Fantasy

The Helm of Midnight

The Helm of Midnight

  • Downloads：8880
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-07-09 09:16:09
  • Update Date：2025-09-23
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Marina J. Lostetter
  • ISBN：1250757053
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Summary

A legendary serial killer stalks the streets of a fantastical city in The Helm of Midnight， the stunning first novel in a new trilogy from acclaimed author Marina Lostetter。

In a daring and deadly heist， thieves have made away with an artifact of terrible power--the death mask of Louis Charbon。 Made by a master craftsman， it is imbued with the spirit of a monster from history， a serial murderer who terrorized the city with a series of gruesome murders。

Now Charbon is loose once more， killing from beyond the grave。 But these murders are different from before， not simply random but the work of a deliberate mind probing for answers to a sinister question。

It is up to Krona Hirvath and her fellow Regulators to enter the mind of madness to stop this insatiable killer while facing the terrible truths left in his wake。

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Reviews

John A。 ，

Incredible world-building and a compelling story。 Probably the best new fantasy I've read in a while。 I'm looking forward to the next volume。 Incredible world-building and a compelling story。 Probably the best new fantasy I've read in a while。 I'm looking forward to the next volume。 。。。more

Juliefrick ，

Had to WORK for this one- the world-building was quite complex and I’m not sure I understand the religious system， on which so much hinges。 After finishing this one I needed a light break- probably why I did t hate Crazy Rich Asians more。

Jonii ，

DNF。 Way to Brutal and weird for me。 Also， just didn't care about the characters。 I will say that the world building was interesting， including the pantheon and religion that featured in the book。 It was like nothing I've ever read before so full points for originality。 DNF。 Way to Brutal and weird for me。 Also， just didn't care about the characters。 I will say that the world building was interesting， including the pantheon and religion that featured in the book。 It was like nothing I've ever read before so full points for originality。 。。。more

Mpauli ，

What is hidden behind a mask is normally the intrigue when it comes to them。 With Helm of Midnight it's more about what's stored in them and pffered to the wearer。Marina J。 Lostetter， author of the Noumenon books， introduces us to a new and exciting fantasy world。The setting is really unique with some Renaissance vibes， where the essence of the deceased can be captured within death masks and emotions can be added， enhanced and detracted by stones and magic。In addition to the emotional tax -yes， What is hidden behind a mask is normally the intrigue when it comes to them。 With Helm of Midnight it's more about what's stored in them and pffered to the wearer。Marina J。 Lostetter， author of the Noumenon books， introduces us to a new and exciting fantasy world。The setting is really unique with some Renaissance vibes， where the essence of the deceased can be captured within death masks and emotions can be added， enhanced and detracted by stones and magic。In addition to the emotional tax -yes， there are literally emotional tax collectors- children have to pay a small amount of their lives' time early on to the tax collectors as well。 Time is magically bound to money， so you always pay the groceries with 15 seconds of time。Only the rich can afford， towards the end of their life， to release some time from their money to extend their life spans。As you can see， there are a lot of cool world-building concepts going on in the city of Lutador， one of 5 city state empires that are located in the Valley， the only place humans can live and that is surrounded by a magical wall。No less intriguing are characters and plot。 It all starts out， when the death mask of Louis Charbon， basically the Jack the Ripper of this world， is stolen from an exhibition。To this we are introduced by Krona， a regulator of the city watch， who tries to solve the case with her team， which also includes her own sister as the commanding officer。Krona's timeline is the present timeline。 We're also introduced to Melanie， an apprentice healer in Krona's timeline， whose story starts off two years prior to the theft of the mask。 The final pov is Louis Charbon himself， 11 years prior to the theft， whom we're following to see what let him to become the famous serial killer。I really enjoyed my time with all three characters and each plotline added a lot to the overall enjoyment of the book。Regarding theme， family， sisterhood， duty and emotional distress are very prominent within the novel。Overall， I was really captivated by the characters and the setting and would have loved to stay in this world for longer。 Thankfully this is the first book in a series and I'm eagerly awaiting the second book next year。For those of you weary of unfinished series， this can be perfectly read as a standalone and the mystery is solved。 There are hints of an overarching plotline which will be prominent in later books， but the loose ends distract nothing from the satisfying conclusion Helm of Midnight delivers。 。。。more

SSShafiq ，

July 2021Jack the Ripper mixed with high fantasy - sign me up。 I must say that the cover didn’t impress me a lot so I’ve been avoiding the book but I’m sold now …

Stephanie Shearer ，

The world is really cool， but most of the characters are flat。 I’m hopeful the next one will just be thibault and krona。

