Nerdophiles Review:

I am absolutely loving all these fresh, genre-blending books being published lately! I read this book immediately after the adventurous cannibalistic magic nun book, Star Eater, and you could call it the perfect palate cleanser (ha!).

The Helm of Midnight is a total vibe and I am here for it. It’s all the things I love about neo-noir: it’s dark and gritty and suspenseful. It has characters with dark secrets and traumatic pasts battling their own demons and racing against time to stop a serial killer. Bonus: it weaves in a healthy dose of magic and high fantasy lore.

The Helm of Midnight follows three separate stories that eventually intersect: one from a city guard’s perspective tracking a serial killer after powerful magical items are stolen, another from a local healer with a mysterious secret, and a third from a physician-turned-religious zealot-turned-serial-killer.

Threaded through the three narratives is a delicious sense of suspense. Normally, I don’t like switching perspectives in fantasy books (I didn’t like it in Eragon and I couldn’t stand it in A Song of Ice and Fire, don’t @ me!), because it feels so abrupt that it takes me out of the story. Too often it’s used as a repetitive, artificial way to heighten suspense at the end of every chapter. It’s basically emotional whiplash! Thankfully, I didn’t feel that way here- Lostetter makes the switches to further the story, not to manipulate the reader’s emotions. The breaks between stories didn’t happen at the height of plot climaxes, and the pacing and energy levels felt very organic switching between characters.

Beyond the structure, I really enjoyed the overall blend of mystery, fantasy, and lore. The writing and pacing are really well done – each story is compelling, and watching the pieces snap into place, plot points augmenting the world-building, is masterful.

The book feels really reminiscent of The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson, and to a lesser extent, the Crescent City series by Sarah J Maas. The trio of books involves solving murders with magical elements. In particular, Johnson’s book and Midnight both involve solving a series of supernatural murders when the spirit of a serial killer is revived. Midnight has more high fantasy elements compared to Johnson’s series, but less world-building (and romance) compared to Maas’, but they are all alike in concept and grittiness. All three books wholly embrace gruesomeness and grief.

The Helm of Midnight is a fresh, fantasy take on the neo-noir genre, replete with informants, seedy characters, nefarious plots, and world-changing stakes. I highly recommend this book for readers of mystery and fantasy- as the first in a new series, I’m looking forward to reading what comes next!

This title fell flat for me. I feel like the description given for the book is vastly misleading. I ended up with characters that felt selfish and simple, the plot didn't string together for me, and more than half the time I wasn't sure what or who I was supposed to be rooting for or what the stakes were. Could this be a great book for some readers? Yes, absolutely, it just didn't jive with me.

Interesting start to a series with an Intriguing mix of genres, but seemed a bit slow in middle, and was difficult to follow the different points of view at times. The detail did help create a more immersive world and it made me interested enough to give the second in the series a try to see if the writer works out some of the pacing.

Full review to be posted soonish.

I would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I feel like this book took a little bit to get rolling but boy does it get interesting about a third of the way in! Part steampunk, part magic, part Jack the Ripper.

We follow Krona, a Regulator in charge of keeping peace and investigating crimes, as she investigates the disappearance of an enchanted mask. This mask contains the echo (and horrible abilities) of a depraved murderer, the Blooming Butcher. It seems straightforward but this book has got a lot going on!! At first I was kind of overwhelmed trying to figure out where this fit genre wise but then I started having so much fun that I didn’t care! That being said, this book tackles some difficult scenes so please aware of trigger warnings for murder, gore, infanticide, etc.

Thank you so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book to review!

