Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
World Fantasy Award winner Suri (The Jasmine Throne) weaves a haunting tale of sapphic love and cyclical fate in an alternate Britain sustained by stories that play out again and again via reincarnation. In this folklore-rich realm, incarnates are born to fulfill specific tales, none more tragic than the Knight and the Witch, doomed lovers who fall for and die for each other across countless lifetimes. When the latest incarnations, Vina, a knight of the Queen's court, and Simran, a forest witch, begin their fated romance, they're determined to break the cycle and find a happy ending--especially as a mysterious assassin begins killing other incarnates, threatening the Isle's very existence. Suri crafts a rich, atmospheric world steeped in faerie bargains and medieval folklore and uses her magic system to explore themes of colonial erasure and who gets to control their own narrative. Though the romance feels less developed than the intricate worldbuilding and the book's ambitious scope might have benefited from being split into a duology, Suri's gorgeous prose and inventive premise create an immersive experience. Readers craving sapphic fantasy with folkloric elements will find this hits the spot. Agent: Laura Crockett, Triada US. (Oct.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
The Isle is held together by stories--a core group of tropes that ensure that the Isle lives on, even if changed by those who live out those journeys. One such story is the Knight and the Witch: fated to fall in love but doomed at the end, over numerous lifetimes forever. Vina is a knight in the queen's court and understands her role, while Simran is a witch of the woods who refuses to believe. Yet when they meet, they cannot deny their desire for each other, nor the fate that awaits them. To break the cycle means changing the Isle forever, and a mysterious assassin is already destroying tales like theirs. Can Vina and Simran overcome their fates, or will they be doomed to fall, either by another's hand or each other's? VERDICT Suri (The Lotus Empire) creates a sensuous and haunting story of duty, sacrifice, and love beyond time. The slow-burn romance between these two women is delightful, with humor and spirit throughout.--Kristi Chadwick
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
What if the characters in a fairy tale wantedout? The titular Isle is a magical version of England, a patchwork of times and places ruled by the Eternal Queen and stitched together by a network of tales. If these tales are not strictly reenacted by incarnates--people born to play their roles in a specific tale--the land associated with it and all the creatures living on that land disappear, so the people of the Isle have a vested interest in ensuring that incarnates perform as expected. Sir Lavinia and Simran are the latest versions of the Knight and the Witch, the two main characters in a sad tale of evil enchantment and star-crossed love that concludes with a murder-suicide. But these two incarnates are not quite like their predecessors: Vina's mother and Simran both come from Elsewhere, a fantasy equivalent of India. That culture has essentially been written over by the power of their tale, but their continued treatment as outsiders, their overwhelming love for each other, and Simran's mysterious affinity with limni ink (used both to write tales and perform powerful, reality-altering spells), give them the strength to seek out a destiny beyond their foretold unhappy ending. The key to their quest may lie with a dangerous immortal who is killing incarnates and has kidnapped Simran's dearest friend. Previous Suri works (e.g.,Empire of Sand, 2018) have featured unique, fascinating magical systems, and this book continues in that vein. It's one of the more innovative and thoughtful uses of fantasy to explore colonialism and the potential poison of assimilation, popular genre themes in recent years. The novel takes two fundamental British myths--King Arthur and the concept of the British Empire as a realm on which the sun never sets--and uses them to show the thin line between preservation and stagnation. A desperate need to adhere too perfectly to an ideal and/or the status quo makes it more likely that it will come crashing down. Beautifully inevitable and surprising at the same time; dark, sharp, clever, lovely. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
