From the Publisher
The Hollow Heart:
"A thrilling, frightening tale of intrigue and revenge, love and desire, affecting humans and gods alike. The Hollow Heart is a doorway to a world of magic, vengeance, and romance that will keep you guessing until the last pages." —Cassandra Clare, New York Times-bestselling author of the Shadowhunter Chronicles
"A heart-wrenching, deftly executed end to this duology." —Kirkus Reviews
The Midnight Lie:
“Utterly immersive and gorgeous. Marie’s stories are the loveliest knives that cut you straight to the quick.” — Roshani Chokshi, New York Times–bestselling author of The Gilded Wolves
“Lush, romantic, and powerful. In The Midnight Lie, Marie Rutkoski spins a sensuous tale about awakening to the truth.” — Malinda Lo, author of Ash
"There is no doubt this is going to be one of the most complex and compulsively readable fantasies of the year." —Buzzfeed
"Prepare to be devastated by this gorgeously rendered sapphic fantasy." —Buzzfeed News
“The Midnight Lie is unsettling and thrilling, the world intricate and purposeful, and Nirrim a protagonist readers will surely find enthralling.” —Shelf Awareness
"Read it for the romance, for the adventure, for the underlying commentary on divided societies—nothing disappoints." —Booklist
"Stunning." —Bustle
Kirkus Reviews
2021-08-16
A new (and improved?) Nirrim settles in as queen in this follow-up to The Midnight Lie (2020).
The book opens with a brief recap of events in the previous volume: Nirrim traded her heart to the God of Thieves in exchange for lost knowledge and is still distraught over parting ways with her lover, Sid. Thanks to her transaction, the Half Kith, the oppressed people of Ethin, have recovered their memories of the truth about their island and regained the magic that the High Kith rulers had been siphoning from them. Nirrim, now without a heart, even more powerful, and seeking revenge, begins a violent onslaught against the High Kith and positions herself as queen. Meanwhile, readers are gifted chapters from Sid’s perspective, allowing the cocky, pressured heir of Herran a chance to relate her own struggles as her mother lies ill, possibly from poison. The sweet, hesitant heroine of the first installation is gone as Nirrim descends further into cruelty and violence, while Rutkoski exquisitely fleshes out Sid’s character and the nation of Herran, gently tackling themes of colonization and its legacy all the while. The elegant prose makes this a pleasurable read that will keep readers engrossed. In this world, characters are diverse in their appearances: Nirrim has black hair, green eyes, and brown skin; pale-skinned Sid has blond hair.
A heart-wrenching, deftly executed end to this duology. (Fantasy. 14-18)
