This book is a delightfully snarky, heartwarming mix of magic, redemption, and unexpected romance. Orpheus, a cursed and exiled dark wizard, is such a lovable mess as he fumbles his way through redemption while falling for his charming ex-rival. The banter is fantastic, and the redemption arc feels truly earned. Plus, the romance between Orpheus and the ex-general is both swoon-worthy and full of great chemistry. If you're into character-driven fantasy with humor and heart, this is a great read to dive into!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tiny Fox Press for giving me the chance to read an arc of this book!

Sadly this book was not entirely for me. I actually struggled a little with how to review it, because I can see how this may REALLY appeal to someone else, and I don't think it deserves a low rating at all. It's full of great things, from a very grumpy/ sunshine pairing, an interesting world, a cool magic system, and much brooding and sad-boying and redemption.

I can't 100% pinpoint why I couldn't get into it. Sometimes there are just books that have everything you love, are well-written and neat, and they are still not for you. Perhaps it was me not meshing with the prose, or the characters not entirely hitting my vibe, or maybe the narration just swerved away from the way I prefer my narration to be. I simply struggled to get myself to pick it back up after I set it down and, after dragging my feet for a while, decided the book is just not right for me.

I will definitely still check out what else the author writes in the future, though, and am very sorry for not finishing this!

(Dnf at 30% ish)

I am finding myself so taken by this story that I’m going to have to read it again, and again and again.

Orpheus, the evil mage at the hand of Empress Lore suddenly finds himself banished as the curse he bares becomes a burden in Lore’s new peaceful court, a curse he bares as a side effect of helping his best friend come to power.

But when Lore’s General Fenrir escorts him into banishment he finds himself on a journey of enlightenment, redemption and love as he untangles the truth behind the Crack at the Heart of Everything.

This book is set 300 years after a massive incident has caused devastation right across the planet, and seamlessly brings together elements of sci-fi and fantasy.
Im not to sure if the world building was minimal, or if I was so wrapped up in the love story and the internal monologue of the mmc that I missed it, but I would have liked to see a bit more world building.

4.5 stars (rounded up for GR)
Thank you to NetGalley, Author Fiona Fenn and publisher Tiny Fox Press for access to this ARC

I picked up a digital ARC of this book based on the cover design, the title—and yes, the synopsis. Thank you to NetGalley and Tiny Fox Press for giving me the opportunity to check this out early. I truly enjoyed my time with The Crack at the Heart of Everything!

The publisher's blurb describes the book as "charmingly swoon-worthy" and perfect for fans of "character-driven stories, snarky humor, and well-earned redemption arcs." I wholeheartedly agree with every single point and thought that author Fiona Fenn managed a perfect balance between plot and character development. The plot, the stakes, and the ending are so satisfying (for all characters!!). Once it gets going (chapter V), the plot moves at a steady medium pace that allows for plenty of sweet character moments but never loses its sense of urgency. The ending is snappy, impactful, and wraps up multiple story threads very nicely.

While The Crack at the Heart of Everything is not billed as a "cozy" fantasy, I would argue that the road trip, animal companion, research, and community elements in the book certainly evoked that sense in me as a reader (if you are comfortable juggling some heavier emotional themes). Also: reading glasses! For reference: I have read Legends & Lattes and Bookshops & Bonedust (higher stakes than L&L, but I still never felt any true urgency) by Travis Baldree and recently also read The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields. I enjoyed all of these titles but wanted more from them. The Crack at the Heart of Everything delivers on everything I was missing in these other books—now, that might just mean that "cozy" isn't quite the right fit for me. Cozy or not, this book gets a very enthusiastic recommendation for me, and I will make it a priority to seek out any future works by Fiona Fenn!

I'm only deducting 1 star because I felt a little bit lost in the beginning in terms of the court, the course, and the world at large. I also struggled with the interludes initially (they are very brief!). That said, the worldbuilding actually became one of the most intriguing aspects of the book for me later on, and I'd love to find out more about the Incident, the people of the Rim, the rebuilding of the Stacks, and any other settlements that might still be spread across the map somewhere in the distance!

***

Bonus quotes (no major spoilers):

"The girl shrugs, one boney shoulder rising up through long, dark hair. She can't be much younger than him but she is smaller, thinner, paler despite how wholly those descriptors suit him. All at once, he feels they're cut from the same cloth."

