Absolutely amazing sequel. This series is just getting darker & better with each book. The mystery, the action, the chaarcters, I love it all. The perfect blend of mystery and fantasy, it's certainly not for the faint of heart... especially with some of the new character arc's in this book.

I enjoyed seeing Krona a few years after the events of the first book, and loved seeing her develop even more as a character in this one.

A solid second book in what is becoming a favourite series of mine, I can't wait to see what happens next!

Ever since conspiracies exploded into the mainstream in America and started ruining lives and families, I have been leery of them in fiction. As with our collective disinterest in dystopia, it’s hard to escape to a world that isn’t, well, much of an escape. And that’s a shame, because high-stakes espionage and the thrill of discovery is one of my favorite things to find in SFF (what can I say? I was raised by The X-Files.) However, I’m happy to find that there is still joy to be had in the subgenre when it’s done right, and The Cage of Dark Hours fits the bill perfectly. This second entry in the Five Penalties trilogy present dark and complex mysteries in a world nested with secrets like a matryoshka, only here, the conspiracies only get bigger as you go deeper.

The first thing you might notice is the pacing, which is faster than the previous book, and wisely so. In The Helm of Midnight we needed the slower, more methodical approach to the central crisis because it was also our introduction into a fairly complicated world. Here, with the background firmly set, it’s good to set off right away at a run. Not only do we have an assassination threat right from the get-go, but we also have serious political instability brewing. There are things happening up close and at a distance, and the minute you take your eye off one of them to focus on the other, it has a tendency to explode.

Protagonist Krona knows all too well what happens if you stop paying attention, but after the bloody events of the first book and the tragic death of her sister, her attention is increasingly drawn to forbidden magics. She will do anything to connect with De-Lia again, even if it means confronting the entities she knows as Thalo puppets, creatures from children’s nightmares.

But the Thalo are not monsters—not all of them, anyway, and the ones who are go about it in entirely human ways. We get a glimpse of their society in The Cage of Dark Hours, and it’s an immediately intriguing counterpoint of gloom and dire obligation to the bright and fanciful world of the Lutador elite, which Lostetter also puts on display. The contrast between Thalo Child, who has duties far beyond his years, and Mandip, whose privileges far outstrip his duties, makes for a very effective narrative structure. They give us fresh eyes to view the parts of Lutador we already know, and also introduce us to very different places than Krona would manage to visit on her own.

There are some absolutely fantastic set pieces, including a vault made of glass and protected by glass golems and a secret fortress carved into a mountain. Add to that the costumes—an antiquated wedding suit, a ball gown made of stained glass, the titular cage—and you have a book that’s just begging to be made into prestige TV. The visual sensibilities are not just strong, but innovative: this has some of the most unique magic and worldbuilding I’ve seen in recent years.

Part of the realism also comes from Lostetter’s ongoing commitment to establishing and refining the motivations of her antagonists. In The Helm of Midnight, serial killer Charbon could have been a moustache-twirling villain, but instead he had real questions and real desire to serve the greater good. Here in The Cage of Dark Hours, members of the cabal fear technological and magical progress, so much so that they would rather rip power from infants and infants from their families than allow too much innovation. Their methods are awful to behold, but we don’t fully grasp the extent of the cataclysm that gave them this fear. Whether certain types of goodness can truly be greater, and whether the ends justify the means to achieve them, are the questions Lostetter cares about, which I find far more interesting than simply describing good and evil. It makes for very compelling—and very dark—storytelling.

There are, however, exciting positives to counterbalance all the horror. In this world, there are five grammatical genders reflecting (at least) five lived genders, and all are completely accepted, as are relationships between any consenting adults. All participate equally, if with different roles, in religion and the sacred, as well as in politics or any other chosen field. It’s just such a relief to read books like this sometimes, the ones that don’t belabor the sad realities here on earth and really embrace the possibilities of the speculative in the positive direction as well as the negative. It also creates moments of joy and humor to alleviate the suffering most of the characters must endure.

