Rating: 4.6/5 ⭐
Spice Rating: 1/5🌶

I absolutely loved this writing style and I was just enthralled with the world and the story. This is definitely a dark fantasy mystery, and the topics addressed as well as the Red Kingdom itself are very dark and harsh. The Red Kingdom is a strict government with a brutal caste system and ran by religious zealots. Once a dust/slave (even slaves born to slaves), always a dust.

The FMC, Thora, is Dust-Caste and craves better than laundry and scrubbing floors. She's part of the Investigator House and works closely with a Moon-Caste (middle class) Investigator, Diem. They meet during brutal circumstances on a previous mission and form a camaraderie from their shared experiences. They are sent on a mission across the Thousand Islands to Death City, an island far from the reaches of the Red King, with less strict adherence to the brutal ways of the Red Kingdom. This mission is to find the missing teenage daughter of the local Sun-Caste Nobleman. Despite being summoned to find out what happened and why, they are met with resistance constantly and things quickly move past a simple runaway or kidnapping.

This story kept me completely riveted and kept me up most of the night to finish it because I just didn't want to put it down. The worldbuilding was topnotch, and the author throws you into the deep end, which I'm a huge fan of. The characters have so much depth and evolve over the course of the story and you really feel how downtrodden Thora and Diem are. They both struggle against their circumstances (most outside of their control) and things don't always go as planned. Even the setting itself lends well to the overall dreary mood of the book and left me wanting more stories set in the Red Kingdom.

There is some romance between the main characters, it's extremely slow burn (and forbidden), and the chemistry is great.

Overall, if you like dark/moody fantasy books, harsh and unforgiving settings and stories, with tons of interesting characters dynamics, definitely give this a shot. I am very eager for the next book.

"What’s dead is dead and all shall die."

Oo I was caught by the blurb to read this and man I'm happy I did because I abostly loved this book. Highly recommend it. Kept me pulled into it to where I couldn't put it down at all. 5 star book and I might actually reread it. I abostly loved it and already told a few people that they needed to read this book ASAP

((Thanks to Netgalley and Small Heart Press for a copy of this book in an exchange for a honest review))
I was less than 100 pages in when I realized how invested I was in the world author PJ Nwosu had been building for a while. The Red Laws, all the mythos around the Dead Daughters, the black pyramids… I truly felt as I was one of the passengers in the creaky boat the main characters use to get from Mainland to Death City, listening to the grandpapa in exchange for a coin: the giants in the water, whether gods or monsters, were definitely watching me.
And the crooked beat… I could feel it, ever consuming, slowly at the beginning -bear in mind that the pace might feel ‘blocky’ at times, for the author makes sure the reader knows every single thing that is happening both outside and in our main characters minds- and then it became faster and faster, gradually, clue by clue, twist by twist, until it was impossible to put down the mystery and the evolution of Dust-Caste Thora had become.
Some people describe this book as a mixture between a dark fantasy and a Sherlock Holmes case, and I feel that, even if they are correct, there’s something missing in that description, because Low Investigator Diem is not s Sherlock and Dust-Caste Thora is definitely not a Watson, even if some similarities could be found if we looked at the TV adaptation with Martin Freeman. (Not Benedict Cumberbatch for Diem, that’s for sure).
For those who are not fans of sagas, the case itself starts and finishes in this book, there’s no need for more, but at the same time it doesn’t answer all the questions related to the world, its politics and its beliefs.
The author herself offers a prequel in her website, for those who want to know more about the case that occurred just before the one narrated here. And I definitely need it.
What’s dead is dead and all shall die.
…and then live again.

Dark Fantasy Sherlock Holmes. 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4)

If not for the slow pace, I think I would've really enjoyed this. PJ has some hauntingly beautiful prose, especially around the subjects of death, gossip, love, and morality. The characters constantly sit in the grey area between good and bad, death and life, and as the readers, we get to question everything right along with them.

