The Sacred Space Between
A Novel
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
An enchanting enemies-to-lovers fantasy about an exiled saint and the devout iconographer sent to paint him, for fans of Divine Rivals and A Study in Drowning.
The Abbey has controlled the minds of its patrons for a millennium through memory magic, stolen from exiled saints. At fifteen, Jude was exiled from the Abbey to the bleak moors in the countryside, to maintain their control over his bourgeoning magic. Almost a decade later, he wants to live a normal life free from the Abbey’s oppressive gaze. When they send Maeve, a stubbornly devout iconographer, to paint an updated icon of him, Jude makes it his mission to get rid of her as soon as possible. That is until he discovers she holds the same tainted magic of the saints as he does, and that the icons she paints may be the key to destroying the Abbey's power.
As Jude and Maeve draw closer, the two of them face a choice—they can take on the full power of the Abbey and risk their lives for freedom or escape back to exile and make the most of their fading memories. But this institution has eyes everywhere, and the only thing the Abbey loves more than a saint is a martyr.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Exploring religious trauma through an enemies-to-lovers romance, Reid's evocative debut is as gothic as a cathedral and as haunting as the moors. Raised by the watchful elders of the Abbey, deeply devout Maeve has been trained as an iconographer, creating the paintings of saints that the Abbey's faithful pray to. Now she's tasked with visiting Jude, an exiled saint, and painting his updated icon. Jude, however, is decidedly hostile to the idea of her staying at his house and digging into his secrets. But when Maeve reveals the strange trance that comes over her when she paints, Jude realizes he must be honest with her about the terrible price the Abbey exacts from its faithful, rewriting their memories and perceptions of reality each time they pray. As a saint, Jude's memories similarly erode each time someone prays to him. Meanwhile Maeve, who has more magic than she understands, is in terrible danger from her superiors. Between the two of them, they hold the key to bringing down the whole Abbey—if only they could remember it. Though the complex worldbuilding raises more questions than it answers, it's deeply satisfying to watch Maeve start to question all that she's been taught. Reid's dreamlike twists of logic and vivid imagery will linger in readers' minds.