There is some telling-not-showing when it comes to laying out the characters’ inner workings, and I could have done with fewer explicit statements of grief or anxiety. The sadness and guilt—and poignancy thereof—was already clear from the characters’ actions. It didn’t need to be hammered home. Lostetter maintains her usual high standard of writing action, and I hope she grows to trust herself more when it comes to small moments of introspection.

Even expecting some dramatic turns I was shocked by the ending, which had revelations and reveals flying fast and heavy for the last 10% of the book. It was a wild ride that left me breathless for the concluding volume, which sadly is a ways off. On the plus side, though, it may just give me a chance to re-read both books once time (or Time?) has blunted some of the details, and enjoy them all over again.

This is a fantastic and gory sequel!

I really love how the story goes with the sequel. The first half is somewhat slow in pacing since we are introduced by a new character. It will be quite confusing but as you go through the story, it will fucked you up. HAHAHA

I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO THE FINAL BOOK AND GETTING READY TO BE TORN APART.

After Helm of Midnight, I wasn’t particularly excited to continue the series, but I was willing to give it a chance to change my mind. And it did!
The Cage of Dark Hours is a great improvement. The pace was smoother, the new character perspectives were much easier to connect to than the originals from the first book, and it has much more magic and adventure that easily made me give this one a higher rating.
If the series keeps up this momentum in the next one, I could see myself enjoying the story even more.

This is a dark, immersive, magical fantasy with incredible world-building and suspense. It is a great continuation of the first novel, and I look forward to the next!

It's been two years since I first read The Helm of Midnight by Marina J. Lostetter, and, as I started reading its sequel, The Cage of Dark Hours, I was reminded once more how much enjoyed this series’ world--where people can buy and sell their emotions, time is a currency, and death masks retain their former owner's skills.

However, while the first book dealt with a serial killer, in this one, Krona is investigating the disappearances of babies as she grapples with the death of her sister.

It’s truly an emotionally-driven fantasy that artfully explores grief and trauma alongside a compelling cast of characters. Plus, it has a cult, twisty, turvy conspiracies, and plenty of scheming to go around.

Overall, I found it a fantastic follow up with well set-up revelations. Honestly, it felt so satisfying to watch the plot’s puzzle pieces all fall into place, and I can’t wait to read the final in the trilogy.

This was very different from book one, in a great way! The world and intrigue gets blown wide open, we meet new characters and travel to different area's in the world. Often the second book in a series is just a stepping stone to the third book, where not much happens except laying out the path for the big finale that happens in book three. I didn't get the feeling that the Cage of Dark Hours was suffering from second book syndrome at all. We go way darker, learning more about the Thalo, the Gods and why everyone is on the path that they are on. Not many big twists that I didn't see coming, but that's alright. Can't wait to read the last one when it comes out!!

I often feel that the second book in a series is the hardest, especially when following a strong first book. As is the case with this series, the first book encapsulates a great idea and does it justice in fleshing it out. It can be hard to follow a precedent like that, so for this reason I'm being more lenient on this book than if the aspects that don't quite hit the mark occurred in a standalone or a first book. As other reviewers have said, there is a sense of aimlessness, of excess pages for certain elements. I think though that the author finds their footing throughout the book and have high hopes for the rest of the series.

Writing spoiler-free reviews for sequels is always difficult. The Helm of Midnight was an immersive fantasy book, and The Cage of Dark Hours continued onto that world. It continued the storyline of Midnight, but in a completely new place, and added some new characters.

I thought I loved the first book. Wow. I wanted more of the world of The Five Penalties, and I definitely got it. I’m not sure if this is meant to be a trilogy or more, but I hope it keeps going. There’s so much to explore.

And the twists keep coming. Usually I’m pretty good at predicting twists, but I was so into this book, I was shocked many times. I am very excited to see where we go next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for the chance to read this advanced review copy.

CW for blood, gore, injury, death, grief, murder, mass murder, kidnapping, child abuse, and torture

The Cage of Dark Hours (The Five Penalties, #2)
The Cage of Dark Hours by Marina J. Lostetter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think this is a superior book to first. It's much darker, really evoking the feel of a full-fantasy steampunk London while making us revel in the torture and abuse of small children for the sake of enhancing their magical ability.

