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The Crack at the Heart of Everything
He accidentally cursed himself...
When the consequences get him exiled to the land he helped terrorize, can this evil wizard find redemption... and love?
Orpheus can't believe it's come to this. After helping his childhood friend conquer the realm by raising an army of hell-beasts, the befuddled dark sorcerer finds himself banished when the price of his magic endangers the palace. Isolated and betrayed, the feared spellcaster isn't exactly thrilled when his irritating and handsome rival keeps stepping between him and certain doom.
Ill at ease in the barren wasteland his powers created, Orpheus slowly warms to the charismatic ex-general's relentless overtures. But as his feelings grow more intense, the former villain struggles with an inconvenient calling towards heroism.
Will dabbling in good deeds get him killed or open the doors to happily ever after?
The Crack at the Heart of Everything is the charmingly swoon-worthy first book in an epic LGBTQ+ fantasy series. If you like character-driven stories, snarky humor, and well-earned redemption arcs, then you'll adore Fiona Fenn's unexpected hero's journey.
When the consequences get him exiled to the land he helped terrorize, can this evil wizard find redemption... and love?
Orpheus can't believe it's come to this. After helping his childhood friend conquer the realm by raising an army of hell-beasts, the befuddled dark sorcerer finds himself banished when the price of his magic endangers the palace. Isolated and betrayed, the feared spellcaster isn't exactly thrilled when his irritating and handsome rival keeps stepping between him and certain doom.
Ill at ease in the barren wasteland his powers created, Orpheus slowly warms to the charismatic ex-general's relentless overtures. But as his feelings grow more intense, the former villain struggles with an inconvenient calling towards heroism.
Will dabbling in good deeds get him killed or open the doors to happily ever after?
The Crack at the Heart of Everything is the charmingly swoon-worthy first book in an epic LGBTQ+ fantasy series. If you like character-driven stories, snarky humor, and well-earned redemption arcs, then you'll adore Fiona Fenn's unexpected hero's journey.
336 pages, Paperback
First published November 12, 2024
101 people are currently reading
3594 people want to read
About the author
Fiona Fenn
1 book80 followersFiona Fenn is an author of fantasy novels that put complicated “heroes” front and center. A fan of villains, redemption arcs, and intense explorations of healing in all its forms, her debut novel, The Crack at the Heart of Everything, is a love letter to every villain who could have done better but never got the chance.
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November 9, 2024
the fact that this is a debut is pretty impressive cause i found the setting, magic and story itself to be decently fleshed out, especially considering that the book is more character driven than anything. i guess in a sense we are following the “villain” of the story in Orpheus who’s dark magic was used to basically destroy the world. it was interesting seeing Orpheus struggle with feeling responsible for all the wreckage he had caused, battling both guilt and this unwavering need to be useful— whether the person on the opposite end had good intentions for him or not.
the main draw for me was the gradual relationship between Orpheus and Fenrir, who is a guard of sorts to the current leader of this broken world. their banter was top tier and i love when one character thinks the other has hated them all this time, only to find out that couldn’t have been further from truth. the way Fenrir opened up Orpheus’ eyes to all that was really going on and how he could help make a change was really endearing. i felt their connection from the start and couldn’t wait for the moment where they’d finally share how they felt. im just glad i got to witness their journey to restoring what was broken, discovering the happiness they could have as the people they chose to be instead of what they could offer, all while falling in love with one another and the special kind of power that comes from having someone who loves you for you.
➸ many thanks to NetGalley, the author and Tiny Fox Press for the arc, all opinions are my own.
the main draw for me was the gradual relationship between Orpheus and Fenrir, who is a guard of sorts to the current leader of this broken world. their banter was top tier and i love when one character thinks the other has hated them all this time, only to find out that couldn’t have been further from truth. the way Fenrir opened up Orpheus’ eyes to all that was really going on and how he could help make a change was really endearing. i felt their connection from the start and couldn’t wait for the moment where they’d finally share how they felt. im just glad i got to witness their journey to restoring what was broken, discovering the happiness they could have as the people they chose to be instead of what they could offer, all while falling in love with one another and the special kind of power that comes from having someone who loves you for you.
➸ many thanks to NetGalley, the author and Tiny Fox Press for the arc, all opinions are my own.
December 1, 2024
➸ 4.5 stars
𓍢⊹ ࣪ thank you to netgalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review!
🔮 redemption arc
⚔️ hero’s journey
🔮 grumpy x sunshine
⚔️ dark wizard x knight
🔮 hurt/comfort
⚔️ lgbtq+ representation
🔮 banter + humor
⚔️ character driven
“Alone. Abandoned. Banished. His only companion a man who he hated, the world beyond an unknown he wasn’t ready to face.”
I. loved. this. book. I knew from early on it was going to be amazing!! the story was so captivating and the characters so complex with so many layers and everything was written so beautifully.
I loved reading about orpheus’ journey! he is such a strong character. starting off as the ‘villainous’ and dark wizard who’s exiled from everything he’s ever known to his long hated rival tagging along with him.
the banter between orpheus and fenrir was top tier!! I loved the grumpy x sunshine trope along with all the teasing and banter was everythingggg I loved it so much!!!
“Tried to get us a honeymoon suite but apparently it’s booked. Guess we won’t be sharing a bed after all, Fifi.”
“Don’t you know dogs sleep on the floor, Rawkner?”
“Oh, he’s good, Fenrir. I can see why you—“
“You’re strangely amenable today. Remind me to put you to bed early every night.”
“Amenable, that’s quite the vocabulary for a brain-addled sword jockey.”
“Phew, there he is! I was almost worried something had happened to my angry little flame thrower.”
“Your—“ “—your what?”
“My angry little flame thrower?”
“I’m not little. I’m nearly as tall as you!”
“If you tell me to stop spiraling, I will kill you.”
“Well, you should. Stop spiraling I mean. Please don’t kill me.”
again, the banter was everything and had me giggling and kicking my feet every time!!! fenrir’s nickname for orpheus being fifi WAS EVERYTHING i loved it so much it’s so freaking cute!
throughout this story, we get to see who orpheus really is. perceived to be evil when he is a misunderstood character the world has been cruel to. he hides himself in the fabrication of his own making because it is better than the reality around him. he craves and aches for physical touch, comfort, growing up without ever having it, no one ever bothering to. and most of all, he yearns for love. to be cared for, and truly loved for who he is.
“Orpheus felt comfortable, safe, with Fenrir at his side.”
orpheus and fenrir’s development together was AMAZING. one thing I absolutely loved was how fenrir always gave small light touches to orpheus; his arm around his shoulder, their hands touching for brief moments. orpheus never lets anyone in that close, but fenrir pushing in without ever crossing any lines and orpheus slowly warming up to him while feeling comfortable and at ease brought tears to me eyes.
“Except, he could still feel Fenrir’s hand on his knee, moving slowly, an anchor of a touch within a world he felt lost in.”
another thing I absolutely loved was HOW WELL THEY COULD READ EACH OTHER!!! fenrir literally always knew what orpheus was thinking or what he was going to say before he even said anything just by a look UGH I LOVED IT SO MUCH!!! and orpheus knowing whenever fenrir was silently asking him a question as well ARGHH I LOVE THEM.
“Because only Fenrir had come for him when his whole life began unraveling. Had protected him. Had witnessed the horror of his abilities yet called them beautiful, like he saw—actually saw—through the shadows Orpheus hid within.
No one had ever seen that person.”
“Then he thought of the easy way Fenrir found all of Orpheus' soft parts—the pieces of himself he kept hidden—as if he knew exactly what each hid and how to reveal them. But also the kind, gentle way he covered him up again, when it became clear Orpheus couldn't handle being so deeply exposed.
Not teasing. Not hurting.
Encouraging. Supporting.”
orpheus has always hid in the shadows, and fenrir had found him. everything orpheus ached and yearned for, fenrir gave.
“Did you just save me?” Fenrir gasped, stars in his eyes.
“Shut up.” Orpheus would later blame the fire for how hot his face grew.
“Orpheus would finally discover if necromancy was possible, just to bring Fenrir back and kill him himself, if Fenrir went and did something as stupid as dying.”
as dark as this book would sometimes get, there was humor to balance everything out and the author did such an amazing job at flowing everything together in such a short amount of pages and everything played out so beautifully and perfectly!!! I felt so many emotions while reading this and it truly made this such an amazing reading experience!!
“He could do this, if it came to it. He could fight for himself. He wasn’t incapable, even if he often felt that way.”
orpheus’ character development was so beautifully written. he is truly one of my favorite characters ever and reading about everything he’s been through and his growth meant so much to me as someone who could relate to him in some ways. he is beaten and scared, but he cares amount fenrir so much and that is enough.
“You kissed me.”
“I did.”
“Can I, again?”
“Again?”
“Can I kiss you again?”
I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. orpheus and fenrir are everything to me and i love them together. they care so much about each other and have so much love for each other.
“I would have waited until the world ended all over again if that’s how much time you needed.”
“You would—“ “Why would—“
“Because I love you. I’ve been in love with you for ages and I hope that doesn’t scare you, because if we’re going to do this, I need you to know the truth.”
“He’d never been this close to anyone, but that didn’t mean he hasn’t spent a lifetime wishing he could be. The truth was there, exposed by words unspoken—or perhaps Fenrir has already known, because he’d always handled Orpheus like this: gently, carefully, respectful of his boundaries, cognizant of his limits.”
“Fenrir loved him. He loved him, and Orpheus had never known such complete happiness before in all his life—had given up hope he’d ever find it—certainly not now, when so much of himself had been given up to the cursed darkness.
But here Fenrir was, him and all his brilliant light.”
these quotes are pretty self explanatory about how amazing their love is. they have such a beautiful love story and i am utterly obsessed with them.
“He knew what he wanted to say but the words wouldn’t come, and Fenrir must have realized something was wrong because his hand was on Orpheus’ before he realized what was happening.”
“What if there is no stppping the curse? How long will it take me to reach that point, when hopelessness catches up and I lose the—“ “—I lose the will to keep fighting?”
“Then I’ll fight for you.”
FENRIR CARES ABOUT ORPHEUS SO MUCH IT MAKES ME WANT TO CRY BECAUSE ITS ALL ORPHEUS EVER WANTED! HE LOVES HIM FOR HIM AND KNOWS HIM SO WELL
“There was so much more than death that he could offer the world.
Fenrir had said that. Fenrir had shown him that. And however terrified Orpheus was of the approaching unknown, Fenrir has proved that that too could be something worthwhile.”
anyways, this was truly such a beautiful book with a beautiful story and beautiful characters. i love fenrir and orpheus so so much. the ending epilogue being the first time they met with the crossbow tie everything together and they truly brought tears to my eyes and made me so happy!! i loved every second of this book and will be getting myself a physical copy once i’m able :)
“I think, that what matters more than the perspectives we held, is what we do when they change.”
“He wasn’t a hero. He’d never asked for this power. All Orpheus has ever wanted was to find a shred of happiness in a world that had been cold and harsh. And he had. He’d found that in Fenrir”
𓍢⊹ ࣪
“For every villain who died while trying to become better.”
𓍢⊹ ࣪ thank you to netgalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review!
🔮 redemption arc
⚔️ hero’s journey
🔮 grumpy x sunshine
⚔️ dark wizard x knight
🔮 hurt/comfort
⚔️ lgbtq+ representation
🔮 banter + humor
⚔️ character driven
“Alone. Abandoned. Banished. His only companion a man who he hated, the world beyond an unknown he wasn’t ready to face.”
I. loved. this. book. I knew from early on it was going to be amazing!! the story was so captivating and the characters so complex with so many layers and everything was written so beautifully.
I loved reading about orpheus’ journey! he is such a strong character. starting off as the ‘villainous’ and dark wizard who’s exiled from everything he’s ever known to his long hated rival tagging along with him.
the banter between orpheus and fenrir was top tier!! I loved the grumpy x sunshine trope along with all the teasing and banter was everythingggg I loved it so much!!!