This review was incredibly hard to write because there was so much about this book I loved, but there were also some parts that seriously let the book down. The story starts off with a heist at a well to do party where the mask of notorious serial killer Louis Charbon is stolen, Krona alongside her team of regulators (think magical law enforcement) are tasked with tracking down the mask, as well as the people who stole it. But obstacles keep appearing in their paths making it an almost impossible job. Melanie is in need of a mask to help save her mothers life, she has little money and willingly spends it all on the mask of a master healer hoping that wearing it will give her the ability to save her mother. But Melanie has never tried to wear a mask before, and is unprepared for the 'remnant' of the creator trying to take control of her body, in a bid to save herself she does something that changes her life, and not for the better. Louis is a simple surgeon with a wife and children who love him, that is until he meets Fiona, a woman he both detests as well feels inexplicably drawn too. She draws him into her life and tells him a secret, a secret that ensures he become the notorious serial killer. Krona, Melanie and Louis' lives are inexplicably linked, none knowing how much until one fateful event changes everything.

The Helm of Midnight is told from three POV's: Krona is a regulator on the case to find the missing mask of Louis Charbon. She feels that she is forever in her older sisters shadow, and that she will never be a true member of the team until she learns to overcome her fear of the Varga, monsters who live beyond the the valley but who sometimes manage to cross the border and terrorise the city. Only Krona has a skill that sets her apart from the others, she has the ability to overcome the remnant of almost any mask in record time. Krona was by far my favourite character. She has a no nonsense attitude when it comes to her job, but also know's when to bend the rules.

Melanie is a simple farm girl looking for a way to save the only family she has left, so when a stranger offers to help her with the Mask she agrees, and before long both Melanie and Sebastian get themselves into a situation they're unsure how to get out of, one that could not only risk their lives, but brings to light a question that Sebastian has been asking his whole life. Melanie's was a story line I struggled to get into, mainly because I didn't see how it would fit into the main plot, and in fact it doesn't come to light until almost the end of the book.

Louis Charbon is a simple family man and doctor, that is until something unthinkable happens and he is drawn into a situation he can't comprehend and ask to do tasks he finds repulsive. But the people behind his actions aren't quite what they seem, and before long Louis realises he is too far gone to ever get out again. Louis chapters are told in flashbacks, highlighting how he became the infamous killer which I wont lie, hit me right in the feels. He was by no means redeemed by these events, but his chapters go to show how far people will go when they are desperate for answers once a carrot is dropped in front on their nose.

One of the main things I loved about this book was the world building, and magic system the author introduces us to. I do feel it could do with some sort of appendix to keep it all together because it did take me a while to get my head around the different magic types, but it was so different from anything else I had read I couldn't help but find myself engrossed. Long ago the valley was created by five gods who then imbued different objects with their magics; Knowledge comes from wood, , time magic is sand/glass, nature is in metals and then emotional magic is in Gems. And finally the unknown God, their power lies in the barrier surrounding the valley and keeping the monsters outside. The ones we most see used in the book are knowledge, time and emotion. Knowledge is what allows the death masks to work, when a person is dying and wishes to pass on their knowledge to future generations an enchanter can place their magic into a mask that, once worn will endow the wearer with the makers knowledge. Emotions are carried in Gems and usually worn by the wealthy in the forms of joystones, though their are others out there such as despair stones that can drive the wearer to dire actions. And finally time, time is used as the currency.

The world was inspired by 1800's France and the imagery and descriptive writing were off the chart. I was completely engrossed in the world whilst reading, to the point where certain scenes had me jumping out of my seat. This isn't a book for the faint of heart, yes it's a horror filled with dark magic and monsters, and there a certainly scenes that had me wanting to hide under the covers, but as well as this we have the descriptions of the crimes committed by both Carbon and the person wearing his mask that tend towards the gruesome. All of this add's to the atmosphere of the story, and as a scary cat there were definitely parts where I wanted to put the book down and hide, but found it almost impossible to tear myself from the pages.

