I needed a couple of days to write my review after reading ECLIPSE & THE WOLF because there was just so much to unpack. But trust me when I say that Akwaeke Emezi has written yet ANOTHER banger.

With this latest book, Emezi has put all ten toes into the adult fantasy genre and I hope they come back to it. This book is steeped in the lore of a magical system I found so incredibly interesting. I wanted to know more about St. Paradise and its clans and how they were formed. Who were the clans' first leaders? How did St. Paradise itself come to be and where did the magic come from? I honestly would love an origin story book that gives me more information about that mysterious place.

The characters in this book are amazing and terrible at the same time. Amazing because they are written so incredibly well and terrible because the things some of them do are shocking. Specifically the Orinabe clan's leader, Silver, also known as the Butcher. Silver does not play any games and the things she does to exact revenge on those who harmed her family had me wondering if I would go that far for mine (I won't answer that question here). My absolute favorite aside from Eclipse is a character from the Heron clan. I won't say who because it'll spoil it for other readers, but you'll know who I mean when that character is revealed. My god, that character is one of the most enigmatic people I've discovered in a long time. Out of all the books I've read by Emezi, this character is up there with my all-time fave, Vivek Oji (IYKYK). I honestly can't wait to hear more readers talk about this character because they will have a LOT to say.

There is tons of action but there is also heart in this book, as with all of Emezi's novels. Grief and revenge take center stage and both are palpable. Decisions made and relationships forged are intertwined with grief and revenge, making them all extremely volatile and fragile. Almost every character is in need of something real to free them from the pain they've endured because of "clan business."

But the main character of this book is St. Paradise itself and the land it sits on. As I said, the land is rooted in magic that makes itself known when needed. Clan members are drawn to it and feel its power. But the land demands respect and will shake things up, violently if it has to. It made me think of the land we're all on irl and the disrespect it's endured since colonization. The land has been warning us to change or else and we've not heeded said warning. St. Paradise doesn't do all that. It basically says change or I'll do it myself.

I am so honored to have read another book by Akwaeke Emezi in advance and will be singing its praises to whomever will listen.

I fell in love with Emezi’s prose and writing style when I read “The Death of Vivek Oji” years ago and was excited to see that they had a new and upcoming release.

The worldbuilding in this book is on point. The magic system is intricate but doesn't drag down the story as you learn how it works. You discover the magic alongside the characters, making the journey super engaging. The spice in this story was so well done. The diversity in sexual orientations and genders among the characters adds refreshing layers and depth to the story. This standalone adult fantasy delves into themes of power, accountability, and transformation after unimaginable loss. It's pretty intense, so be sure to check the trigger warnings. Shoutout to Avon, Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for the ARC—it's absolutely worth it!

Emezi's first adult fantasy was a resounding success for me!

Brutal, dark and twisty, with plenty of clan politics and rival clans constantly at each other's throats. I genuinely had no idea who Eclipse was going to end up with, and it definitely kept me on my toes trying to guess!

I loved all of the different clan magics unique to each clan. It made the world feel so rich and captivating!

I think this works brilliantly as a standalone, but I desperately want more from this world.

So good. 5⭐️, no notes!!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I think Akwaeke might be a genius. I haven't read any of their other work, but I am definitely going to remedy that oversight asap! Even when reading about the most brutal and bloody things, it was described with such lyrical and stunning prose.

And the story earns that prose. Eclipse Orinabe is a ferocious, wounded, unforgettable protagonist: a survivor raised to be a weapon wrapped in the trappings of a princess.

I loved the variety of POVs. And I completely didn't expect who Eclipse wound up with in the end. That completely blindsided me in a good way. I like being surprised. Plus it worked soooooo well. Every dynamic in this book was on fire.

