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

Linsey Miller weaves a dark and intricate stand-alone fantasy about a girl that must tether herself to a violent ruler in order to save her world that is on the brink of collapse. The atmosphere of this book is very dark and haunting, and Miller's prose transported you to this eerie world. Lorena, our main character, is ace and there are some great discussions about her sexuality woven throughout the narrative. The magic system, drawing from the "wrights" of the two species of Gods, the Noble and the Vile, was intricate and interesting, but I sometimes found myself getting lost in the details of the exact ways in which the magic worked. Not fully understanding why the magic worked the way it did pulled me out of the story a bit. This book came to a heart pounding conclusion and was definitely a dark and gothic fantasy.

Totally bummed because I wanted so badly to love this. I tried and tried and tried to give this book a fair shot because of how excited I was for it but it's SO HARD to keep up with this world. The world building is suuuuper complex and throws you right in. The problem then was that at no point did this get easier to understand, I was completely confused the whole way through and no amount of powering through could help. I also didn't really care for any of the characters but I found it so hard to spend the time trying to like them when I was more busy trying to figure out what was going on.

3.75 rounded up!
I quite literally devoured this book. Not only is the writing of the book absolutely beautiful, the characters were also extremely developed and I quickly fell in love with them. I love the aesthetic and vibe of this novel. My rating bumps down because I overall had a feeling of being lost and needing to constantly go back to remind myself what was happeneing and how the plot got there.

The tag line for What We Devour is, “In a world of devastating power and a bloodthirsty monarch, it’s time for the wealthy to be devoured.” I was hooked after seeing that on the description. For fans of the Red Queen and Serpent & Dove you will love this! The magic system is so interesting and will have you hooked from the beginning.

Lorena Adler has a secret- she is a dualwrought which means she possesses the power of the banished gods, the Noble and the Vile. She has spent most of her life hiding out in Felhollow from the crown to avoid being bound to contracts like the other Wrought. But her hiding soon comes to an end when the crowned prince, Alistair Wryslaine, comes to arrest her best friend Julians father. Instead of leaving with her friends father he discovers Lorena is dualwrought and recruits her for a dangerous task. Repair the weakening Door that holds back the Vile or pay the horrifying price to keep it closed. Lorena, the Heir, and the rest of the wrought recruited by the crown have just under a month to either destroy the Door or sacrifice over 600,000 mortals to the Vile within to keep it shut. In this race against time Lorena has to embrace both parts of herself to survive and save all of Cynlira.

This book was amazing and had me hooked from the beginning! I fell in love with our morally grey main character Lorena. I’ve already preordered my copy of What We Devour and can’t wait to get it on release day. Keep your eye out for this book, I truly think it will be the biggest book for 2021. I’m not sure if this is a standalone or not but either way I’m excited to see how big this book or series gets!

What We Devour is the latest novel by Linsey Miller, an author known for her dark young adult fantasy novels, such as the Mask of Shadows duology and Belle Revolte. I've really loved Miller's work, with those three novels featuring protagonists struggling against greedy corrupt systems and governments, systems that benefit the rich, wealthy and those who fit those people's ideas of the status quo. These books have been filled with fascinating characters (and a ton of LGBTQ representation of all shades) with really strong points of view and with settings that really emphasize some strong themes....in some pretty dark and often bloody fashions. So yeah I was excited to get a shot at her latest novel early.

And What We Devour is up there with her best work, and is well well worth your time. Featuring as a protagonist a young woman, secretly possessing twin magical powers in a world where magic requires sacrifice - of something physical, or something intangible as long as its valuable - it tells a strong story of a world where the well-off make use of and sacrifice those who are less well-off. In that story comes this protagonist, who at first wanted nothing more than to hide, but who becomes determined to fight for the possibility that she and others can become something more than a tool for others to use, and who is willing to kill and sacrifice all those necessary to create that better world. It's another winner from Miller, as one should expect at this point.
--------------------------------------Plot Summary-----------------------------------------------
Ages ago, the godlike Vile and Noble were chased down by humans who had devoured their power, and were banished from the country of Cynlira...but they did not leave the world completely. Fragments of their power, known as wrights, pop up in humans from time to time - noblewrights bestowing powers of creation, vilewrights the powers of destruction....although both their powers require a sacrifice in order to work. And the Vile left behind another gift: a Door through which they could one day return....if it is not fed with enough human sacrifices.