“Tried to get us a honeymoon suite but apparently it’s booked. Guess we won’t be sharing a bed after all, Fifi.”
“Don’t you know dogs sleep on the floor, Rawkner?”
“Oh, he’s good, Fenrir. I can see why you—“
“You’re strangely amenable today. Remind me to put you to bed early every night.”
“Amenable, that’s quite the vocabulary for a brain-addled sword jockey.”
“Phew, there he is! I was almost worried something had happened to my angry little flame thrower.”
“Your—“ “—your what?”
“My angry little flame thrower?”
“I’m not little. I’m nearly as tall as you!”
“If you tell me to stop spiraling, I will kill you.”
“Well, you should. Stop spiraling I mean. Please don’t kill me.”
again, the banter was everything and had me giggling and kicking my feet every time!!! fenrir’s nickname for orpheus being fifi WAS EVERYTHING i loved it so much it’s so freaking cute!
throughout this story, we get to see who orpheus really is. perceived to be evil when he is a misunderstood character the world has been cruel to. he hides himself in the fabrication of his own making because it is better than the reality around him. he craves and aches for physical touch, comfort, growing up without ever having it, no one ever bothering to. and most of all, he yearns for love. to be cared for, and truly loved for who he is.
“Orpheus felt comfortable, safe, with Fenrir at his side.”
orpheus and fenrir’s development together was AMAZING. one thing I absolutely loved was how fenrir always gave small light touches to orpheus; his arm around his shoulder, their hands touching for brief moments. orpheus never lets anyone in that close, but fenrir pushing in without ever crossing any lines and orpheus slowly warming up to him while feeling comfortable and at ease brought tears to me eyes.
“Except, he could still feel Fenrir’s hand on his knee, moving slowly, an anchor of a touch within a world he felt lost in.”
another thing I absolutely loved was HOW WELL THEY COULD READ EACH OTHER!!! fenrir literally always knew what orpheus was thinking or what he was going to say before he even said anything just by a look UGH I LOVED IT SO MUCH!!! and orpheus knowing whenever fenrir was silently asking him a question as well ARGHH I LOVE THEM.
“Because only Fenrir had come for him when his whole life began unraveling. Had protected him. Had witnessed the horror of his abilities yet called them beautiful, like he saw—actually saw—through the shadows Orpheus hid within.
No one had ever seen that person.”
“Then he thought of the easy way Fenrir found all of Orpheus' soft parts—the pieces of himself he kept hidden—as if he knew exactly what each hid and how to reveal them. But also the kind, gentle way he covered him up again, when it became clear Orpheus couldn't handle being so deeply exposed.
Not teasing. Not hurting.
Encouraging. Supporting.”
orpheus has always hid in the shadows, and fenrir had found him. everything orpheus ached and yearned for, fenrir gave.
“Did you just save me?” Fenrir gasped, stars in his eyes.
“Shut up.” Orpheus would later blame the fire for how hot his face grew.
“Orpheus would finally discover if necromancy was possible, just to bring Fenrir back and kill him himself, if Fenrir went and did something as stupid as dying.”
as dark as this book would sometimes get, there was humor to balance everything out and the author did such an amazing job at flowing everything together in such a short amount of pages and everything played out so beautifully and perfectly!!! I felt so many emotions while reading this and it truly made this such an amazing reading experience!!
“He could do this, if it came to it. He could fight for himself. He wasn’t incapable, even if he often felt that way.”
orpheus’ character development was so beautifully written. he is truly one of my favorite characters ever and reading about everything he’s been through and his growth meant so much to me as someone who could relate to him in some ways. he is beaten and scared, but he cares amount fenrir so much and that is enough.
“You kissed me.”
“I did.”
“Can I, again?”
“Again?”
“Can I kiss you again?”
I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. orpheus and fenrir are everything to me and i love them together. they care so much about each other and have so much love for each other.
“I would have waited until the world ended all over again if that’s how much time you needed.”
“You would—“ “Why would—“
“Because I love you. I’ve been in love with you for ages and I hope that doesn’t scare you, because if we’re going to do this, I need you to know the truth.”
“He’d never been this close to anyone, but that didn’t mean he hasn’t spent a lifetime wishing he could be. The truth was there, exposed by words unspoken—or perhaps Fenrir has already known, because he’d always handled Orpheus like this: gently, carefully, respectful of his boundaries, cognizant of his limits.”
“Fenrir loved him. He loved him, and Orpheus had never known such complete happiness before in all his life—had given up hope he’d ever find it—certainly not now, when so much of himself had been given up to the cursed darkness.
But here Fenrir was, him and all his brilliant light.”
these quotes are pretty self explanatory about how amazing their love is. they have such a beautiful love story and i am utterly obsessed with them.
“He knew what he wanted to say but the words wouldn’t come, and Fenrir must have realized something was wrong because his hand was on Orpheus’ before he realized what was happening.”
“What if there is no stppping the curse? How long will it take me to reach that point, when hopelessness catches up and I lose the—“ “—I lose the will to keep fighting?”
“Then I’ll fight for you.”
FENRIR CARES ABOUT ORPHEUS SO MUCH IT MAKES ME WANT TO CRY BECAUSE ITS ALL ORPHEUS EVER WANTED! HE LOVES HIM FOR HIM AND KNOWS HIM SO WELL
“There was so much more than death that he could offer the world.
Fenrir had said that. Fenrir had shown him that. And however terrified Orpheus was of the approaching unknown, Fenrir has proved that that too could be something worthwhile.”
anyways, this was truly such a beautiful book with a beautiful story and beautiful characters. i love fenrir and orpheus so so much. the ending epilogue being the first time they met with the crossbow tie everything together and they truly brought tears to my eyes and made me so happy!! i loved every second of this book and will be getting myself a physical copy once i’m able :)
“I think, that what matters more than the perspectives we held, is what we do when they change.”
“He wasn’t a hero. He’d never asked for this power. All Orpheus has ever wanted was to find a shred of happiness in a world that had been cold and harsh. And he had. He’d found that in Fenrir”
𓍢⊹ ࣪
November 15, 2024
Wow ... um ... awesome ... um ... bizarre ...
Phew, I don't even know where to start. I obviously liked this book, otherwise it wouldn't get such a rating. Unfortunately, I can't say whether I really love it. I feel very exhausted.
First, perhaps a little warning to my romance-loving friends, this is not a romance. It's a book about love and death and despair, but there's no time for romance here and other than some really really good kisses and hugs, there's not much happening.
It's a fantasy story with a large dose of dystopia and a very strange magic of its own, creatures from hell and perhaps you could even say a few hints of steampunk.
I'm not entirely sure.
What I am sure of is that I've never read anything like it and I've been reading fantsy and sci-fi for many, many years.
Considering that this is also supposed to be a debut, I can only salute the author and dear author, what the hell, incredibly truly outstanding.
But as I said, it wasn't really a pure pleasure. I had quite a bit of trouble getting into it. It's super well written and I really like the author's narrative style. I just had problems understanding what was actually happening here.
There are no explanations and you learn very slowly what kind of world Orpheus lives in. Everything is also told from his point of view and since he knows nothing about the world behind the palace walls either, you only get to know things slowly.
He also has few interactions with other people, so everything is quite difficult to grasp. And his thorn in his side, his pain in the ass, Fenrir is no real help either. He's the hero who always saves him, but they don't have proper conversations.
So it's a tedious affair and you have to be patient.
BUT it's a really brilliant story. Even if it really is quite bizarre.
Fenrir kissed him like it was their first time and their last—like he was only going to get one chance and he needed to make it count. Lips slid over his, from one corner to the other, a careful mapping, the hand in his hair holding, the thumb curling into the hinge of his jaw firm, pressing, until Orpheus understood and opened up for him. 🫠💞🫠
“Well, now you’ll get another chance to make it into the history books.”
“That an offer to write about me? Bet I’d make a pretty good poem. Personally, I think I’m more of a Hercules than an Odysseus, but I might settle for an account the length of the Aeneid.”
Now it was Orpheus’ turn to grouse. “I’d rather burn at the stake than write anything in dactylic hexameter.” 🤭😊🤭
An enormous sword speared through the side of the plane, two feet away from the fuselage, instantly recognizable as Ohm’s.
“It’s fine, he missed! Boney bastard’s always had shit aim,” Fenrir laughed, whooping out a string of expletives Orpheus wasn’t entirely sure he’d heard before. “Eat my jet fuel, you fleshless prick!” 🤣😂🤣
Phew, I don't even know where to start. I obviously liked this book, otherwise it wouldn't get such a rating. Unfortunately, I can't say whether I really love it. I feel very exhausted.
First, perhaps a little warning to my romance-loving friends, this is not a romance. It's a book about love and death and despair, but there's no time for romance here and other than some really really good kisses and hugs, there's not much happening.
It's a fantasy story with a large dose of dystopia and a very strange magic of its own, creatures from hell and perhaps you could even say a few hints of steampunk.
I'm not entirely sure.
What I am sure of is that I've never read anything like it and I've been reading fantsy and sci-fi for many, many years.
Considering that this is also supposed to be a debut, I can only salute the author and dear author, what the hell, incredibly truly outstanding.
But as I said, it wasn't really a pure pleasure. I had quite a bit of trouble getting into it. It's super well written and I really like the author's narrative style. I just had problems understanding what was actually happening here.
There are no explanations and you learn very slowly what kind of world Orpheus lives in. Everything is also told from his point of view and since he knows nothing about the world behind the palace walls either, you only get to know things slowly.
He also has few interactions with other people, so everything is quite difficult to grasp. And his thorn in his side, his pain in the ass, Fenrir is no real help either. He's the hero who always saves him, but they don't have proper conversations.
So it's a tedious affair and you have to be patient.
BUT it's a really brilliant story. Even if it really is quite bizarre.
Fenrir kissed him like it was their first time and their last—like he was only going to get one chance and he needed to make it count. Lips slid over his, from one corner to the other, a careful mapping, the hand in his hair holding, the thumb curling into the hinge of his jaw firm, pressing, until Orpheus understood and opened up for him. 🫠💞🫠
“Well, now you’ll get another chance to make it into the history books.”
“That an offer to write about me? Bet I’d make a pretty good poem. Personally, I think I’m more of a Hercules than an Odysseus, but I might settle for an account the length of the Aeneid.”
Now it was Orpheus’ turn to grouse. “I’d rather burn at the stake than write anything in dactylic hexameter.” 🤭😊🤭
An enormous sword speared through the side of the plane, two feet away from the fuselage, instantly recognizable as Ohm’s.
