Tagged: stefan

Beyond the Veil by Pippa DaCosta

Beyond the Veil by Pippa DaCosta

(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)

“They say I’m half a demon, but I like to think of myself as half human, especially as the demons want me dead.”

Charlie Henderson is living a lie. Her real name is Muse and her attempt at a normal life is about to go up in smoke.

When a half-demon assassin walks into her life, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake, Muse must return to the one man she hoped never to see again and ask for help. The Prince of Greed isn’t known for his charity. The price is high and the cost could tear her apart.

Trapped between the malevolent intentions of a Prince of Hell, an assassin with ulterior motives and her bloodthirsty demon-kin, Muse must embrace the lure of chaos at her core; the demon inside her, in order to survive.

If your ex is the Prince of Greed, you’d better be ready to raise hell.

[Full disclosure: I requested and received a free ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

I’d only read one of Pippa DaCosta’s other books, City of Fae, before trying out Beyond the Veil.  City of Fae was a book I absolutely loved in part because of the many, many plot twists and surprises.  Beyond the Veil is very similar in that regard: I had no idea what to expect next.  In urban fantasy, that’s kind of a rare luxury and I absolutely treasured it in this book.

Muse is a half-demon that was born in the netherworld and sold into slavery, as is the normal treatment for ‘half-breeds’ if their demon parent does not have them killed.  She spent years being abused before Akil, one of the seven princes of Hell, rescued her for his own reasons and began a relationship of sorts with her.  Then, five years ago she left him to try to live life as a human.  Fast forwardto the present day and things aren’t necessarily working out the best in that regard, especially when the half-demon Stefan walks into her life.  Poor Muse is then forced back into a world where she really can’t trust anyone—particularly anyone who says they’re trying to save her.  And yet she learns and grows despite the hidden motivations of those around her.  She finally becomes stronger and learns to deal with the demon side she has been so afraid of for years.

Muse is of course a fascinating character in her own right but even the secondary charcters in Beyond the Veil are well developed.  Akil certainly is a compelling character; he’s a more terrifying, smarter version of your stereotypical bad boy.  Stefan seems to be a rather horrible character before Muse really gets to know him and learns about his horrific past.  And Nica, Akil’s secretary, has motivations and secrets all of her own despite being completely human and working for a powerful demon who has a penchant for killing liars.  I’m oversimplifying here but I can’t go into detail without spoiling some of the great surprises DaCosta worked into the narrative.  Needless to say, you’ll appreciate the character development that went into all of the characters, not just Muse.

As I said, the plot is incredibly fast paced but it’s also very unpredictable.  There are lots of twists that I didn’t see coming, despite being quite familiar with the urban fantasy genre.  Thankfully Pippa DaCosta once again departs from the expected formula and that makes the story all the more enjoyable.  Trust me when I say that things are almost never what they seem when it comes to her writing.  She’s also created such a rich, well-developed fantasy world that even if the plot were boring, Beyond the Veil would still be a very enjoyable book.  It’s nice to see someone depart from the typical Heaven and Hell version of demons and make them more terrifying than they usually are because of it.

If you love great characters, so many plot twists you’ll be guessing until the end and some incredible world-building, you’ll love Beyond the Veil as much as I did.  I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

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Sliding on the Snow Stone by Andy Szpuk

(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)

It is astonishing that anyone lived this story. It is even more astonishing that anyone survived it. Stefan grows up in the grip of a raging famine. Stalin’s Five Year Plan brings genocide to Ukraine – millions of people starve to death. To free themselves from the daily terrors of Soviet rule, Stefan and his friends fight imaginary battles in nearby woods to defend their land. The games they play are their only escape. ‘Sliding on the Snow Stone’ is the true story of Stefan’s extraordinary journey across a landscape of hunger, fear and devastating loss. With Europe on the brink of World War Two, Stefan and his family pray they’ll survive in their uncertain world. They long to be free.

[Full disclosure: Andy Szpuk sent me an ebook copy of his book in exchange for an honest review.]

I’m not a person that cries easily anymore, but this book had me in tears verging on hysterical sobs.  The only reason I didn’t break down completely at some parts was because there was someone in the room.  Had I been reading this while staying up alone in the evening, I would have been a complete mess.

Andy Szpuk wrote his father, Stefan’s, memoirs and I imagine that it was a hard story both to tell and hear.  In my own experiences interviewing community members who came over from Europe before and after WWII, such discussions bring up a whole host of repressed emotions and long-forgotten memories; it’s difficult hearing about it from a virtual stranger, so I can’t imagine hearing the story from your own father.  The horror of the Holodomor (death by hunger) in the Ukraine is so great that I honestly can’t believe that history has largely ignored it.  It’s not nearly as well known as the horrors of the Holocaust, but it (and Stalin’s other atrocities) deserve at least equal recognition.  What Stefan and his family went through is more than most of us can imagine and Andy Szpuk has brought those horrible years to life in terrifyingly realistic fashion.

I haven’t read many memoirs (considering how many books I’ve read overall), but Sliding on the Snow Stone is definitely one of my favourites, right up there with the possibly fake The Long Walk and My Hitch in Hell.  Sliding on the Snow Stone is definitely aimed at adults, but is also an enjoyable read for teens interested in World War II.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

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