Lorena Adler has a secret - a girl from the poor areas of Cynlira, the Wallows, she is Dualwrought, possessing both a noblewright and a vilewright - a combination only possessed by the Crown who rules Cynlira with an iron fist. She has hid from authorities for her whole life, afraid of being put to use and of having her power bound, and has made a name for herself in a small town as an undertaker, where she intends to marry her best friend one day in blissful ignominy.

But then the Heir, a vilewright known for horrible things, comes to her town, and Lorena is forced to reveal herself to save those who have taken her in. And so Lorena will have to deal with the most powerful people in Cynliria - the Heir and the Crown, monsters who would seemingly do anything for power. But what the Heir wants for Lorena is to help him seal or destroy the Door, for it is becoming hungrier for more and more sacrifices, forcing Lorena to choose what it is she is willing to sacrifice for a world that forces people like her to hide or be used....and what sacrifice might be too much.
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What We Devour is set in a world that is fascinating, and arguably is too fascinating for the story that Miller wants to tell - I wanted more, and would love more stories in this world, even if this story is clearly over, as there's a lot here that goes unused, even if none of it feels extraneous. You have a system of government that is supposedly half noble and half-common voted, but of course, the rich and powerful control each spot. You have magic-wielders whose magic is somewhat sentient and hungry, and requires sacrifices of body or of intangible things like someone's memories, senses, or feelings in order to create or destroy - magic that is thus usually wielding in contract form, with a giving up of something in exchange for something else. You have bindings by the nobles on those magic wielders (except for our protagonist) that prevent them from using their powers in certain "dangerous" ways. You have curses left behind by the Noble and Vile, which prevent someone from dying (and can be hereditary) unless they fulfill their particular curse, which of course can be just as bad as or the same as dying themselves. There's a LOT in this setting, and its all fascinating, and not all of it is explored here since there isn't enough time to do so.

What there is time for is Lorena's story, which is fascinating enough to make it all worth it. Lorena is a girl who grew up in the slums with a mother who worked for a Peer (the nobles) in a dangerous factory, who desperately tried to keep her mother alive for years until the end. She was taught by her mom to hide, for fear of what the nobles would do to bind her and what they would use her for, and so she has hidden herself her whole life, even taking a job in a small town as an undertaker because it was a job that would make her feel needed, while at the same time was distasteful enough to make people not want to ask more of her. She has a relationship with Julian, the son of the noble in charge of the town, but he's more her best friend than anything, with her not really feeling love for him, but going along with his plan for marriage just because it's the thing to do (per the author, Lorena is meant to be Ace, and you definitely can tell she's aromantic at the very least).

And yet when thrown into the spotlight by the Heir, and by the abuse of the Crown, Lorena doesn't simply try to go back to hiding, but instead determinedly takes a stand to try and change things. She hid all those years out of a fear of being used, and now that hiding is impossible, for Lorena, the goal is now to change the world so that people will not be valued solely for their use to others, but for their own wants and desires instead. And as Lorena sees more of what the nobles have done, even the nobles whose son she was supposed to marry into, she realizes that her goal cannot be obtained with the system intact, and that she'll have to get herself incredibly bloody, and to sacrifice far more than she'd like, in order to break down that system.

It makes her a fascinating character who drives this book, which is good because the side characters really aren't that memorable. The cast that Lorena surrounds herself with are built well enough to work for the most part, but none of them are that special, even as I did like them a bit. To the extent I cared what happened to those others, it was because of the impact their deaths might have on Lorena, not for themselves. And one of the side characters, Lorena's fiancé Julian, is such an ass really it's hard to see why she might've once considered him her best friend or felt so betrayed by his own actions over the course of the book.