The worldbuilding is very good. The magic system is truly fascinating. Breaking off parts of people's souls, trapping them in masks, is both cool and cruel. The very idea of gifting time, itself, to the already powerful and long-lived is also horrific but perfectly understandable in this dark fantasy world.

The implications and ramifications continue to unfold in this novel.

I quite enjoyed the tale for what it is and thought the characters are decent. I won't say I fell in love with all of them, but I did feel some quite strong feelings for one rather strong-minded victim. No spoilers, but I really loved the later quasi-psychological developments and magical resolutions.

This book, when compared to book one, felt a little stretched thin. Several years have passed, and we meet a mostly new cast of characters with the exception of Krona and Tibbet (a few other familiar faces do come up almost in passing, but they didn’t feel particularly important). I did really like the last section, the “heist”, where everything came together and we get a bit more of the bigger picture, but most of the rest of the book felt rather surface level.

I admire the complex worldbuilding and, believe it or not, wish we got a bit more of the politicking from the various states inside the Valley (particularly since our crew has to cross state lines a few times over the course of the plot, though that travel is kind of brushed over…). I wanted to see more about how the characters’ actions impacted the greater story, particularly since our 3 POV characters come from such different situations.

Very intrigued to see where this series goes so… eagerly awaiting book three!

The Cage of Dark Hours is the second book in The Five Penalties series. The first book is one of my favorite books so I had a lot of expectations for the sequel. I am really happy that it was amazing. It definitely worth the wait. We follow the same character (krona) from the first book. She is dealing with her grief. Also, we get to know new characters as well. World building is one of the bests. This story is multilayered and perfectly dark. It is really hard for me to write a review without spoiling the book but If you like a dark fantasy/murder mystery this series is perfect. I can't wait to learn how this series will end. I'll definitely reread before the final book to catch little details. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for my honest review.

5/5 Stars! This was even better than the first in almost every way. Thank you Net Galley for sending me an arc of this. FULL review coming on the community tab on my channel, Wicked Good Books on Youtube on a few weeks!

I'm so very glad to have received an arc of this! I really enjoyed the first installment of this series and was excited to continue. This world has such a unique magic to it and while I don't always quite understand its mechanics, I enjoy the journey.

This novel has a few new povs from the first and I was a bit hesitant of that since that does t always work for me. But I found that I really enjoyed these new characters.

I worried where this sequel could go with the way the first one was, more thriller within a fantasy. I did enjoy how this progressed though it took me a bit to get reinvested.

Overall, this series has been an enjoyable time and I can't wait to read the next book!

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for the arc!

So, the first book in this series was a super strange murder-mystery but the ending left me wondering just where the remainder of the series would go. Upon picking up The Cage of Dark Hours, I quickly realized that I was in for one *strange* story and it literally never let up.
The general plot of this is thus: Krona is grieving her sister and struggling to move forward and using unhealthy coping mechanisms, some of which are illegal. Remember, she’s a Regulator - a magical cop in scary armor - so doing illegal stuff is making her feel extra guilty. When the Thalo woman from the first book appears and warns her of an impending assassination of an unspecified noble twin that will be pinned on Krona, Krona goes to her superiors and reports that she’s received this threat. Enter Mandip Basu, noble twin and potential Grand Marquis candidate, who immediately gets tangled up with Krona’s less than reputable buddy Thibaut. Then there’s the vivacious and quite famous Le Maupin, a gorgeous opera singer who is more than just a pretty face. This cast of characters are in Lutador keeping things busy on that front. What really made this interesting was the nameless Thalo Child, a new point of view character who gives tremendous insight on how the Thalo live and many of their customs.
This is a story of multiple interwoven plot threads, oodles of strangeness, and a surprisingly breakneck pace at times. There was actually a ton of action in this book and while I suppose I shouldn't be shocked by this, I nonetheless was (but in a good way). Like I said, I didn’t know what to expect from this or how things would continue on from the previous book, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I didn’t want to put this down. There’s a lot to keep up with between the two separate plots but as the story progresses you begin to see how they fit together and when they finally collide the impact is stunning!
I really don’t know how to compare this to the first book since they are quite different, but I would say they’re on par with one another as far as quality and execution go. While this isn’t going down as a new favorite (it’s tough to make that category) this is a book that’s going to linger with me simply because it’s incomparable to pretty much anything else I’ve read.

