Atmospheric, intense and all consuming!!! For anyone who thought a chess match could be anything else - dare you to read this and be unmoved!
Allison Saft brings to fore the pressure, the preparation and, finally, the nerves to be held in a simple game of chess, where lives, loves and lost ones are at stake. The book is absolutely CRUSHING, whether you know chess or not, you will get sucked into the vortex of plays, counter plays and psychological warfare and a brash of power plays that hits you anew - and harder than any battle scenes with the faes. The strategic, tactical and psychotic plays employed by these players of the immortal game just bring the competition to unhinged levels!
In the background are bargains with the fae, littered with loss and found family tropes, united by their supreme levels of confidence in ruling the 64 squares and finding joy in the play. Daniil was my ultimate favorite - he brought back memories of Artemis Fowl with his obscene intelligence, attitude and wealth! Ciara and Shae are caught in a web of causal loss, obsessing over each other's moves and their slow burn is beautifully wrought from the sheer joy of chess!
Shae - unsure, yet determined, Shae finds humility, acceptance and finally joy in just being and playing the game, one that has haunted her life, since her sister was taken six years ago. Her growth and her quirky interactions with the prickly players was absolutely delightful! Her equation with Eideen and her real life, the snubs from her mother (who I adore for her willful acrimony) and the way they find each other is also a lyrical closure to this marvelously thrilling tale
My checkered thank yous to St Martins Press, Wednesday Books and Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to revel in the arc!
#ImmortalGame #StMartinsPress #Netgalley #slowburn #faecompetition #dastardly
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