Published By: Tor
Pages: 336
Released On: 19/11/2026
In the idyllic town of Amorea, Mike works his dream job at the local bookstore. The staff at the local know his order – especially Sean, the waiter who has a special smile just for Mike. Now, after years of anticipation, Mike and Sean are ready to take the next step in their burgeoning romance.
But the edges of this perfect town are beginning to fray. There are no children or parents in Amorea. No one who has left town for the far mountains has ever come back. One night, Mike wakes up to a storm cloud of uncanny starlings blackening the sky.
And no one but Mike seems to notice.
As Mike loses hold on his identity, violent memories of another life interfere with everything good about Amorea. But Mike will do whatever he can to keep Sean from the darkness that’s coming for him. Nothing here is perfect, but there is someone worth saving.
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Tor for the advanced copy for this title in return for an honest review.
This will be a shorter review than normal because it’s almost impossible to review it properly without including spoilers and it’s a book best read with little prior knowledge.
This is my seventh of Klune’s and whilst I prefer some to others, I have enjoyed every single one. My favourite is still probably the first I read which was Under the Whispering Door – simply a masterpiece. And I’ve had this on my radar so jumped at the chance to read an early copy. I’ve also got his next one earmarked and I’m very excited about it.
Whist he writes fantasy and wonder and spectacle with great aplomb. For me, it’s how he writes love and friendships and humanity, even down to the most boring, mundane, everyday aspects of someone or a couple. It’s always been so beautiful.
The chapters were longer than I would like but that’s a personal preference thing.
It took me a little while to get into, but it quickly becomes easy to read and it got better and better as it went on.
There was this sense of unease and discomfort that I felt when I was reading it. It wasn’t the most comfortable book to read but I think that’s intended. It’s not as dark or tragic (for the most part) as some of his other books but neither is it warm and fluffy.
I did have my suspicions on what was going on but my track record of working out things is very poor so I wasn’t holding out hope, but I was quietly confident. But of course, I was wrong…well, mostly wrong.
If you like straight forward romance then this isn’t for you. If you like obvious thrillers then this isn’t for you. It’s an uncomfortable mystery, a bit confusing and chaotic, with an unusual but intriguing relationship and, unsurprisingly, very well written characters. But if you’re a fan of his previous books, then definitely read this, but it’s Klune at his most…serious, angry perhaps, rather than the whimsical nature he often writes with.
