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Year of the Reaper Overview:
Author:Â Makiia Lucier
Genre:Â Fantasy
Target Audience: YA or NA
My Rating: Pleasantly surprised
Back Cover Snippet:Â
The past never forgets . . .
Before an ambush by enemy soldiers, Lord Cassia was an engineer’s apprentice on a mission entrusted by the king. But when plague sweeps over the land, leaving countless dead and devastating the kingdom, even Cas’ title cannot save him from a rotting prison cell and a merciless sickness.
Three years later, Cas wants only to return to his home in the mountains and forget past horrors. But home is not what here members. His castle has become a refuge for the royal court. And they have brought their enemies with them.
My Thoughts: Spoiler Free
As stated in the back cover blurb, Year Of The Reaper follows the story of a young man named Cas who returns home after three years in prison to find that his parents are dead and the royal family has moved into his home. And after saving the king’s infant son from an assassin, Cas finds himself swept up in the mystery of finding the would-be killer while still struggling to adapt to life after prison.Â
Overall, this was an intriguing story with lighter fantasy elements, a slow-burning romance, and a mystery that keeps you guessing right up until the very end. My only complaint–which isn’t even a complaint, necessarily; it’s more like a minor disappointment–was that this wasn’t a Pasefika book.Â
I’ve had Year Of The Reaper on my list for a while because I knew it was by a Chamorro author, and thought it would have something inspired by her cultural heritage. Instead, this book was inspired by the Spanish flu pandemic, and takes place in a Midieval European-style world. And I don’t say that to take away from the story, because I liked it a lot. It just wasn’t what I was expecting. But definitely a must-read if you enjoyed books like AÂ Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab.Â
If you haven’t had a chance to read this book and would like to check it out, you can hit this link or click on the picture above to grab your copy from Amazon. And if you have read this book and want to talk spoilers, then keep scrolling to hear my two cents. 🙂
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My Two Cents & All The Spoils
No book is perfect. And while Year Of The Reaper was a fantastic read, there were a few things that had me scratching my head. Granted I’m sure that most, if not all, of these questions come from me over-analyzing things as an author. These are just a few things from this book that didn’t make sense to me:
Cas’ Grim Reaper Powers: In the first few chapters, we find out that Cas can suddenly see dead people. And given that the name of the book refers to this power, I thought for sure we would find out why he has that ability. Later on, when we learn that someone else also survived the plague, I thought for sure this person would be able to see dead people, too. But um…we never find out because she turns out to be crazy and exits the story about as quickly as she enters into it.
Cas’ Miracle Recovery from the Plague: Forget seeing dead people, just the fact that Cas survived the plague is a big deal. It’s one of the first mysteries we read about. I thought for sure his survival would play a key role in the story. Would they try to examine his circumstances and genetic makeup to find out how he healed? Would his survival be the key to ending the plague? Was his recovery linked to his newfound powers?
I thought for sure we’d find answers to some of these questions. But I guess it was just a freak accident that no one cared about. Because we don’t get any answers.
Anyway, those are my thoughts for this book. Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter for more updates on books I’m reading and a few that I’m writing. Until next time, you guys.