Now for the downside. I feel like the author bit of more than she could chew with this book. As much as I loved learning about the magic system, gods and world they just weren't built well enough for us to get a true grasp on them. The bits I understood I loved, but there were a lot of times I simply had little idea what was going on. The pacing of this book was also waaaay off. Krona's chapters were filled with 'page filling' scenes that added nothing to the overall plot, and in fact added to some of my confused moments. But as well as that, very little happens in the first 75% of the book and then then last 25% or so flies by, with a ridiculous amount of revelations and plot twists, so many in fact I had to start writing things down to keep them straight in my head. That being said, there was plenty in the other 75% to keep me interested because I never found myself wondering if I should DNF.

Despite all that I will definitely be keeping my eyes out for book two. When the story picked up it got infinitely more interesting, and we were given a lot of plot twists, as well as an emotional and action packed ending that kept me glued to the pages and left me wanting more. I would also be interested to see if the author fixes any of the issues with this book. For me, the positives seriously outweigh the negatives, but for anyone going in be prepared for something that wont feel fully thought out and may make you a little dizzy trying to keep up with everything.

*4.75 stars

First of all, this was amazing. It definitely lived up to the "Mistborn meets Silence of The Lambs" comparison. This was a slow burn adult fantasy full of intricate and complex magic that made me want to learn more and more about the world and its history so, I'm glad there are more books coming out. It had all of my favourite elements I love in a book which are murder mystery, old gods, a villain origin story, gore and a sweet subtle romance. The characters are so complex and we deep dive into their emotions and motivations throughout the book while multiple plot lines are happening which comes together in the end. I was afraid it wouldn't and we would have to wait for answers in the next book but most of the questions were answered at the end. However, since it's a series, more questions came up that needs to be answered in the coming books and I cannot wait!

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Omar

he Rules of the Valley are as harsh as they are pure. The gods sacrificed much for humanity, and require us to sacrifice for each other in return. Beware the Five Penalties.

Zhe is the Minder of Emotion, and emotion is the basis of all human bonds. Emotion must be shared through an emote tax. The penalty for hoarding emotion is the numbing of feeling.

He is the Guardian of Nature, and there is a natural order. That order must be respected and maintained. The penalty for subverting the natural order is toiling for the benefit of others.

Fey are the Vessel of Knowledge, and too much knowledge without preparation is dangerous. New knowledge must only be sought when the time is right. The penalty for invention without preparation is the removal of offending hands.

She is Nature’s twin, and the Purveyor of Time. Time treats all things equally. Time must be shared through the time tax. The penalty for hoarding time is an early death.

They are the Unknown, pure and utter. One day they may choose to reveal themself and to gift magic unto the Valley. Until then, they demand only fealty, and the promise that their future penalties will be paid.

—Scroll 318, writ by Absolon Raoul Trémaux after the Great Introdus

The new story of author Marian J. Lostter is set in a world of religious turmoil, magical artifacts that either grant abilities or emotions to the users, and where time is the currency on which the world turns around. The Helm of Midnight is the story of De-Krona Hirvath a Regulator, officials whose job is to oversee and contain unauthorized use of death masks or emotion stones. They are trying to solve the robbery of a dangerous masks that once belonged to a mass murder; but instead, there are individuals behind the scenes pulling the strings and have worse plans than what De-Krona and her team are expecting.

It all starts with a birthday party for the Chief Magistrate Silver Jubilee, where several of the most dangerous articles of enchantment are being displayed for entertainment. It’s De-Krona job to keep on eye and protect them, but several Varger, monstrous creatures from the outside protective field, attack the event and two of the most dangerous artifacts are stolen in the commotion. The next day the first body appears, the modus operandi is the same as 10 years ago, when the mass murder Louis Charbon ran free, killing his victims and rearranging them into flowers shapes, blossoms he called them. But this time, there is something different to the victims, they are all women and are missing something.

Whoever took the Demon mask of Louis Charbon has a plan and is willing to murder many to get what they are looking for. The Regulators have their hands full with this case, hoping this robbery doesn’t go deeper than they expect, even the Gods might be involved.

