genre: Fantasy

age: Adult

Main Character: Krona

Favourite Character: Thibaut

Plot: 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 with a series of gruesome murders.

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. How far will he go?

Review: This blew me away! I can't wait until this gets published and I can buy my own copy. The worldbuilding, the characters, the magic system. All are amazing. I know this hasn't even been published yet, but I can't wait for the next one.

Trigger warnings: death of a family member, death of a parent, death of a child, lots of stabbing and shooting with needles, extreme gore, body mutilation, detailed description of murder and mutilation of murder victims , murder of pregnant women

I love the idea of enchantments and enchanted items… swords and medallions and in the case of The Helm of Midnight, masks! In Lostetter’s outstanding debut novel, individual’s essence can be trapped in a mask before they die and the power will last within the vessel forever. If a healer allows their essence to be imbued into a mask, a wearer would learn healing techniques. But a mask embodying a devilish killer… we might have a problem!

The novel opens at the anniversary celebration for a high ranking police officer with all the items from his greatest cases on display. Krona Hirvath is there to guard these treasures and because of her adept skill, she is wearing all sorts of enchanted items to assist in her own policing as a state Regulator (See the beautiful cover). Distracted by a supernatural beast, Krona and the rest of the Regulators allow two of the enchanted items to be stolen. One is a bracelet that turns the wearer against themselves, and the other a mask imbued with the spirit of an infamous serial killer named Louis Charbon. Soon, it becomes apparent that the mask is being used and the bodies start piling up. Krona is going to have to use all of her underground contacts and her strength with enchantments to hunt down the killer.

There are so many things I enjoyed about this novel. First is the worldbuilding. It has a feeling of gaslight fantasy. I definitely saw those video games Dishonored and Thief in the writing. Lostetter does a fantastic job of explaining the setting and politics and culture of the world in so many different ways. Religious texts and a master’s instructions and an informant’s report… all these are able to give the reader further glimpses into this awesome world.

Krona is a truly memorable character. With her sister as her boss in the Regulators, it’s hard for her to get away with much, but she has an edge and she’s tough as nails! Although she has one weakness: a phobia of the supernatural beings called vargs because her father was killed by one. She has great skill with enchanted items which at times can fight for control with the wearer. Krona’s mental acuity allows her to level up with items that increase her strength and bravery.

There is another thread that follows alongside of Krona’s. I won’t go into it too much but I’ll just say that it adds greatly to the mystery. And gives a different perspective on the power of these imbued tools of magic.

I will be recommending this book all over. I really connected with the writing and there are some unique elements in the story that I latched onto right away.

5 out of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Books and the author for an advanced copy for review.

The Helm of Midnight invokes an intricate world where feelings magically imbue crystals and masks contain the echoes of a person's abilities.

The story is told through two timelines. The one set in the present follows Krona, a regulator (or cop) who has a tragic history that impacts her ability to regulate. The other plot follows Melissa, an impoverished young woman looking to heal her ailing mother.

Both characters leap off the pages. They are knowable, friendly, and human in the very unhuman realm Marina Lostetter has written. Krona suffers from PTSD with a wraithlike creature known as the Varga. She idolizes her older sister (also a regulator) and suffers from her inadequacies the same as we all do. Melissa has good intentions, all of them well placed, but suffers from the consequences when her desire to heal her mother backfires.

The worldbuilding of The Helm of Midnight is expert, crafty, and deliberate. Descriptions add to the story instead of putting us in a mire of unnecessary words. Lostetter propels both plots forward in a systematic nature that can slow the pace. However, the very contradictions her whole novel is about would suffer had she not taken the grace and delicacy in divulging them.

The Helm of Midnight throws rules at us about the world Krona and Melissa live in, the Valley. There are gods, monsters, magic, and echoes of one's soul. But are the gods truly gods? Do their rules reign supreme, or are they fallacies meant to keep order? Are these monsters, the Varga, really all they appear to be? Is it right to use crystals or masks to change one's emotions, to heal beyond your knowledge?

The world Lostetter has developed here is more science fiction than fantasy. There is far less mystery than the description would suppose and much more intrigue into what lies hidden behind the curtain of this world.

The ending is not a cliffhanger, but The Helm of Midnight has set up a tapestry of a world. Marian Lostetter does a marvelous job showing us there are two sides to that tapestry, and one is ugly and more authentic than the image we tend to gape at.

