Reviews

• Sweet, sad, silly and sensational

  This book surprised me with the depth of the relationships. I’ve read others comment on the world building and it is exceptional. So many interesting places that are only hinted that but I hope we’ll get to visit in the future books. But the people are fantastic. The joys and pains of raising a child. The crap that comes from having a dysfunctional birth family and the warmth of building a family of choice. Oh and cool magic and a protagonist that wields it with humility and grace. Great stuff.

• Read it

  I just finished a book, almost, that everyone said was super good; and it was, if you were twelve years old. Then I found this one.. it’s delightful and I’m glad.

• An utterly fantastic book

  Saint Death's Daughter by C. S. E. Cooney - 5 stars! (Read and reviewed in 2022 on across_my_shelves but only just posting here! Oops!) I swear, I'd rate this book a Milky Way amount of stars, I loved it that much! One of my absolute faves of the year, and up there with those I know I'll return to again and again. I'm going to try not to wax lyrical as I prefer to keep reviews brief, but I would highly recommend to anyone looking for an exciting, astonishing, diverse, emotive new fantasy read! Bits I liked: - felt fresh and exciting, a new experience in both content and style - thrilling plot, many emotive ups and downs balanced by quiet, gentle moments, and a killer finale! - strong descriptive writing with poetic flair, and an intelligent, creative use of unusual and unique words - wonderfully developed characters with fascinating stories & abilities, with diversity across the BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and Disabled spectrums - interesting magic system, cultural differences and even calendar features - humourous footnotes giving clever snippets of additional lore Bits I liked less: - literally nothing, I adored it - some people may find some of the content disturbing, with some violent scenes or descriptions, so worth noting - the writing style really surprised me at first, so it's possible some readers may find it harder to get into or follow at points There's more to come, with the second book on the horizon, so I CANNOT wait to immerse myself back into Lanie, Lir, Mak, Datu and sweet Doédenna's world!

• A wonderful intense and intimate fantasy

  A leap into the most bizarre and dark family tree, into the mind of its youngest awkward member. A whole universe of wizardry capturing us (readers) into its mists. Thank you so, so much, C.S.E Cooney, I'm relishing each paragraph of your imaginary world.

• The Most Adorable Necromancer Ever

  I don't usually love fantasy, as it can sometimes be too precious and slow, but I love Saint Death's Daughter! Cooney is an gifted raconteur with an almost otherworldly skill with words. She makes phrases dance with neologisms, wordplay, and poetry fit for the fairies. She then uses these gifts to craft an imaginative world with characters you both adore and abhor. I fell in love with Lanie Stones almost instantly. Though a necromancer, she is far less Wednesday Addams and much more Enid Sinclair with a love of bones. She's a delightful "black sheep" by being the white sheep in a family of terrors. I think you'll love her too.

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