This series reads like the progression of a would-be initiate into an ancient mystery cult; there are layers within layers, circles within circles, and every step towards the centre comes with new revelations. Having made our way through Helm, Cage initiates us into the deeper mysteries of Lostetter’s world – but this secret knowledge raises as many new questions as it answers; far from filling in all the gaps, Cage reveals to us a vastly larger world than we were led to believe existed. We knew things were not as they appeared to the characters of book one, but good gods, we had no idea of what was actually waiting for us behind all the misdirections, myths, and outright lies!

<The king of the rats is still a rat, and the cats will laugh when they eat him just the same.”>

If we think of the world of the Five Penalties as a skeleton, then the bones of the truth are buried under the skin that is – for lack of a better term – civilisation; a not-always-so-polite fiction that everyone believes in. There’s objective reality, and then there’s what (almost) everyone thinks and believes exists, and which they make into a kind of truth by virtue of thinking and believing it.

And honestly, I’m in complete awe at this entire structure; not just the sheer uniqueness of the world Lostetter has created (although that delights and confounds me endlessly) but the world she’s built on top of that, and how well both fit together. She’s crafted this literally epic – in scale and scope and sheer awesomeness – conspiracy, made it virtually seamless, and made sure there’s no way we’ll ever guess what’s really behind the curtain. The world Krona and the rest of the characters inhabit is every bit as intricate and believable as our world, and then the real world, the world underneath all that, is just–

AHHHH. I can’t talk about it because spoilers, but seriously, WHAT, and HOW, and WTF, and I CAN’T EVEN, and THIS IS SO DAMN COOL.

Even the parts that are horrifying.

<“One worry at a time!” Mandip insisted.

“I’m afraid that’s not how worries work.>

I know I’ve made it all sound very complicated; it’s actually not. Helm was a book that demanded real work on the part of the reader, with all its different timelines and perspectives and characters who had differing amounts of access to Behind The Curtain. Cage is a much easier read, both structurally – the direction of the plot is much more straightforward than it was in the previous book – and in terms of keeping track of what we know and don’t know. Although we have a handful of PoV characters, there’s really just two you need to keep track of, and it helps that both of them are aware of the Behind The Curtain (albeit to differing degrees) which was not the case in Helm.

The fact that Cage is an easier read really feels like a reward for having made it through the first book without getting lost!

<“Never be surprised when the man who cut you off at the knees starts to look like a giant.”>

As I said, Cage doesn’t leave us with all our questions answered; by the end of the book, I had more than I’d started with. But I wasn’t frustrated; I was incredibly excited. Lostetter walks a perfect balance between whetting our appetites for answers and leaving us starving, revealing enough to make us reel at the implications without giving the whole game away. Two books into this trilogy, I still don’t feel like I have a clear idea of what the capital-t Truth is – although we certainly know more at this point than we did at the end of Helm. I mean. THE THING. AND THE OTHER THING. AND THE OTHER-OTHER THING. !!! I feel completely RABID for book three, but I know I can wait for it because it’s clear, from the bits of the puzzle that I have, that the pay-off is going to be so worth it. Does that make sense?

And I absolutely loved what we did learn in Cage; both the big, sweeping reveals of the Behind The Curtain stuff, but also the more ‘mundane’ worldbuilding. For example, Mandip, one of the new PoV characters, is a window into the nobility and the workings of government, and I found all of that fascinating; I loved the absolute WEIRDNESS that was the national vault and how all of that was set up (THE MINEFIELD). I greatly appreciated the continuing normalcy of queer people and relationships, and the sneaky little details mentioned in passing (like it being polite to offer luststones to someone you’re about to sleep with!) that padded out the culture and made all these people feel so perfectly real.