I would not like to live in this world but I'm so intrigued by it. I'd love a prequel about Eleven daughters who were sacrificed and that time period before the Red Kingdom. At times it did feel like there was too much incorporation of their religion into everything, and the dialect choices (overuse of true, reckon, etc) did make the reading a bit tedious. BUT THE CROOKED BEAT, I wanted more of the magic world (but wasn't disappointed about how little we really got into the details of it)

Thora is a great protagonist! Her constant battles with longing for freedom/speaking her mind and "knowing her place" made every scene where she talks full of so much tension.

My biggest complaint was just the pacing. I think it could've been a hundred pages shorter. The prose did get a bit much at points, and I found myself skimming through paragraphs of descriptions (which hey if you like that, this is the book for you) to get to the dialogue and action. I didn't feel like I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen, partly because of the pacing and also because none of the plot twists surprised me.

Very well written, would read the next book to find out what happens to Thora and Diem.

Thank you to NetGalley, Small Heart Press, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read about 25% of this book before deciding not to finish it. It's not the type of fantasy that I like, and I also found the blocky text was hard to follow--and it made it difficult for me to get invested. I have not posted this review on Goodreads because I feel that other people who like this tone and style will still enjoy this book!

I enjoyed the dark and gothic aspect of this book. However, I found the world building a little problematic at times. The moths flying around in a frozen landscape was off-putting to me, among other details. A world focused on death was certainly creepy, but a bit shallow to me. I didn't feel the depth of their beliefs, and honestly, neither did the characters feel the depth of them. Perhaps some of these issues will be smoothed out in book 2.

This was an interesting book, however. I enjoyed the unique mystery/fantasy world.

I've never read a novel that was so visually cohesive from beginning to end. Oily black, foggy white, dusty grey, crimson red, fragments of gold. The colours swallow the characters as they, people from the capital city, travel to the edge of the Red Kingdom and get immersed in the corruption and solemness of Death City. It's enjoyable to see Thora persevering in her goal to rise above her Dust-caste status but getting disillusioned about doing it nobly since everyone around her is dipped in shades of grey. While there is a slowburn between Thora and Diem, I enjoyed that it doesn't overtake the professional relationship they have. It took a while to complete the story; there are parts where it's slow and chock full of descriptions and dialogue (to be expected) and parts when you race through the sections because of the adrenaline, action and mystery. The best thing about this novel is the culture of Death City, which Nwosu notes in her author notes as something she greatly worked on, and it shows.

Thanks to Netgalley and Small Heart Press for providing me with the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dream of Death City is a dark fantasy based in a world once ravaged by a war which resulted in total allegiance to the Red King. The people belong to houses within a culture founded on a class system and a religion revolving around death. On the frontier of this empire, a young girl of a noble has vanished, and the Investigation House have been asked to investigate matter. Heavy lifting of the detective work falls to Thora, a slave who dreams of being something more, while working alongside Diem an investigator from the House.

It was an interesting take on the dystopian story, with the new society not quite settled against the old. Giant death gods wander hidden paths in the sea between the islands, and citizens still follow the superstitious old ways. Unfortunately, I found this world building a little too detailed and rushed in the early stages meaning the story didn’t flow as it should and left me confused.

That said, I found the characters compelling enough to keep reading. They were realistic and flawed. It was good to see a female main character whose strength isn’t based on increasing magic or power, but on their experiences and understanding of the world, using it to their advantage. Thora manages to make a lot of mistakes and struggles to come out of top, but her actions meant I wanted to see what she would do next.
I did find her overall relationship with Diem a bit lacking, but this might have been down to the fact I have not read the previous novellas, where more of their world and their relationship is explored.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a digital arc to review.

Wow, what a story. I throughly enjoyed this book. A great take on the fantasy genre. The world building and character construction was full to the brim with great detail and feeling. I very rarely cry reading books but I did shed a few tears. I would definitely recommend this book. Thank you for allowing me to read this arc. I look forward to seeing what happens next!