Still the plot of this one is super impressive at times, driven by Lorena's tremendous intelligence, drive, and voice, and swerves in a number of ways that will surprise readers. If you couldn't tell from the above, it's a plot deeply involved with the questions of sacrifice, of class, of people's worth, of what is valuable, etc., and it weaves these themes together really really well. It all ends up in an ending that works fairly well at ending this story in bloody fashion, as Lorena drives herself to make what she believes will be the ultimate sacrifice, only for that to turn out to be something far harsher than she could have imagined, but also something far more fitting.

I'm not sure if this is my favorite of Miller's short but already super impressive list of work, but it's well up there with all that she's written and it's a really strong addition to the genre. Recommended.

It’s been years since the deities known as The Vile and The Noble were overthrown and, quite literally consumed by humans for their power. In turn, the descendants of those people who inherited special powers became known as either Vilewrought or Noblewrought.

Lorena is a true rarity in all of this, as she can wield powers of both a Vile and a Noble, making her a Dualwrought. However her hopes of living a quiet life under the radar are soon quelled when The Crown Prince (who happens to be a Vilewrought) learns of her power and forces her hand into a binding contract. On the proviso that she agrees to help him with his research on The Door (which keeps the remainder of the Vile out of their world), he will spare the life of her fiancé’s father.

As she spends more time with the Prince and his inner circle of Noblewroughts carrying out research, she begins to suspect that there is more to the Prince than the rumours suggest and he is in fact aware of a bigger picture that no one else can see...

Again, this was a story that sang to my gothic soul. The setting and plot of this story I just LOVED. It’s dark, a little bit grim, there’s magic and enigmatic characters. It had me hooked from the get-go.

Another thing I liked about this book was that things aren’t explicitly spelled out for you, so it keeps you on your toes trying to figure certain things out. I know some people may not feel the same way and get confused, but I didn’t think it impacted the story negatively at all.

One thing I would have loved to see more world building (there was great potential for it) and would love to see this perhaps in another book.
All in all I felt the plot and character’s development held fast and I it kept me turning the pages!

Give this a whirl if you like: headstrong, female MC’s, sassy royal heirs who throw themselves into research and binding contracts, blood/bargaining magic systems, demonic doors, general enjoyable confusion/chaos.

What We Devour is my first novel by the author, but it will not be my last. This novel was extremely unique as it took a semi-basic plot, where two characters from opposite sides must work together to defeat a common evil, and was transformed into a very complex and intriguing tale. The story also takes the sides of good and evil and blends them together, so everyone and everything seems grey. A very interesting dark fantasy novel that was a well worth a read!

Lorena Adler moved to the town of Felhollow after the death of her mother. Here she created a new life under the radar with her two best friends, Mack and Julian. She eventually becomes engaged to Julian and is content to continue to live a quiet existence. She holds a secret that she is a dualwrought, where she possesses the powers of both the Noble and the Vile. It is not unheard of to have both, but it is extremely rare. When the Heir to the Crown, Alistair Wyrslaine, is in Felhollow to arrest Wil, Julian’s father, her ability is discovered after she uses her power on the soldiers. As Alistair needs her power, Lorena makes a trade where she will give her service in exchange for Will’s freedom until a fair trial can be given. Alistair takes Lorena back to the castle where she joins in on the work that he is currently doing in secret. Alistair is a vilewrought with a dangerous and dark reputation after committing multiple violent acts in the past. While he may be dark, he wants to destroy the door that houses the Vile and make the need for sacrifices obsolete and Lorena may be the key to help him complete this goal. The main story follows the characters trying to find a solution to destroy the door.

This novel took me a few tries to fully get into as it was very interesting, but I found myself bogged down by the vast amount of terminology. By the end, everything seemed to make sense, but I would have loved a glossary to just give some basic definitions into a lot of the terms (wroughts vs wrights, Noble, Vile, etc.). With the Noble and the Vile, themselves, I initially had difficulty fully picturing their “beings,” as I did not know if they were Gods, spirits, or something else. Therefore, I initially thought of them as Raava, the Spirit of Light and Peace, and Vaatu, the Spirit of Chaos and Darkness, from the Legend of Korra. They were later described as demi-Gods, but I would have loved a little clear description in the beginning. Nothing in this novel seemed to be explicitly spelled out and that added to the writing as the reader had to put everything together, which may not be for everyone. For me, it was a case more of rearranging, such as the demi-god bit, where it could have been towards the first half of the novel instead of the latter half.