“It’s fine, he missed! Boney bastard’s always had shit aim,” Fenrir laughed, whooping out a string of expletives Orpheus wasn’t entirely sure he’d heard before. “Eat my jet fuel, you fleshless prick!” 🤣😂🤣
October 16, 2024
this book landed somewhere around the 3 star mark for me.
this just wasn't the book i thought i was going to be reading based on the premise that was sold. orpheus, for as much as he was marketed as a villain, was never really that much of one. yes, he had done some things that were bad, but they were done with an odd sense of naivety wherein he just wasn't aware of the true effects of his actions. orpheus was marketed as a evil sorcerer in need of redemption, but was never really actively villainous in any way and as such the redemption arc never really felt like much of one as we sympathise with orpheus very early on.
much of this book was also orpheus being emotional and weepy over the same issues over and over again. like ok, i love to see men in fantasy be emotionally vulnerable but seeing orpheus angst over the same things we had just seen him spiral over got very repetitive, very fast. fenrir was also just a little too ,,, for lack of a better word, good. we don't really get to see much of why he ticks, and why he has such an unerringly strong belief in orpheus being a good person. he just lacked a bit of nuance for me. their romance was sweet, but we miss a lot of its development. why did fenrir like orpheus in the first place? why was orpheus convinced fenrir hated him?
i also had a bone to pick with the setting of this world— once i realised it was set in a post-apocalyptic version of our own, a lot of questions were raised. where did the knowledge of industry and technology go? why use swords if guns were still an option? where did orpheus learn his magic and sigils from? why was ohm even summoned in the first place? what war was fought, and against what? as readers we are just dropped in the middle of the action, which isn't an inherently bad thing, but it made character's references to past events and the motivations and reasonings for certain actions difficult to understand.
a couple more little things that i'll admit are nit-picky— some turns of phrase were used excessively in this. in the first 20% of the book orpheus sneered in what seemed like every sentence. rim-pale was another descriptor that was used too much, as i honestly don't think fenrir's eyes were described as being anything else. i also picked up the comparison of fire being anathema to ice being used a little heavy-handedly throughout the book. and my last little thing— the epilogue was not an epilogue!
in short, a lot of aspects in this book from the characters to the setting to the events of the war, felt like they needed a little more context and a little more background to really build a sense of immersion and investment in the story. in saying all this though, this book did have some moments of amazing prose and character moments that really stood out. fenrir and orpheus' romance was really sweet, and i loved red as a side character as well. the pacing of the last half of the novel was also really well done, and had me turning the pages to see where the story would take me.ultimately this is a cosy read and a pretty solid debut novel!
thank you to NetGalley and Tiny Fox Press for the arc !!
this just wasn't the book i thought i was going to be reading based on the premise that was sold. orpheus, for as much as he was marketed as a villain, was never really that much of one. yes, he had done some things that were bad, but they were done with an odd sense of naivety wherein he just wasn't aware of the true effects of his actions. orpheus was marketed as a evil sorcerer in need of redemption, but was never really actively villainous in any way and as such the redemption arc never really felt like much of one as we sympathise with orpheus very early on.
much of this book was also orpheus being emotional and weepy over the same issues over and over again. like ok, i love to see men in fantasy be emotionally vulnerable but seeing orpheus angst over the same things we had just seen him spiral over got very repetitive, very fast. fenrir was also just a little too ,,, for lack of a better word, good. we don't really get to see much of why he ticks, and why he has such an unerringly strong belief in orpheus being a good person. he just lacked a bit of nuance for me. their romance was sweet, but we miss a lot of its development. why did fenrir like orpheus in the first place? why was orpheus convinced fenrir hated him?
i also had a bone to pick with the setting of this world— once i realised it was set in a post-apocalyptic version of our own, a lot of questions were raised. where did the knowledge of industry and technology go? why use swords if guns were still an option? where did orpheus learn his magic and sigils from? why was ohm even summoned in the first place? what war was fought, and against what? as readers we are just dropped in the middle of the action, which isn't an inherently bad thing, but it made character's references to past events and the motivations and reasonings for certain actions difficult to understand.
a couple more little things that i'll admit are nit-picky— some turns of phrase were used excessively in this. in the first 20% of the book orpheus sneered in what seemed like every sentence. rim-pale was another descriptor that was used too much, as i honestly don't think fenrir's eyes were described as being anything else. i also picked up the comparison of fire being anathema to ice being used a little heavy-handedly throughout the book. and my last little thing— the epilogue was not an epilogue!
in short, a lot of aspects in this book from the characters to the setting to the events of the war, felt like they needed a little more context and a little more background to really build a sense of immersion and investment in the story. in saying all this though, this book did have some moments of amazing prose and character moments that really stood out. fenrir and orpheus' romance was really sweet, and i loved red as a side character as well. the pacing of the last half of the novel was also really well done, and had me turning the pages to see where the story would take me.ultimately this is a cosy read and a pretty solid debut novel!
thank you to NetGalley and Tiny Fox Press for the arc !!
September 5, 2024
2ish Stars.
This one just did not click with me, and I found it incredibly hard to get through, I mostly finished it because this was an eARC and I wanted to make sure I was able to speak to the whole story before giving it a review.
I found this title very hard to get into, and I think a big part of it for me was the world/world building or lack thereof in some instances. Our protagonist, Orpheus, continuously refers to past events that make little sense to the reader. We're thrown in, which inherently isn't a bad thing, but when it leaves me confused for most of the story, it just doesn't read well. The world is unfortunately difficult to grasp - at first you think you're in a more "medieval" setting, then there's cars/guns etc. but people also use swords and wear plate armor? I just wish we'd had more of an explanation on why things were the way they were. We never truly find out what happened (An apocalyptic event that brings Hell to Earth, but it's magic, or magic adjacent, but it also sounds like there was true magic in the world before this event? How did we discover magic? So it just feels muddled to me).
I honestly didn't vibe with the relationship between Orpheus and Fenrir either, I think also because of where we started in the story. We get none, or very little, of their history, and not having any of that made it hard for me to feel invested in them/their relationship. There was very little chemistry, to me, which was unfortunate because the draw of their relationship was a big part of the reason I picked this book up.
Both characters separately, too, were not my favorite, mostly because of the questions I felt weren't getting answered. Fenrir- how does he continuously survive impossible situations? I thought we would eventually learn he's blessed or magic touched in some way or something like that, but nothing really came of it. Why does he know how to fly a plane? Why does he fight with a sword all the time if there's guns he could be using? Is it because guns work on humans but not Nether beasts? I feel like I was missing so many answers in here. How does Orpheus' magic truly work - there's sigils, but you can cast without it? What is Netherflame? How did he learn how to cast - is it because the world has had magic before? How did he learn sigils? and then there's the fact that he's a powerful mage, but doesn't seem to actually lean into his power at all until the end/only leaned into it to summon Ohm.
Speaking of Ohm- why did Orpheus need to summon him for Lore? What were they fighting that was bad enough the Orpheus literally raised a Hell Army for Lore? I wish we understood more of the war, as I feel it would have helped with both worldbuilding and character development (like why everyone, aside from her courtiers, dislikes Lore)
Lore was also, unfortunately, not a compelling character to me - and the way her story ends felt very odd.
The prose itself was beautiful in some places, but also left me annoyed in others, as it was very drawn out. A big part of this story was Orpheus lamenting and going through self discovery, which again, isn't inherently bad, I just think it was drawn out too much and repetitive in some areas, and was not supported well through the setting/world/rest of the plot, since I found most of that lacking.
Overall, an unfortunate miss for me.
This one just did not click with me, and I found it incredibly hard to get through, I mostly finished it because this was an eARC and I wanted to make sure I was able to speak to the whole story before giving it a review.
I found this title very hard to get into, and I think a big part of it for me was the world/world building or lack thereof in some instances. Our protagonist, Orpheus, continuously refers to past events that make little sense to the reader. We're thrown in, which inherently isn't a bad thing, but when it leaves me confused for most of the story, it just doesn't read well. The world is unfortunately difficult to grasp - at first you think you're in a more "medieval" setting, then there's cars/guns etc. but people also use swords and wear plate armor? I just wish we'd had more of an explanation on why things were the way they were. We never truly find out what happened (An apocalyptic event that brings Hell to Earth, but it's magic, or magic adjacent, but it also sounds like there was true magic in the world before this event? How did we discover magic? So it just feels muddled to me).
I honestly didn't vibe with the relationship between Orpheus and Fenrir either, I think also because of where we started in the story. We get none, or very little, of their history, and not having any of that made it hard for me to feel invested in them/their relationship. There was very little chemistry, to me, which was unfortunate because the draw of their relationship was a big part of the reason I picked this book up.
Both characters separately, too, were not my favorite, mostly because of the questions I felt weren't getting answered. Fenrir- how does he continuously survive impossible situations? I thought we would eventually learn he's blessed or magic touched in some way or something like that, but nothing really came of it. Why does he know how to fly a plane? Why does he fight with a sword all the time if there's guns he could be using? Is it because guns work on humans but not Nether beasts? I feel like I was missing so many answers in here. How does Orpheus' magic truly work - there's sigils, but you can cast without it? What is Netherflame? How did he learn how to cast - is it because the world has had magic before? How did he learn sigils? and then there's the fact that he's a powerful mage, but doesn't seem to actually lean into his power at all until the end/only leaned into it to summon Ohm.
Speaking of Ohm- why did Orpheus need to summon him for Lore? What were they fighting that was bad enough the Orpheus literally raised a Hell Army for Lore? I wish we understood more of the war, as I feel it would have helped with both worldbuilding and character development (like why everyone, aside from her courtiers, dislikes Lore)
Lore was also, unfortunately, not a compelling character to me - and the way her story ends felt very odd.
The prose itself was beautiful in some places, but also left me annoyed in others, as it was very drawn out. A big part of this story was Orpheus lamenting and going through self discovery, which again, isn't inherently bad, I just think it was drawn out too much and repetitive in some areas, and was not supported well through the setting/world/rest of the plot, since I found most of that lacking.
Overall, an unfortunate miss for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 17, 2024
e-ARC received in exchange for an honest review.
Additional note: This review will not contain spoilers, but may allude to plot points.
I knew I was going to be a goner for this book as soon as the nickname ‘Fifi’ was uttered.
The Crack at the Heart of Everything by Fiona Fenn
To begin, the fact that this is a debut novel is honestly shocking. To achieve a standalone fantasy which is able to provide strong world-building, history, a fully formed cast characters and a strong dash of beautiful romance on book 1?! Incredible stuff.
This book is a fantasy adventure in the truest sense of the world: magic, quests, companions, ‘damsels’, heroes and villains. But from the perspective of the [read with a questioning inflection:] villain?
With the use of ‘interludes’ providing glimpses of the past, the reader follows Orpheus, the Dark Mage whose magic helped to win an Empire. We follow his journey and possible redemption after he’s exiled from the confines of the Palace and starts to truly discover the impact he has had on a nearly-broken world, and the manipulation that had led him to this point.
With the assistance of a begrudged cheery companion, and a number of friends made along the way, watching Orpheus’ grumpy façade being slowly stripped away led to some of the most tender, intimate (and often hilarious) moments.
Consider this a fantasy adventure book with the cosy fantasy feels.
And if I haven’t sold you using the flawless fantasy elements; may I instead tempt you with the teasing, angst, pining, fighting and care that is Orpheus and Fenrir.
This quote provides more insight into their dynamic than I ever could:
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Fenrir grinned.
This book is available on November 12th, 2024. Romantasy lovers I highly recommend!
Give it a go if you’re in the mood for:
• The grumpiest grump x the smiley-est sunshine
• Fantasy adventure with cosy vibes… and dragons
• World-building, lore (and also Lore), magical x science, a heroic quest and hellish monsters
• Traumatised dark wizards who are secretly just sweet lil babygirls
• A swordsman with a penchant for meals that expired 300 years ago
• Reluctantly appointed nicknames that definitely aren’t endearing
• Plane rides with a pilot who for sure knows how to land…
• Men that cry (and who’s vulnerability is met with nothing but love and acceptance)
• Enthusiastic consent only
• Well-crafted plots, adventurous battles, character development, redemption stories and a lot of pining to top it off
Additional note: This review will not contain spoilers, but may allude to plot points.
I knew I was going to be a goner for this book as soon as the nickname ‘Fifi’ was uttered.
The Crack at the Heart of Everything by Fiona Fenn
To begin, the fact that this is a debut novel is honestly shocking. To achieve a standalone fantasy which is able to provide strong world-building, history, a fully formed cast characters and a strong dash of beautiful romance on book 1?! Incredible stuff.
This book is a fantasy adventure in the truest sense of the world: magic, quests, companions, ‘damsels’, heroes and villains. But from the perspective of the [read with a questioning inflection:] villain?
With the use of ‘interludes’ providing glimpses of the past, the reader follows Orpheus, the Dark Mage whose magic helped to win an Empire. We follow his journey and possible redemption after he’s exiled from the confines of the Palace and starts to truly discover the impact he has had on a nearly-broken world, and the manipulation that had led him to this point.
With the assistance of a begrudged cheery companion, and a number of friends made along the way, watching Orpheus’ grumpy façade being slowly stripped away led to some of the most tender, intimate (and often hilarious) moments.
Consider this a fantasy adventure book with the cosy fantasy feels.
And if I haven’t sold you using the flawless fantasy elements; may I instead tempt you with the teasing, angst, pining, fighting and care that is Orpheus and Fenrir.
