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It is described as “a bewitching historical novel set in 17th-century England”. The synopsis says: “After his half-brother dies, aspiring playwright Nicholas Pearce is apprenticed to Judge William Percival, an infamous former witch-hunter who is under pressure to resume his old profession. By entering this competition, you also agree to the Caboodle Terms and Conditions and Caboodle Points Terms and Conditions.
His sister Cassia's face is "draconic." No shit, she's a dragon. What does that actually look like? This quote had me sighing at the irony that reflects the contemporary life of women. How many times are women scapegoats for the acts of their male counterparts. For example, the MeToo movement and a woman coming out to speak against a more powerful male. In 1645, would the victim be accused of witchcraft? Let that sink in. Set in 1645, at the height of the witch hunts, we follow Nicholas, who has been dragged into the realm of hunting after the death of his brother.After his half-brother dies, aspiring playwright Nicholas Pearce is apprenticed to Judge William Percival, an infamous former witch-hunter who is under pressure to resume his old profession. I loved the worldbuilding, The Promoter accepts no responsibility for winners not receiving the prize before stated publication date due to prize unavailability from the publisher, technical issue resulting in a delay from the publisher, or for any other reason. Her shoulders slump and she studies the fire. ‘Before, I was something to be protected. Now I am something to be shunted away. Yet I am what I always was: an object to be manoeuvred.” It’s 1645 and the English Civil War is in full fury. The horrors of the Pendle witch trials are within living memory yet there is a creeping resurgence of witch accusations and a taste for blood as civil unrest sets neighbours off against one another. Told from the perspective of a reluctant witch hunter, The Revels offers a unique insight into the struggles that sympathisers faced in the midst of this new wave of witch hysteria.
The writing throughout the book was decent. Detailed, not overly flowery but descriptive, with some cool choices of words. I particularly liked the first few chapters in Everen's (the dragon's) POV, where he uses very distinctively "dragon" concepts to describe things, such as "a few wing-lengths away" for distance, "it" to refer to humans, "mammary glands" to refer to breasts, etc. I haven't read too many books with dragons, so I'm not sure how original such language is, but I did find it quite interesting and characteristic. Long ago, humans betrayed dragons, stealing their magic and banishing them to a dying world. Centuries later, their descendants worship dragons as gods. But the gods remember, and they do not forgive. Everen is a dragon. Dragons live in a dying world. Hundreds of years ago they lived in a green, growing world in partnership with humans. But the humans betrayed the dragons and exiled them to this dying world. That, at least, is the story as dragons tell it. Humans have a different story.Everen and Arcady are bonded. It's not clear how or why that happened, or what it means practically or culturally. Thanks to NetGalley and DAW for an advance reader copy of Dragonfall. This review expresses my honest opinions. Stacey provides a clear picture of how superstition was rampant in the 1600s. And how it was utilised and abused by those in power. In England and other countries at that time, witch trials and witch hunters were at their height. The number of innocent women (and men to a lesser extent) accused of being witches was massive. Hangings were prevalent. These horrible trials all started under James VI of Scotland. Later when he took the English throne as James I, he made changes to the English Witchcraft Act that sent the country into a frenzy. Talk about mass marketing! And witch trials were maxed by the time this novel begins in 1645. The Revels is set during 1645, a time where the fear of witchcraft and the sport of witch-hunting was at its peak after King James I became increasingly paranoid about witches partnering up with the Devil to assassinate him. This led to everyone accusing women of being witches for any reason, which 99% of the time led to the death of the accused.