Lorena is an excellent character as she grows and learns given her new position and power as the story progresses. She learns more about herself and what she is capable of and I liked how it fit her character well. Additionally, I loved how the author wrote Lorena as an asexual (ace) where, I felt, it was handled well and “normalized.” The writing of her character goes through a lot of emotion of Lorena comfortable with whom she is, while acknowledging that it is not fully understood or accepted by society. Although it is who she is, it was never exploited or be the only defining aspect of her character. There are some moments of acephobic in the story and, I felt, it was handled well as their resistance to understanding was in the wrong.

Overall, this was a very interesting story. I did not instantly connect with it, like I do with other stories, but it grew on me the more I read it. The struggle between classes was an interesting aspect to this novel as the lower classes are sacrificed to the Vile’s door. I loved the representation of Lorena as an asexual and Basil, a member of Alistar’s research team, as a nonbinary individual, was included. I would have loved a little more about all the side characters, such as Basil, as they were interesting. The pacing is slow in the beginning, but picks up towards the end. The plot twists were interesting and I liked how everything came together at the end. The story was nothing like I expected, but it was a very interesting ride!

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Sourcebooks Fire, for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

I just finished this book and applaud Linsey Miller for another dark standalone fantasy. WHAT WE DEVOUR is as satisfyingly sinister as it is sumptuous, with steel-sharp edges that cut. Lorena is a dualwright, an incredibly rare wielder of both vile and noble magic. On the day the guard comes to arrest her betrothed's father, she uses her magics to protect him. The darkly mysterious and bloodthirsty heir recognizes her for what she is and offers her a deal: a fair trial for the father and she comes to work with the heir. All she has to do is survive meeting his ruthless mother.

Ok, truth, at first I found the magic system tough to wrap my head around but soon slipped into the world like a blade between ribs. Miller has a way about her world-building, bold and rich and stark, with no detail left untouched. The magic system requires a bunch of content warnings which Miller has listed out on Goodreads; body horror-based magic systems often come alongside self-harm and torture, of which this book has plenty. It's also deeply romantic, full of anti-capitalist sentiment, and a wonderful group of friends. I devoured every page they were on.

Must shout out the gender-inclusive world building. More worlds where people aren't immediately recognized by some sort of gender binary, please!

I finished this book about a month ago and I’m still struggling with getting my words down on the page. It’s been a long while since I’ve had this experience with a book, and an experience that I’ve dearly missed in reading. What We Devour caught my interest and didn’t let go until I got to the end and started @ing Linsey on Twitter asking how dare she do that to me. What We Devour was such an amazing read, and I have so few and so many words to say about how much I love this book. It was like I was reading Mask of Shadows for the first time again, my heart in my throat the entire time, me on the edge of my seat while I try to figure out what’s going to happen before Linsey ultimately rips my heart out.

First things first, the world might take a bit to understand. It was definitely a learning curve, trying to stay caught up with what a noblewright/wrought and a vilewright/wrought was in the first bit of the novel, especially because Linsey throws you in with zero warning or mercy. After you get the hang of it though, you find yourself wanting to know more about the world, more about the Noble and the Vile and the whole history that was crafted around these gods. You want to know more about how these wrights affect the characters and how it’s contributed to what’s going on in this story. Especially when it comes to Alistair and his mother, the queen.

Going into the characters, though, is so much more complex then the Noble and the Vile. I loved development of Lorena and her relationships with the other characters, especially with Julian and Alistair and the contrasting between her relationships with either one. I especially loved the other background characters, and while I will say some of them were less developed then others, I still found all of them a joy to read and I wanted to learn more and more about them. Some of the characters were so enjoyable and then Linsey just had to throw in other twists which made them even better to read, especially when going back and rereading and adding all the information in to these previous scenes.

The last thing I have to go into is the ending and the various twists that Linsey included. I have no words for how well crafted all these twists were and how hard-hitting and unexpected the ending was. A month later and I’m still processing everything that happened. The biggest thing you have to keep in mind though is that this is an extremely corrupted society (and the jokes about being an anti-capitalist thrust are completely serious) and that all of these actions taken throughout the book are in-line with the type of society Lorena is dealing with.
Final Rating: ★★★★★
Overall?