Be prepared to learn more about this decadent, fictional world in the final two books of this proposed trilogy.

A first book in a new and unique fantasy series The Helm of Midnight plunges the reader into a very intricate well crafted world where there are magic imbued items mainly masks who have echoes of people who came before and died: "When people die, all they leave are echoes." Our heroine, Krona, is a regulator, sort of a cop, who carries a trauma of these creatures called Varg ever since she was orphaned by one. She has an older twin sister also in the force, and an informer, Thibaut, she has grown attached to. These seem to be the only relationships in her life.
The story introduces us to two other characters Melissa an impoverished young woman who searches for a cure for her ailing mother and Sebastian, an innkeeper with an interesting past of his own. Their story follows a different timeline and it is a mystery as to how it converges with the main plot.

In the present there is a heist of two dangerous artifacts a stone of despair and a death mask of a notorious serial killer. Soon after there are killings with his pattern of arranging the bodies as "blooms" cropping up all over the city. I assumed the book is a murder mystery only to find it more character and fantasy driven. The plot centers more on the relationship between Krona and her older sister De-Lia, on Melissa's entanglements with magic in attempting to use a healer masks that gets botched up. There is lots of drama and intrigue but the pacing at times can be very slow as the action only picks up again at 85% of the book.

Despite my issues with the slowness of the plot at time, the overall experience was very positive. There are many themes woven into the story about magic use, faith, trauma and so forth. The complexity of the world building and the characterization make this into an exceptional tale, and I would definitely pick up the next instalment (although there is no cliff hanger and it can be read as a standalone).

Full Disclosure, I was given an ARC by NetGaley and the publisher—Tor Books—in exchange for an honest review.

"When people die, all they leave are echoes." While this is true, in this book people can leave legacies behind containing these echoes, in the form of a mask. We follow Krona and her fellow Regulators as they chase down a serial killer, utilizing a mask from a famous physician to desecrate bodies for some unknown reason. In this world, emotions are the currency, and the mind can be your inheritance if you can use it.
I really enjoyed this book, I was very impressed with the worldbuilding and the design of the society. I really became immersed in the world of Krona. I felt the tension and stress as she worked to figure out who the killer was, and I was not expecting the plot twist. I feel that all of the reveals were done really well, and while the mystery behind the killings was mostly resolved, there is still a question left unanswered that I am hoping will be addressed in the next book. I would also love a glossary of all of the different professions, I was unable to keep them straight except for the Emotioteurs!

For some reason I could not connect to the story or the characters in this one. There is an audience out there for this, but I just wasn't the target. The plot setup was interesting though!

HIGHLIGHTS
~not a Jack the Ripper story
~masks with souls
~the gods have an Agenda
~or do they???
~Monkeyflower

I am very, very worried that Helm of Midnight is being marketed all wrong – because it’s almost everything I love, and I almost walked right past it. I only stopped to take another look after hearing other reviewers whispering about unusual magic systems and strange worldbuilding, which are, you know, my jam. So I decided to take a gamble. Maybe I could put up with reading about a sort-of-murder-mystery if the trade off was brilliant worldbuilding.

But the thing is, Helm of Midnight is not a murder mystery. It is unique and impressive and genuinely special, but what it is not is a thriller, a police procedural. The blurb for this book is so misleading. The catch-the-killer aspect of this story is just a mask.

(Literally!)

Beneath that mask, this book is something very, very different.

And you don’t need to look closely to see that. Helm makes it very clear, on the very first page, that we’re not treading familiar roads with this one; the book opens with a brief excerpt from a fictional scroll, written by someone we later learn is a kind of prophet-figure in Helm’s world, and this excerpt concisely describes the five gods Emotion, Nature, Knowledge, Time, and the Unknown.

It’s not the fact that Nature is masculine that made me sit up and pay attention – although that is very cool. It’s the fact that three of the gods are nonbinary, and use nonbinary pronouns; Emotion = zhe, Knowledge = fey, and the Unknown = they.

But this excerpt isn’t really about the gods, so much as it’s about the Five Penalties (from which, one gathers, the series’ name comes), and this cements the certainty that this isn’t going to be your typical fantasy story. Because this scroll is talking about an ’emote tax’ through which people must share emotion. Time must be shared through a time tax. The other Penalties are a bit more mundane, but – emotion taxes? Time taxes? Nonbinary deities?

We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.