This quote provides more insight into their dynamic than I ever could:
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Fenrir grinned.
This book is available on November 12th, 2024. Romantasy lovers I highly recommend!
Give it a go if you’re in the mood for:
• The grumpiest grump x the smiley-est sunshine
• Fantasy adventure with cosy vibes… and dragons
• World-building, lore (and also Lore), magical x science, a heroic quest and hellish monsters
• Traumatised dark wizards who are secretly just sweet lil babygirls
• A swordsman with a penchant for meals that expired 300 years ago
• Reluctantly appointed nicknames that definitely aren’t endearing
• Plane rides with a pilot who for sure knows how to land…
• Men that cry (and who’s vulnerability is met with nothing but love and acceptance)
• Enthusiastic consent only
• Well-crafted plots, adventurous battles, character development, redemption stories and a lot of pining to top it off
April 22, 2024
[I received a digital arc for an honest review]
The Crack at the Heart of Everything is the debut novel of author Fiona Fenn. A Queer Fantasy where a cursed, evil wizard finds love and redemption when he loses the only life he had ever known.
There was no bar. No dragon. No curse and no betrayal. There was only Fenrir’s breath and the beating pulse of his heart.
Overall , I quite enjoyed this one. It's single point of view, but our lead Orpheus does a decent job telluing the story. The flashbacks to how he was manipulated at such a young age hurt my heart. The baby boy just wanted someone who loved and appreciated him, all he wanted was a friend. He isn't a villain because of his nature, he's actually a big softie. I did however find that he came across as juvenile at times. Then we have Fenrir who had Labrador retriever energy and I loved the banter between him and Orpheus. I was completely invested in thier relationship, which is sweet and low steam. My heart melted the moment Orpheus realized his feelings for and that Fenrir genuinely cared for him.
“It’s okay, I have you,” Fenrir said into his ear, voice soft, claim bold. Orpheus believed him. He trusted him. And maybe that was why his knees buckled when he finally tried to shove him away.
I think the biggest thing holding me from a higher rating was the epilogue. I personally found it quite dissapointing and would have much rather been given a glimpse of the two of them in the future.
A Queer Fantasy with a slow burn, low steam, hate to love romance between a sunshine soldier and a grumpy dark wizard. Filled with a world on the brink of hell, a death curse, dragons, hell beasts, betrayal, magical battles and a worthy redemption arc.
Favorite Quotes:
The Crack at the Heart of Everything is the debut novel of author Fiona Fenn. A Queer Fantasy where a cursed, evil wizard finds love and redemption when he loses the only life he had ever known.
There was no bar. No dragon. No curse and no betrayal. There was only Fenrir’s breath and the beating pulse of his heart.
Overall , I quite enjoyed this one. It's single point of view, but our lead Orpheus does a decent job telluing the story. The flashbacks to how he was manipulated at such a young age hurt my heart. The baby boy just wanted someone who loved and appreciated him, all he wanted was a friend. He isn't a villain because of his nature, he's actually a big softie. I did however find that he came across as juvenile at times. Then we have Fenrir who had Labrador retriever energy and I loved the banter between him and Orpheus. I was completely invested in thier relationship, which is sweet and low steam. My heart melted the moment Orpheus realized his feelings for and that Fenrir genuinely cared for him.
“It’s okay, I have you,” Fenrir said into his ear, voice soft, claim bold. Orpheus believed him. He trusted him. And maybe that was why his knees buckled when he finally tried to shove him away.
I think the biggest thing holding me from a higher rating was the epilogue. I personally found it quite dissapointing and would have much rather been given a glimpse of the two of them in the future.
A Queer Fantasy with a slow burn, low steam, hate to love romance between a sunshine soldier and a grumpy dark wizard. Filled with a world on the brink of hell, a death curse, dragons, hell beasts, betrayal, magical battles and a worthy redemption arc.
Favorite Quotes:
April 20, 2024
Good thing I’m not Eurydice
Started reading this at like 11pm, stayed up until 1am, forced myself to go to sleep and than immediately finished it in the morning. I was actually a little confused at the start of this book because you're sort of thrown into this story halfway with the idea being that it's after the "villains" won and are starting to regret how they won. I very quickly fell for Orpheus and Fenrir's relationship, I'm gonna call them annoyances-to-lovers. Fenrir won't stop saving Orpheus' life because he's cursed to keep almost dying. If you like queer evil sorcerers and grumpy/sunshine trope I think you'll love this. Very angsty at times but ultimately gave me many moments of queer joy, and the ending for Lore was so fitting.
Started reading this at like 11pm, stayed up until 1am, forced myself to go to sleep and than immediately finished it in the morning. I was actually a little confused at the start of this book because you're sort of thrown into this story halfway with the idea being that it's after the "villains" won and are starting to regret how they won. I very quickly fell for Orpheus and Fenrir's relationship, I'm gonna call them annoyances-to-lovers. Fenrir won't stop saving Orpheus' life because he's cursed to keep almost dying. If you like queer evil sorcerers and grumpy/sunshine trope I think you'll love this. Very angsty at times but ultimately gave me many moments of queer joy, and the ending for Lore was so fitting.
July 8, 2024
I can’t wait for all my friends to read this 🥹
𝙊𝙧𝙥𝙝𝙚𝙪𝙨, 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙚, 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨.
The complete brooding body of internal self-loathing that translates to the sarcastic, prickly exterior that is this man…I didn’t expect to be so utterly CLOCKED by him OKAY. At several stressful/emotional points, he’s doing this little maneuver: “His [Orpheus’] hand slipped into his sleeve, fingernails finding his wrist. He dug in, blunted and painful.”
I—
I used to do this lmao. A lot. In trauma-response I sometimes still do. So to have it written on paper was equal parts unfathomable and validating. I loved reading each and every one of his spirals, because the trains of thought were disgustingly relatable, and I wish I had had my own Fenrir to—with his otherworldly gentleness—pull me out of it.
𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙮 𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙚 𝙞𝙩𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙞𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙪𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙧 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧.
Fenrir is the most handsome Rim-Soldier.
Fenrir is the most delightful Rim-Soldier.
Fenrir is the most cunning Rim-Soldier.
anyways... I’m not sure I’ve loved a character so entirely like this before lmao he is perfection. Secretly smart? Needs bottle-rim glasses to read? Says things like ”I was almost worried something had happened to my angry little flame thrower.”? My hell.
𝙁𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙞𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙊𝙧𝙥𝙝𝙚𝙪𝙨’ 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙪𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙩.
In summary: this book snapped my attention at the very beginning, violently called me out and thus sucked me in, ripped my heart into bleeding shards while cackling, sneakily pieced it back together with fuckin eye lash glue, cuddled me for a stunningly sappy minute, dangled my soul over a massive purple-fire-filled crack in the planet, then only allowed me to remain in tact after trading all of the tears my body could provide. I survived, but barely.
This book is absolutely legendary.
trope image here!
𝙊𝙧𝙥𝙝𝙚𝙪𝙨, 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙚, 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨.
The complete brooding body of internal self-loathing that translates to the sarcastic, prickly exterior that is this man…I didn’t expect to be so utterly CLOCKED by him OKAY. At several stressful/emotional points, he’s doing this little maneuver: “His [Orpheus’] hand slipped into his sleeve, fingernails finding his wrist. He dug in, blunted and painful.”
I—
I used to do this lmao. A lot. In trauma-response I sometimes still do. So to have it written on paper was equal parts unfathomable and validating. I loved reading each and every one of his spirals, because the trains of thought were disgustingly relatable, and I wish I had had my own Fenrir to—with his otherworldly gentleness—pull me out of it.
𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙮 𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙚 𝙞𝙩𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙞𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙪𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙧 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧.
Fenrir is the most handsome Rim-Soldier.
Fenrir is the most delightful Rim-Soldier.
Fenrir is the most cunning Rim-Soldier.
anyways... I’m not sure I’ve loved a character so entirely like this before lmao he is perfection. Secretly smart? Needs bottle-rim glasses to read? Says things like ”I was almost worried something had happened to my angry little flame thrower.”? My hell.
𝙁𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙞𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙊𝙧𝙥𝙝𝙚𝙪𝙨’ 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙪𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙩.
In summary: this book snapped my attention at the very beginning, violently called me out and thus sucked me in, ripped my heart into bleeding shards while cackling, sneakily pieced it back together with fuckin eye lash glue, cuddled me for a stunningly sappy minute, dangled my soul over a massive purple-fire-filled crack in the planet, then only allowed me to remain in tact after trading all of the tears my body could provide. I survived, but barely.
This book is absolutely legendary.
trope image here!
November 5, 2024
Post-apocalyptic future fantasy romance. Lately I’ve been really into characters who are vicious, emotionally guarded, and morally grey at best. The blurb made it sound like this book had an evil main character so I jumped on it when I saw the ARC on NetGalley. The MC Orpheus is actually a good person who was manipulated into doing bad things, he’s also very vulnerable and weepy. Those aren’t bad things but they’re the exact opposite of what I wanted or expected from this book. The relationship between Orpheus and Fenrir changed from hostility to love in an instant which never works for me. The actual antagonist of this book was the evil empress Lor, I would’ve loved a book about her.
This is definitely more of a me problem than a problem with the book and I imagine this book is going to work for a lot of people looking for a fantasy romance with rivals to lovers, anxiety rep, and a touch-starved MC.
CWs: animal death, gore, self-harm, human experimentation, child neglect, toxic friendship
This is definitely more of a me problem than a problem with the book and I imagine this book is going to work for a lot of people looking for a fantasy romance with rivals to lovers, anxiety rep, and a touch-starved MC.
CWs: animal death, gore, self-harm, human experimentation, child neglect, toxic friendship
Want to read
September 13, 2024pre-read.
I may or may not have decided to read this because of its beautiful cover. 😌
I may or may not have decided to read this because of its beautiful cover. 😌
August 15, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Tiny Fox Press for giving me the chance to read an arc of this book
Wow. This book was absolutely phenomenal! I poured through the pages and I just couldn’t get enough of these incredible characters! The plot was so unique and so was the world building. To have dragons and it also be a futuristic wasteland was such a cool idea. It was so well written. I usually take a little while to get into fantasy books as I have to learn new words and get used to the kind of setting, but Fiona Fenn’s writing captivated me from the very first page and the characters, especially Orpheus and Fenrir felt like I knew them already.
I absolutely adored those two wonderful guys, and I so enjoyed reading as their relationship developed and blossomed into such a beautiful love story.
I honestly can’t recommend this book enough. It’s definitely in my top five books of 2024
Wow. This book was absolutely phenomenal! I poured through the pages and I just couldn’t get enough of these incredible characters! The plot was so unique and so was the world building. To have dragons and it also be a futuristic wasteland was such a cool idea. It was so well written. I usually take a little while to get into fantasy books as I have to learn new words and get used to the kind of setting, but Fiona Fenn’s writing captivated me from the very first page and the characters, especially Orpheus and Fenrir felt like I knew them already.
I absolutely adored those two wonderful guys, and I so enjoyed reading as their relationship developed and blossomed into such a beautiful love story.
I honestly can’t recommend this book enough. It’s definitely in my top five books of 2024
November 25, 2024
Oh I'm so ready for this holy moly
update: this was wonderful
update: this was wonderful
June 8, 2024
Un grand merci à l’auteure pour cet ARC et sa confiance.
Préparez-vous à plonger dans un curieux mélange entre fantasy et monde futuriste post-apocalyptique qui fonctionne à merveille.
Je me suis d’ailleurs découvert un nouveau trope favori : Vilain Redemption😈
Et ces petits moments de communication non-verbales entre Orphée et Fenrir sont ma chose préférée dans ce livre.
Et pardon mais on en parle de cette superbe couverture?!😳🤩💜
Au début je m’attendais à cette prestance et ce charisme qui caractérisent "LE" magicien noir de la part d’Orphée, mais il est en réalité très sensible et ignorant du monde malgré tout son savoir littéraire, car il n’a jamais JAMAIS quitté le château… jusqu’à ce qu’il en soit banni après avoir convoqué une armée de mort vivant pour aider l’effort de guerre et écopé d’une malédiction.
