OMG This book is so freaking gorgeous! I love the art on this, and I’m so freaking glad that I got a copy of this to read and share. Thank you so very much to Fantastic Flying Book Club for hosting this tour and having me on it. Click on the banner for the rest of the schedule and more information.

A must-read for fans of Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse, transforming The Hunchback of Notre Dame into a powerful tundra-inspired epic.

Before the massacre at Nariin, Enebish was one of the greatest warriors in the Sky King’s Imperial Army: a rare and dangerous Night Spinner, blessed with the ability to control the threads of darkness. Now, she is known as Enebish the Destroyer―a monster and murderer, banished to a monastery for losing control of her power and annihilating a merchant caravan.

Guilt stricken and scarred, Enebish tries to be grateful for her sanctuary, until her adoptive sister, Imperial Army commander Ghoa, returns from the war front with a tantalizing offer. If Enebish can capture the notorious criminal, Temujin, whose band of rebels has been seizing army supply wagons, not only will her crimes be pardoned, she will be reinstated as a warrior.

Enebish eagerly accepts. But as she hunts Temujin across the tundra, she discovers the tides of war have shifted, and the supplies he’s stealing are the only thing keeping thousands of shepherds from starving. Torn between duty and conscience, Enebish must decide whether to put her trust in the charismatic rebel or her beloved sister. No matter who she chooses, an even greater enemy is advancing, ready to bring the empire to its knees.

• WordPress
• Goodreads
• Twitter
• Instagram

Addie Thorley is the author of An Affair of Poisons, a YA historical fantasy, which was chosen as a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers selection and is a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults nominee. Her forthcoming novel, Night Spinner, will be released on February 11, 2020.

She spent her childhood playing soccer, riding horses, and scribbling stories. After graduating from the University of Utah with a degree in journalism, Addie decided “hard news” didn’t contain enough magic and kissing, so she flung herself into the land of fiction and never looked back. She now lives in Princeton, New Jersey with her husband, daughter, and wolf dog. When she’s not writing she can be found gallivanting in the woods or galloping around the barn where she works as a horse trainer and exercise rider.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Fantastic Flying Book Club, Netgalley, and Page Street Kids for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.

Gosh I don’t even know if I can come up with words to say about this one. I felt like this novel was really… magical. Which works out in Thorley’s favor because isn’t that why she ended up leaving the journalism world? So I would have to say she definitely did a great job of getting me into her fantasy world because I didn’t even want to leave.

I felt so bad for Enebish during this novel, even though I know that I really shouldn’t have. Despite anything that she did when she lost control, I still think she was an amazing warrior, and I wish that she wasn’t punished like she was. But in a perfect world, she wouldn’t have lost control, she wouldn’t have been punished, and we wouldn’t have had this amazing story, so sorry Enebish, you had to go through the tough stuff in order to come out on top of the other side.

So seriously I would not have known that this was a Hunchback of Notre Dame retelling except for the synopsis explicitly saying so, and seriously I think we may need to just get rid of the “Retelling” genre or something because these stories that are considered retellings have such a fresh and unique feel to them that I wouldn’t even consider them in the same realm as their original source material. Just no way. I’ve been lucky that I’ve come across some amazing “retellings” and being lucky enough that my thought process isn’t “marred” by what I remember the original story to be like, because these just have their own life to it and own feel that they become their own stories. These could be retold in the next few years or so, and these could be considered the original source material. I’ve had way more luck with these modern versions of them anyway.

You all know that my favorite quotes aren’t always the ones that give some sort of positive feeling, so hold on to your butts.

Even though he’s defending me, my heart still sinks into my gut. Because he’s right. I have already made a name for myself. One that comes with no accolades. One the people of Ashkar will never forget.

Enebish the Destroyer.

I’ll be honest: there are some days where I’d rather be feared than loved. Maybe I’m just channeling my inner Evil Queen or something, but a name like Enebish the Destroyer sounds like something that will give people pause on whether they really want to mess with her. And that’s the kind of vibe I need most days.

But this I know for certain: the Lady of the Sky is guiding us, pointing our way to the dawn.

Yeah that line totally reminded me of when Gandalf came to the Battle of Helm’s Deep with the Rohirrim and freaking saved the day. As seen partially in the gif above. So that line and that scene give me a sense of hope, that things will get better because a new day is coming and there is always a chance to change your circumstances. Something positive to think about I guess.

Darkness walks like a devil outside my window

This is the first line in the novel – well part of the first line – and I was already hooked for some reason. Maybe because I could see the concept of darkness being embodied into a person, some sort of doom bringing figure that could be right outside our safe haven. Waiting to be let in.

And there you have it. I think this was my favorite book of the week, but then again it’s only Wednesday. Still, I’ve been pretty lucky to have the opportunity to read a lot of awesome books lately, and blog tours have really been giving me that chance that I never had before. I honestly am still so shocked and honored and humbled to be able to have this chance, you know? So I appreciate being considered each and every time for a chance to read and review a book early, get a chance to share my love for a new to me author, and a chance to continue to read such awesome books. I think I said that earlier but it’s because it’s true!