Where we are is the Valley, the only place in the world safe for human habitation. It’s large, this Valley, don’t worry; large enough to be divided into five nations, so we’re not talking about a little tucked-away hamlet. It’s protected by a barrier the gods sacrificed themselves to make, because beyond the Valley, well… Here be monsters doesn’t begin to cover it. But within the barrier, there is society; civilization that depends upon gemstones imbued with emotion and uses time as currency, where the uniquely talented can have their skills preserved after death in masks, so that their skills or knowledge doesn’t die with them.

Like the Mayhem Mask, which holds the anatomical skills of the serial killer Louis Charbon. And which is stolen, in a bizarre and deadly heist featuring monsters and men disguised as monsters, in the first chapter.

Krona and her sister Lia are Regulators – something like police, if police officers wore armour that made them look like artisanal chess pieces – and it was their team, Captain Lia’s team, watching over the mask when it was stolen. Making it Krona’s top priority to get it back.

Getting it back is complicated.

The book switches between three perspectives; Krona’s, as she and her fellow Regulators, including her sister, try to retrieve the mask and unravel the rapidly-growing mystery surrounding it; Charbon himself, set 10 years before; and Melanie, whose storyline takes place two years before the mask’s theft. Although Krona gets the most page-time, it’s hard not to argue that Charbon and Melanie’s chapters are actually the most important, as both contain and explore world-shaking revelations that would change – everything.

Ascribing unknowable evil to something was just an excuse not to understand it, a way to wash one’s hands of it.

I have some sympathy for whoever wrote Helm of Midnight‘s blurb, because it’s difficult to talk about what makes this book so jaw-droppingly incredible without giving away spoilers. But this is not a murder-mystery. It’s not even, really, about retrieving the stolen mask. As deftly as Lostetter weaves the world of the Valley together, she just as deftly unpicks the threads and holds them up for us to get a closer look at. She flips the tapestry to show us the knots and bindings underneath, the complicated hidden truths built into every aspect of this world. As soon as she establishes a rule, she makes us question it. And in a lesser author’s hands, maybe that would turn into a disorientating, confusing mess, but not here. Here it turns into something deep and rich, with layer after layer of secrets and magic and monsters and gods to sink your teeth into.

I think the best example I can use to showcase this – meaning, the only example I can think of which doesn’t spoil anything – is the varger. Varger are unkillable, hideous monsters that come in five breeds, each with its own special, horrifying ability. The only thing varger do is kill, and the only way to stop them is to hit them with the metal their breed is vulnerable to, and drain their power until they dissolve into a gas, which can be captured in a specially sealed bottle. And then you put the bottle somewhere very safe where no one can ever, ever get to it, because if the varg gets out, things get ugly.

All of Krona’s chapters in Helm of Midnight begin with a few lines about someone who, as a child, had an encounter with a varg. It’s not clear whether the person speaking is Krona or not; these passages are the only parts of the book in first-person, but there just aren’t enough context clues to tell who’s speaking. Regardless, this story-within-a-story talks about how this child – a young girl – found a wild varg and gradually, over time, tamed it. She brought it salves, and the ever-present, oozing sores of all varger eventually healed and went away. Instead of ripping her to pieces, the varg becomes her friend. She even, at one point, weaves it a collar out of flowers.

This flies against literally everything else we know about varger. It contradicts Krona’s knowledge of and experience with varger; it contradicts the reader’s experience of the varger who appear on-page. But gradually, bit by bit, as we get more of this first-person story, it becomes very clear that what ‘everyone knows’ about varger is wrong. It’s contradicted by this little girl’s story. Oh, no question, varger kill people. They’re still dangerous. But.

Something is going on here.

The entire book is like that: as one hand establishes a fundamental aspect of the worldbuilding, the other hand takes it away. Nothing can be taken at face value, and none of the tenets of Krona’s, Charbon’s, or Melanie’s understanding of the world can be trusted. It’s not a case of unreliable narrators so much as, the characters themselves are living in a world that is lying to them. Within a society that lies to them. Magics misdirect and monsters might not be monsters. Maybe gods and prophets aren’t gods and prophets, either.

Maybe a serial killer had a really good reason to do what he did.

Which brings me to the characters, who also contain hidden depths – sometimes hidden even from themselves. But I absolutely adored Krona and Melanie! They’re wonderful people and wonderful characters. Krona has idolised her big sister for their entire lives, became a Regulator because Lia did, and has no interest in the spotlight so long as she can be there for Lia.