N’étant pas habitué à avoir des amis ou à manifester/recevoir de la gentillesse, son entrée dans le monde est compliquée et l’amène à faire face aux conséquences de ses actes et de sa bienheureuse ignorance. Non seulement du monde mais aussi des sentiments que Fenrir a pour lui et du fait qu’il lui rende en réalité son flirt à chaque pique échangée.😂👌
Fenrir, qui ne se métamorphose pas en loup (l’auteure m’a donné de faux espoirs😂), est extrêmement loyal, courageux et protecteur.
Il est excessivement sûr de lui et de ses capacités, du genre à foncer tête baissée dans un mur (ou un dragon), persuadé qu’il peut en venir à bout.😅
Au fur et à mesure qu’ils chevauchent tout en combattant les tentatives de meurtres de la malédiction, Orphée et Fenrir s’apprivoisent mutuellement. Et par là je veux dire: se faire agressivement la cour en s’invectivant et en se tirant dans les pattes. Ça m’a énormément plu!😆
Leur dynamique fonctionne avec Orpheus à la barre et Fenrir en tant qu’exécutant: (le cerveau et les muscles).
Par contre je ne sais pas trop quoi ressentir à propos de Lore. (Sorry not sorry, je suis de la team qui aime que le vrai méchant ai ce qu’iel mérite à la fin).🔪🩸😅(so much rage in me…🤣) Je suis très curieux.se de ce qui attend nos héros au prochain tome.😉😇
Préparez-vous à plonger dans un curieux mélange entre fantasy et monde futuriste post-apocalyptique qui fonctionne à merveille.
Je me suis d’ailleurs découvert un nouveau trope favori : Vilain Redemption😈
Et ces petits moments de communication non-verbales entre Orphée et Fenrir sont ma chose préférée dans ce livre.
Et pardon mais on en parle de cette superbe couverture?!😳🤩💜
Au début je m’attendais à cette prestance et ce charisme qui caractérisent "LE" magicien noir de la part d’Orphée, mais il est en réalité très sensible et ignorant du monde malgré tout son savoir littéraire, car il n’a jamais JAMAIS quitté le château… jusqu’à ce qu’il en soit banni après avoir convoqué une armée de mort vivant pour aider l’effort de guerre et écopé d’une malédiction.
N’étant pas habitué à avoir des amis ou à manifester/recevoir de la gentillesse, son entrée dans le monde est compliquée et l’amène à faire face aux conséquences de ses actes et de sa bienheureuse ignorance. Non seulement du monde mais aussi des sentiments que Fenrir a pour lui et du fait qu’il lui rende en réalité son flirt à chaque pique échangée.😂👌
Fenrir, qui ne se métamorphose pas en loup (l’auteure m’a donné de faux espoirs😂), est extrêmement loyal, courageux et protecteur.
Il est excessivement sûr de lui et de ses capacités, du genre à foncer tête baissée dans un mur (ou un dragon), persuadé qu’il peut en venir à bout.😅
Au fur et à mesure qu’ils chevauchent tout en combattant les tentatives de meurtres de la malédiction, Orphée et Fenrir s’apprivoisent mutuellement. Et par là je veux dire: se faire agressivement la cour en s’invectivant et en se tirant dans les pattes. Ça m’a énormément plu!😆
Leur dynamique fonctionne avec Orpheus à la barre et Fenrir en tant qu’exécutant: (le cerveau et les muscles).
Par contre je ne sais pas trop quoi ressentir à propos de Lore. (Sorry not sorry, je suis de la team qui aime que le vrai méchant ai ce qu’iel mérite à la fin).🔪🩸😅(so much rage in me…🤣) Je suis très curieux.se de ce qui attend nos héros au prochain tome.😉😇
April 11, 2024
This book was so twisty and clever; what I started the book believing had completely warped by the end of it as we learn more about the characters, especially Lore and Orpheus!
Orpheus has magic in his veins; Netherflame, a dark power that has allowed him to rip apart the earth and bring forth an army from hell for his Empress, Lore. Living in the castle on the mountain since they were children, Lore and Orpheus have been brought up by hermits, separated from the world. Lore is determined to bring peace to the warring nation outside of the palace and Orpheus is only too happy to help her, using his magic to bring about about death and destruction in her name.
But when Lore sends Orpheus out into the wasteland outside the palace, he starts to realise that everything he believed to be true may have been a lie. That Lore might not be the benevolent leader he thought, that the palace in the mountain was never a palace at all, and that the world outside of his self-crafted prison isn’t at all how he expected it to be. His only travelling companion is Fenrir, the general of Lore’s army and a pain in Orpheus’s side, but the closer he gets to the man, the more Orpheus realises that even his perception of Fenrir might not be entirely accurate…
Read The Crack At The Heart Of Everything for:
✨ Post-apocalyptic thriller that feels like high fantasy
✨ The villain of the story becoming the hero
✨ Mage x Soldier
✨ Slow burn MM romance
✨ Hurt x Comfort
✨ Massive magical battles
✨ Twists and turns; nothing is what it seems!
Thank you so much to the author for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. It isn’t out in the world until 12th November 2024, but if it sounds like something you’d enjoy, definitely pop it on your TBR! ✨
Orpheus has magic in his veins; Netherflame, a dark power that has allowed him to rip apart the earth and bring forth an army from hell for his Empress, Lore. Living in the castle on the mountain since they were children, Lore and Orpheus have been brought up by hermits, separated from the world. Lore is determined to bring peace to the warring nation outside of the palace and Orpheus is only too happy to help her, using his magic to bring about about death and destruction in her name.
But when Lore sends Orpheus out into the wasteland outside the palace, he starts to realise that everything he believed to be true may have been a lie. That Lore might not be the benevolent leader he thought, that the palace in the mountain was never a palace at all, and that the world outside of his self-crafted prison isn’t at all how he expected it to be. His only travelling companion is Fenrir, the general of Lore’s army and a pain in Orpheus’s side, but the closer he gets to the man, the more Orpheus realises that even his perception of Fenrir might not be entirely accurate…
Read The Crack At The Heart Of Everything for:
✨ Post-apocalyptic thriller that feels like high fantasy
✨ The villain of the story becoming the hero
✨ Mage x Soldier
✨ Slow burn MM romance
✨ Hurt x Comfort
✨ Massive magical battles
✨ Twists and turns; nothing is what it seems!
Thank you so much to the author for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. It isn’t out in the world until 12th November 2024, but if it sounds like something you’d enjoy, definitely pop it on your TBR! ✨
April 7, 2025
This book promises so many things and if you follow author Fiona Fenn on social media, you find hashtags like “evil sorcerer POV”, “Queer AF” or “Grumpy/Sunshine”.
And the book does deliver.
What happens, when the land is conquered and the wizard that helped the ruthless empress to the throne, starts to question everything he fought for? What happens if the desired outcome is finally realised to be not desirable at all? What if friends turn to enemies, but rivals turn to lovers?
Read “The Crack at the Heart of everything” and find out. Go on a ride through high emotions, self doubt and discover, how perspectives change over time.
All the while the plot is a healthy mix of character study and plot. The book has a clear goal and it explores the characters beautifully. It doesn’t take more than a few pages to fall in love with Orpheus and soon Fenrir. The development of their first friendship and then love is so pure and watching Orpheus learn more and more about himself, about the world he helped conquer, and his magic is a delight to read.
All the while you get so many emotions about every detail, and there were times I nearly threw the kindle out of the window due to emotions cooking high.
So yeah, a solid 5/5
I was blessed with an eARC by the author. This book was really a something that fits my reading trope well so I wasn’t sad to have to write a review in exchange ;)
And the book does deliver.
What happens, when the land is conquered and the wizard that helped the ruthless empress to the throne, starts to question everything he fought for? What happens if the desired outcome is finally realised to be not desirable at all? What if friends turn to enemies, but rivals turn to lovers?
Read “The Crack at the Heart of everything” and find out. Go on a ride through high emotions, self doubt and discover, how perspectives change over time.
All the while the plot is a healthy mix of character study and plot. The book has a clear goal and it explores the characters beautifully. It doesn’t take more than a few pages to fall in love with Orpheus and soon Fenrir. The development of their first friendship and then love is so pure and watching Orpheus learn more and more about himself, about the world he helped conquer, and his magic is a delight to read.
All the while you get so many emotions about every detail, and there were times I nearly threw the kindle out of the window due to emotions cooking high.
So yeah, a solid 5/5
I was blessed with an eARC by the author. This book was really a something that fits my reading trope well so I wasn’t sad to have to write a review in exchange ;)
May 15, 2024
Thank you for the ARC! Slow burn queer fantasy romance with a grumpy dark wizard who curses himself and a sunshiny knight who just wants to help.
I love that this is Orpheus’ POV but I can’t help but wish it was a dual pov with Fenrir but I get that, this just isn’t that type of story which is totally cool. I absolutely love the banter between the two. I’m just sitting here screaming JUST KISS ALREADY!
I won’t lie that u had a hard time getting into the story at first but then when I realized that it was mainly character driven, I had a new respect for it. This really is Orpheus’ story/life.
The magic and tech systems were really interesting. Very different from what I normally read.
This books is cozy and quirky for a villain story. I just hope there is more
I love that this is Orpheus’ POV but I can’t help but wish it was a dual pov with Fenrir but I get that, this just isn’t that type of story which is totally cool. I absolutely love the banter between the two. I’m just sitting here screaming JUST KISS ALREADY!
I won’t lie that u had a hard time getting into the story at first but then when I realized that it was mainly character driven, I had a new respect for it. This really is Orpheus’ story/life.
The magic and tech systems were really interesting. Very different from what I normally read.
This books is cozy and quirky for a villain story. I just hope there is more
May 9, 2024
What's not to love about this inclusive villain redemption ARC romantasy.
MM romance & queer cast. Grumpy/Sunshine slow burn romance. Themes of mental health and healing from trauma.
Fionna Fenn knocks it out of the park. Well written, great plot, interesting world building. Get it now!
MM romance & queer cast. Grumpy/Sunshine slow burn romance. Themes of mental health and healing from trauma.
Fionna Fenn knocks it out of the park. Well written, great plot, interesting world building. Get it now!
November 19, 2024
"The Crack at the Heart of Everything" is an impressive, magical debut by Fiona Fenn. I don't think I've read anything quite like it in my life.
It's the story of a reluctant villain turned equally reluctant hero, who suddenly discovers the world isn't what he's been led to believe, and most importantly, he also discovers he's actually deserving of a happy ending.
It's the story of an unrepentant sunshine general with a penchant for recklessly charging into danger (and towards prickly, dark mages), with so much self-confidence he could actually fire up a new apocalypse all by himself.
Finally, it's the story of a world, our world, turned into hellish, post-apocalyptic nightmare, where dark magic and technology, desperate, war-torn humans and scary hell creatures live side by side.
And I'll start from there... The world-building is IMPRESSIVE. It's unraveled, shown to us, layer by layer, through Orpheus's eyes as he slowly discovers that the world is much bigger (and much darker) (and much more different) than what he was led to believe. The whole book is a peculiar mixture of fantasy, high fantasy and dystopian, a post-apocalyptic hellscape featuring reanimated corpses and hell creatures, political coups, wars and power hungry tyrants, dark mages and dark magic and even, dragons. It shouldn't work, but it TOTALLY does. Everything has it's place and it's meaning, and as a fan of this kind of complex world-building and plotting, I can't tell you how happy I was to read this book. It scratched an itch inside my brain only fantasy can scratch, and I'm so glad I decided to give this book a go.
The plot was MARVELOUS! Like with the world-building, it unravels a piece at a time, and the neck-breaking pace it sets from the start left me feeling both thoroughly addicted and absolutely wrecked. I loved the story, and I absolutely freaking loved Orpheus's, our ex-villain turned reluctant hero protagonist, arc as a character.
