Review by Booklist Review
May (Seven Devils, 2020) begins a new fantasy series showcasing clear parallels with the Russian Revolution, with magic derived from dragons trapped in the bones of the nobility. Using unearthed ancient records, Galina and Sera's mother grafted gods into their bones as children so they could lead a rebellion against a cruel royal family. Having fled years earlier when their mother was captured and burned, they return to Blackshore, with Galina infiltrating Zolotiye Palace while Sera finishes refining their mother's formula to enhance Galina's abilities. Their efforts are hindered by Sera's former lover, Vitaly, whose approach to rebellion involves direct violence. While Sera and Vitaly rekindle their romance, Galina falls for Princess Vasilisa, confined to hide her disability and the ruling class' dangerous secret. May's characters team up to overcome the birthright limitations and prejudices their society has assigned, setting up a likely confrontation with neighboring rulers if Galina's enhanced powers can free the dragons from the nobility they're bound to. The Slavic-inspired setting will appeal to fantasy and romance readers, with the added bonus of a queer couple confronting their society's ableism.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
May (the Falconer series) launches a duology with this action-filled yet flawed dark romantasy. In a fantasy world inspired by Imperial Russia, foster sisters Sera and Galina are raised by the leader of a growing rebellion, who grafts dragon gods into their bones and brings them up as living weapons against the cruel empire. The sisters spend years on the run from this destiny, but when their mother dies, the emperor is assassinated, and the country teeters on the brink of war, they feel they have no choice but to rejoin the rebellion. Sera reunites with her estranged lover, Vitaly, the current rebellion leader, while Galina infiltrates the palace as a spy to take down the empire from within. But falling for the sharp-eyed Princess Vasilisa, the empress's daughter, is a setback to Galina's plan. Now she must choose between her own happiness and that of her people. The stakes are high, the action scenes are well executed, and the magic system fascinates, though it raises more questions than it answers. The worldbuilding as a whole feels underbaked, and what details readers do get are delivered in lengthy info dumps. Meanwhile, multiple narratives and point-of-view switches lend a muddled feel to the plot. Diehard romantasy fans may be entertained, but this series is off to a rocky start. Agent: Russell Galen, Scovil Galen Ghosh. (Feb.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Natural-born alurea, those with gods summoned into their bodies, are used to control and hold power, causing division between the alurean nobles and the commoners. One woman, however, finds out how to cage those gods in commoners' bodies, using her daughters Sera and Galina as unwilling hosts. Those sisters, now adults with brutal, powerful deities trapped inside them, become weapons of the growing rebellion and de facto leaders after the murder of their mother and others by the Empress. Galina infiltrates the palace as a lost alurea and finds herself in the middle of political plays and schemes, as well as a growing attraction to the smart princess. Outside the palace, Sera reunites with her former lover--now violent rebel leader--looking for ways to fight without sacrificing her sister. They must try to navigate their hearts and dangerous powers to burn down the ruling Empire, without losing everyone else in the flames. The action and violence enhance the strife of ruling political power and revolution and keeps the pace fast and lively. VERDICT May's (Seven Mercies) Russian-inspired fantasy is filled with deadly magic, political machinations, and the balance of familial bonds and desire for power.--Kristi Chadwick
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Two women plot to overthrow a powerful empress in the first installment of May's These Monstrous Gods duology. In this epic fantasy world, the ruling class has not just economic power over the commoners but literal, magical power as well. These elites, called the alurea, are born bonded to gods called zmei, dragon spirits from another world whose power the alurea can channel and wield themselves. Empress Isidora is able to channel "godfire," a rare and powerful skill that she uses to smite her enemies and terrorize her people into submission. Commoners Galina and Sera, who are secretly bonded to zmei themselves, were part of a plan to infiltrate Isidora's court before the leaders of their rebel group were caught and executed. When Sera's estranged husband, whose methods are violent and dangerous, puts his own schemes into motion, she and Galina decide to try their version of the old plan, which would bring Isidora down and end the alurea's reign with minimal bloodshed. But when Galina gets into the palace and meets Isidora's reclusive daughter, Vasilisa, Galina wonders if overthrowing an oppressive government will have to take precedence over her growing attraction to the princess. May's mythology of dragon gods imprisoned in human host bodies is an effective magical system, and this series opener delivers on not just epic fantasy, but epic action and romance as well. Still, an overabundance of dramatic imagery, with voices sounding "like a blade skimming the surface of a lake," might be a bit much for some readers. A dragon-themed romance fantasy that's appropriately steamy. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