Plus, I feel absolutely vindicated re the varger. I KNEW SOMETHING WAS UP WITH THE VARGER.

<“Being shameless lets us take advantage of other people’s prudishness. Which–surely you’ve noted–is quite an effective strategy.”>

There were quite a lot of laugh-out-loud moments in this book, especially when it came to witty characters (of which Cage features a few!) It broke up the deadly seriousness of the stakes really well, helped diffuse some of the tension so that the reader could occasionally catch their breath – because once things get moving, they really don’t stop. I wouldn’t call it a break-neck pace – Lostetter is careful to give us enough time to absorb and process every left curve she throws us – but it’s definitely not slow. If anything, I thought there were a few points where the story felt a little rushed, but since I was impatient to turn every page and keep devouring the story, it wasn’t really a problem!

<Metals were the means of transition. They shifted the nature of things. They were the keys of the soil, the padlocks of stone, the passwords for leaves.>

The biggest con of Helm, for me, was the whole serial-killer plotline, so without that, plus all the jaw-dropping things we learn in Cage about Conspiracies and Magic and Who Is Pulling The Strings – to say nothing of fabulous opera singers, pocket watches that are vital to national security, and, oh yeah, THE GODS – there was no way I wasn’t going to fall head over heels for this book.

Book Summary:

For a moment, it seemed like the Charbon (the long-dead serial killer) was finally in the past. Naturally, they were wrong. Once again, Krona and her Regulators will have to step up to protect the city. However, it's never as easy as it sounds.

To protect the city, they must delve into the secrets of Thalo – a child's tale that may hold more truth than fiction. Without this hidden key, they will stand no chance of protecting their city. They may win the battle, but not the war.

My Review:

I love fantasy series like The Five Penalties. The Cage of Dark Hours is dark, tense, gritty, and so brilliant. It made for a suspenseful read, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. In a way, diving back into Krona's world felt a lot like coming home. Though I say that, I'm not so certain I would enjoy living here (or that I would survive...).

There's a bit of a time jump between the two books, which is normally jarring for me. But it felt seamless here as if the passing of time was a natural consequence. Or maybe that's just my anxiety about Charbon talking. Hard to be sure.

I'm already counting down the days until the release of the third and final part of this trilogy. I need to know how they bring it all to an end.

Highlights:
Expansive World
Myths and Magic
Trilogy
LGBT+

Trigger Warnings:
Serial killer

TL;DR

The Cage of Dark Hours by Marina Lostetter builds upon and surpasses the first book in the Five Penalties series. Readers, once again, follow Krona through crimes, through mystery, and through magic. This time, Krona will learn secrets that she isn’t prepared for. Highly recommended.

Disclaimer: The publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Any and all opinions that follow are mine alone.

Review: The Cage of Dark Hours by Marina Lostetter

Thanks to J.R.R. Tolkien, the stereotypical impression of fantasy are big books that come in three. Trilogies are the staple of the fantasy genre, and most of the attention is paid either to book one or three. Does the first book take off? If so, will the author end it with a bang? Second books don’t quite get the love that they deserve, and there is an argument to be made for it being more important than the other books. After all, it has to build on the world and story of the first book, develop existing characters while introducing new ones, and grab the reader without overshadowing a potentially amazing finale. The Cage of Dark Hours by Marina Lostetter does more than this. She doesn’t just build upon the foundation of the first book, she’s dives straight into the mythology and attacks it. This excellent followup to The Helm of Midnight takes the mythological creatures from book one and explores them in a depth and detail that I wasn’t prepared for. The Cage of Dark Hours by Marina Lostetter was not what I was expecting from a second book in a series, but it was exactly what I wanted.