I liked the Helm of Midnight; I became a fan of author Marian J. Lostter with her previous series Noumenon and this new series, The Five Penalties has been a great addition to her work. The Helm of Midnight is filled with mystery, fantastical use of magical objects and a killer running loose. But what I liked from this first book is that not everything is what it looks like, there are secrets hidden to the general public and among the lives of the characters of this book.

An aspect that I like about Lostter’s writing style is how we get characters’ POVs across the narrative of the story. While we, the readers, learn new information or insides to the reasoning of other characters, the main characters are still left in the dark until later on. It was interesting to learn about the life of mass murder Louis Charbon, how he became that monster and how his life ended. There are subplot lines in the story that at first don’t seem to be connected, but at the end, it all ties up into a deadly knot of events.

Another thing that I liked about the Helm of Midnight is the pantheon and creation myths of this world. The country or valley of Arkensyre, was created for humans to leave peacefully and follow their doctrine, the penalties, and prosper safely from the monsters from outside.

“carved out especially for them by the five gods, so that humans, their fragile creations, might be safe from the great and terrible Thalo: the being who’d built the world, along with the horrid, violent beasts that ruled it.”

I love magic and magic users, but the Helm of Midnight presents the reader with magical objects and the craftsmen that make them. The death masks are wooden masks imbued with an ability from an individual who went through all the steps to preserve that knowledge. Emotion stones are an array of beautiful stones that are imbued with the emotions that are taken out from other individuals, happiness, love, joy, hope, despair, lust, anger, among others. There are other objects made of metals and glass that are enchanted for different uses, such as the glasswork used to harness the currency that runs the world, time.

I liked the characters in this story, De-Krona Hirvath and her sister De-Lia have had strange lives. Their father died at the hand of a Varger and they both moved up the ranks of the Regulators. De-Lia a captain of her squadron and DE-Krona as the best user of death masks of the team. This story is full of characters with interesting stories, my favorite ones Tibault and Melanie, who play important roles.

Lastly, I really like the use of gender-neutral pronouns among the citizens of this world and the gods that created it. It was nice to see this inclusion among the pages of this book and how the characters use them.

There is so much I would like to talk about, but it would be spoilers and one should read this book themselves. There are still mysteries to resolve at the end of the Helm of Midnight, I can’t wait to see what the gods have planned for De-Koran and the people of Arkensyre.If you are a fan of Marian J. Lostter and her work, then I recommend the Helm of Midnight. The mask of a mass murder is once again free in the world, and the Regulators are literally running on time to find it before whoever took it can destroy the social-political structure of the world.

The Helm of Midnight kicks off when a mask that once belonged to a notorious serial killer gets stolen and soon after, the killing starts again. Now, it’s up to Krona and her fellow regulators to race against time to catch the killer and retrieve the mask.

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Marina Lostetter’s The The Helm of Midnight is the first book in a series: The Five Penalties. It’s a genre-busting novel combining crime procedural, horror, epic fantasy, and steampunk. It thrust the readers into a complex and imaginative world. There are enchanted items, cults, conspiracy, and monsters.

Told in three perspectives, Krona, a regulator; Melanie, a healer; and Louis Charbon, a serial killer. This book is a character-driven story so all the narrators are well fleshed out including the supporting characters. I like the dynamic and realistic relationship between Krona and her sister and the potential love interest, Thibaut.

One of my favorite things about this book was the detailed and creative religion and unique magic system. Time is a currency, enchanted death masks imbued with the abilities of the owners, and enchanted stones that contain emotions. The characters are diverse, THoM contains 5 different genders, each with their exclusive pronouns.

This is the first in a trilogy and it did very much feel like an introduction. It took a while before I became absorbed with the story. The pacing was uneven, either it’s too slow or too fast that sometimes I felt nothing was really happening and connecting with the characters became an issue to me. I can’t empathize with them at first. It began to drag a bit as the murder mystery component of the plot gets lost at times. The last 25% was what really drew me in as the world building had been done for the most part and the pace finally picked up. It was satisfying seeing how everything ends up together in the end!