Maybe she was just a shadow, a follower – whatever Tray thought of her. But there was one good thing about treading closely in someone else’s footsteps: when they stumbled, you were right there to pick them back up again.

Her relationship with her sister is a bright, shining thread woven throughout the book, but Krona doesn’t need to be held against Lia to be interesting: she has a strong sense of right and wrong, is stubborn and determined, but also has an endearing shyness when it comes to talking about her private wishes and dreams. One of the sweetest moments was when we learn that she has a whole shelf of tiny clockwork toys because that’s what she uses to pay one of her informers – he doesn’t realise she’s gathered a small trove of them just for him. (And Thierry, the informer, is another fabulous character, whose frank self-awareness is such a refreshing change from male characters who think they’re the gods’ gift to the world! It might be a bit strange to love a character who readily admits to being a coward, but – I love that he knows that about himself and isn’t ashamed of it.)

If Krona has a tough exterior but an inner softness, Melanie is the opposite; more feminine than Krona, her softness could easily be mistaken for weakness, but there’s steel beneath her careful manners, and a refusal to accept that the world won’t bend when she needs it to. Her life revolves around her mother, who is terminally ill, and her filial devotion is pretty humbling. I loved how her love and care for her mother morphed into a desire to help others who are ill; she’s fundamentally another good person, although I think one who might be more ruthless – in the name of practicality – than Krona, despite their disparate stations in life.

And Chabron…poor Chabron. For those concerned about the gore – there is some, but we never see him with his victims, only the aftermath (which is bad enough). But his plotline is the most… I want to say subversive. The one that challenges the reader’s expectations, and the society he lives in, more than any other. But is he wrong? Is someone lying, and if so, who? About what?

What is going on?

This isn’t about fantasy police. It’s about the very nature of magic, where it exists and what it can do. It’s about the time tax, where the poor die young and only the richest live into their wanton 80s. It’s about the gifts the gods gave and the conspiracy to hide them, steal them. It’s about secret cults and impossible enchantments.

It’s about the world everyone knows not being the real world at all.

I’m so happy that I ignored the blurb and gave this a try. The attention to detail, the strangeness, the enchanted gemstones and the beautiful masks, the layers upon layers of story – I loved this book. I love the world Lostetter’s created, I love her prose, I love how different it is. I’m going to be thinking about it for a long time, and looking forward to the sequel. It’s definitely going to be one of my favourite reads of 2021, and I think it could be for a lot of other people too.

TL;DR: If you want fantasy like you’ve never seen it before? Then preorder Helm of Midnight, because it won’t disappoint.

This book was not really what I was expecting, however I did find myself enjoying it more than I thought. I am not a huge fan of crime centered stories, however I went in trying to not let that have any prejudice. I thought the world building was interesting and the characters were decent. All in all this was a good start to a new series.

The Helm of Midnight is the first book in a new fantasy trilogy. It centers around a heist, but from the law’s perspective. It mixes two fascinating forms of magic and throws you into a world where everyone is scared and no one really knows how their world works. The story starts with a bang. Krona and her crew are watching over a noble’s funeral when two highly protected pieces of magic get stolen right from under their noses. Now it’s up to Krona and her fellow regulators to find out why they were stolen and get them back.
When I saw this cover, my interest was piqued, then I read what this was and I knew I HAD to read it. I love a good heist story, and I had never read one from the point of view of those that act as the law. Then I started reading it, and a fascinating new world was opened up to me. It had magic systems based on masks, and emotions, and echoes. It was so cool, and honestly, I want more of it! I want to know how each of the magic users uses their magic, and hopefully, we’ll see that more in the following books.
For me, the magic system and the characters made this story. The over-arching plot is rather slow, and there were times that I thought I was significantly farther than I was. But the magic system was so fascinating, as I briefly mentioned above. Stones could carry emotions so it could enhance or dampen certain ones, they paid for things in time, had 5 gods, put people’s echoes into masks so they could be used after death. It was so rich and interesting. As for the characters they each had distinct personalities, and I loved the dynamic between Thibeault and Krona. They had great banter, they had boundaries, they have pining (dare I say?). It was so much fun. I also greatly enjoyed seeing how the stories intertwined. I really thought they wouldn’t intersect in this book, but man am I so happy they did. We got to see how not only their stories intertwine, but how their past traumas affect each other, and the importance of being willing to accept help from those around you. It was so nice to read, and I can’t wait to see if it develops into a strong found-family.
The shortcomings of this book are few and far between, and I honestly feel could be chalked up to this being the first book in a high fantasy trilogy. You can’t give everything away at once, and I get that. But I still feel like I should mention them. First being, as much as I loved the main characters, I couldn’t tell you much about the side characters. Krona’s team, and Trey I’m not sure their motivations, and while they’re not important, it feels weird that I don’t know much about the side characters in a character-driven story. The pacing did feel a little off like I mentioned. At one point I thought I was 70% done but was only nearing 50%. It became a little pedantic, and I was hoping something would happen soon, even something other than Krona's thinking.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book for the magic system alone. Lostetterr has all the makings of a new, inventive, high fantasy series. I can’t wait to see where she goes with it, and I think it would align well with most people’s fantasy tastes. There’s a little something for everyone in the story.