It's kind of dumb that everyone in Arcady's city is identified by a stone carved with a unique seal given to them at birth. What happens if you lose it? Arcady says at one point they are warded against theft, yet their original one is stolen at the end. The romance, therefore, was a hard sell for me, since I wasn't invested enough to care about what happened. I didn't get the chemistry between them, nor did I feel emotionally affected by the angst. Though in a way, the pining of a lowly thief for a beautiful-looking prince reminded me a bit of The Song of Achilles, which I also didn't like, so maybe there's some level of personal preference there. This has to be one of the most exquistely written books I have read for some time. The language, the sentences, the words chosen – it’s like reading a tapestry with those wonderfully coloured threads mixing to form the most fascinating of plots. It’s a bit ironic, but my book also explores why people choose to write about witches. King James published Daemonologie in 1597. He later—and in a time before advances!—awarded Thomas Potts the keepership of Skalme Park for his account of the Pendle Witch Trials. Now, to be clear, these were just my thoughts as I began to read. I am not telling you that the things I just hinted at happen. I am not telling you that they don't happen. I am telling you only that Dragonfall is a book about treachery. Treachery and magic and dragons and perhaps friendship and love, but definitely treachery.I have always been in two parts. As though half of me is standing behind the curtains watching to see how my other half plays before the crowd. I am still in two parts, but it is as though Althamia has caught sight of us both and rather than recoil, she steps closer.” This spellbinding debut novel is perfect for fans of Stacey Halls, Laura Purcell and Bridget Collins. What can I say about The Revels? Beautiful prose, lyrical dialogue, a sense of intrigue and possibility challenging the reader's assumptions and weaving a spell throughout the highly accomplished plot. Truly a debut for the ages!' Then you add in magic, a heist (my fav), a cast of questionably intentioned supporting characters, a subtle will they/won't they love story and then throw multiple hurdles and twists in the way for such fantastically enjoyable alternating PoV storytelling that I am hanging for book2. The topiary had been carved into the shapes of mythical animals…" - What kind? Does this world have the same mythical creatures as ours? There is a lot of this sort of fill-in-the-blank description. This line occurs while the characters are at a ball. The only thing described in any detail is the food.
Nicholas Pearce has never wanted to follow in his father's footsteps, instead he has always loved words and aspires to be a playwright. But after his brother dies, his father forces him into the role of heir, even though he is an illegitimate son. Given little choice, Nicholas is apprenticed to Judge Percival, a retired witch-hunter. Witchcraft and witches were feared during these times, but this often led to many false accusations as people wanted more show than justice. It was interesting to follow Nicholas and his ability to hear the dead. Althamia was a great character and seeing her develop alongside Nicholas was interesting; the ending especially was a wonderful moment. It stands in huge contrast to how the story started. The book is slow-paced, but the pacing adds to the tension Nicholas experiences, almost in a 'hold your breath' kind of way. Her shoulders slump and she studies the fire. 'Before, I was something to be protected. Now I am something to be shunted away. Yet I am what I always was: an object to be manoeuvred.” A darkly fascinating, spellbinding novel that captivated me with its fresh perspective and haunting twists.' - Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne and Elektra
Summary
The tone of this novel is superb from the very onset. Thomas’s prose is incredibly atmospheric, mixing melancholy with formality and creating an air of tension, darkness, whilst painting a gothic scene which really immersed me into the time period. This was a time when religion was so deeply embedded into society that it was no wonder fear of devilry and curses made the people susceptible to any given whisper of witchcraft. It was easy to see how even the most ridiculous claims, even ones of women flying and sending imps or familiars to do their bidding, could be believed. However, in Thomas’ novel certain powers do exist, that of knot magic, having the power to manipulate others and of hearing the dead. Yet for all those accused most were wrongfully so, and not all who had powers used them for malice; even so the atrocities they all faced was unimaginable, which Thomas does not shy away from. Throughout I was always on the edge of my seat knowing that no character, even Nicholas and William Percival himself, were safe from facing execution and so I feared for the twists that I knew would come. Speaking of, THAT ENDING?! I need the next book now. It is not up for debate. I hate how I can’t talk about it since I’m trying to keep this review spoiler-free but come on man. Leaving us hanging like this must be a hate crime. This book, like many other fantasy books, fell victim to this. The first few chapters were ONLY written for info-dumping. Not only that but they were also way too confusing. I felt like an idiot, and I am an idiot most of the time, but believe me when I say even Einstein would roll in his grave trying to understand what was happening. I get that it is needed to set the world and the scene but it could’ve been written better. I’m glad they were short though. This is supposed to be a romance too. I don't see it. There's an inadvertent bond, we are told there is mutual physical attraction, and Everen says he'll manipulate Arcady into falling for him. He doesn't do much other than be rude and go along with Arcady's thief training. They have nothing in common. When Everen first makes a move on Arcady, it sounds like he's putting them under arrest. "DO NOT MOVE."
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