Thalo Child opens the book by being part of a Thalo ritual. He walks with the procession as six year old children are led to altars to place cement on their eyes. (It’ll come off eventually.) In attempt to soothe the nervous children, Thalo Child uses his magic to bring up a good memory for each child to experience during the ritual. But as Thalo Child is only a child, he’s caught by his overseer, who removes those memories from the other children all together, leaving Thalo child with the guilt of knowing his kindness led to the loss of their cherished moments. This the readers first view of the abusive tyrant that is Gerome. Next readers once again meet Krona, from The Helm of Midnight. She’s overseeing a punishment for people who broke one of the five gods’s laws. This particular punishment comes from Knowledge, and it is the removal of a hand. Krona watches inside her Regulator armor, all the while knowing that she’s guilty of the exact same crime. She grieves the death of her older sister, and in her free time, she’s attempting to find ways to connect with her. Krona possesses the mask made from her sister’s soul, and though Krona specializes in suppressing the echoes inherent in masks made from the dead, she fails when it comes to her sister’s echo. Krona lets her sister’s echo merge with her own identity, which is dangerous. Finally, readers meet Mandip, a noble. He’s also a twin, which in this world is special. Two of the Five God’s are twins; so, twins are revered. Being a twin and being noble means that Mandip and his brother are also in line to take over rulership of the city/region of Lutador. Mandip, due to his petty nature, sweeps up his cousin’s escort, who just so happens to be Thibaut, a.k.a. Krona’s informant. As they’re jockeying for interpersonal power, Mandip and Thibaut encounter Juliet, a popular opera singer. She invites them to her performance that night for the gathering of nations in Lutador’s rotunda. During Juliet’s show, the First Marquise is murdered, and Krona is framed for it.

The Cage of Dark Hours is a third person point of view novel. It’s fast paced, intriguing, and fun. Where The Helm of Midnight was heavily tilted toward a mystery/investigation story, this is an adventure tale as Krona seeks to clear her name, Mandip learns that the world he thinks he knows is a lie, and Thalo Child simply wants to survive.

The Foundations of Lostetter's Fictional World

Often in fantasy, a society’s myths are left as myths. In The Helm of Midnight, readers learned about Thalo Puppets. They were treated as monsters out of fairy tales. In most other fantasy series, that’s all the explanation needed. Lostetter goes the opposite way. She delves right in to the mystery of the Thalo and gives readers insight into these mythical creatures. Turns out, they’re not creatures at all. They’re human with a very special type of magic. I won’t spoil that secret because Lostetter explores it much better than I ever could. The ramifications of this magic, though, shred the foundations and history of human society in the valley.

Part of the Thalo storyline reads like a conspiracy theory. These elites that run the world behind a secret veil is a fun choice. In the age of Qanon, it struck me as not quite as fun as it would have before 2016. I don’t know what to do with that because I love this story, and I think Lostetter has set it up for an explosive and fantastic finale. But the idea of a secret cabal manipulating everything behind the scenes is a bit off-putting for today’s world. There’s definitely more to ponder here.

Counting Down the Clock

One of the innovative ways Lostetter provides readers with backstory is through multiple timelines. Thalo Child’s story starts three year prior to Krona and Mandip’s. Each successive chapter for Thalo Child moves forward in time so that by the end, the two timelines merge. This provides a lot of needed information about Thalos and their society. It also provides a bit of tension because the countdown reminded me that I was headed towards some sort of crossover event.

Technological Level

Throughout the story, readers catch glimpses of oddities that place the tech level of this society in question. For example, steam trains are being researched and developed. But one character makes a comment about being camera ready. I found these odd references that are either anachronistic or purposely written clues that this is more than just a medieval equivalent fantasy society. We still don’t know what exists beyond the valley. Is this a fallen civilization? One that was walled off from the outer world on purpose and brought to an earlier technological level? Am I obsessing about issues within my ARC copy? Who knows! But I think Lostetter has created an interesting world, and what we learn in The Cage of Dark Hours has me paying attention to every little thing to see if I can catch Thalo manipulation.

Magical Plague

At the beginning of the book, there is an outbreak related to the magic of the masks. It ties into the ending of The Helm of Midnight as well, but it’s quickly dropped. While Lostetter does explain what’s going on, the storyline feels dropped and sort of hand waved away. I don’t think the explanation did enough to rectify why it was happening and what was really causing it. But, as always, this is simply my opinion, and I could be wrong. YMMV.

