2.5 stars

Arc from NetGalley

Fantasy world where they are reliant on a fossil fuel that rains from the sky and kills but is now in short supply,
Three character POVs as they try to find a supposed hidden cache.

I just couldn’t get into this. I didn’t really understand the magic system/worldbuilding, the characters felt flat, and I was bored. Everything finally happens in the last 40 pages of the book (including a shoehorned in romance.)
This wasn’t for me.

A debut fantasy full of interesting symbolism that serves as a metaphor to our own real life consumption of natural resources.

This is a world dependent on a rare substance called calor. For many generations it has spurred advancements in technology, machinery, health and wellness, supporting pretty much every infrastructure of society. However, mining this substance has resulted in severe scarcity resulting in strife and desperation.

This is also a world that is divided between the haves and have nots. Here, the country Gehanna has ruthlessly taken by force other provinces, acquiring their stores of calor under the guise of regulating allocation, but in reality, there's very little left to control. What remains is a lone city whose sky still sporadically “bleeds” the invaluable calor, who is under close guard and on the brink of insurrection. At its center are 3 critical players, drawn into a frantic search for a hidden cache that could be the answer to all their problems, each with a deeper desire for forgiveness, revenge, and redemption.

I won’t go into too much more detail so as to not spoil things. Just know that this is a dark story, complexly tragic with harsh unforgiving truths. Admittedly, I can appreciate the commentary about colonialism, dwindling resources, cutthroat politics, miserable survival, but also not surprisingly in these sorts of stories, the power of hope. I also readily admit that my ratings are often heavily weighed by the enjoyment factor, and there is very little joy here. That’s on me. Additionally, this is a slow, so terribly slow, reveal that builds to a painful catharsis for all involved. One must infer a lot in regards to the world building here, as well as the nuance of what transpired during the oft referenced past event that haunts our protagonists. Sometimes not fully knowing works for me, greatly spurring reading momentum, and sometimes it doesn’t.

Overall, this story has merit, and I think if one is looking for something different, seeking an unique perspective about the terrible price of overconsumption that can’t be rectified, then this is a great place to start. It definitely lends an insightful sobering view, but thankfully, leaves one with a promising outlook despite the grim circumstances.

Thank you to the author and Bindery Books via NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review ( )