in as it gains power again. Exploits others anger and frustration to get what it wants.

Raya Glick: The student. Provided a place for Theo to go to when he was asked to leave home, and uses him as an assistant to her history PhD on exactly what happened to the gods. From an orthodox temple background. Drives around the country in a van, investigating the gods current forms. Straightforward and non-nonsense.

Featuring the complexities of brotherhood, the thin line between “prophet” and “schizophrenic”, a divine and glorious anger and a desperate attempt to reach someone who may already be lost to you.