I still found it enjoyable as the world and lore created was unique and the premise is interesting and I love how the author flawlessly blended genres.
The Helm of Midnight is a unique and refreshing read. It has a lot of potential and I enjoyed reading it. I am excited for the next books!

Thank you Marina Lostetter, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read The Helm of Midnight.

I will admit that I duped myself a bit when it came to this book. Usually, I stray as far from investigative/mystery books as I can. But this book had enough of everything to keep me intrigued til the end.

Heists....check
Fantasy/Sci-Fi elements...check
True crime tidbits...check
Horror elements...check

The different POV's felt a little off to me for the first part but everything worked together in the end. I'm beyond happy that I judged this book by the cover!

Holy worldbuilding, Batgirl. The Helm of Midnight is a MASSIVE undertaking, and there will be two more books.

In a daring and deadly heist, thieves have made away with an artifact of terrible power—the death mask of Louis Charbon. Made by a master craftsman, it is imbued with the spirit of a monster from history, a serial murderer who terrorized the city.

Now Charbon is loose once more, killing from beyond the grave. But these murders are different from before, not simply random but the work of a deliberate mind probing for answers to a sinister question.
It is up to Krona Hirvath and her fellow Regulators to enter the mind of madness to stop this insatiable killer while facing the terrible truths left in his wake.

Serial killer’s essence trapped in am enchanted mask and unleashed on an unsuspecting world long after his death. The “Regulators” of this world must stop the murders before they wreak total havoc on the world.

I enjoyed this one enough but wasn’t prepared for the tome, haha! Its worldbuilding and characterization is impressive, but I am gonna need a minute for shorter, lighter things before diving back into the world for the next two.

This is a very well done dark fantasy with unique world-building and a complex but interesting magic system. The pacing is a bit slow to get started, but gets going a bit better about halfway through. I enjoyed the points of view from the characters of Melanie, Krona, and Charbon, and the pacing got better when their perspectives connected in the present tense. They were very interesting characters and I enjoyed following them through the story, but Krona is my favorite. Overall it's a wonderful story and I'm looking forward to the next book in this series.

Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for providing ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Helm of Midnight is Marina J. Losetter's newest novel and the start of a new series: The Five Penalties. Dramatic name, no?

There once was an infamous killer – Louis Charbon. He was a brutal serial killer, one that the city thought they were free of. His death should have stopped the killings, after all. Only, Charbon was able to infuse his killing intent into his death mask, and now he is once again tearing the city apart.

That's where Krona Hirvath comes into play. She was a Regulator assigned to protect the mask (and other valuable items). She may have failed that task, but she will get that mask back. She'll stop this killer and save the lives of as many future victims as possible.

“His will to kill might very well be ingrained in his echo.”

The Helm of Midnight is a legendary story. The world is so full of imagination and fantastical elements; it's impossible to look away from it. In fact, I think it took at least three days to get this novel even slightly out of my head once I finished reading it. It simply lodged in my brain and refused to move out.

When I imagine epic fantasies – I picture something like The Helm of Midnight. Okay, that wasn't exactly the case before I knew of this novel. But it does touch on all of the elements I'd expect in an epic, and it is certainly what I will picture from now on.

"The Rules of the Valley are as harsh as they are pure. The gods sacrificed much for humanity, and require us to sacrifice for each other in return. Beware the Five Penalties."

The world-building is one of the main things that immediately sucked me into the narrative. It was fascinating and shockingly complex. It took me some time to fully understand it all, but once I did, I was hooked.

Krona's story is an intense one, with lots of little details and side stories that helped to flesh out the world even further. I found myself falling in love with many of the secondary characters introduced, and because of that, I am honestly really looking forward to seeing what will happen next. And I have good news on that front; the next novel has already been named – The Cage of Dark Hours. Better yet, it has a release date (April 26th, 2022)!