It was truly impressive what the author managed to do with Orpheus. His development as a character was masterful: the way he changes throughout the story, the way he grows, the way he learns to trust both himself and the people around him, was freaking wonderful to witness. I also LOVED seeing Lore's manipulation slowly show itself for what it is: her true character slowly unravels as well, and as the true meaning of it, of her hungry grab for power, is slowly shown to both Orpheus and the reader, and I. COULD. NOT. LOOK. AWAY.
This book is also a romance. I've read a few review stating otherwise, but for my standards it totally is: yeah, the steam is non-existent and closed-doors (and this made me very happy, surprisingly!), and in general, it's a plot-oriented novel, but the romance between Orpheus and Fenrir, his rival, the sunshine general with penchant for charging towards danger, is very, very prominent.
I'd say, alongside Orpheus's character development, it's the thing that drives most of the plot. Fenrir shows Orpheus what actual friendship and care means, he shows him kindness and trust and gentleness and love, and he also shows him (but Orpheus does most of the work there! He shows himself, more like) that there's a world outside worth fighting for.
Also, most importantly, there's a HEA.
I adored their relationship to freaking bits. The slow-burn, the one-sided enemies to lovers going on between them, their dynamic, the fact that they're constantly saving each other... Gah, I'm so in love with their romance.
Individually, they're both absolutely freaking great. Like I said, I adored Orpheus's character arc, and I loved seeing him slowly gain self-confidence and recognizing his right to happiness and security and love. He's a snarky, prickly, exhausted asshole of a mage, but he's so lovable and so adorable he made me want to jump into the book to protect him from everything. And Fenrir! Despite not having his POVs, he's also as complex and delightful as Orpheus: strong and headfast, wickedly funny and optimistic, recklessly confident (bordering on suicidal, mind!) with a hidden vulnerable side. I loved them both, SO MUCH.
I adored the side characters, and I adored, LOVED, the whole thing going on with Lore. Lore, the power-hungry, manipulative despot, is also pretty freaking impressive as a character too: through Orpheus's words, his past, and her own decisions and scenes, she emerges as a complex, scary, terrifying villain, who I couldn't also help but feel a smidge of sympathy for. Like Orpheus, she's been wronged. Unlike him, she'll burn the world down just to feel whole and safe and in control, again. And let me tell you...
Anyway, the ending was absolutely freaking perfect: the twists kept on coming, and they were all so freaking impressive. I'm seriously in awe with Fiona Fenn's writing: I cannot wait for whatever comes next. I'm REALLY hoping it will be a sequel of some kind; a proper epilogue novella about these two wouldn't go amiss too.. I would have loved a few more (happier) chapters at the end, because Orpheus deserved it, but gah, I still adored the ending.
I think I need at least a month to get over this book: my heart is still in overdrive. Heart-wrenching, action-packed, romantic, emotional, absolutely freaking epic. I couldn't recommend it enough!
TW/CWs: child abuse (torture, experiments, confinement, starvation), gaslighting, emotional manipulation and toxic friendship, death, war and war crimes, injury, self-harm, death of an animal.
Many thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.
It's the story of a reluctant villain turned equally reluctant hero, who suddenly discovers the world isn't what he's been led to believe, and most importantly, he also discovers he's actually deserving of a happy ending.
It's the story of an unrepentant sunshine general with a penchant for recklessly charging into danger (and towards prickly, dark mages), with so much self-confidence he could actually fire up a new apocalypse all by himself.
Finally, it's the story of a world, our world, turned into hellish, post-apocalyptic nightmare, where dark magic and technology, desperate, war-torn humans and scary hell creatures live side by side.
And I'll start from there... The world-building is IMPRESSIVE. It's unraveled, shown to us, layer by layer, through Orpheus's eyes as he slowly discovers that the world is much bigger (and much darker) (and much more different) than what he was led to believe. The whole book is a peculiar mixture of fantasy, high fantasy and dystopian, a post-apocalyptic hellscape featuring reanimated corpses and hell creatures, political coups, wars and power hungry tyrants, dark mages and dark magic and even, dragons. It shouldn't work, but it TOTALLY does. Everything has it's place and it's meaning, and as a fan of this kind of complex world-building and plotting, I can't tell you how happy I was to read this book. It scratched an itch inside my brain only fantasy can scratch, and I'm so glad I decided to give this book a go.
The plot was MARVELOUS! Like with the world-building, it unravels a piece at a time, and the neck-breaking pace it sets from the start left me feeling both thoroughly addicted and absolutely wrecked. I loved the story, and I absolutely freaking loved Orpheus's, our ex-villain turned reluctant hero protagonist, arc as a character.
It was truly impressive what the author managed to do with Orpheus. His development as a character was masterful: the way he changes throughout the story, the way he grows, the way he learns to trust both himself and the people around him, was freaking wonderful to witness. I also LOVED seeing Lore's manipulation slowly show itself for what it is: her true character slowly unravels as well, and as the true meaning of it, of her hungry grab for power, is slowly shown to both Orpheus and the reader, and I. COULD. NOT. LOOK. AWAY.
This book is also a romance. I've read a few review stating otherwise, but for my standards it totally is: yeah, the steam is non-existent and closed-doors (and this made me very happy, surprisingly!), and in general, it's a plot-oriented novel, but the romance between Orpheus and Fenrir, his rival, the sunshine general with penchant for charging towards danger, is very, very prominent.
I'd say, alongside Orpheus's character development, it's the thing that drives most of the plot. Fenrir shows Orpheus what actual friendship and care means, he shows him kindness and trust and gentleness and love, and he also shows him (but Orpheus does most of the work there! He shows himself, more like) that there's a world outside worth fighting for.
Also, most importantly, there's a HEA.
I adored their relationship to freaking bits. The slow-burn, the one-sided enemies to lovers going on between them, their dynamic, the fact that they're constantly saving each other... Gah, I'm so in love with their romance.
Individually, they're both absolutely freaking great. Like I said, I adored Orpheus's character arc, and I loved seeing him slowly gain self-confidence and recognizing his right to happiness and security and love. He's a snarky, prickly, exhausted asshole of a mage, but he's so lovable and so adorable he made me want to jump into the book to protect him from everything. And Fenrir! Despite not having his POVs, he's also as complex and delightful as Orpheus: strong and headfast, wickedly funny and optimistic, recklessly confident (bordering on suicidal, mind!) with a hidden vulnerable side. I loved them both, SO MUCH.
I adored the side characters, and I adored, LOVED, the whole thing going on with Lore. Lore, the power-hungry, manipulative despot, is also pretty freaking impressive as a character too: through Orpheus's words, his past, and her own decisions and scenes, she emerges as a complex, scary, terrifying villain, who I couldn't also help but feel a smidge of sympathy for. Like Orpheus, she's been wronged. Unlike him, she'll burn the world down just to feel whole and safe and in control, again. And let me tell you...
Anyway, the ending was absolutely freaking perfect: the twists kept on coming, and they were all so freaking impressive. I'm seriously in awe with Fiona Fenn's writing: I cannot wait for whatever comes next. I'm REALLY hoping it will be a sequel of some kind; a proper epilogue novella about these two wouldn't go amiss too.. I would have loved a few more (happier) chapters at the end, because Orpheus deserved it, but gah, I still adored the ending.
I think I need at least a month to get over this book: my heart is still in overdrive. Heart-wrenching, action-packed, romantic, emotional, absolutely freaking epic. I couldn't recommend it enough!
TW/CWs: child abuse (torture, experiments, confinement, starvation), gaslighting, emotional manipulation and toxic friendship, death, war and war crimes, injury, self-harm, death of an animal.
Many thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.
October 1, 2024
Like always, I want to start my review with the positives: the main character and the arc said main character goes through over the course of The Crack at the Heart of Everything (henceforth referred to as TCATHOE) is truly near and dear to my heart, and has earned the book a good two-point-five stars all on its own. Unfortunately, the rest of it—worldbuilding, love interest, general plot, antagonist—only earns itself another point five.
I didn’t expect to like the main character, Orpheus, as much as I did, partly because he didn’t seem like a well fleshed-out character for the first third of the book, but by the halfway point I felt I’d gotten to know him enough to understand that that was the point—his whole journey begins with the fact that he’s never been allowed to be more than a cardboard cutout of a person, the stereotypical “dark wizard” holed up in their tower, and so, initially, he reads as exactly that. But as the story progresses, so does the complexity of his character, and I found him being written in this way quite genius and very fun to read! He is a very different character by the end of the book than he was at the beginning, in the best and most well-done sense possible, and his arc being his realizing he wants to be more than just useful, he wants to live was just very satisfying, heartfelt, and well-written.
However, I find the rest of TCATHOE to be fairly poorly-executed compared to that main character’s story, and as it is meant to be a romance, that means that not everything can be ignored. The world-building could be a bit better—I think that some of the exposition we get in the final third-or-so of the book could’ve been included in the first third instead to provide readers with a bit more context of what Orpheus is already aware of versus what we’re finding out along with him—and the limits of the magic system I find to be fairly vaguely defined. The plot itself is fairly simplistic—find a cure to a mysterious death curse—which isn’t a bad thing! But the “death curse” itself I had a lot of initial questions about that I think could’ve been answered by just a smidgen more worldbuilding before the discovery of said death curse so that its reveal actually holds weight for the reader, rather than TCATHOE just telling us that it’s a bad thing. As much as I hate saying it, because there are instances when you should tell rather than show, in TCATHOE’s case I do think it would have benefited immensely from some more showing instead of telling. Outside of Orpheus and his internal character arc, I felt like I wasn’t actually getting to form any of my own opinions or come to any of my own conclusions about people or events; I was just being told who they were, what that meant, and how I should feel about it.
However, the antagonist was one of TCATHOE’s redeeming qualities; I really liked Lore’s character, and I wish we got more of her. Not necessarily as an active character in the story—I think her level of involvement was pretty much perfect, honestly—but in that sort of “haunting the narrative” sense. This was still fairly well done through the flashbacks and how often Orpheus thinks of her, so I suppose this critique could be considered more personal preference than genuine criticism, but what else are reviews for? And on that topic, here’s a potentially unpopular opinion: I think The Crack at the Heart of Everything would have benefitted from not being a romance.
I think it would’ve been much more impactful as a story focusing on Orpheus and Lore’s relationship—which it already is in many ways—rather than trying to do both that and Orpheus’s romance. This belief is mainly rooted in the fact that I just really, really believe that Fenrir’s character was written incredibly poorly, and adds nothing to TCATHOE. While Orpheus reading as two-dimensional seems to be an intentional choice—one that I love, and one that doesn’t persist as Orpheus develops as a character—Fenrir is absolutely just a cardboard cutout of “hunk of a man.” He has no personality outside of inexplicably (sorry, but inexplicably) having been pining for Orpheus for several years (me, forgetting exactly how many years it’s been since they met … so sorry) without having made any advances beyond shooting crossbow bolts at his head and calling him by an awful nickname. His presence in the story could’ve allowed it to delve deeper into the horrors of Lore’s war and the atrocities committed in her name, many of which committed by Fenrir himself, and have had his own arc be his grappling with this—all things that are hinted at or implied in TCATHOE but, as Orpheus had little to no knowledge of them, aren’t as pertinent to his arc. And there are brief moments of all this being done throughout TCATHOE, but not enough to even justify Fenrir’s existence as part of the main plot. Nothing explored through him goes beyond the surface enough that it couldn’t have just been explored through Orpheus (and then that lack of depth would’ve made a lot more sense!). Orpheus’s aforementioned arc—of wanting to live for himself rather than anyone else—would’ve been that much more impactful without Fenrir’s presence in the story. If he’d truly been “alone” leaving the castle at the beginning of TCATHOE and then gone through this arc of discovering himself along with the reality of the world outside the castle and its people—now Lore’s people, with every implication—any criticism I may have had would’ve been very minor.
All in all, I did genuinely enjoy reading this book and I loved its main character, but I really believe it would’ve been a much more cohesive, impactful book either without the romance aspect entirely, or with the romance actually being between two three-dimensional characters rather than Orpheus and a cardboard cutout of a man. That being said, I would still recommend it.