This one's a bit of crime procedural mixed with sci-fi world building, with a healthy dose of "identity sensitivity" that seems forced---there's almost too much packed in to do it all well. I loved the relationship between the two sisters, and their role as competent, strong and fierce protectors, and wish the author had spent more time building out their characters and their relationships.

Fantasy police procedural. If that combination of genres piques your interest, you are going to greatly enjoy The Helm of Midnight, even if it doesn't do anything particular new with those genres. Krona is a sort of magic detective, working under the command of her sister Lia. An assignment to protect some enchanted items goes awry and soon she is on the case to discover why men are disguised as spiny mist werewolves, how an enchanted healer's mask has gone inert, and, most importantly, the location of an enchanted mask that turns the wearer into Jack the Ripper.

In a city of magic and masks, Regulators must keep the tightly-guarded peace, preserving the strict laws of the land. Not as easy as you might suspect when under regular attack by beastly varg and a killer recently returned from the dead. But De-Krona and De-Lia Hirvath, sisters by birth as well as by Regulator service, are more than capable of meeting their challenges head-on.

In The Helm of Midnight, we meet them as chaos is loosed upon a high-society gathering, resulting in the theft of the Mayhem Mask of Louis Charbon – better known as the Blooming Butcher. The clue’s in the name, and it’s not long before we get to see his work, grotesque and beautiful sculptures made from the victims that could have been pulled straight from an episode of Hannibal. But this is no simple serial-killer thriller dressed up with a fantasy setting – there’s a lot going on in this book, and murder is only the beginning.

It took me time to get into this book – it’s the first in this setting, and the author wasn’t skimping on world-building. For the majority of the book, the chapters are split among three characters, at different points in time, too, pulling the reins a little on the reader as it switches between them. It made for a more leisurely start than the initial heist scene suggested, though I appreciate an author with the confidence to make sure the foundations of a world are stable.

Once the initial world-building and scene-setting gave way to the story proper, however, I was SOLD. The author has a knack for little human moments that make her characters solid and real – and brings scenes to life in the reader’s mind. This book features a very diverse range of people, too – main characters and background both, which is something fantasy novels don’t have a tremendous track record on. No such issues here.

The world itself wanders off the usual fantasy track, too – this is no medieval world plus magic. Despite the odd cottage, most of the descriptions of the world are more likely to associate with the Brutalists, all clean angles and palettes of red, black, and white. The spare but vivid descriptions of characters and places fit into that aesthetic, reinforcing it with their nature as much as their meaning – this was a book that felt like it was written by one of the characters from the very world it describes.

Despite those early issues, the overall experience with The Helm of Midnight is a very exciting one. This reads very well as a stand-alone, but there’s a huge world here, one that I hope to see the author spend more time exploring.

The death mask of Louis Charbon has been stolen. Imbued with his knowledge of anatomy and his pleasure for killing, it's re-emergence into the world is a disaster. Can Krona Hirvath stop this magical murderer?

The amount of creativity it takes to write a fantasy book is astounding. I have nothing but admiration for the worldbuilding needed. That being said this book just didn't grab me initially. I'm not sure if I found the book too long or what but the story just lacked color for me. My rating reflects my appreciation for the creativity in writing this book. Thanks so much for letting me review it.

Because I wasn't as engaged in reading this as I would've liked, I'm not going to publish my actual review to Goodreads but I will post the rating. The cover and release date are on my Bookstagram, AprilsBookishLife, under the ARC highlight with its release date, all year.