The Helm of Midnight is a dark, suspenseful, fantasy thriller. Ambitious world building, a multi-faceted magic system, and an exploration of the connected themes of morality, trauma, and family do the heavy lifting in this jack the ripper style mystery investigation.

Highlights
Ambitious World Building
Multi-faceted Magic System
Themes: Morality, Trauma, Family
Slow Pacing
Disconnect With Characters

The Review
Marina Lostetter's first book length fantasy offering is one with a lot to offer the reader. Part heist story, part murder-mystery, it attempts a great many things, succeeding in some ways and falling short in others. It is dark, and not just because it revolves around a solving the murder-mystery where the killer dissects the victims and puts them on display as if they were a blooming flower. I mean yeah that's pretty dark, but it goes even deeper into past traumas and the impacts those traumas have on the characters and larger story.

If you like world building this book should really appeal to you. It's this kind of a crazy mix of a late 19th century/early 20th century fantasy setting with humanity existing along a single peninsula outside of which is a world filled with monsters and horrors that continually want to break through the barriers separating one from the other. And every now and then they do break through causing terror and mayhem. It's a world where everything exists in fives; five gods, five city states, five climates, five seasons, five days of the week. Time is a currency in this world which I'll say more about below. It is evident Lostetter put a lot of thought and effort into creating this world and it's many intricacies. For the most part I really enjoyed the world building. It added a rich layer of depth to other aspects of the story and always acted as a reminder that there was something more, something very dangerous that was threatening everything from without. The only thing that really bugged me about it was that bit about all of humanity existing within one peninsula of the larger world. It just seemed a bit difficult to accept given how quickly people multiply and spread out; how quickly we tend to come into conflict with others who get to close to us and our stuff. Sure the horrors of the outside world might keep them hemmed in, but I don't know...it just kept sticking with me in my mind as I read and I couldn't shake it.

Related to the worldbuilding is a multi-faceted magic system that was one of my favorite aspects of the book. Magic exists in fives as well. I won't go into all the details, but at a high level magic is infused within objects by artificers to do different things. You can enchant a necklace or a bracelet, a knife, or a pen. You do so based upon the materials it is made of. Different materials can have different magical properties drawn out of them. Gemstones can enhance the powers and emotional strength of the magic. It's really pretty cool and I felt like only the surface of the possibilities was scratched in this first story. I noted above that time is a currency. Time is extracted from every person at a young age and then stored away. It is set into currency chips with are used to purchase any good or service. While it takes away from a person's life span it can be cashed in late in life to get some time back. Then there are the masks. The masks are far and away my favorite aspect of magic in The Helm of Midnight. Masks, more specifically death masks, are created when a person dies. They become imbued with a particular aspect of that person's character that can be utilized by another person later. If you were good at spotting lies or things out of place, your trait is captured in the mask and its wearer clan later use it to their benefit. The downside is a part of the original person is locked within the mask and may fight with you for control when you wear it. The masks are really, really cool and at the heart of the plot.

My other favorite aspect of The Helm of Midnight was its themes of morality, trauma, and family. All three are tied together and found in each of the three character threads followed throughout the book. Good versus evil and whether they can exist at the same time within a person, and whether the good one does can ever redeem the bad is a question always at the fore in the narrative. Past traumas and the way they impact the characters in the present, and the actions of the past are a constant driving force of the story. The importance of family and they way family bonds impact one's decisions are also integral to the story whether we are talking about the protagonists or the villains.

Where the book started to lose me a little was with the pacing. It's only 464 pages, so not that long for a fantasy novel, but for some reason I just felt like I was never getting very far when I'd sit down to read. The first three quarters of the book just felt slow. Part of this was due do the format of three POV characters, one in the present, and two at points in the past. As the book progressed the three narratives slowly worked their way together in the present. This format is fine, it's just in this instance the pacing felt very slow. I think the pacing was also hampered by info dumps explaining the world building. Normally I hate info dumps but Lostetter did a pretty good job in how she presented them, it's just they slowed the pacing down within the action of each chapter.