I didn’t expect to like the main character, Orpheus, as much as I did, partly because he didn’t seem like a well fleshed-out character for the first third of the book, but by the halfway point I felt I’d gotten to know him enough to understand that that was the point—his whole journey begins with the fact that he’s never been allowed to be more than a cardboard cutout of a person, the stereotypical “dark wizard” holed up in their tower, and so, initially, he reads as exactly that. But as the story progresses, so does the complexity of his character, and I found him being written in this way quite genius and very fun to read! He is a very different character by the end of the book than he was at the beginning, in the best and most well-done sense possible, and his arc being his realizing he wants to be more than just useful, he wants to live was just very satisfying, heartfelt, and well-written.
However, I find the rest of TCATHOE to be fairly poorly-executed compared to that main character’s story, and as it is meant to be a romance, that means that not everything can be ignored. The world-building could be a bit better—I think that some of the exposition we get in the final third-or-so of the book could’ve been included in the first third instead to provide readers with a bit more context of what Orpheus is already aware of versus what we’re finding out along with him—and the limits of the magic system I find to be fairly vaguely defined. The plot itself is fairly simplistic—find a cure to a mysterious death curse—which isn’t a bad thing! But the “death curse” itself I had a lot of initial questions about that I think could’ve been answered by just a smidgen more worldbuilding before the discovery of said death curse so that its reveal actually holds weight for the reader, rather than TCATHOE just telling us that it’s a bad thing. As much as I hate saying it, because there are instances when you should tell rather than show, in TCATHOE’s case I do think it would have benefited immensely from some more showing instead of telling. Outside of Orpheus and his internal character arc, I felt like I wasn’t actually getting to form any of my own opinions or come to any of my own conclusions about people or events; I was just being told who they were, what that meant, and how I should feel about it.
However, the antagonist was one of TCATHOE’s redeeming qualities; I really liked Lore’s character, and I wish we got more of her. Not necessarily as an active character in the story—I think her level of involvement was pretty much perfect, honestly—but in that sort of “haunting the narrative” sense. This was still fairly well done through the flashbacks and how often Orpheus thinks of her, so I suppose this critique could be considered more personal preference than genuine criticism, but what else are reviews for? And on that topic, here’s a potentially unpopular opinion: I think The Crack at the Heart of Everything would have benefitted from not being a romance.
I think it would’ve been much more impactful as a story focusing on Orpheus and Lore’s relationship—which it already is in many ways—rather than trying to do both that and Orpheus’s romance. This belief is mainly rooted in the fact that I just really, really believe that Fenrir’s character was written incredibly poorly, and adds nothing to TCATHOE. While Orpheus reading as two-dimensional seems to be an intentional choice—one that I love, and one that doesn’t persist as Orpheus develops as a character—Fenrir is absolutely just a cardboard cutout of “hunk of a man.” He has no personality outside of inexplicably (sorry, but inexplicably) having been pining for Orpheus for several years (me, forgetting exactly how many years it’s been since they met … so sorry) without having made any advances beyond shooting crossbow bolts at his head and calling him by an awful nickname. His presence in the story could’ve allowed it to delve deeper into the horrors of Lore’s war and the atrocities committed in her name, many of which committed by Fenrir himself, and have had his own arc be his grappling with this—all things that are hinted at or implied in TCATHOE but, as Orpheus had little to no knowledge of them, aren’t as pertinent to his arc. And there are brief moments of all this being done throughout TCATHOE, but not enough to even justify Fenrir’s existence as part of the main plot. Nothing explored through him goes beyond the surface enough that it couldn’t have just been explored through Orpheus (and then that lack of depth would’ve made a lot more sense!). Orpheus’s aforementioned arc—of wanting to live for himself rather than anyone else—would’ve been that much more impactful without Fenrir’s presence in the story. If he’d truly been “alone” leaving the castle at the beginning of TCATHOE and then gone through this arc of discovering himself along with the reality of the world outside the castle and its people—now Lore’s people, with every implication—any criticism I may have had would’ve been very minor.
All in all, I did genuinely enjoy reading this book and I loved its main character, but I really believe it would’ve been a much more cohesive, impactful book either without the romance aspect entirely, or with the romance actually being between two three-dimensional characters rather than Orpheus and a cardboard cutout of a man. That being said, I would still recommend it.
November 8, 2024
God this has amazing grumpy/sunshine rep lol
Also, Fifi as nickname for Orpheus is the best thing ever.
OK, I'm finished with this and I absolutely loved it! The writing is beautiful - this is an excellent debut book yall! - and I adored the world building, the characters, that slow burn, the realization of feelings, and everything leading up to the end.
I especially loved the lightbulb moment when Orpheus realized that he was falling for Fenrir! There were so many sweet, swoony moments between these two, so many tender moments, that I just loved.
I adored these too - an excellent grumpy/sunshine pairing, with high stakes (Orpheus' life!) and some snark and sass, dragons!, danger, and redemption.
My only 2 minor, teeny tiny remarks...
I adored this and cannot wait for what will be next from this author!
I received an arc, my thoughts are my own.
Also, Fifi as nickname for Orpheus is the best thing ever.
OK, I'm finished with this and I absolutely loved it! The writing is beautiful - this is an excellent debut book yall! - and I adored the world building, the characters, that slow burn, the realization of feelings, and everything leading up to the end.
I especially loved the lightbulb moment when Orpheus realized that he was falling for Fenrir! There were so many sweet, swoony moments between these two, so many tender moments, that I just loved.
I adored these too - an excellent grumpy/sunshine pairing, with high stakes (Orpheus' life!) and some snark and sass, dragons!, danger, and redemption.
My only 2 minor, teeny tiny remarks...
I adored this and cannot wait for what will be next from this author!
I received an arc, my thoughts are my own.
August 14, 2024
What a wonderful, refreshing story in a unique world.
I grew up with my favorite protagonists fighting against the Evil Wizard character and emerging triumphant for their happily ever after. But what happens if the wizard wins and evil triumphs over good? What if he comes to regret it when he sees the consequences of his actions? How do we define "evil" and might we look at such characters in a different light if we used a childhood trauma lens?These are the questions thoughtfully explored by Fiona Fenn in The Crack at the Heart of Everything.
The protagonist is deeply flawed and delightfully sour with mile-high emotional walls. Without delving too far into the realm of spoilers, one of the most satisfying elements of the book (and what makes it such a cozy read) is the care with which the other characters, particularly his love interest, show him that others really can be emotionally safe. It is unique, and perhaps even more so in queer mlm romance.
There's a lot more to say...queer normative? Check. Unique world building? Check. Dieselpunk elements? Check! Cool magic vs technology themes? Again, check! Witty banter? Double check! MUSCLES? You will not be disappointed. Just go read it.
The only issue I have with this book was that I could not immediately pick up book 2 - I was too invested in the characters!!
Beautiful debut. Looking forward to seeing where this story goes next!
I grew up with my favorite protagonists fighting against the Evil Wizard character and emerging triumphant for their happily ever after. But what happens if the wizard wins and evil triumphs over good? What if he comes to regret it when he sees the consequences of his actions? How do we define "evil" and might we look at such characters in a different light if we used a childhood trauma lens?These are the questions thoughtfully explored by Fiona Fenn in The Crack at the Heart of Everything.
The protagonist is deeply flawed and delightfully sour with mile-high emotional walls. Without delving too far into the realm of spoilers, one of the most satisfying elements of the book (and what makes it such a cozy read) is the care with which the other characters, particularly his love interest, show him that others really can be emotionally safe. It is unique, and perhaps even more so in queer mlm romance.
There's a lot more to say...queer normative? Check. Unique world building? Check. Dieselpunk elements? Check! Cool magic vs technology themes? Again, check! Witty banter? Double check! MUSCLES? You will not be disappointed. Just go read it.
The only issue I have with this book was that I could not immediately pick up book 2 - I was too invested in the characters!!
Beautiful debut. Looking forward to seeing where this story goes next!
August 23, 2024
A stunning debut from Fiona Fenn. I was immediately immersed in the world of The Empire and the life of our evil and cursed mage, Orpheus.
I was immediately sucked into this. Like taken from our reality and just dropped into this TCATHOE. That’s how well written this was.
Orpheus is our cursed and evil mage who has only known life behind the castle walls he currently lives in. He gets a rude awakening when his Queen (and the only friend he has ever had) banishes him because of a death curse that has attached to him. He obviously doesn’t want to be banished so he thinks the only thing for him to do is find out how to get this curse to go away.
At first you don’t really feel that bad for him because he kinda destroyed the world a little bit and brought an army of the dead that kept the destruction going BUT THEN. Fiona starts messing with your heat strings more and more as the book goes and you start learning Orpheus’ history and realize you would do ANYTHING for him. And not only you but also the hunky army general that joins him in being banished who Orpheus is NOT attracted to. No feelings whatsoever.
The Crack at the Heart of Everything is a cozy fantasy with big feelings and everyone should be on the lookout for it when it releases 11.12.24.
I was immediately sucked into this. Like taken from our reality and just dropped into this TCATHOE. That’s how well written this was.
Orpheus is our cursed and evil mage who has only known life behind the castle walls he currently lives in. He gets a rude awakening when his Queen (and the only friend he has ever had) banishes him because of a death curse that has attached to him. He obviously doesn’t want to be banished so he thinks the only thing for him to do is find out how to get this curse to go away.
At first you don’t really feel that bad for him because he kinda destroyed the world a little bit and brought an army of the dead that kept the destruction going BUT THEN. Fiona starts messing with your heat strings more and more as the book goes and you start learning Orpheus’ history and realize you would do ANYTHING for him. And not only you but also the hunky army general that joins him in being banished who Orpheus is NOT attracted to. No feelings whatsoever.
The Crack at the Heart of Everything is a cozy fantasy with big feelings and everyone should be on the lookout for it when it releases 11.12.24.
November 24, 2024
4.5 - The Crack At The Heart of Everything was SO MUCH FUN!
The redemption story of a kinda-dark-mage-villain was very good, but the heart of this story is its characters and their relationships with each other. Orpheus and Fenrir's relationship was so sweet and tender I just wanted to melt. It was also a really funny read, it was such a great time.
Thank you to Fiona Fenn for sending me an e-ARC of this book.
The redemption story of a kinda-dark-mage-villain was very good, but the heart of this story is its characters and their relationships with each other. Orpheus and Fenrir's relationship was so sweet and tender I just wanted to melt. It was also a really funny read, it was such a great time.
Thank you to Fiona Fenn for sending me an e-ARC of this book.
August 17, 2024
It's hard to encapsulate the way this book made me feel in a tiny text box that only a few people are going to take the time to read. I first heard about TCATHOE through the author's twitter; I was in the process of reading a story she'd written online, and I was so enamored with her prose and world building that I knew I had to read more of her stuff. I was DELIGHTED to find she had a trad published book coming out in November, and I absolutely ran to join her street team. Once I had the arc on my phone I devoured it, staying up until three AM to finish it despite knowing my toddler would wake me up only a few hours later.
I regret nothing.
Orpheus is one of the loveliest protagonists I've ever had the pleasure of going on a journey with. When you meat him he's about a foot away from rock bottom, and despite having just helped his best friend Lore conquer the country, he doesn't seem to fit into the space he's helped her carve out. What follows is one of the most satisfying redemption arcs you'll ever read. The book is very character driven; you spend much of your time in Orpheus' head, considering the effects his actions have had on the people around him and watching as he comes to startling realizations. The beauty of that is you get a front row seat to every moment he decides to grow, makes a conscious decision to be better. And his budding love with General Labrador Retriever himself, Fenrir Rawkner, is just icing on the cake.
This is going to be the perfect book for anyone who wants to love cozy romance, but finds they often don't have enough plot to hold their interest. It's like...Cozy+. Cozy plus journey, cozy plus action, cozy plus redemption.
Do yourself a favour and preorder now, you'll be glad to have a copy in your hands on release day.
I regret nothing.
