Book Review: Tread of Angels by Rebecca Roanhorse (four stars)

Book Review: Tread of Angels by Rebecca Roanhorse (four stars)

She could hear [redacted]’s warning not to trust the Virtues, that righteous men had a way of lying to themselves.

John Milton does Leadville. A mashup of medieval angels and demons with a wild west mineral boom town that works. Creative alternate history novella but lacks the verisimilitude of Roanhorse’s Navajo novels.

“Trust a man who knows his value to deny a woman hers.”

Roanhorse captures the thoughts and emotions of her point of view character with insight and sympathy, especially her monomania. Main character, driven by her self-assigned obligations, betrays everyone else to save her sister. Everyone. Theological issues add depth, not cheap thrills as in much modern literature. Excellent duplicity and irrational behavior. Invented invective works.

“Then one day, I will see you in hell,” she said, as challenge and threat and vow.

Book Review: Envy of Angels (Sin du Jour #1) by Matt Wallace (Three Stars)

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Book Review: Envy of Angels (Sin du Jour #1) by Matt Wallace

(Three Stars)

“I’ll just come right out and say I’m not good with it. It’s the difference between serving demons and being one.” “That’s a pretty fine distinction.” “No, it’s not.”

Good urban fantasy concept: down-on-their-luck muggle cooks happen onto a food service which carters to supernatural clients. Essentially a novel-length expansion of a one-line joke, but well done.

“Demons can die?” “Everything dies, little one.”

Lots of kitchen humor, which folks who’ve seen Ratatouille will get. Whether it’s better is debatable.

“All things are possible. Illusion is often easiest.”

Quibble: “How did she make the eggs.” Betrays a basic lack of knowledge about chickens; no rooster necessary for eggs—just fertile eggs. My chicken expert opines, “Roosters are nothing but trouble.”

“Business as usual. Which is to say our only god is chaos.”

Lost a star for gratuitous profanity.

I’m not sure we want to find out why a billion-dollar corporation needs a magical lock.”