Kaitlyn‘s review of House of Dead Duology by Nicki Pau Preto
Fantasy Romance published by Margaret K. McElderry Books 25 Jul 23 – 13 Aug 24
These books are so crazy good. The world building and magic system are excellent. The character dynamics are so well done. I love everything about these two books.
Bonesmith set up everything really nicely. A disgraced ghost-fighting warrior is exiled to a haunted wasteland. When a prince is kidnapped, she knows that’s her chance to win back favor from her house. She also has to team up with an enemy warrior. Quests, forced proximity, and enemies to lovers always spells out a good time. The magic felt very unique, which is really refreshing. I also really enjoyed Wren’s character development throughout both books.
Ghostsmith is an amazing sequel, and I seriously couldn’t put it down. Both of these books are five stars, but Ghostsmith really stepped up the game. I always love when there’s a betrayal and the characters have to learn to trust each other again. It adds such an interesting element to the story.
If you like dark fantasy, you should definitely give this duology a try.
Overall Grade: A
Summary:
Bonesmith:
Ready your blade. Defeat the undead.
In the Dominions, the dead linger, violent and unpredictable, unless a bonesmith severs the ghost from its earthly remains. For bonesmith Wren, becoming a valkyr—a ghost-fighting warrior—is a chance to solidify her place in the noble House of Bone and impress her frequently absent father. But when sabotage causes Wren to fail her qualifying trial, she is banished to the Border Wall, the last line of defense against a wasteland called the Breach where the vicious dead roam unchecked.
Determined to reclaim her family’s respect, Wren gets her chance when a House of Gold prince is kidnapped and taken beyond the Wall. To prove she has what it takes to be a valkyr, Wren vows to cross the Breach and rescue the prince. But to do so, she’s forced into an uneasy alliance with one of the kidnappers—a fierce ironsmith called Julian from the exiled House of Iron, the very people who caused the Breach in the first place…and the House of Bone’s sworn enemy.
As they travel, Wren and Julian spend as much time fighting each other as they do the undead, but when they discover there’s more behind the kidnapping than either of them knew, they’ll need to work together to combat the real danger: a dark alliance that is brewing between the living and the undead.
Ghostsmith:
In this action-packed finale to the House of the Dead Duology, Wren and her friends put everything they know to the test as they battle the living and the undead to save their world.
Wren is still reeling from the revelation that the mother she thought was dead is actually the Corpse Queen, a ghostsmith with the terrifying power to control the undead. It was Wren’s own mother who created the iron revenants—an army of near unbeatable undead soldiers. When the iron revenants attack, no one in the Dominions will have the strength to stand in their way.
Now Wren, Leo, and Julian find themselves once more in the Breach, this time on the run from Wren’s father, who is determined to secure more power for himself and the House of Bone. The three are desperate to stop the upcoming war, but working together is easier said than done with Julian still furious about Wren double-crossing him. And to make matters worse, Wren is plagued by powerful new abilities that force her to reassess everything she knows about being a bonesmith.
When Wren’s long-lost twin brother shows up and vows to help her destroy the well of magic that feeds the iron revenants, she must decide if trusting him is worth potentially playing right into their mother’s hands.
After all, the dead might be dangerous, but it’s the living who can betray you.