I wish there was more to this book, but at the same time it wouldn’t be the same if the ending was changed with adding a sequel. It was so heartbreaking and hard to read but also so beautifully crafted. I cannot wait for my finished copies of this book to come in, because I feel like I’ll need to reread it the moment I get my hands on it.

Additionally, the day I meet Linsey in person is the day I confront her about shattering my heart a grand total of at least three times so far, not counting the two books of hers that I haven’t gotten to yet.
Would I Recommend?

Absolutely, with heavy trigger warnings. One of the biggest warnings for this book is for self-harm, as the magic relies on a system of sacrifice. I would also add warnings for death, suicide, attempted suicide, murder, abuse, and violence. Not to mention all the systematic corruption.

Otherwise, this is a story full of a lot of intense stuff, and I absolutely love and adore this novel. Linsey, you’ve done it again.

I will be submitting this review to be posted on Fanbase Press closer to the publication date.

Lorena Adler specializes in keeping secrets and using half-truths to keep the world from knowing her true self: an individual possessing the ability to utilize elements of both aspects of the ancient gods (the Vile – destruction, and the Noble - creation). Only the Queen of Cynlira is also dually wrought, and it’s a dangerous legacy to share. Hiding as the undertaker of tiny Felhollow seems safe until extraordinary events bring the Crown Prince, one of the few Vile bound of Cynlira, to her door step threatening Lore’s found family unless she agrees to help in his quest. But she quickly learns that she’s not the only one who has hidden the truth and that sometimes the best way to save the innocent is by destroying everything.
After reading Mask of Shadows and Belle Revolte Linsey Miller’s works definitely fall on my must read list. Her focus on providing LGBTQIA+ representation in ways that don’t feel tokenized or shoehorned combined with intense dark fantasy plots peopled by fleshed out individuals both entertain and challenge me in the best ways. However, Lorena is her first protagonist that I identified with strongly on a personal level because she is asexual (it’s not specifically defined in those terms, but she loves cuddling and emotional connection but finds actual intercourse underwhelming). I’m probably closer to the demisexual spectrum but seeing a YA protagonist who clearly states that she enjoys touching and intimacy but hates the expectations that frequently come with it resonated.
What We Devour follows Lorena’s journey to protect her adoptive home by working with the dubiously ethical crown prince, but it’s also a darkly fascinating tale of self-discovery. She desperately wants the upper class to pay for using commoners as disposable, but the key to her revenge lies in obtaining power. Lorena’s entire life hinges on being unremarkable (no one asks too many questions about the undertaker in a small town), and her attitude towards government leans toward socialism, or at least protecting the weak and underprivileged. However, as the novel progresses Lorena’s political clout grows, which she must learn how to leverage for her anti-monarchist goals. Ultimately, she must decide how much of herself and her beliefs should be sacrificed for the greater good, a darker choice than many fantasy novels..
Linsey Miller’s magic system in Cynlira demands a price every time the caster has a request/prayer/spell fulfilled. Many of the Noblewrought and Vilewrought utilize complicated contracts and physical offerings to their aspect of the banished god or gods, but because Lorena is both self-taught and unbound (she has no restrictions on what types of spells she can fulfill with her wroughts) her methods are less concrete. The intricacies of the magic gradually get explained as the novel progresses, but its dark requirements of one offering of equal value for every request (no offering a dead bug for saving someone’s life, etc) fascinated me. While the results are mystical having an actual cost for utilizing special abilities felt realistic, and I appreciated how the complicated system added weight to the characters’ choices.
This review sounds a lot like I’m talking about concepts and characters, etc, and not the plot, but What We Devour is one of those magnificently, atmospheric and character-driven books with a plot that needs to be experienced. I recommend it for older and/or more mature YA readers, but anyone who can appreciate dark stories with fantasy elements and unique characters should check this out. Lorena is a protagonist you won’t forget after turning the last page.
5 Lost Memories out of 5

First of all, thank you Sourcebooks for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Lorena Adler, and understaker in a small town, is both Noblewrought and Vilewrought. When the Heir, the Vilewrought crown prince, ocmes to town to take Will Chase, her betrothed's father, she offers her service for his right to a trial. When she arrives in the cpaital, she's signed on to much more.

