False Covenant (#2)
It’s been over half a year, now, since the brutal murder of Archbishop William de Laurent during his pilgrimage to the Galicien city of Davillon. During that time, the Church of the Hallowed Pact has assigned a new bishop to the city—but it has also made its displeasure at the death of its clergyman quite clear. Davillon’s economy has suffered beneath the weight of the Church’s displeasure. Much of the populace—angry at the clergy—has turned away from the Church hierarchy, choosing private worship or small, independent shrines. And the bishop, concerned for his new position and angry at the people of Davillon, plans to do something about it.
But a supernatural threat is stalking the nighttime streets—a creature of the other world has come to infiltrate the seedier streets of Davillon, to intertwine its tendrils through the lower echelons of society. Faced with both political upheaval and a supernatural threat to its citizenry, the local representatives of the Church are paralyzed and the Guardsmen are in over their heads.
And then there’s Widdershins—who’s tried, and failed, to stay out of trouble since taking over Genevieve’s tavern; who’s known to the Church and the Guard both, and trusted by neither; who may, with some of her Thieves’ Guild contacts, have unwittingly played a part in the bishop’s plans; and who, along with her personal god Olgun, may be the only real threat to the supernatural evil infesting Davillon.
Reviews
“A wonderfully macabre bad guy […] beneath the action lies a deeper, if unsubtle, tale of loss and love […] genuinely adolescent (including occasional idiotic and immature behavior) high fantasy is rare enough that this stands out. A romp with an edge and a feisty female lead: fans will rejoice at the indication that this series has even more to come.”
“I highly recommend this series if you love adventure, intrigue, magic and mayhem. 4 and ½ stars to this brilliant sequel!”
“A spectacular climactic scene that’ll have you on the edge of your seat […] The descriptions and dialogues are often funny in an understated, subtle way, full of whimsical humor, banter, and funny similes […] for a young adult readers and especially as a gateway to fantasy, THIEF'S COVENANT and FALSE COVENANT are wonderful. The 14-year-old me would have loved these books, […] Even now, well past the target age for YA literature, I had a blast revisiting Davillon and Widdershins.”
“This is another very good story from Ari Marmell and I’m looking forward to the next volume. I think he may be onto a real winner here if he can maintain the quality of the stories.”
“Widdershins remains an interesting and engaging heroine […] a solid follow-up.”
“Enthralling … with plenty of drama and a bit of humor and several surprises along the way, this dark fantasy series is decidedly charming.”
“I liked the first in this series well enough that I jumped [FALSE COVENANT] up the stack a good ways and I’m glad I did.”Don Damassa