The Helm of Midnight is a fascinating read, which effortlessly combines fantasy, murder mystery, and even horror. On top of the amazing blend of genres, I absolutely loved the concept of death masks, which preserve the talents of the deceased and allow the wearer of the mask to harness those talents, and the very unique world-building. The Helm of Midnight is told from three very different perspectives, that of a Regulator named Krona, a healer named Melissa with a secret that could change the world as they all know it, and a serial killer named Chabron. Each of these narrators are extremely well-developed and so are the rest of the cast of characters.

Thankfully, I enjoyed reading from each and every perspective of the characters. I feel in most books with changing perspectives, I dread going back to one, or hate when a perspective abruptly leaves off with a cliffhanger ending and switches to another character. That is not the case in The Helm of Midnight. The switches between narrators feel organic and natural, not contrived to add tension or to push the plot forward. I especially loved the duality of reading from the perspective of the law through Regulator Krona, and then reading from the perspective of a notorious serial killer, known as the Blooming Butcher. The part of The Helm of Midnight concerning these gruesome murders, in which the killer actually carves his victims into flowers, gave me very strong Jack the Ripper vibes. I was not only super invested in Krona and the rest of the Regulators solving the case of these murders, but also extremely intrigued in the reasons behind why Chabron, the original perpetrator of these murders who was turned into a mask in death to preserve his horrific skills, committed them in the first place.

“A murderer didn’t deserve to be feared even in death.” 

To combat the gruesomeness of Chabron's mask, which being used to repeat the murders, the Regulators have their own death mask to aid in their investigations. For instance, there is the death mask of an expert on lies, helping Krona to determine if those she is questioning are lying to her. But wearing these death masks doesn’t come easy, as echoes of the deceased’s personality try to inhabit the current wearer. I honestly couldn’t get over what a unique idea these death masks were. And frankly, how amazing and terrifying it was that the mask of a serial killer, like Chabron, could be used to start a string of horrific atrocities all over again from beyond the grave. 

Other parts of The Helm of Midnight are just as interesting, with enchanters renting death masks for people to use their abilities, stones containing emotions to transfer to the wearer and with currency of the world in the form of time vials. Most interesting to me besides the death mask was in this world, there is a time tax on all people and it’s impossible to escape the tax collectors. The only people who can afford to live until past the sixties are the wealthy, who can afford to buy back their time. In this world, typically the thirties are considered middle aged, and not at all young. The Helm of Midnight also gets pretty deep into the religious aspects of the world, with five gods and their penalties at the heart of it.  I would try to summarize the beliefs of the world, but it is very intricate and I fear I could summarize this book all day and not do it any justice, so I will just simply state that the fifth god, the Unknown, is most intriguing to me, and even has its own cult, which has very nefarious goals. There's just so many different elements at play inThe Helm of Midnight, that I cannot help but to be in awe of the author not only keeping them all straight, but meshing them together so flawlessly. Many writers have tried to blend less genres together and failed.

“Time was not free. It was a commodity--a physical thing to be traded, like everything else in the world.”

At the same time that the author is writing all of these fantastical and crime elements, she also manages to expertly weave in complex characters and even some romance. All the side characters are well developed, even if those that have very little page time. I loved the relationship between Krona and her older sister De-Lia, and her very humane struggle to be seen as something other than her sister’s shadow. I also loved Melissa’s developing relationship with Sebastian, an innkeeper with an interesting past of his own, and Krona’s relationship with her somewhat dodgy informant, Thibaut. Most of all, I loved the author’s ability to make a horrific serial killer sympathetic and conflicted, showing there is still a man beneath the murderer. I grew so attached to the characters that I even cried at the end of the novel. 

I really loved all of the elements of The Helm of Midnight, whether those involving murder mystery or the fantasy aspects. Really the only criticism I have for this unique novel was that I did struggle with the pacing of the novel. As much as I enjoyed The Helm of Midnight and was invested in all of the characters, the world-building, and the mystery of the murders, sometimes I felt that nothing was really happening, despite how many different layers to the novel there were. It was odd because I didn’t always want to pick up the book to continue reading it, despite loving it, finding it to be a wholly unique reading experience, and wanting to know what happened. At the same time, even when I felt there wasn’t a lot actually happening, I felt that the twists of turns of the murder investigations added to the suspense of the novel and its mystery, so I would not exactly say that The Helm of Midnight should have been edited down further either. It felt like a more realistic investigation, with dead ends and trails going cold, that way. 