Mandip

The introduction of two new characters – Thalo Child and Mandip – worked for me. I liked Thalo Child right away. He’s innocent, caring, and sweet. You’ll want to protect him as much as I did. Krona, I still loved from the first book. Here she’s haunted, she’s grieving, and she’s almost broken. Lostetter gives her a chance to find her way back to herself. Mandip took some time to grow on me. He starts out as an annoying noble. He’s entitled; he’s petty; he’s naive and easily manipulated. He seems ambitious in wanting to rule Lutador. Like all rich, he believes that he knows best how to improve society. What saves him is his ability to learn, even if the lesson takes a couple of tries. Mandip really does want to help his fellow humans, and as the toil and strain of adventure wear on him, he rises to the occasion. The same noble who rigs a fencing match later learns the true cost of violence. He could pout and shutdown; in fact, he seems on the verge of it more than once. Yet, he never does. Mandip was a great addition to this novel, and by the end, I found his chapters surprising and more thoughtful than I expected.

Conclusion

Marina Lostetter’s The Cage of Dark Hours is the second book of the Five Penalties trilogy, and it’s a definitive change in gears from The Helm of Midnight. This adventure story explores the roots of Lostetter’s fantastical world and shines a bright light on its secrets. By showing us the mysteries at the heart of Krona’s world, Lostetter has gone where few fantasy series go. In effect, she’s pulling back the curtain to show us the wizard operating the machine. The Cage of Dark Hours cements The Five Penalties trilogy’s place on my must read list. Highly recommended.

The Helm of Midnight by Marina J. Lostetter was one of the most complicated and confusing books that I read in 2021. It was a strange murder mystery in a dystopian bubble world where people could summon the skills of the dead to empower them through masks. The book was so complicated that reading the recap in book two, The Cage of Dark Hours, was overwhelming to the point where I had to take a walk afterward. But, after a confusing and peculiar book one (that was worth reading in the end) Cage presents us with a much more straightforward adventure that starts to pull up the floorboards of book one and show us the innards of The Five Penalties series.

As I sit here writing this, struggling, I am trying to think of how to talk about the book without spoiling any of the juicy bits accidentally. Cage has shown me that this series is all about lies. Layer upon layer of misinformation, permeating a strange and magical world, where five universal laws (which have horrible penalties for breaking them) run everything. Book one is intentionally obtuse as hell to keep you guessing at everything that is happening around you. It reads like a surreal fever dream with a cinderblock of lore tied to its feet. In book two the cat is out of the bag so to speak and Cage breaks away from these trappings and starts to sprint full speed into something more closely resembling an adventure story.

Our protagonist from book one, Krona Hirvath, finds herself as one of the rare people who can see past the veil placed over her society into the mechanisms running underneath. This leaves her hunted by various people who want things to stay the way they are (I think; even in book two we have layers of misdirection). Cage is essentially Lostetter saying to her characters, “fine, you figured out what is happening. Now, what are you going to do about it.”

Despite being much more direct and much less confusing, I found Cage to be tonally very consistent with its previous novel. You still feel like you are walking through a spooky attic and running into web after web of intrigue. Every time you solve and lock down one element of the story, Lostetter just introduces a new one. The ability to don the mask of a dead person and gain their skills remains an extremely cool power system. I still wonder what you might gain if someone donned my death mask.

All in all my recommendation is this. I struggled with The Helm of Midnight a lot and still ended up liking it. So if you are in a similar boat and curious if you should press on know that I found The Cage of Dark Hours a much easier and relaxing read, but still retaining all the goodies that made book one intriguing. A remarkable improvement.

Rating: The Cage of Dark Hours – 8.0/10
-Andrew

It's a solid sequel with an intriguing world and exciting mythology. Unfortunately, it's slower than the first book and feels slightly bloated. I'm curious where the story goes from here but I hope the last book in the trilogy will be more focused.