I want to be honest and say I’m not really sure what to think of this book. One big prop to it is that I really had no idea what was about to happen half the time. I would think I had something figured out, then come to find out that’s not what the author had in mind. Another pro for this book is that it was very realistic. Things that occurred weren’t always happy, but were definitely something that would happen in a real-world situation. I guess I was just a bit disappointed that some of the outcomes weren’t more gripping? That is totally my personal opinion, and not a negative about the book; maybe I’m just a bit jaded from what other books I’ve been reading lately. I may come back and decide to rate this higher, but right now I’m in the “what” phase after finishing a book! I do have a suspicion that this tome is a jumping off point for the author and is more setting the stage for future installments.

Also, I want to make clear that this is low-fantasy, and leans more toward a dystopian world than a world with actual magical people. Hopefully that makes sense and helps when you’re reading expecting someone to have powers like I did!

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC.

I cannot get over the amount of times “reckon” is used in this book. It’s kind of ridiculous and takes me out of the story every time.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this story.

I'm sorry...I didn't like this book. The characters were meh, the vocabulary was..weird. the world building was ok but it felt like the author had an idea in their head and rushed it. The details honestly just left me confused. This could have been a great story but it just feels like the author was trying to meet a deadline and rushed through important aspects of the book. The synopsis sounded so cool...and it just fell flat. The book was just meh and I honestly don't understand all the 5 star ratings, I'm so sorry, but I don't.

I didn't enjoy this book. However, literally everyone who has reviewed it before me gave it 5stars, so I'm not sure if you should take my word for it.

This book follows Thora, a slave with aspirations of becoming an investigator. She and her friend Diem get shipped off to solve a mystery and play the game of politics.

I think the greatest falling of this book was on a nuts-and-bolts level. I was constantly confused. Like, I think the character is alone, but then it turned out they were in a crowd. I didn't understand what Thora's short term objectives were. I couldn't feel time passing due to the transitions often being minimal.

The worldbuilding felt like it wasn't really rooted. People have an interesting vocabulary, where they say certain words (reckon, true) a lot. Where did this come from? The religious culture is obsessed with death. Does this really come into play when actual death is taking place? Not really. It's mostly just a mantra and artistic style.

And don't even get me started on the winter hat. I get that it's a symbol of romantic commitment and rebellion against the caste system, but do we have to flip flop how we feel about it 3 times in the end of the book alone?

Thanks to Netgalley and Small Heart Press for a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own.

First off, this is a wonderful fantasy story. The writing style perfectly compliments the world building and characters’ life stories which are at the heart of this book. This is a story founded in the murk of a caste based society. A story of people; some just trying to survive, some looking for escape, some looking out for themselves and some who offer a hand to those who have no power at all. And then those for whom the search for truth, as they see it, means more than the consequences that that search brings. A story of women finding a way to show strength in the face of subjugation, of wanting more for themselves. A story of choices and of impossible love. I had the pleasure of reading the Red Kingdom novellas that PJ Nwuso published in the run up to this book’s release. They are equally captivating. Whilst this book can be read as a complete, separate entity the novellas help set the scene for this story. (One is free if you sign up to the author’s news letter). Thank you to PJ Nwuso, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, Small Heart Press and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

This story is simply amazing! The plot was very well developed, the structure and the events present in Ii is what makes the narrative so intriguing. This feels truly engaging and not generic at all, since is original from beginning to end, which is such a refreshing thing in the contemporary publishing scenario.
The characters are presented in a excellent way, making the readers really connect to them, the pacing was comfortable and the world building was also nice.
Definitely recommend this book!

"“What’s dead is dead and all shall die”

PJ Nwosu was kind enough to send me an ARC of Dream of Death City after reading and reviewing the novellas and I was genuinely surprised at how enjoyable this was. Not because I didn't expect much but because it exceeds expectations and was an incredibly thought-out and intense story.

