The Cage of Dark Hours

November 28, 2022
The second in Lostetter’s Five Penalties epic fantasy series (after The Helm of Midnight), this hefty, over-the-top volume—mercifully prefaced by a prologue reminding readers of the previous installment’s intricate plot—combines several story lines under “a grand scheme of wars and hidden magic.” Dark worldbuilding dominates much of the page count, detailing a magic system in which power springs from human bodies, a gift from a five-deity pantheon (though each god offers a gruesome penalty for rebellion), and positioning the city-states of Arkensyre on the brink of war, driven there by a so-called Savior whose teachings prevent the citizens from developing technology. Against this backdrop, Krona Hirvath, a Regulator responsible for keeping enchantments at bay, seeks to resurrect her dead sister De-Lia; Thalo Child, stolen from his parents to become an enforcing puppet of the Savior, experiences a tortuous maturing process; Mandip Basu, a potential Grand Marquis, learns the daunting price of leadership; and various distraught parents seek their missing infants. Lostetter creates a protracted mélange of shifting loyalties and bloody rituals wrapped in florid descriptions and foggy psychology. Even devoted fans may find this bloated outing exhausting.

December 16, 2022
Krona Hirvath is reeling from the events of The Helm of Midnight (2021). Her sister, De-Lia, is dead, and she spends her free time with her sister's echo, remnants of her essence contained in a mask. Melanie DuPont, the healer she sent away in the last book's conclusion, writes to her, pleading for help, as her newborn baby has disappeared. On top of that, there's an epidemic she and her fellow Regulators are investigating--people are turning up with botched enchanter's marks, either dead or damaged. Everything comes to a head when nobles from all across the land come together for celebrations, competitions, and performances, and Krona finds herself on the run with unlikely companions and old friends. Together, they uncover the mysteries behind the Thalo, the godlike creators who are thought to only exist in imagination, and learn that much of what they believe is not as it seems. The second installment in the Five Penalties trilogy is just as riveting as the first, with a cast of relatable characters and multiple plotlines that Lostetter masterfully weaves together in her signature style.

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January 13, 2023

Picking up loose threads and weaving in new ones, the second book in "The Five Penalties" trilogy begins three years after the events in The Helm of Midnight. Krona is now captain of the Regulators, investigating new mysteries--missing babies and a string of corpses bearing enchanter's marks--and facing a new threat when she is warned that someone will be murdered at the palace. Alternating with Krona's story is that of a young Thalo Child in training for the priesthood. Their stories intertwine as Krona investigates and finds herself part of a dangerous rescue plan. Krona and her companions also learn the dark truths of the monstrous varger origins and horrific time tax and begin to uncover a larger plot against the gods. While the book starts off slowly, Krona's story and the world of Arkensyre continue to be intriguing, and the action eventually picks up. Some, however, may find the Thalo training methods, which involve physical and mental abuse, disturbing. VERDICT Fans of the first book in the series will want to read this next installment as more myths are unveiled, building toward the final book.--Melissa DeWild

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