The Heir has spent years trying to weaken the Door, a thing that takes sacrifices.

This was a coold, dark YA. It definitely rides that grey area between YA and adult, though, so it reads more NA. While I loved the premise and the magic system (which was a bit confusing at first) I found the main character, Lorena, to be a bit blank from time to time. I would have enjoyed more inner thoughts, and more emotion. She felt far too calm and chill about everything, and htere's some crazy stuff happening!

Over all enjoyed it.

DRC provided by Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Representation: asexual protagonist, bisexual secondary character, queer secondary character of colour, queer non-binary secondary and tertiary characters, queer tertiary characters, queer tertiary character who uses a wheelchair.

Content Warning: death, violence, sacrificial self-harm.

What We Devour by Linsey Miller is an absorbing slow-paced fantasy with a fantastic mythology, an incredible ensemble of characters and unexpected twists.

After her mother’s passing, Lorena survives hiding her true nature and by living on scraps until she finds a home in Felhollow. Following an unforeseen attack on the town by brigands though, Cynlira’s crown prince reaches the remote town to arrest Lore’s future father-in-law, Will. Pressured by the circumstances, Lore reveals her unique nature to save Will and leaves the town for the reign’s capital. This decision will prove fundamental for the future of the country and Lore’s own internal development.

I read this book really slowly because of the slow pace of the story (mostly in the first part) and my own mood, but once I reached part two, I was in for the long ride. Both the original legends on Vile and Noble Linsey created and the loveable characters (at least, most of them) captivated me completely. And I loved the open ending and all the small unanticipated twists. Lore’s intrinsic evolution was cathartic in a way and I loved how queer this book was and how normalised queerness was in the land (this is how one writes a book!). The only negative feedback is the slowness of the first part, but as it prepares the stage for the grand finale in the second part, I ultimately was not that put off by it.

I have other books by Miller in my to-be-read list and if they are as intricately fascinating as What We Devour, I am really looking forward to diving into them.

“What We Devour” by Linsey Miller is a brilliant fantasy novel reminiscent of the gothic horror undertones of “Gideon the Ninth” and the alluring discovery of magic as in “Ninth House.” This richly developed universe with its motley crew of characters and supernatural elements will draw readers into this delightfully morbid tale.

Like most fantasy novels, it takes a while to become acquainted with the imagined universe and its magic system. Over the course of the novel, it unfolds and builds, constantly revealing new secrets of how it can be wielded. Having magic rely on self-harm is a fascinating concept (in the sense that power comes from within) if not a little horrifying (and may be triggering for some audiences). This usage of magic that relies on self-harm fits with the theme of self-sacrifice which takes different forms in the tale and emphasizes how each decision that is made is never an easy one.

The door is also an incredibly fascinating form of magic within this tale. It’s manipulative, abusive, and loves to play tricks on people’s minds. As far as villains go, having something that is (mostly) inanimate be the main focus of the story is something that doesn’t happen often in the fantasy genre. For that reason, it’s easy to be drawn into the otherness that surrounds its existence and all the questions that arise around its purpose. While some questions are answered, it did feel as though there needed to be a bit more of an in-depth explanation to fully understand its purpose and what’s behind it.

Miller does an excellent job creating a cast of characters that represent the LGBTQ2S group. There were a couple of characters I felt sounded the same and mixed them up a few times, and some who I would’ve loved to see on the pages a little more, but overall, I thought the characters were very original. Lorena especially is someone readers will like. Even though her character develops over the course of the novel, her desire to not be corrupted by the people around her never falters. Rather, she plays the roles she’s forced into, all the while creating plans of her own.

“What We Devour” comes with some trigger warnings which are important to be aware of before picking up this novel. Otherwise, this is a unique addition to the fantasy genre audiences will enjoy. The expected publication date for “What We Devour” by Linsey Miller is July 06, 2021.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with a free e-arc and the opportunity to share my honest opinions in this review.