Pale moths haunt an icy frontier. Beneath the shadow of a drowned death god, a frozen body is unearthed from the snow.
Investigators arrive to a superstitious island to solve a brutal crime. Among them is a lowly slave desperate to prove her worth and a soldier with dark dreams. Neither are prepared for what they find.
Death City is a strange and violent frontier, and no one who survives comes back clean.
First though, Thora and Diem must survive.
Welcome to the Red Kingdom.

This was a story, much like the novellas, that yearns for more. There is a talent evident in Nwosu's writing that suggests this is a carefully constructed piece filled with grey characters, a dark fantasy world and monsters. Nwosu has built an enforced empire that matches the plot itself. Cohesive and brutal, there is a thrust of importance and elegance in its writing that helps visualise the impact that Nwosu has taken us on. The writing here reeks of poetic realism filled to the brim with fear, understanding and morality.

This was an incredible debut for PJ Nwosu that has me invested for the future. Thank you again for sending me a copy.

Book 1 of the Red Kingdom is an epic fantasy in a dark war destroyed land where towered cities rise from the earth controlled by strict laws demanding total obedience to the Red King. The people live in a caste/class system in Houses that they serve and who ensure their people uphold the Red Reform laws. The main character, Thora is Dust Caste, the lowest, who serves the Investigation House, a slave who has dreams above her station. She and her Moon Caste (a free man) Diem, are sent to a far off city to find a kidnapped Sun Nobles daughter. The world building is detailed and weaves throughout the story, the characters are interesting and well developed. The land is menacing, mysterious and dangerous. The story is dynamic and the atmosphere is one of impending doom both to individuals and places. It is a crime thriller in a fantasy world and I for one have never read anything like it. I immersed myself in this world, enjoyed it immensely, it would make an incredible movie and look forward to the next book in the series.
“What’s dead is dead and all shall die” Above review also on TikTok @sharronjoy69

Nordic Noir in a Fantasy Setting

In the oppressive Red Kingdom, society is organized along strict caste lines and Thora knows her place: at the bottom. As a Dust Caste slave belonging to Investigation House, she can expect her days to be filled with laundry, cleaning floors, chopping vegetables, and similar chores. But Thora knows she is capable of much more and when she’s chosen to accompany an investigator looking into the disappearance of a Sun Noble girl, she’s determined to use this opportunity to prove herself, no matter the cost, even as it becomes clear there are more things wrong in Death City than a single missing girl.

I loved this book. Thora is an engaging character, one you sympathize with and root for, through all her plans, hopes, fears and mistakes (and she makes some big ones). Diem, by contrast, is drawn more in outline, but his history makes him sympathetic and his support for Thora makes him likeable. Her hope and his cynicism made a satisfying contrast.

The book is well plotted, with enough information given that you have a good idea of how things are going all along, instead of relying on a big reveal at the end. It starts with a bang in chapter one, then settles into a slow burn that gradually grows as the investigation builds, and leads to a satisfying ending.

The world building was deftly done. Enough background is given to understand the society, bleak and oppressive though it is, while the fantasy elements (death giants, crooked beat) added enough awe and uncanniness to suggest that the Red Kingdom is not as completely in control as they try to pretend.

Highly recommend this book to those who enjoy dark fantasy, or Nordic noir or hard boiled detective novels in fantasy settings.

I will definitely be reading book two, whenever it comes available.

Thank you to NetGalley, Victory Editing, and P.J. Nwosu for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Loved the visual guides and artwork with this story. I always feel like little touches like this truly add to the story.

Really good world building combined with lots of details makes for a really good story.

Would recommend

I have just read the previous reviews on this book and they all wax lyrical about the story the style of writing etc etc so I am not going to bore you to tears like those reviews, did I enjoy this book? Absolutely, would I read it? Absolutely