And it is not like the entirety of The Helm of Midnight is at this slower pace either. There are high speed chase scenes, saber fights, monstrous unkillable creatures known as the varg, magical barriers, fist fights, theft, mind control, and plenty of intrigue and espionage. There is just simply so much going on in the novel that I am not sure any review I could write would do all of it justice. Honestly, I am a in awe of The Helm of Midnight and how seamlessly the author blended so many different genres into one cohesive reading experience. There is a little something for everyone in this novel and I think fans of fantasy, murder mysteries, and thrillers will revel in The Helm of Midnight. Undoubtedly, I will be reading future entries in the series.

This story started out with a lot of promise. A serial killer, unique magic system where people with abilities can infuse their power/essence into masks that others can use, and a dreary world. While having a unique magic system and interesting world, around 60% into the book, and I felt that the plot was moving too slowly. There was soo much that had to be explained in the world that the plot felt like it was on the back-burner at times.

ARC provided by the publisher—Tor Books—in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 stars

This is an incredible book. Character-driven and bloody thrilling; The Helm of Midnight has pretty much confirmed its spot in one of my favorite books of 2021 list.

I owe a thank you to Andrea Stewart, the author of The Bone Shard Daughter, for recommending this book to me. I was already intrigued by the eerie cover art illustrated by Sam Weber, and it was her endorsement that really push me to read The Helm of Midnight amidst my ever-growing TBR pile. I don’t regret it one bit. This was my first time reading Lostetter’s book, and I’m undoubtedly impressed, especially because this is her fantasy novel; her previous books were all sci-fi if I’m not mistaken. Lostetter herself described The Helm of Midnight as The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris meets Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson; I can confirm that this isn’t a far-off pitch, and I loved it.

Unraveling: that’s what it feels like. The more I try to wind the lengths of my life into a neat, manageable knot, the more they seem to stretch and fray and snap. Order is not easy. Breaking takes less effort than building, that is the way of the world.



The Helm of Midnight, the first book in The Five Penalties trilogy, opens with a daring and deadly heist. The perpetrator managed to steal a dangerous artifact of terrible power: the death mask of Louis Charbon. Louis Charbon was once known as the most terrifying serial murderer, and this death mask created by a master craftsman being stolen means that someone might have the power to channel Louis Charbon’s abilities when they wear the death mask. Now it’s up to Krona, De-Lia, and their fellow Regulars to find out the thieves, the truth behind this heist, and Louis Charbon himself.

As you can probably guess, investigations is a huge part of the narrative in The Helm of Midnight. The terror and mayhem unleashed by Louis Charbon were frankly terrifying; it made me wonder what kind of research the author has done to successfully write massacres in such a vividly horrifying detail. Yes, this is quite a dark book, and if you’re not into reading grim books, you might be better off skipping this one. However, as evil blooms in darkness, The Helm of Midnight was an amazing read to me not because of its attention to murder, yes that’s a part of it, but more importantly it was the magnificent characterizations that immersed me into the narrative so much.

“Nothing can stop a man who thinks his violence is not only justified, but the epitome of virtue.”



This is, at its core, a story about faith, trauma, family, and duty. The characterizations are the key factors that made these themes worked so good. Even when the pacing considerably slowed down in the middle of the book, I never felt bored because I’ve grown attached and invested in finding out the fates of these characters. The story is told through the perspective of three main characters in a different time frame. First, we have Krona in the present timeframe who deals with the plotline I mentioned earlier; her story took some time for me to fully enjoy. Eventually, I became attached to Krona’s character development and the well-written sibling relationship she has with her sister: De-Lia; the complexity and love between the two characters as sisters really shine through the pages.

“They’d wanted to protect each other so much, sometimes they’d forgotten what they were protecting.”



And then we have Melanie’s chapters that take place two years before the current event. I will admit that I was worried that her chapters won’t matter much to Krona’s story; it just seemed disconnected at first, and I thought this would be one of those cases where a character was introduced, but their story won’t connect until the sequel. Obviously, I couldn’t be more wrong. That’s all I can say about this, though, you have to find out for yourself. In Melanie’s POV, Lostetter also exhibited her talent in writing a romantic relationship that’s so wonderfully done.

’“It’s not just about what I want,” she said with a sigh. “We take actions in life, and there are consequences. Those consequences narrow our choices. Time makes us walk a straight path between where we’ve been and where we are now. There’s no changing it.”
“But new decisions mean new consequences and new choices,” he said softly. “We’re never locked into one path. Time also allows us free will. She never freezes our future.”’



