Paperback, 160 pages
Published Sept. 9, 2024 by Duermevela Ediciones.
Detectives, hechiceros, pactos demoníacos y sáficas en el Chicago de los años 40
En el Chicago de los años 40 tienen cabida los pactos demoniacos, los clubs nocturnos secretos y las hermandades de hechiceros.
Helen es detective y adivina, una auspex exiliada que vive como si cualquier día fuera el último, aceptando trabajos de poca monta y con pocas posibilidades de cambiar su destino.
Cuando una misteriosa clienta le encarga encontrar al Vampiro de la Ciudad Blanca en un plazo de tres días, las cartas parecen por fin favorecer a Helen. Si encuentra al peligroso asesino en serie que atemoriza Chicago, podrá enmendar los errores de su pasado y labrarse un futuro junto a la mujer que ama, pero en este mundo las cosas nunca son lo que parecen.
Misterio, fantasía, invocaciones, asesinatos... Es difícil que con tanta brevedad le autore haya logrado crear un escenario único con todo bien atado. Me ha gustado especialmente que use la figura de los ángeles como personajes fantasiosos y desde un punto de vista muy interesante.
This picked up on a couple of genres that have been fairly well-trod, but was so well written they seemed fresh and propulsive. Helen and Edith were likeable and relatable, and the prose was direct but enjoyable and descriptive. The use of magic was well thought out. I thought the short length benefited the book, it made its points and got in and out.
One nitpick is that a lot of the characters' ages seemed off. Chronologically they were mid-20s, but it feels like Helen was written as older.
The thing that stands out most to be is that it's written so well it leaves you wanting more, but also explains to you why the story's a closed loop, and shouldn't continue beyond what was written.
Even though Helen knew the end, it's not going to stop me from speculating that their story after the book plays out differently. Hey, …
This picked up on a couple of genres that have been fairly well-trod, but was so well written they seemed fresh and propulsive. Helen and Edith were likeable and relatable, and the prose was direct but enjoyable and descriptive. The use of magic was well thought out. I thought the short length benefited the book, it made its points and got in and out.
One nitpick is that a lot of the characters' ages seemed off. Chronologically they were mid-20s, but it feels like Helen was written as older.
The thing that stands out most to be is that it's written so well it leaves you wanting more, but also explains to you why the story's a closed loop, and shouldn't continue beyond what was written.
Even though Helen knew the end, it's not going to stop me from speculating that their story after the book plays out differently. Hey, it's happened before.
As far as books that I bought simply because I liked the cover/title/quick blurb when I saw it in the store, I've certainly done worse before. Maybe I should've spent a little longer researching it though because this book wasn't at all what I was expecting to be, and that's entirely on me.
I was very into the first third or so of the book: a woman detective in noir Chicago scopes out crime scenes and dips into secret lesbian speakeasies with some loose magical elements floating around the fringes. But then the magic started getting impossible to ignore and went full-blown Constantine with angels vs. demons and Deus ex Machina scenes. Kinda wished the supernatural elements stayed subtle, but that's a personal preference. I also got the sense that the protagonist was just kind of swept along by events happening around her and only made a significant decision at …
As far as books that I bought simply because I liked the cover/title/quick blurb when I saw it in the store, I've certainly done worse before. Maybe I should've spent a little longer researching it though because this book wasn't at all what I was expecting to be, and that's entirely on me.
I was very into the first third or so of the book: a woman detective in noir Chicago scopes out crime scenes and dips into secret lesbian speakeasies with some loose magical elements floating around the fringes. But then the magic started getting impossible to ignore and went full-blown Constantine with angels vs. demons and Deus ex Machina scenes. Kinda wished the supernatural elements stayed subtle, but that's a personal preference. I also got the sense that the protagonist was just kind of swept along by events happening around her and only made a significant decision at the climax. A little more agency on her end would've been appreciated.
Still, at 130-ish pages, this was the correct length for this kind of story. If Goodreads allowed half-star increments, I'd probably put it at 2.5, but I'll round up because lesbians.
Hard to say very much about this novella, without spoiling it, but I found it a thrilling page-turner, full of twists, but much more emotionally involving than I'd normally associate with noir.