Trigger Warning Database ，

Trigger & Content WarningsAlcohol consumptionBlood & gore depictionGrief & loss depictionDeath of a parent recountedMurder， on-pageInfanticideKidnapping

Justin Fraser ，

A solid 4 star fantasy book。 It didn't blow me away but it kept me reading。 Interesting plot and world which I wish was expanded a bit further。 A solid 4 star fantasy book。 It didn't blow me away but it kept me reading。 Interesting plot and world which I wish was expanded a bit further。 。。。more

Brandi ，

[4。5 Stars]This was nearly perfect。 I loved the complexity of the characters， the arc of the story， and the super cool world everything happened in。 My only complaint is that some of the reveals weren't that smooth in the finale and the ending kind of made this feel like a stand-alone instead of a first in a series。 Which leaves this ringing with a slightly odd tone。 But other than that I really really liked this one and definitely will be continuing the series。 [4。5 Stars]This was nearly perfect。 I loved the complexity of the characters， the arc of the story， and the super cool world everything happened in。 My only complaint is that some of the reveals weren't that smooth in the finale and the ending kind of made this feel like a stand-alone instead of a first in a series。 Which leaves this ringing with a slightly odd tone。 But other than that I really really liked this one and definitely will be continuing the series。 。。。more

Vwiggin ，

I really liked the world building here。 Very evocative。 And it does a good job at setting up for a potential sequel。

Hellerzilla ，

DNF @ 15% I didn't care for the book at all。 DNF @ 15% I didn't care for the book at all。 。。。more

Marissa ，

Okay， so it wasn't quite a 5 star book。 I guess I jinxed myself when I said it was giving me 5 star vibes。 My main issue was that the plot really start floundering in the middle。 The story went on a tad too long with big reveals not happening until about 90% of the way in， so up until then I was just confused about where the story was actually going。 I liked the characters well enough， my favorite being Thibaut， who is a side character I would have liked to see even more of。 I also would have li Okay， so it wasn't quite a 5 star book。 I guess I jinxed myself when I said it was giving me 5 star vibes。 My main issue was that the plot really start floundering in the middle。 The story went on a tad too long with big reveals not happening until about 90% of the way in， so up until then I was just confused about where the story was actually going。 I liked the characters well enough， my favorite being Thibaut， who is a side character I would have liked to see even more of。 I also would have liked more development of the other regulators and more scenes of them working together as a team。 Instead Krona （the main female lead） basically did everything on her own and was trying to figure everything out with little help from others， which just wasn't that interesting。 I really liked the atmosphere and a lot of the ideas in this book。 It was very unique; it felt unlike anything I've ever read before。 Lotstetter is definitely a talented writer and I will most likely continue in this series。 I hope the next installment will focus more on character dynamics and relationships， and a strong character development arc for Krona which would be nice to see。 。。。more

Amy Imogene Reads ，

DNF at page 130ish。This one…。 Agh。 I could NOT get into it。 I found reasons to put it down all the time， and continuously came up with other things to do besides read this book。It was time to admit I wasn’t going to finish it。Nothing against it， besides the fact that it reminded me too much of that （terrible） Justin Timberlake movie called IN TIME。 This wasn’t a sci-fi like that movie， but time was used as currency and so my brain kept trying to make me mesh the two ideas。Oh well。 Hope others en DNF at page 130ish。This one…。 Agh。 I could NOT get into it。 I found reasons to put it down all the time， and continuously came up with other things to do besides read this book。It was time to admit I wasn’t going to finish it。Nothing against it， besides the fact that it reminded me too much of that （terrible） Justin Timberlake movie called IN TIME。 This wasn’t a sci-fi like that movie， but time was used as currency and so my brain kept trying to make me mesh the two ideas。Oh well。 Hope others enjoy it！ 。。。more

Gwen Farrand ，

I didn't really like this one。 This had a lot of really great ideas but mediocre execution。 I ended up skimming large portions。 I didn't really like this one。 This had a lot of really great ideas but mediocre execution。 I ended up skimming large portions。 。。。more

melanie ，

cw: dismemberment body horror， references to children's deaths and infanticidethis IS a 500 page book， and i honestly didn't think i'd be able to finish this when i first started， especially with the usual settling into high fantasy bumps， but by page 100 i was HOOKED。 the plot is dark and gory but， forgive the reference， unfurls with a lot of satisfaction。 usually i dislike multiple timelines where one pov gives background on the book's current time line， but i thought it was necessary here。 th cw: dismemberment body horror， references to children's deaths and infanticidethis IS a 500 page book， and i honestly didn't think i'd be able to finish this when i first started， especially with the usual settling into high fantasy bumps， but by page 100 i was HOOKED。 the plot is dark and gory but， forgive the reference， unfurls with a lot of satisfaction。 usually i dislike multiple timelines where one pov gives background on the book's current time line， but i thought it was necessary here。 the main relationships are all between cis[-not hetero] people， which does feel odd in a world where non-cis genders and non-hetero relationships are part of the norm tbh！ howeverrrr despite that qualm i am VERY excited to see where this series goes， and what the author writes after this as well。 。。。more