An absolutely gripping fantasy piece full to the brim with politics, intrigue, magic, plus lots of sex and violence. Mwuah *chefs kiss.* The political tension never lets up, the betrayals land hard, and the ending left me desperate for whatever comes next. I would call it urban fantasy, because it has guns, cars, and nightclubs. You really feel like you are in modern times, but it's brilliantly woven together with land and blood magic that makes it feel ancient at the same time. Worldbuilding that feels lived in rather than explained.

The worst part of this book was knowing it was a standalone and reaching the ending. It left me sated yet feral for more from this world at the same time. If you like your fantasy morally messy, politically sharp, and steamy with romance that feels like a threat, this is your book.

5/5 Stars

I finished Eclipse and the Wolf and I am bereft (complimentary). If you ever wanted a Romeo & Juliet (1996) fantasy that’s queer as hell, completely unflinching, and emotionally devastating in the best way possible, AND IT FUCKS… THIS IS IT. This book is right at the top of my favorites for the year!

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC

This is the best arc that I have read all year. I will 100% be buying a copy when this book comes out and telling everyone I know to read it. I loved absolutely loved the fantastical world building set against a modern city. It felt very much like the 1996 Romeo and Juliet movie. Akwaeke Emezi should write an adult romance novel every year, and I would read it immediately. It was not just the world building and the characters, but the writing itself felt so luxurious and also heart wrenching. From the opening chapter where we’re introduced to eclipse I was hooked. This book is incredibly dark and bloody, but you also form an attachment to these characters in ways that I don’t think I’ve experienced before. I had such conflicting emotions about eclipse and silver, I thought they were incredibly strong and powerful women, but also brutally ruthless and turning into monsters. Then you’re introduced to wolf and it’s almost similar story but different at the same time. He’s also kind of ruthless and a monster, but he is more aware of it and he has morals and lines that he doesn’t wanna cross. Later we’re introduced to kilo and scarce and they become an interesting pair of characters. We also have Noah, who was the most surprising character of all because his arc was for told by his clan leaders and yet still surprising.
<spoiler> I liked that I wasn’t able to predict how these characters would come together. I was thrown at the beginning when eclipse and Noah entered a relationship when the title of this novel is eclipse and the wolf. The title becomes more clear as you go through the book and learn about the blood tie which I thought was a clever mystical/deus ex machina tool to force these characters together, and then also reveal some history of this world. We only get glimpses of the history that built this land this centuries maybe even thousands of years old land, and we learned that some of that history has been lost, and most of it has been twisted by the victors. I liked that one of the central themes of this story was that children shouldn’t be used as pawns and they should be treated as innocence, which is something that is obvious but ignored often in the landscape of today’s world. I will say around the 75 to 85% mark of this book. The plot gets a little lost. We were on a pretty tight clip of following the story up until that point, but I think Emezi was trying to do too much too fast and tying up loose ends in the story. I would not have heated this going into a second book expanding this world a little bit more having the resolution not to book 2 I think would’ve given Emezi time to tie up those loose ends in a more organic and acceptable pace. I am so happy that kilo and wolf got to be together. I was a little concerned when the blood tie entered the story that these relationships were going to get very muddy and messy, but I think it was a interesting play on a magical bind that shows unintended consequences. I’m still not 100% clear on the orinabe power within their blood. Was it just to take away pain? Or did it also give some euphoria in its most raw form and they later enhanced it into the drug rapture? I thought the gold shots were really cool clan and their principles and backbones within their portion of society was really interesting and I liked that they still had a deep connection to the land. The Solarin were a complicated bunch and very power-hungry and I’m surprised the council at the end didn’t turn on them or sanction them further. Granted they didn’t get to see the full madness of Noah but he was way more terrifying than silver. Silver had to get to you but Noah could reach over an incredible distance without straining. Scarce felt like the flattest of the characters because he showed up with all the answers and swagger though his relationship with kilo did humanize him. I’m a softie at heart so I was looking projecting my own wants on eclipse hoping she would find her person but she ended up finding her people. </spoiler> I really loved this book and can’t wait to pick up a physical copy.