And finally—my favorite of the three POV characters—we have Louis Charbon himself; his chapters start eleven years before Krona’s story. This POV, y’all… It exceeded my expectations. I recently read a manga series called Shuumatsu no Valkyrie (Record of Ragnarok in English), and the similarity to Jack the Ripper found in Louis Charbon’s reputation reminded me of reading Jack the Ripper’s story in that manga. I’m giving a self-standing (yes, I’m standing right now) ovation to Lostetter with Louis Charbon’s origin story. THIS is the one that gives the necessary extra depth to the novel. Does eternal malice accompany Louis Charbon since his birth? Is he really the personification of death? Again, read and find out for yourself. Suffice to say that I was absolutely compelled with his chapters; reading about the internal and external conflicts he has between loving his family and executing his duty to the Unknown God was heartbreaking, disturbing, and unputdownable.

“People are more complex than that. Evil has its logics, just as good does. I need to understand Charbon to understand this killer.”



Three different characters with three different timelines and all connect with each other to bring a great result. Plus, The Helm of Midnight has one of the most despicable villains I’ve ever read. Lostetter’s prose felt so well-polished, and the full force of the horror and nightmare that the characters felt can truly be felt. I seriously love books with characters that made me feel; Lostetter’s capability to describe emotions—especially pain, anguish, and regret—was incredible. I could really feel the character’s emotions. And speaking of emotions, the magic in this novel revolves around emotions, and it also reminded me of the magic system in Mistborn; without the explosive actions. There’s quite a lot to unpack here; I’m just going to mention them briefly. People with an affinity for wearing a death mask have the power to channel the abilities and memories that comes with wearing one; each death mask has its own level of Magnitude, Tier, and abilities, with its own benefits and drawbacks. Then there’s also the concept of Enchantments and emotion stones, and more.

“Real time is far more valuable than bottled time. It has a better exchange rate. I decided I wanted to spend mine as productively as possible, get the biggest payout I could. That way, when I’m close to dying, I won’t feel the need to cash in—to lay on extra days, or months, or years. Because I won’t have any regrets. I think only people who waste their lives scrape for those extra minutes.”



Dark, immersive, and bloodstained, The Helm of Midnight provides an emotionally manipulative reading experience that I enjoyed. Although this is the first book in a trilogy, it worked nicely as a standalone. I have a difficult time classifying what kind of sub-genre this novel belongs in; it’s a novel with a lot of ideas implemented, and I’m curious to find out how the author will improve on these ideas in the sequels. The Helm of Midnight is partly urban fantasy, high fantasy, thriller, and mystery with a touch of steampunk, and Lostetter combined them into one package with frightening accuracy. It’s different from the kind of epic/high fantasy books I usually read, and I know this won’t work for everyone, but it really did for me and I hope it will for you as well. Last but not least, I’ll close this review with an important message from the author herself:

“And thank you to everyone who picked up this book, especially the readers who are struggling—whether it be through external battles or internal ones. As krona pointed out, despair always lies, and no one should be expected to work through depression, anxiety, or a catastrophe alone.”

—Marina J. Lostetter

Official release date: 13th April 2021

You can pre-order the book from: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Book Depository (Free shipping) | Bookshop (Support Local Bookstores!)

The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions

This was one wicked read. This novel does not hold your hand and respects you enough to follow along without having to over explain everything to you. I really enjoyed this book, immensely. It's a strange mix of horror, fantasy, and mystery that isn't afraid to slow down every once in awhile to set the tone. At times I felt like I was missing things, as it's been awhile since I took world history, but it wasn't enough of a issue to hinder my enjoyment of this beautiful hybrid of a novel. I would definitely recommend this.

Really good book! Action, suspense, and magical objects! Absolutely awesome! The main character, Krona is great! She kicks butt and takes names. The creatures in this book are downright scary. The beginning opens with a bang and it doesn't let up. An adrenaline rush for sure! I absolutely loved this! I can't wait for more by this author!

It took me so long to finish this one and I apologize for it but I just never was able to get into it and enjoy the story. Maybe i just wasn't in the right mood, I don't know, I can pinpoint a specific reason for me disliking it, but I didn't like it.

Love this! Love this whole world and the magic system. Moved slowly at times but as a whole, I am here and ready for more!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher!