The Helm of Midnight

"I am very conflicted about this book. A thriller fantasy with gore and spectacular world-building. I ate it up. This is a very slow story being shared from three perspectives. Even so, I enjoyed the pace of getting to know everyone and letting the mystery grow. The magic system is also unique and alluring. Mask that can capture a person's thoughts and feelings. A time tax used as currency. I thought it all very creative and unique. The atmosphere was eery too and perfect for a fall read. This was also character-driven but with three pov's I seemed to only care about Krona. I mean she was the star. So after a while, the other two characters became taxing. Krona was independent yet still sought the approval of her sister. Their family ties felt real and warm. Thibaut her informant was a perfect addition. The author gave us the feeling of a love interest but Thibaut's character is anything but. He is promiscuous, unreliable, and sometimes a coward. But the romance is an agonizing slow burn and Thibaut has a delicious mystery about him. It was refreshing. Here is where my conflict lies. While the story was dark and compelling it began to tamper off after a time. The fights and struggles lingered too long. So many unanswered questions were left that I didn't feel like pursuing them in the next book. And without the story progressing the pace became boring. Now I'm unsure if I want to continue. I feel like it could get better with answers and I want to see Thibaut again but I don't feel like that's a good enough reason to continue."

"A fantasy city watch tries to discover the murderous artist behind the exquisite corpses appearing on city streets. Also there are death masks that gift you knowledge."

"The setting is somewhat in the future. I like creatures and the author got creative with the powers. "

"wow."