“A visible law is a ploy, a little play. A mummery in waiting, waiting for you to become interesting. Never give them a reason to care who you are.”

-Vajra Chandrasekera

The concept of the Bright Doors–what happens to a regular door when it’s closed too long–is fascinating and somehow not even the most interesting thing about this debut fantasy. Chandrasekera’s writing is sharp and fast-paced, and it taught me a few new words, as well. Among other elements of the book, there’s a description of a prison that I want to explore in my own writing–it haunts my thoughts.

The characters are fun and complex, and I was invested in all the relationships between them. Were there a few lab assistants that I mixed up? Sure. But having been a lab assistant…well, that felt realistic.

I love how the book is so steeped in lore–both in its own, and in the concept of lore itself. Perception as power, as a lie, as a weapon–I love the questions the narrative opens up.

AND THEN.

The twist at the end of Chapter 28 had me almost clapping aloud for being a good twist that was unpredictable but still made total sense within the story. I feel like it’s so rare to find a combination of all three–a good twist that’s not an ass pull, a twist consistent with the lore that I didn’t kind of see coming, or a well-written twist that’s not kind of meaningless. AND THEN getting to spend the next ~30 pages slowly realizing what the twist means for the novel before having it confirmed? *chef’s kiss*

I finished this book today (the day I’m writing and scheduling this post, anyway), and I already feel like I wish I could forget it and read it again for the first time.

(If you’re not normally a fantasy reader, check out the free preview of the first couple of pages online–it’s very much Of The Genre with the names, the style, and how it drops you in. But I promise it’s worth the read!)