Tread of Angels
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2.0 • 1 Rating
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Celeste, a card sharp with a need for justice, takes on the role of advocatus diaboli, to defend her sister Mariel, accused of murdering a Virtue, a member of the ruling class of this mining town, in an “intricate…engrossing” (The Washington Post) new world of dark fantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of Black Sun, Rebecca Roanhorse.
The year is 1883 and the mining town of Goetia is booming as prospectors from near and far come to mine the powerful new element Divinity from the high mountains of Colorado with the help of the pariahs of society known as the Fallen. The Fallen are the descendants of demonkind living amongst the Virtues, the winners in an ancient war, with the descendants of both sides choosing to live alongside Abaddon’s mountain in this tale of the mythological West from the bestselling mastermind Rebecca Roanhorse.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
From its subversive take on Christian mythology to its Wild West setting, Rebecca Roanhorse’s fantasy read is simply enthralling. The community of Goetia is rigidly segregated by class, but Celeste is able to walk between the worlds of the lowly, supposedly sinful peons and the privileged elite, who are angels. When her sister, Mariel, is accused of murdering a member of the ruling class, Celeste sets out to prove her innocence, journeying into the town’s underbelly. Roanhorse’s world-building is mind-blowing, from the precious substance being mined in Goetia—the remains of ancient fallen angels—to Celeste’s job as a card dealer at a seedy gambling den called Eden. Tread of Angels is a thrilling blend of fantasy and mystery that’ll suck you right in.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Skillfully blending a noir atmosphere with western tropes and biblical mythology, bestseller Roanhorse (Fevered Star) crafts an immersive historical fantasy centered on ambition, privilege, and marginalization. In the Colorado town of Goetia, in an alternate old west with an almost steampunk vibe, miners extract the all-purpose element of divinity from the long-dead corpse of the angel Abaddon. The Elect, descendants of angels, exploit and look down upon the Fallen, descendants of demons, while the Virtue Orders enforce holy justice. The flawed and fascinating heroine, half-Fallen, half-Elect Celeste Semyaza, ekes out a living as a card dealer in a local gambling den, where her sister, Mariel, headlines as a singer. When Mariel is arrested on suspicion of murdering a Virtue, Celeste will do everything in her power to prove her sister innocent—even accept the help of her former lover, the demon Abraxas. While investigating, Celeste stumbles across the town's dark secret, and must reconsider her own priorities and future plans, as well as her relationships with those she cares for. The mystery plot is solidly entertaining and suits the atmosphere, but it remains fairly basic—even predictable—to the end. Instead, the worldbuilding is the real star here; readers will hope for a chance to explore it further in future outings.
