Of Charms, Ghosts and Grievances

I already liked Bodard's Universe of Xuya a lot, so I asked for this ARC.

It took me way to long to pick the first Novella in this series, Of Dragons, Feasts and Murders, and this 'fantastique' second Novella, but I really liked both of them.

The two main male characters, Asmodeus, a 'stabby' fallen angel and Thuan, a bookish dragon prince, are very original and multi-layered and their relationship felt extremely authentic and relatable.

The story world idea of a magical underwater empire where everything was being eaten away by algae and mould and the air was "saturated with a ever-present smell of decay" also brought a strong and original magical realism layer to both Novellas, making their atmosphere richer.

This second book had an even more surprising plot than the first, and I really wish that Bodard eventually writes more Novellas in this very entertaining series.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.