***

"'I don't know what to do, my friend,' he confessed. The fur under his palm bristled as he leaned in close—close enough to tip his forehead against Achates' neck, his mane a tickle across his cheeks. 'I feel like my time here is already borrowed. Who in their right mind would want to get to know a dead man?'
Achates didn't have an answer. He looked at Orpheus steadily, big brown, watery eyes reflecting back all the doubt Orpheus held—his cowardice to confront his limitless ability to deny himself every unnecessary pleasure in life all because it could get in the way of his higher purpose. And how he was still doing precisely that, while his 'higher purpose' had blown up in his face."

***

"What line could Orpheus possibly draw when in his trembling hands rested the fate of the whole planet, and he wasn't even sure that was enough to convince him to help?"

2ish Stars.

This one just did not click with me, and I found it incredibly hard to get through, I mostly finished it because this was an eARC and I wanted to make sure I was able to speak to the whole story before giving it a review.

I found this title very hard to get into, and I think a big part of it for me was the world/world building or lack thereof in some instances. Our protagonist, Orpheus, continuously refers to past events that make little sense to the reader. We're thrown in, which inherently isn't a bad thing, but when it leaves me confused for most of the story, it just doesn't read well. The world is unfortunately difficult to grasp - at first you think you're in a more "medieval" setting, then there's cars/guns etc. but people also use swords and wear plate armor? I just wish we'd had more of an explanation on why things were the way they were. We never truly find out what happened (An apocalyptic event that brings Hell to Earth, but it's magic, or magic adjacent, but it also sounds like there was true magic in the world before this event? How did we discover magic? So it just feels muddled to me).

I honestly didn't vibe with the relationship between Orpheus and Fenrir either, I think also because of where we started in the story. We get none, or very little, of their history, and not having any of that made it hard for me to feel invested in them/their relationship. There was very little chemistry, to me, which was unfortunate because the draw of their relationship was a big part of the reason I picked this book up.

Both characters separately, too, were not my favorite, mostly because of the questions I felt weren't getting answered. Fenrir- how does he continuously survive impossible situations? I thought we would eventually learn he's blessed or magic touched in some way or something like that, but nothing really came of it. Why does he know how to fly a plane? Why does he fight with a sword all the time if there's guns he could be using? Is it because guns work on humans but not Netherbeasts? I feel like I was missing so many answers in here. How does Orpheus' magic truly work - there's sigils, but you can cast without it? What is Netherflame? How did he learn how to cast - is it because the world has had magic before? How did he learn sigils? and then there's the fact that he's a powerful mage, but doesn't seem to actually lean into his power at all until the end/only leaned into it to summon Ohm.

Speaking of Ohm- why did Orpheus need to summon him for Lore? What were they fighting that was bad enough the Orpheus literally raised a Hell Army for Lore? I wish we understood more of the war, as I feel it would have helped with both worldbuilding and character development (like why everyone, aside from her courtiers, dislikes Lore)

Lore was also, unfortunately, not a compelling character to me - and the way her story ends felt very odd.

The prose itself was beautiful in some places, but also left me annoyed in others, as it was very drawn out. A big part of this story was Orpheus lamenting and going through self discovery, which again, isn't inherently bad, I just think it was drawn out too much and repetitive in some areas, and was not supported well through the setting/world/rest of the plot, since I found most of that lacking.

Overall, an unfortunate miss for me.

3.5 ☆

i was able to read the e-arc for this book in exchange for an honest review so here it is.

for the first half of the book, i just found it pleasant. not memorable in any way, but definitely enjoyable.

the 75% mark was a turning point for me: the sudden added tension definitely made it intriguing and the cozy atmosphere suddenly got darker, solving most of the issues i had had with the book previously.

particularly:

1. TIMING: this has been by far the biggest issue for me. though starting in medias res is a narrative technique as old as time, you have to make sure that the reader does not feel like they have been randomly thrown in the middle of the action. i don’t think that was entirely successful here. the characters keep referring to past events and consolidated relationships as if you are supposed to already care about them and know what’s at stake without giving you a reason to care and be concerned until much later. this also kind of influenced how i perceived the relationship between orpheus and fenrir, because they clearly have history of sorts but you just were not there for it, thus making it hard to be invested from the get-go. you still don’t know them as characters and you definitely don’t know their bond. it felt like it was supposed to be an enemies-to-lovers kind of thing but the enemies part had been left out?
2. ⁠LORE: she was just not a compelling character? not even as a villain? not only is she unlikeable (which, by itself, would not be an issue at all), but she is also kinda rude to orpheus from the jump and he does not notice? and ofc i don’t mean the start of the book, i mean the chronological start of the story narrated in the interludes, which are supposed to give you some background and make you understand why he saw her as his best friend? and even when you get the whole context, you understand where everyone’s stance on her comes from EXCEPT for orpheus’ cause she was insufferable towards him as well ???? also, before the ending she only appears in the first handful of chapters (where i’m not even sure she speaks) and in the sporadic interludes so not often enough to make her threatening nor intriguing.
3. ⁠CONFUSING STANDING ON TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT: they have seatbelts, airplanes, and coffee but fight armored, are unsure whether houses have hot water and travel long distances by horse? and they use fahrenheit, which places the story distinctly in the US which, to be fair, are mentioned with details: that’s even more confusing given that any other location (apart from japan for some reason) has made-up fantastical-sounding names.
4. ⁠PROSE: this was only an issue at first tbh, i think the writing style improved as the book went on. some sentences were a little clunky and awkward but it did not hinder the reading experience much. i think that it was a moderately successful attempt at creating an epic fantasy atmosphere.

overall i think this book is worth reading, and most of my complaints could be just personal preference and taste, so definitely give it a chance !

Grade: C

After he is kicked out of the palace by his childhood best friend turned empress because of the death curse following him around, Orpheus, a mage, is left adrift in the empire he helped create. While traveling with the empress' best general, Fenrir, Orpheus starts to suspect that maybe the empress, and the empire, were not such a good thing after all...

My review:
Me and this book did not jive. I had several issues with this book:
- there was absolutely no reason for this book to be labelled adult, and I thought it hurt the book in my opinion, as I expected a world and characters that were more deeply flushed out than what we were given.
- I did not buy into the relationship between Fenrir and Orpheus. Because of the place the book starts, we are just thrown into this dynamic between them and the book was more about Orpheus realizing what that dynamic was, rather than any sort of growth between them. I didn't actually get any sort of chemistry between them, it felt like we were just told they should like each other and we should be into that. "Fifi" as a romantic nickname threw me off from the very beginning, and I felt it was very indicative of the book as a whole - more childish than I was looking for and not as cute or romantic as it thought it was.
- According to my ecopy, Orpheus spent the first 91% of the book crying and/or spiraling, while crying. I am all for a man crying and showing emotions, but it was A LOT. I got bored of it very quickly.
- There was not enough depth to Lore, the empress. She's awful literally from the get-go, and in all of the flashbacks, so I did not form the same emotional attachment to her that Orpheus had like I was supposed to, so his feelings of betrayal and hurt didn't do anything for me.
- Pedantic issue: the epilogue was not an epilogue. It was a deleted scene.

Do you feel like Severus Snape was tragically misunderstood and just needed to be loved? If so, this is probably a great fit for you! Our main character, Orpheus, was just doing what he thought was best for his country and his queen but he kinda summoned an army of undead and ended up with a death curse in the bargain. Since this unfortunate death curse keeps trying to kill him (and sometimes everyone around him) he gets banished from the palace where he's spent his whole life. Himbo/golden retriever Fenrir will accompany him and he can't stop noticing...Fenrir's biceps? And his stupid hair? And his broad chest?

This was a great action/adventurey, road trip romance. It didn't totally hit for me but if you're in the mood for these tropes I think you would love it!

Pros:
-Sad boi Orpheus figuring out that he can in fact feel a feeling
-Quick, witty dialogue
-Interesting world building & magic system

Cons:
-I found it a little hard to follow the story, especially the beginning 25% of the book. You're dropped right in the middle of the action but a touch more explanation of who's who and what's actually going on would have helped me follow the plot better. This made it slow to get into for me and I didn't feel a strong pull to keep picking up the book or turning the pages.
-Orpheus is real sad; there was a lot of internal monologue and various moments of panic attacks/other intense emotional reactions. For me personally it took away from the strengths of the book, which was the rompy adventure bits.
-A few grammatical errors, particularly some run-on sentences

I did not finish the book; stopped around 50%. However, I still give it 3 stars because I think it would be super fun and enjoyable for the right reader.