Sibil ，

3。75 starsThanks to NetGalley and to the Editor。 I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest reviewOne of the main reasons I love Urban Fantasy is that they are a sort of mixed bag， when we talk about genre。 All fantasy is a sort of genre container because it can have so much inside it， but this is even more true for the Urban Fantasy， because we usually have more mystery or romance in there， but we get to keep the fantasy setting。 So this is not the only reason I love UF so much， b 3。75 starsThanks to NetGalley and to the Editor。 I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest reviewOne of the main reasons I love Urban Fantasy is that they are a sort of mixed bag， when we talk about genre。 All fantasy is a sort of genre container because it can have so much inside it， but this is even more true for the Urban Fantasy， because we usually have more mystery or romance in there， but we get to keep the fantasy setting。 So this is not the only reason I love UF so much， but it is one of the main ones。 And so I cannot really understand how the idea of a serial killer in a fantasy setting （something more high fantasy than your usual UF） never crossed my mind。 （I am not speaking about it in a sort of “why I haven’t tried to write it myself？”， absolutely not。 But I am talking about it as a reader， it happens sometimes to think about the kind of books we want to read， or what we would love to see in our next reading， for example） So… this took me by surprise， but I had no doubt that it would be good。 And I was not wrong。Thriller and “high” fantasy work really well together and now I am eager for more。 I really hope to see more of these two tropes combined in my next reading！And now let’s look a bit more closely to the book in itself。 The world is a fantasy setting with really strong dystopian vibes。 And even if I am not a huge fan of dystopia because it is usually far more claustrophobic for my tastes， I enjoyed this mix quite a lot。 It is balanced， at least， it is so for me， and it gives us an interesting world to discover。 The religious element is really strong， and the magical system is intriguing。 I enjoyed a lot the part about the masks， and since they have a big part on the story I was happy。 But， as in every distopic setting， things may not be quite as they are told。 And this is the driving force of all the book。 And I really enjoyed how this is developed， because slowly you start to doubt everything， both what it was a “given” and both what is revealed as the “real truth”。 Because we have schemes behind schemes and all is way more complex that how it appears。 And I think that this part was well developed。 And obviously now I am waiting for the next book， because I just have to know what is real and what is not。In this book we have one MC， with a lot of other characters that are almost protagonist too， but not quite there。 Krona is our MC， a Regulator （one of the police forces of this world） who is trying to solve a theft and a series of murders that are all linked with the most infamous serial killer of Lutador。 And here the things take a really Jack the Ripper meet fantasy twist。 And it was gruesome， yes， but also quite interesting。 Anyway， back to Krona。 She is the one tasked with this case。 She and her team of fellows Regulators。 But we get to see the story by her POV （except for the chapters in a different time line， but back to those in few moments）， and she is interesting， she is strong willed and even if she is broken in some ways （her fears and secrets are crippling her， in some ways） she plunge forward， always forward。 And I have enjoyed this side of her。 But it was， sadly， not enough to make me really empathize with her。 There was something lacking here。 Mind me， I enjoyed her but… I didn’t really love her。And I had somewhat a difficult time with all the other characters。 My favorite was Thibaut， he is a rascal but an adorable one and a really resourceful one。 He gave some more life to the story。 Then we have De Lia， Krona’s sister， and she is another interesting character， I liked her， even if she is more cold than her sister， and she is even more strong willed than Krona， I have to give this to her， but again， there was something lacking。And then we have the chapters that are set in two different timelines， with their characters。 Or， better， these two timelines let us know how some characters are in the place they are now。 And even if they gave us some interesting insight， and in the end all things come together beautifully， I was not always interested in them。 Charbon’s chapter were a bit more intriguing （and I have to say that the author did a great job with Charbon’s story and character。 He is quite complex and he has a lot to say， in his ways）， while Melanie’s ones weren’t bad or boring， but I wasn’t so keen on them。 But this was just minor， because the narration is balanced， and it’s pace is good。 It is not a short book， but it kept me interested from the beginning to the end， and even if I am not back to my old self （reading wise） I have read it in no time！So， I had some minor problems with the characters， I was hoping to feel more for them， to empathize more with them， but it is a really good story， with an interesting world-building and an original magic system that is worth exploring。 Another minor complaint is about the thriller part。 It is not bad， and we get to see Krona investigates and all but… but it is more like the clues are throwing them at her than the other way around。 I think it could have been done a bit better the investigative part， but it is not as bad as it could have been， and I enjoyed this story quite a lot。 If you are in for something different that would keep you intrigued， well， I dare say this book would be the right one for you！ 。。。more