What We Devour dives right into the action and never stops going.

The magic system is extremely enticing. It somewhat reminds me of the Venom symbiote: beings that rely on their host for life and, in return for their life and sacrifices of various sorts, will perform tasks and complete requests. From healing to destroying bullets, a wright can do a lot, given the proper sacrifice. Lorena is unbound, which is next to impossible, meaning she has unlimited control over her wrights, one vile and the other noble, one from each of the gods that used to rule the earth. Because of her odd relationship with her wrights, she has control over them and understands them better. What’s really interesting is that it’s not just physical things a person can sacrifice to their wright: they can sacrifice other things as well. Blood, of course, but memories, feelings, and sensations work as well.

There is a door between the world and another world, a door that threatens to open and release the old gods back into the world. In order to keep that door from opening, it demands blood sacrifice in the form of people. The number of sacrifices needed to keep the door from opening is increasing exponentially, perhaps reaching half the population in a matter of months. Lorena, contracted by the prince, works with a group of scholars, performing experiments and doing research in order to find a way to destroy the door.

Worldbuilding and dialogue are where this book shines. The magic system, the relationships between the characters, Lorena’s slow descent into, well, not evil exactly. But as she sacrifices more positive memories of her past, she falls into bad patterns and thoughts, becoming entirely focused on saving Cynlira, particularly those who are like her, who are poor and will never rise higher than they are because the socioeconomic structure prevents it. She is lucky that she was able to escape but still she suffered and lost her mother to long work days and no freedom. Working and working until you die. I very much appreciated the social commentary, the reliance of the society on capitalism and how the peers don’t care if those under them die.

The queer rep, explicit and otherwise, is great. Lorena herself is asexual. Basil, a scholar, is nonbinary. Other characters are implied to be queer but this is not fully explored because it’s not necessary to the plot. There are all sorts of casual queer rep in the background, with two women being married to each other in Lorena’s village, and with a guard referring to his partner back home. The characters are overall likable, especially Lorena, but their motives become more convoluted over time, as the plot attempts to ramp up, and everything gets more than a little confusing. People are crossed and double crossed and motives aren’t fully explained or implied enough to figure out what is happening until it’s happened.

The story jumps forward all the time, fast paced, showing an interesting world in glimpses that could have been further expounded upon and explored. Both characters and the world itself are somewhat ignored in favor of the other. Things happen and then the repercussions of those things aren’t fully explored before moving onto the next event. What should have been a major moment, in my opinion, happens and then the story moves on. The buildup to these events are more enticing than the aftermath, which is unfortunate. The way the door works is also confusing. It is not fully described, on purpose, but the reason and the way it takes sacrifices isn’t really well explained, making it difficult to picture.

Overall, the worldbuilding, magic system, and dialogue really stood out to me. I wish the plot had been further explored and detailed upon. There is a good foundation here and it definitely makes me curious enough to read Miller’s other books, which have been on my TBR for a while. There are some elements here that remind me of Throne of Glass, the Grishaverse, Scythe, Red Queen, and the Great Library series. I think fans of any of these series will enjoy this standalone! Deep fantasies don’t often come in a single book so it can be hard to get into them. A five book series is intimidating at times, so this book would be great for those lovers of fantasy who want a nice dip in a fantasy world without drowning.

This book's universe was very original! The whole idea of the Noble and the Vile, and the vilewroughts and noblewroughts. I do admit that at times I was a bit confused because of the difference between vilewroughts and vilewrights, as they seemed very similiar but meant different things. The lore and "magic" type system was confusing at times, which made me struggle with keeping up. I liked the MC because she was brutal and unforgiving, and I wish there was more of that in YA lit. I like the fact that she makes the hard choices and does what's best for herself and the people she loves. The ending only took me a little by surprise because the MC had hinted at that kind of ending a few times already. However, I still thought the ending was rushed and vaguely unsatisfactory because of the open-endedness. It felt like we were finally at a huge moment, and then the book ends. Overall, I did enjoy this novel (I finished it in 3 days), but I wish some of the world had been fleshed out a bit more.