The other negative for me was that I never really felt for the characters. This is kind of a surprise given how I liked the themes present in the book. You'd think that how they are tied together would cause me to feel for the protagonists. But for some reason that I I can't explain I just didn't. I've had a hart time trying to figure out why and I really don't have a good answer.

Final Thoughts
I think many readers will love this book. There's a lot to recommend about it and if ANY of the things I listed above appeal to you I'd say pick it up and give it a shot, I think you'll be pleased. Even with the few issues I had with the story I still enjoyed it and I plan to read book two in the series when it comes out because there are still some questions left unresolved that I'd like some answers to, and there seems to be a LOT more to explore within the framework of the world building and the gods that Lostetter only gives us a peek at in book one. I have a feeling some epic things are in store for the rest of the series.

3.5 of 5 Stars

Wow…! That was a roller coaster. I always find it so difficult to review books that I enjoyed. The Helm of Midnight is one of those books, but I will try my best to voice my thoughts!
This novel took me on a journey of emotions. By the end of it, I was stressed out and almost in tears.

The magic system was really interesting and intricate, albeit complicated at times. Death masks are worn to give the wearer access to the previous owner’s memories and skills. It’s something I’ve never read before and I loved it. Added to that, Lostetter also created a world where there are 5 gods who all have a set of rules that needed to be followed, eldritch-type monsters, as well as enchantments on stones that influence emotion. Yes, it was a lot to process but I enjoyed myself.

I enjoyed the POVs - Krona, Melanie, and Charbon’s. Every character was properly fleshed out with unique personalities and motivations. I was invested in each of their storylines. But what really stood out to me the most was Krona and De-Lia’s relationship. I loved seeing their sisterly bond and their complicated relationship. However, I wished we got to see more of Charbon's chapters. He was a despicable human being but so fascinating. It was interesting to see the reasoning behind the things he did.

The pacing was a bit of an issue for me. It was so slow and took a long time for the plot to pick up. At times it felt repetitive because Krona would walk around stuck in her thoughts, without any progress regarding solving the mystery. I do hope the pacing will be a lot better in the next installments.

Overall, I enjoyed this. I am waiting in anticipation for the sequel to come out!

I tried to read this, but gave up about 1/4 of the way through. It was definitely a DNF for me. I would still read more by the author. However, I just didn't connect with this story.

2/5 Stars

What a fantastic read! This book is chunky so took me a couple of days to read and I kept wishing I was doing a buddy read so I could discuss it with someone else.

The plot combines a crime mystery with a magic system that deals with time as currency, and enchantments in the form of death masks infused with the abilities of the owners. The characters are brilliant - Krona has a good arc and is able to step out of her sister’s shadow and face her fear. Charbon’s story is equal parts terrifying and deeply sad. Thibaut is very intriguing and I want to know more about him. Melanie and Sebastian are too cute.

The story veers from light to dark and is quite grim in parts. I like the gender fluidity of the gods and their back story. I have a lot of questions regarding the gods and I guess I have to wait for the next book to find out more. For the first book in the series, it’s not all world building. As detailed as that is, there is also a lot of action and character development. I like the way the author handled the different time lines so we could have a sense of progression on all fonts as the threads sound closer.

I don’t know what kind of fantasy to categorise this as - it has touches of urban, high, new adult (except it has a very tame non sexual edge, wrapped with a lot of gender and sexual fluidity) - but it is certainly epic! I can’t wait for the rest of the book(s) and to dive back into this world. Highly recommended!

One of new release books that came highly recommended by author Sam Hawke at her book launch late last year was The Helm of Midnight. I can't quite remember how she described it but it sounded so good that I just had to read it.

An engaging opening to the novel that draws the reader right into the mystery that was quickly followed by an interaction between sister to reveal just how close they are. I loved this pair of sisters! And that twist at the end was a marvel though I did think the way part of this is written is rather deceiving but that's neither here nor there as I figured it out before the actual reveal. Unfortunately though this means that we really only get one sister as a fully developed character being Krona Hirvath, mainprotagonist.