A cozy fantasy redemption story that I’m sure many will love, though it wasn’t quite for me. The writing was quite dense, with relatively little dialogue to keep the story moving forward. I often found myself confused about how much time had passed and where the characters were. In addition, we have relatively little background into Fenrir’s and Orpheus’s history, so Fenrir’s unshakable faith in Orpheus as a person and long-standing feelings for him were somewhat surprising and unbelievable—I kept wondering if I missed something (and maybe I did!). Nonetheless, this is a very warm story and I’m sure it will find a treasured home on many readers’ shelves, even if not on mine.

This single point of view novel is about Orpheus and how he started from a sad beginning but found love in Fenrir. This is a queer romance and I am here for it! I loved the personalities and the banter that moved the book along quite well. Oh and there are dragons in this book... and magical battles... and a post apocalyptic setting...

Read this!!!

Thank you for allowing me to read this book.
I will keep Orpheus in my heart forever.
At first I was a little confused but as soon as I could place the events it all flown into me. It was like I was there.
So well written it lend to an immersive experience.

After raising an army of hell beasts to support his only friend in her conquest of the realm, Orpheus finds himself cursed and banished. His only companion on this mission the handsome, but terribly irritating, general of his friend’s army, Fenrir. As Orpheus tries not to fall for the charismatic general he also realises all the harm he has caused to the world and grows a guilty conscience as their journey progresses.

This was very much a cosy read, not my favourite type of book in general but I did enjoy myself. If you like “So this is ever after” then this book is for you they have the same vibes. I also particularly enjoyed the pacing, the way the chapters were split up by interludes that gave you some of the backstory was really nice.

The writing was beautiful though slightly too flowery for me at times, I had to reread a few sentences because they were simply not computing for me but there’s a good change that is just a me thing. Although the author did use the word “cockamamie” and I don’t know about people whose first language is English (it’s not mine) but I have never seen or heard this anywhere before.

I do love a good redemption book there's just something so satisfying in seeing a character learn and grow. Despite the interesting theme and setting, I just felt like the characters were quite flat. Their motivations all felt quite surface level, Fenrir was probably the best developed one but he still lacked something I can’t quite pinpoint. Orpheus just felt a bit scattered. I also really wish we were given a little more to go on as to why Orpheus hated Fenrir so much, it was explained technically but I just wasn’t convinced.

Overall, I do think this is a fun, cosy, gay fantasy that I’m sure plenty of people will enjoy.

A fun, magical, fantasy, dystopia palette cleanser! This was a quick read with clever twists that flipped my expectations.

I love how the history and the world are set by the Dark Mage and we learn with them as every truth and lie is revealed or unburied after they are kicked out of their palace shelter.

Loved this queer fantasy! So refreshing to dive into a story unlike the vast array of fantasy offerings about right now. It’s always compelling to see where the story goes when main characters aren’t always the good guy! (Or are they?!) huge appreciation for a story where character ages differ from the fantasy norm of a 20 something. Will be recommending this to all and excited to see what else is to come!

Orpheus, a dark wizard, finds himself exiled by the woman he helped bring to power. Now he must make his way in her land on his own. However, he’s never really alone because the irritating and handsome Fenrir joins him on his journey away from the palace.

This was a fun fantasy story! Orpheus is determined to fix some damage that he caused under Lore’s rule. If you enjoy fantasy, magic, and post-apocalyptic lands, I think you’ll enjoy this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher/author for this copy of the book.

So this is a debut novel?? I ate this book up in less than a day, no sleep or breaks required. The witty dialogue and snarky characters are perfection. It really reminded me of a rpg quest game type of narrative - gradual development, love able specialized crew. And some awesome character building moments.

We have our main character Orpheus, a grumpy, angsty, dungeon lurking mage oops dark wizard. He is banished from the castle he helped secure and sent out into a wasted world that he had helped destroy. On his journey, Orpheus learns that the friend he helped set up as ruler is not who she seems, his rival/enemy/pain in the ass soldier Fenrir is not who he seems, and the society outside of the castle is not what he believed it to be.

