I Have Asked To Be Where No Storms Come by Gwendolyn Nix was an interesting, if a bit disjointed, read. The story itself wasn't terrible, but the execution left something to be desired. It follows a three-act style, and yet felt disjointed and ill-paced. I'm not sure why exactly, but this one didn't catch me the way it seems to have entranced others. However, fans of Supernatural will find a similar fraternally-driven story here and will likely enjoy it.

dnf on page 174

trigger warning
<spoiler> mention of rape, mention of suicide, mention of conversion therapy, homophobia, mention of miscarriage, incest, trauma, grief, torture, drug addiction, gore, death by fire, loss of parent</spoiler>

Two brothers lose sight of each other and then find back together again.

We start off in hell with one of them, Domino, the older brother, and from then on we get back to childhood memories as they were alive and how they got to split up. I stopped some time after they found back together again and the necromancy that's described in the blurp didn't happen yet.

This feels as if the author either was out to confuse people or themselves had no clear sense of what this story was going to be. An unnecessary amount of trigger warning worthy topics was just mushed in there without giving each the attention or care it deserves, it felt like they're being there surely for the shock factor and flavour.

Neither the magic system gets fully developed nor do we get descriptions of any kind.
I am just slogging through this and decided I won't make myself read another 200 pages of this.

The arc was provided by the publisher.

If you like your horror with more surreal fantasy elements and a dollop of Western, I Have Asked to Be Where No Storms Come might be right up your street. It wasn’t to my taste, but I think there are going to be plenty of people who find they love this.

I think I was just expecting something a little different – more of a romp through Hell, but we actually spend little time there. A shame, because the first part of this tale, set in Hell, was my favourite bit. Once we switched first to Domino and Wicasah’s past, then Wicasah’s present, I found myself getting a bit lost. Again, this is not down to Nix’s writing or the plot, but absolutely personal preference.

We start with Domino in Hell, travelling and trying to avoid the dangers he attracts because of his witch blood. He gets a chance to reconnect with his mother, who died when he was young. We move back into the past to get Domino and Wicasah’s childhood with their father, a man who sees anything to do with witches as evil and contaminated. We move through the lives of the brothers, as they grow and make their choices and we see the path that leads to the main events of the novel.



The relationship between the brothers was interesting, with that kind of Dean and Sam Winchester vibe, if they were witches instead of hunters. Domino just wants to look out for his brother and protect him, doing everything he can to ensure his safety, including going to jail for a crime Wicasah committed. Wicasah tries to protect his brother in return, but doesn’t quite succeed, and…at times is a little too whiny for my taste (also the reason I never did quite like Sam). There are parts where he laments how Domino didn’t come to find him, and I found myself questioning how he would even do that with how vast the area is, but also it wasn’t like Wicasah tried to find him in return. Wicasah often comes across as someone who does expect others to pick him up when he fails, and overall isn’t wholly likeable, but some – most – of his reasoning does make sense, but it feels like he consistently makes the wrong choices.

Overall I think the writing here is good, but I found the characters a little frustrating and a lot of this a bit tricky to follow at points. It’s also really long, and I struggled through a lot of the second half. But, again, this is going to hit for so people much better than it did for me.

This is a hugely enjoyable fantasy western with incredible world building. Very dark and a bit surreal and very, very entertaining. Highly recommended.

Seriously loved this book! I didn't put it down until I finished. This book was another winner. The characters were dynamic and the movements of the plot kept me on my toes.