While I did enjoy this book, there was still a lot that I think needs more attention. The world building and plot just didn’t hit the mark for me. It was kind of difficult for me to follow and grasp and because the book immediately starts off with the plot, I was unable to keep up with what was going on while also maintaining an understanding of the world building. The elements used in the story were what kept me intrigued. Dark fantasy has always been one of my favourite genres and this definitely had some strong points in terms of the concept. I just don’t think it was translated well onto the page. The characters were very likeable but I couldn’t exactly pay much attention to the because I was trying to understand everything else that was going on. So while I definitely do think this book had its positives, there were too many negatives for me to give it a higher rating.

Thank you to Sourcebooksfire and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

"We are worth more than what uses society can scavenge from our traumas"

Alternate theme: "EAT THE RICH". No, literally. This book is about devouring spirits.

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I was sucked into this book immediately. This book is the literal definition of 'dark fantasy' with heavy themes throughout, lots of blood magic...

If you like things like FullMetal Alchemist, the world of Paladin's Grace, Sorcery of Thorns, and the dark fantasy setting of Wicked Saints, it's safe to say you'll like this book.

There were so many queer characters in this book, I was pleasantly surprised by each person as they were just so...normal. Several nonbinary characters, lots of women in relationships with other women. The main character is asexual and unapologetic about it, and I LOVE that.

This book was a bit of a mess in terms of...it felt like it wasn't edited well, or it was meant to be two books instead. I was often confused about the MCs motivations. What did she want. What was her plan. What was the she going to do about this strange mystery that was involving the potential sacrifice of a tenth of the population? The characters and their interactions was what made this book good to me, less so the setting. I wanted more world building and a little more from Lorena's perspective about her history - why were things the way they were.

I did appreciate that the main theme of this book seemed to be that the poor and the infirm are not meaningless shells to be used to keep the dark spirits of the world at bay. People who have been dealt a poor hand in life, literally anyone other than the rich upper class, are treated like garbage, and I saw parallels in this world to our own. Lorena comes from a poor background and knows what it's like to suffer, and see people close to her suffer, and wants to fight for a better future for people like her.

Overall, I did enjoy the book, but I hope the polished version that comes out next month will be a little more...clear.

Thanks to NetGalley & Sourcebooks for the early review in exchange for an honest review. Sadly, I had to DNF this at 20%.

Usually, I offer a brief summary of the book but in this case, I barely understood the book and don't feel confident enough to provide a summary...

This world is fascinating, yet extremely confusing and poorly explained. The writing style is very good, but I feel like we needed way more chapters, in the beginning, to help us understand half the concepts. We were really thrown in the middle of it all with minimal explanation, unfortunately. By the time I felt like I finally understood something, there were new concepts thrown in there.

It didn't help that I didn't like a majority of the characters, including the protagonist. The Prince was pretty interesting though. I hope this book gets more polished prior to publication because it has a REALLY cool concept that I can see through the confusion!

This was wonderfully dark and filled with morally grey characters and a cost-heavy magic system. The world building and lore in What We Devour was great to learn about, but could get slightly confusing at times, and there were events mentioned that could have been explained a little bit more. I throughly enjoyed every character, though there was nothing that got me attached to any of them, because while they were fun to read and learn about, I didn’t much care if they met an unfortunate demise. It was very refreshing seeing so many casually queer characters, as well as having the main character, Lorena, being asexual, as well as quite a few non-binary side characters, major or not. Overall, What We Devour was a fun read, but won’t leave any lasting impressions on me.

In the Acknowledgments, the author states that this is a weird little book... She wasn't wrong. Linsey Miller brings to the table an intriguing story of bloodthirsty royals and forbidden magic.

The story starts off with excitement, action and violence, the promise of an epic tale that keeps you on the edge of your seat, but shortly after the opening, the excitement dies off and never really returns. Instead of the action that is expected, the story takes a more subdued pace that slows the story to a grinding halt. At this point, everything is about "The Door" and figuring out how it works, leaving the plotline to fall apart. There are a few branches out here and there, but nothing that really sticks.

In the end, the story was interesting enough for me to finish the book, but to be honest, I wasn't attached enough to the characters or the plotline to give it more than 3 stars.