There is a great cast of secondary characters that I really got to care about. And some really cool monsters and beasts.
I also really enjoyed the world building. It seems to be set up in a futuristic steam punk type post apocalyptic world. But there are references to Earth cities and to some King Arthur lore. So fascinating. Fantasy elements: A+, no complaints, nailed it

Tropes:
redemption arc done well
Grumpy/sunshine
Rivals to lovers
Lovable angsty main characters

Thank you Netgalley and Tiny Fox Press for the e arc. I absolutely enjoyed it. Pub date: 11/12/2024

recieved an eARC for an honest review

the way this book was written is such a breath of fresh air for fantasy books, the writing is funny and serious at the same time. the jokes are at the right moments and orpheus has insanely funny inner dialoge


the story follows orpheus who we quickly learn has a death curse but we dont really know why or how. we follow him on his journey to understand and reverse this curse all while trying to figure out his feelings

overall i would say this books audience is definitely ya and/or beginning fantasy readers. it reads easily without too complicated or long worldbuilding. its only 300ish pages which is perfect if you dont want to commit to a series of 5 books each with 600 pages. if this sounds like something for you i would definitely pick this up when it comes out on november 12th

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This is a fantasy book that takes place on earth a few hundred years after "The Incident". It has a romance subplot. The book is written in third-person POV and a standalone.

What I liked:
- The writing was just fantastic. I was pulled into the world and it would not let me go
- The MC was amazing. We go to experience the whole roaler coaster of his emotions, good and bad. We learned about his past and got to understand why he feels the way he feels. Truly hearbreaking at points but very much worth it. His relationships to others were really well portrayed,
- I really liked the balance between present and past events and how well it was intertwined. Especially the epilogue was such a nice touch and really left me finishing the book with a smile on my face.
- The romance was really sweet, it did not consume the plot but was supportive of the story and the MC

What I didnt like:
- I was left with a few questions at the end of the book regarding the magic system and the extense of it. Since its a standalone that does not matter too much I guess.


This book was overall such a joy to read. The cover was what attracted me most but then the story just did not let me go and I found myself thinking about the characters all day. Would totally recommend this book to lovers of fantasy books that like a well fleshed out MC, that goes through all the emotions and has supportive relationships

This was an absolutely amazing debut novel! The worldbuilding was so well established alongside a whole cast of characters, and amazing romance that I can't believe it's a standalone. It had an amazing fantasy adventure with intriguing battles. The character development was so well done. I absolutely adored this book.

Given the beautiful cover and exciting blurb, I couldn't wait to dig into this story, to be swept into a redemption arc set within a fantasy world. I am sad to say that I didn't enjoy it as much as I expected. Partly because I wasn't aware that the story is taking place in our world, set in post apocalyptic future. There is nothing wrong with, we still get some sort of magic and a land working with classical fantasy organisations. But I must admit it is not my cup of tea, such settings tend to break my immersion and my sense of discovery and wonder.
Regardless of my own taste, the worldbuilding is great, rather thorough and well thought! It manages to balance classic fantasy structure and feel, while also having that post apocalyptic side, set in our world but with magic and... well, destruction.

I also have to say I didn't really love Orpheus. Don't get me wrong, he is a great character, very lonely, following the person he thinks as his friend and working toward her goal, helping her. He is a bit naive and lost, which, again, isn't a problem but I wasn't expecting such a lost character, not that active in his "villainy", let's say. Since Orpheus didn't actively did wrong, unaware of his impact since he is sheltered, the redemption arc felt a bit lacking in stakes. Sure, Orpheus has to learn about the impact of his actions and his magic, needs to make some sort of peace with himself and to integrate that he has a value and worthy of love and care. But I don't know, I couldn't manage to get that involved in his journey. He is not a badly written character, simply not what I was expecting.

As for Fenrir, he is a little to good for me too. Once again, it's not that he didn't do anything wrong in his life, or that he doesn't struggle. But he such a nice guy, believes in Orpheus despite the constant rejections, works for his own idea of the greater good... I don't, it felt easy, in a way, lacking a bit of nuance and grit. That being said, he is a great partner for Orpheus, to guide and love him through this new era of his life, and their romance is cute, slowly building, with some challenges but quite smooth going.

This review might sound a bit negative, despite my effort to make it so. "The crack at the heart of everything" isn't a dull or bad story at all, it is, in fact, quite a good story, well written and well thought, and I am sure a lot of people will enjoy it! It was simply not to my taste.