In between Krona's chapters, there are 2 other POVs as mystery traced back to 10 & 2 years previous so there was a bit of back & forth in time setting as well. While I sometimes struggle with too much changes of time setting, I didn't with this book because it was very easy to note which POV and therefore, which time.

While I found the mystery brilliant and utterly immersive, I struggled a bit with this universe. I think I'm probably only about 80% in my understanding of how it all works or perhaps the point is that it's not all been revealed yet because there is bigger things at play and so, upcoming sequel.


I cry so easily that I really think I need to rate my books by tears! Yes, I shed some tears at the end of this book but despite my heartache I'm keen to see how Krona will develop in the future plus I loved the fun flirting she had with her informant. The Helm of Midnight is rather dark in content but it is relatively on par with crime novels I read (seeing that a serial killer is involved). It has got some lighter & warm moments as foils to the violent murder scenes.

Thank you Tor Books via Netgalley for the e-copy of this book in exchange of my honest thoughts

The premise of this novel really drew me in but unfortunately, I am a DNF at 30%. Horror paired with fantasy sounded like something I could really get into, after all I LOVE horror and I'm trying to love fantasy, but it didn't work for me. This is by no fault of the author because I know most other people would really enjoy this story. I found it really hard to keep the storyline straight in my head and to figure out how everything was supposed to fit together. I think it's my lack of experience with fantasy that really limited my ability to click with this book.

3/5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The entire premise of this book was everything that I never knew that I needed. It simultaneously wove together the story of a ruthless murderer, cult happenings, a brand new fantasy environment, and the strength of family. Just to had all the trappings of a dark thriller while simultaneously introducing the reader to an entirely new fantasy environment. The world-building was very well done, and it was accomplished rather gradually so as not to bog down the reader. The writing was lovely, but it wasn't overly complex. It was very graspable without sacrificing any of the description or intricacy necessary to build the story. The magic system in this book was wonderfully creative and very well described. I never felt like I was lost as it was explained and handled perfectly. The very base of the magic system being so strictly regulated and only accessible under certain circumstances was very compelling. Also, it opened up the entire cult plot line regarding the secret "new magic" that not only brought into question the strict regulation of magic, but also the very basis of the religion.

Let me also point out that there seemed to be a lot of great diversity in the book. The protagonist is a very strong woman of color. There was also the inclusion of a variety of gender identities. Actually, the gender identities even related back to their religion which had the different figureheads of the religion encompassing different gender identities. As a whole, the characters within the story felt wonderfully complex especially Krona. Krona was an amazing protagonist. She was hard working, determined, strong, but also still vulnerable. She was never obnoxious, never overpowered. Krona felt like a real, strong person who was out there trying to do whatever she could for the greater good. She did this all while struggling with her traumatic past. Charbon was also wonderfully complex. The decision to include his point of view was very clever. Not only was his backstory important to understand the cult, but it also made his character wonderfully complicated. Thibaut as well, we get him most often as comic relief but it was great that we got to see a more ragged, desperate side of him part way through the book.

As this is a five-star rating, there isn't much that I have to say negatively regarding the book. My primary issue was just that the book felt too long. By this I mean that Melanie's POV felt like just too much. I mean don't get me wrong, it didn't feel out of place per se. It just felt like the same thing that including her POV accomplished, could have been accomplished without a direct focus on her. I just tried to explain this book to my friend and I couldn't really explain to her why her POV was totally necessary to the plot. It just felt like a bunch tacked on for the sake of the ending. Perhaps a little more investigation on Krona's part would have been a more appropriate substitute.

It was a really good book though. Even though I think the book works pretty well as a standalone, I am already excited to read the next one whenever it comes out! It was just such a fun, creative take on a fantasy novel and I loved it. One of my top 10 books for 2020 for sure!