I love reading queer horror. Make it Gothic and throw in an intriguing magic system, and there’s no way I could turn it down. So when I stumbled across the description for The Halls of the Dead on NetGalley, I knew I had to apply immediately. I found this one completely by chance while browsing, and I’m so glad I did. While the author has won awards for several of her short stories and has published a novella, this is her first full-length novel. Personally, I’m hoping it will be the first of many because I am absolutely aching for more like this.

The Halls of the Dead publishes on August 18th and is currently available for preorder. It will be available everywhere books are sold, including on Bookshop.org

Summary:

Many believe necromancy to be a wholly evil practice, but Irene knows better. She and those closest to her are able to recognize the art for what it is: an intertwining of love and faith. When the woman she loves is executed for partaking in the craft they have devoutly practiced since they were small, Irene manages a feat that hasn’t been accomplished for 2,000 years. With the assistance and guidance of her husband, St. John, Irene brings Agnes back to life, fully and completely with both her body and soul intact.

In fact, if anything, Agnes returns with more than she departed with, including an insatiable hunger for meat. This terrifies Irene, because she has failed in the past and the results were devastating. However, she is determined to use every resource at her disposal to perfectly restore Agnes to her premortem state. Of course this includes every spell that she and St. John know. It also includes former necromancers who chose to preserve their knowledge by transforming into books upon their death, as well as spirits who have passed on to the Halls of the Dead.

The impossible feat is even more complicated than it would be under normal conditions, however. It’s a miracle that Irene can do anything at all. She should have died within days after someone stole a piece of her soul. No one has ever survived longer than that, but it was more than a year ago now. No one is entirely sure what’s different in her case, but there is something undeniably special about Irene.

My Thoughts:

It was the hypnotic prose of this novel that drew me in first. I don’t believe I have ever written down so many quotes from a single book to save for later simply because they were so captivating and poignant. It’s the type of prose that borders on poetry. It will occasionally punch you in the gut, then fully soothe away the pain and draw you on to the next page. That tone is a flawless match for these characters and their story, finding unimaginable beauty in the deepest depths of pain.

Throughout the book, necromancy becomes a phenomenal allegory. We have three POV characters who follow and practice necromancy in varying ways. Each of these three characters have been in same-sex and/or nonmonogamous relationships. (We even see examples of platonic marriage.) The bigotry and persecution they face for their practices mirrors the discrimination that LGBTQIA+ individuals experience in reality. It’s a beautifully heartbreaking illustration.

I also fell utterly in love with this world’s magic system. The workings of necromancy here are thoroughly fascinating. Whether that’s St. John’s immortality, the wound in Irene’s soul, the books that used to be people, or the Halls themselves, I could not get enough. I wanted to learn absolutely everything. Hallow did an exquisite job of crafting the details into an interlocking system, and then took it a step further. We see how necromancy works in the hands of necromancers, and we also see how outsiders view the art. Non-practitioners have their own theories about how it works and they behave accordingly. It grants additional depth to both the magic system itself and the characters interacting with it.

Finally, I’ll avoid spoilers, but the foreshadowing in this novel deserves high praise. I enjoy foreshadowing the most when it’s barely noticeable until the final reveal when everything clicks into place. The Halls of the Dead is a great example of this. From the very beginning, subtle details weave in that may give readers brief pause, but they are always slight enough to never become the focus of a scene. That is, until we reach the very end and everything clicks into place. All those details come flooding back to the reader instantly. This is when we see how intricate the story truly is. The ending honestly had me cheering out loud for these characters I had grown so invested in. I am looking forward to seeing what Hallow writes next.

Content Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence & Injuries, Blood, Gore, Vomit, Decay, Insects, Persecution, Miscarriage, Death of Parent, Child Loss, Death by Childbirth, Body Horror, Forced Institutionalization, Alcoholism, Child & Domestic Abuse, Sexism, Discrimination, Self-Harm, Suicidal Ideation, Religious Bigotry, Sexual Content, Grief, Torture, Gaslighting, Captivity

After I Finished The Halls of the Dead

When I finished The Halls of the Dead, I immediately jumped into the next upcoming book on my list. It’s one that I was lucky enough to read in its beta stage, but I loved it so much that I wanted to scream about it to the world. That’s typically not allowed until a book has reached its ARC stage because authors will make changes in between. These changes occasionally become integral to the story in its new form and may affect reviewers’ opinions. In this case, the story only grew stronger. This is the second installment of a series that I am thoroughly locked in on. I cannot wait to see where it goes next. It’s an adventure I highly recommend jumping in on if you haven’t already.

My next review will be for The Cost of Runes by K.R. House.