Orpheus is one of the loveliest protagonists I've ever had the pleasure of going on a journey with. When you meat him he's about a foot away from rock bottom, and despite having just helped his best friend Lore conquer the country, he doesn't seem to fit into the space he's helped her carve out. What follows is one of the most satisfying redemption arcs you'll ever read. The book is very character driven; you spend much of your time in Orpheus' head, considering the effects his actions have had on the people around him and watching as he comes to startling realizations. The beauty of that is you get a front row seat to every moment he decides to grow, makes a conscious decision to be better. And his budding love with General Labrador Retriever himself, Fenrir Rawkner, is just icing on the cake.
This is going to be the perfect book for anyone who wants to love cozy romance, but finds they often don't have enough plot to hold their interest. It's like...Cozy+. Cozy plus journey, cozy plus action, cozy plus redemption.
Do yourself a favour and preorder now, you'll be glad to have a copy in your hands on release day.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 14, 2024
The Crack at the Heart of Everything (received an eARC for an honest review)
A dark wizard cursing himself to help the only friend he’s ever had bring peace to a world he has never known. The premise alone is intriguing. The writing knocks it out of the park. Fiona Fenn manages capturing despair and longing like no other writer I know. Reading this book made me laugh and cry and it was one of the best books I’ve ever read. I was lucky enough to receive an eARC and I have fallen in love with silly little self-loathing Orpheus and it’s hard not to when he is written with so much love. Fenrir is funny and strong and the perfect swoon-worthy hero Orpheus needs. All of the characters are wonderfully morally grey, even our hero Fenrir. The villains aren’t vicious, but they are relatable in their despair and their hopes. The flashback scenes are one of the absolute highlights in this book. They provide context and at times a respite from the fast-paced and action packed main story.
The Crack at the Heart of Everything is set in a post apocalyptic world at which magic was thrown a long time ago. Can magic solve these problems? Can magic solve Orpheus’s problems, because it certainly hasn’t helped him find his place in the world. Far from it, he is an outcast in his own home, and only the unlikely companionship of rugged Fenrir Rawkner can help him find out who he really is and what matters in life.
Highly recommend this book to everyone who adores:
Character driven stories
Dystopian fantasy
Dragons
Villain POV stories
Getting wrecked by villain emotions
A dark wizard cursing himself to help the only friend he’s ever had bring peace to a world he has never known. The premise alone is intriguing. The writing knocks it out of the park. Fiona Fenn manages capturing despair and longing like no other writer I know. Reading this book made me laugh and cry and it was one of the best books I’ve ever read. I was lucky enough to receive an eARC and I have fallen in love with silly little self-loathing Orpheus and it’s hard not to when he is written with so much love. Fenrir is funny and strong and the perfect swoon-worthy hero Orpheus needs. All of the characters are wonderfully morally grey, even our hero Fenrir. The villains aren’t vicious, but they are relatable in their despair and their hopes. The flashback scenes are one of the absolute highlights in this book. They provide context and at times a respite from the fast-paced and action packed main story.
The Crack at the Heart of Everything is set in a post apocalyptic world at which magic was thrown a long time ago. Can magic solve these problems? Can magic solve Orpheus’s problems, because it certainly hasn’t helped him find his place in the world. Far from it, he is an outcast in his own home, and only the unlikely companionship of rugged Fenrir Rawkner can help him find out who he really is and what matters in life.
Highly recommend this book to everyone who adores:
Character driven stories
Dystopian fantasy
Dragons
Villain POV stories
Getting wrecked by villain emotions
September 17, 2024
Provided by netgalley for a free and honest review.
I'm so sad about this but this didn't work for me. I requested this as soon as I saw it because the blurb sounded amazing. And it seems I'm in the minority, but I feel like this book didn't know what it wanted to be.
I think there were a lot of moments that felt very contrived. First of all, there didn't feel like there was a lot of depth. You have no real time to connect to the characters or their emotions before the initial catalyst of Orpheus being exiled from the palace. You're just dropped into it all with no explanation for anything. There's an attempt to make us understand the relationship between Lore and Orpheus through very boring flashbacks, but frankly, it didn't work. It just really pressed home the point of Lore bad! Without really adding anything to the story.
I actually liked the romance dynamic but again it just felt as if we'd missed a lot of development. We don't get to see these people interact before the plot. Orpheus believes they dislike each other but we don't get to see it! We don't get to see the banter! We just get to see Fenrir saving Orpheus in the same way over and over again.
Also I feel like this would have worked better if it had been just a straight up fantasy. The constant mention of 'the incident' which, honestly, just reminded me of the show LOST, with literally no explanation whatsoever...this is what I mean when I say it felt contrived. It was like trying to find a reason for the plot to exist.
I'm so sad about this but this didn't work for me. I requested this as soon as I saw it because the blurb sounded amazing. And it seems I'm in the minority, but I feel like this book didn't know what it wanted to be.
I think there were a lot of moments that felt very contrived. First of all, there didn't feel like there was a lot of depth. You have no real time to connect to the characters or their emotions before the initial catalyst of Orpheus being exiled from the palace. You're just dropped into it all with no explanation for anything. There's an attempt to make us understand the relationship between Lore and Orpheus through very boring flashbacks, but frankly, it didn't work. It just really pressed home the point of Lore bad! Without really adding anything to the story.
I actually liked the romance dynamic but again it just felt as if we'd missed a lot of development. We don't get to see these people interact before the plot. Orpheus believes they dislike each other but we don't get to see it! We don't get to see the banter! We just get to see Fenrir saving Orpheus in the same way over and over again.
Also I feel like this would have worked better if it had been just a straight up fantasy. The constant mention of 'the incident' which, honestly, just reminded me of the show LOST, with literally no explanation whatsoever...this is what I mean when I say it felt contrived. It was like trying to find a reason for the plot to exist.
July 13, 2024
I'll be back to write this one. My heart needs a minute.
October 10, 2024
**Thank you, NetGalley, for sending an ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
What to expect:
📍Post apocalyptic setting
📍Steampunk vibes
📍Long pinning
📍Stow burn
📍Past trauma
📍Bantering
📍Himbo ML
First of all, I loved the novel. It was an enjoyable read, and I wish the author a successful debut. However, I would like to use this review to bring to light some issues that I'm surprised have not been mentioned by other readers. I have no intention of insulting or criticizing the book itself, and would like this to be taken only as a concern about how it is being sold and to what audience.
As a regular reader of the genre, I do not consider this to be "epic fantasy", I would hardly call it fantasy. Yes, the author's style has a clear influence in classic texts of the genre, and the protagonist sees himself as a wizard from the books he reads, but it is just that, an image built by the character himself and his way of dressing and behaving, his mannerisms and his way of seeing the world through his experience as a reader. This does not detract from the fact that it is a story set in the future, and it could be inferred from the references to classical Greek culture and other intertextualities that it is set in our world. That all the "magic" is the result of scientific experimentation and that the "fantastic world" is simply a possible result of an apocalyptic event that has brought human society to a standstill. That is not fantasy in my mind. Maybe a post-apocalyptic story with fantastical elements.
Not to mention steampunk vibes: machines? Electricity? Fuel? The MC considers himself an engineer? Call me crazy, but I read a completely different book than what the reviews, the synopsis and all the marketing is selling.
That doesn't change the fact that it's a good story. That the world is well-built, that the characters are incredibly human, and that the plot, with all its ecological messages and reflections on the not-too-distant future, is very interesting (am I reading too much between the lines? Because if I had a penny for every time it is mentioned that they are going to "heal" the planet, I would have several, which is not much, but it is the first time I have read that the destruction of a world is addressed as a "disease". And it is not the only element that made me think about eco-literature...)
Adding the part that I did not see the enemies to lovers trope, is probably too much for a single review. Suffice it to say that there is banter, and perhaps at some point there was jealousy on the part of one of them, but never direct confrontation, hatred, or rivalry. It is clear from the beginning that at least one of them is in love. But let's leave it there.
All in all, a great book, an even better debut, and a very good read. If only it were aimed at the right audience, with the most accurate tags and tropes, I wouldn't be so frustrated.
PS: I would also like to thank the author for giving me the opportunity to review the book and hope that it is clear that me opinion is just another way of looking at the book.
What to expect:
📍Post apocalyptic setting
📍Steampunk vibes
📍Long pinning
📍Stow burn
📍Past trauma
📍Bantering
📍Himbo ML
First of all, I loved the novel. It was an enjoyable read, and I wish the author a successful debut. However, I would like to use this review to bring to light some issues that I'm surprised have not been mentioned by other readers. I have no intention of insulting or criticizing the book itself, and would like this to be taken only as a concern about how it is being sold and to what audience.
As a regular reader of the genre, I do not consider this to be "epic fantasy", I would hardly call it fantasy. Yes, the author's style has a clear influence in classic texts of the genre, and the protagonist sees himself as a wizard from the books he reads, but it is just that, an image built by the character himself and his way of dressing and behaving, his mannerisms and his way of seeing the world through his experience as a reader. This does not detract from the fact that it is a story set in the future, and it could be inferred from the references to classical Greek culture and other intertextualities that it is set in our world. That all the "magic" is the result of scientific experimentation and that the "fantastic world" is simply a possible result of an apocalyptic event that has brought human society to a standstill. That is not fantasy in my mind. Maybe a post-apocalyptic story with fantastical elements.
Not to mention steampunk vibes: machines? Electricity? Fuel? The MC considers himself an engineer? Call me crazy, but I read a completely different book than what the reviews, the synopsis and all the marketing is selling.
That doesn't change the fact that it's a good story. That the world is well-built, that the characters are incredibly human, and that the plot, with all its ecological messages and reflections on the not-too-distant future, is very interesting (am I reading too much between the lines? Because if I had a penny for every time it is mentioned that they are going to "heal" the planet, I would have several, which is not much, but it is the first time I have read that the destruction of a world is addressed as a "disease". And it is not the only element that made me think about eco-literature...)
Adding the part that I did not see the enemies to lovers trope, is probably too much for a single review. Suffice it to say that there is banter, and perhaps at some point there was jealousy on the part of one of them, but never direct confrontation, hatred, or rivalry. It is clear from the beginning that at least one of them is in love. But let's leave it there.
All in all, a great book, an even better debut, and a very good read. If only it were aimed at the right audience, with the most accurate tags and tropes, I wouldn't be so frustrated.
PS: I would also like to thank the author for giving me the opportunity to review the book and hope that it is clear that me opinion is just another way of looking at the book.
November 14, 2024
What a fantastic debut!
Our story follows a Dark Wizard, Orpheus, who has lived his whole life in the palace keep. He sees himself as the “villain” of the story because his power was used to destroy the world, in turn, causing a Death Curse to be cast on him. Or so he thinks. Along for the ride is Fenrir, a Castle Guard, who is everything that Orpheus is not. Watching their relationship unfold was so sweet!
It’s so refreshing actually having 30 year old main characters. This was also a very character driven story. So we’ll hopefully get more world building in the next book. I know the main character saw himself as a Villain, so that’s why it’s being advertised that he’s this Dark Evil Wizard, but he’s not. Not even a little bit. So that’s a bit misleading.
All in all, I definitely enjoyed this one and I’m already looking forward to the next book!
A huge Thank You to NetGalley, the author, and Tiny Fox Press for a copy of the eARC.
Our story follows a Dark Wizard, Orpheus, who has lived his whole life in the palace keep. He sees himself as the “villain” of the story because his power was used to destroy the world, in turn, causing a Death Curse to be cast on him. Or so he thinks. Along for the ride is Fenrir, a Castle Guard, who is everything that Orpheus is not. Watching their relationship unfold was so sweet!
It’s so refreshing actually having 30 year old main characters. This was also a very character driven story. So we’ll hopefully get more world building in the next book. I know the main character saw himself as a Villain, so that’s why it’s being advertised that he’s this Dark Evil Wizard, but he’s not. Not even a little bit. So that’s a bit misleading.
All in all, I definitely enjoyed this one and I’m already looking forward to the next book!
A huge Thank You to NetGalley, the author, and Tiny Fox Press for a copy of the eARC.
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