HISTORICAL URBAN FANTASY: The House of Binding Thorns - Aliette De Bodard

Release Date: 06/04/17
Publisher: Gollancz

SYNOPSIS:

The multi-award-winning author of The House of Shattered Wings continues her Dominion of the Fallen saga as Paris endures the aftermath of a devastating arcane war....
As the city rebuilds from the onslaught of sorcery that nearly destroyed it, the great Houses of Paris, ruled by Fallen angels, still contest one another for control over the capital.
House Silverspires was once the most powerful, but just as it sought to rise again, an ancient evil brought it low. Phillippe, an immortal who escaped the carnage, has a singular goal--to resurrect someone he lost. But the cost of such magic might be more than he can bear.
In House Hawthorn, Madeleine the alchemist has had her addiction to angel essence savagely broken. Struggling to live on, she is forced on a perilous diplomatic mission to the underwater dragon kingdom--and finds herself in the midst of intrigues that have already caused one previous emissary to mysteriously disappear....
As the Houses seek a peace more devastating than war, those caught between new fears and old hatreds must find strength--or fall prey to a magic that seeks to bind all to its will.


REVIEW:

Whenever I pick up a title I want something that is going to blow me away and Aliette has not only achieved that with previous outings but really has come up with something unique in this series that will not only grab fans of fantasy around the world but also presents it in such a way that the world is accessable to readers of other genres.

Its well written, the world development cracking and when backed with principle players that you just have to cheer on in their efforts despite the oppression all round makes this a series that should become a modern classic.

Finally throw into the mix an exotic setting for many English speakers (Paris) and all round when added to top notch prose as well as some wickedly magical twists all round gives you a pure reading pleasure that just gets better with subsequent rereads. Just remember to read the first book in the series (The House of Shattered Wings) prior to this to get the absolute best from this hopefully future classic series.