Mike ，

This is a little too Jack The Ripper-Murdery for me to mark it as "Summertime" or "Fun"， but it's very， very good。The Magic system is really unique and the source of magic being from The Gods and being provable due to the blessings asked for and received is really neat。At heart it's a mystery， but also there's a point where you get a point of view from the main killer suspect and start to understand his point of view much more clearly and justly than any other book I can think of where they try This is a little too Jack The Ripper-Murdery for me to mark it as "Summertime" or "Fun"， but it's very， very good。The Magic system is really unique and the source of magic being from The Gods and being provable due to the blessings asked for and received is really neat。At heart it's a mystery， but also there's a point where you get a point of view from the main killer suspect and start to understand his point of view much more clearly and justly than any other book I can think of where they try to present that type of POV justification。I hope this isn't made into any sort of TV show or movie， because it has the gory sensational killings that could be really interesting， but are too gory if presented in a realistic way。 I can skim the page and ignore the more intense descriptions， but to have them realized。。。that's why I never watched Hannibal， despite everyone saying it was great。 I'm fine without creatively presented murders， thank you。But: this is a great book， and I look forward to where the next one leads。 I have no idea if the forces of Good or Evil won by the end， it really seems like it's a very Grey victory rather than being either Black or White and I look forward to seeing where it goes next。 。。。more

OTAKU READS ，

Thank you Net-Galley for the e-arcThe Helm of Midnight was an awesome read mostly thanks to intriguing and exciting magic-systems。（yes systems） and various timeline to make the reader think and be on toe。The death mask of Louis Charbon who is a a serial murderer who terrorized the city with a series of gruesome murders is stolen and It is up to Krona Hirvath and her fellow Regulators to enter the mind of madness to stop this insatiable killer while facing the terrible truths left in his wake。 "U Thank you Net-Galley for the e-arcThe Helm of Midnight was an awesome read mostly thanks to intriguing and exciting magic-systems。（yes systems） and various timeline to make the reader think and be on toe。The death mask of Louis Charbon who is a a serial murderer who terrorized the city with a series of gruesome murders is stolen and It is up to Krona Hirvath and her fellow Regulators to enter the mind of madness to stop this insatiable killer while facing the terrible truths left in his wake。 "Unraveling: that’s what it feels like。 The more I try to wind the lengths of my life into a neat， manageable knot， the more they seem to stretch and fray and snap。 Order is not easy。 Breaking takes less effort than building， that is the way of the world。"We have mask magic where if a person has died they can imbue their echo on a mask， time tax and time vials as currency and emotion stones。 This book did remind me of Foundryside because of unique magic system and writing style so fans of Foundryside don't miss this one out。“It’s not just about what I want，” she said with a sigh。 “We take actions in life， and there are consequences。 Those consequences narrow our choices。 Time makes us walk a straight path between where we’ve been and where we are now。 There’s no changing it。”“But new decisions mean new consequences and new choices，” he said softly。 “We’re never locked into one path。 Time also allows us free will。 She never freezes our future。”’the gods also added such an interesting layer to the story。I can't wait for the next instalment。 。。。more

Celeste ，

4。5 starsEmbrace the bleak people， because that is what we have been offered。 I'm not sure how articulate I can be about my feelings surrounding this dark fantasy novel， so in case this doesn't come across that clearly， I really enjoyed this novel。 I loved all of it's dark and harrowing facets （of which there were many） in a way I haven't felt an affinity towards to for quite a long time。 The fact that it's the first novel in a trilogy is not a deterrent at all， in fact， I'm excited for the sequ 4。5 starsEmbrace the bleak people， because that is what we have been offered。 I'm not sure how articulate I can be about my feelings surrounding this dark fantasy novel， so in case this doesn't come across that clearly， I really enjoyed this novel。 I loved all of it's dark and harrowing facets （of which there were many） in a way I haven't felt an affinity towards to for quite a long time。 The fact that it's the first novel in a trilogy is not a deterrent at all， in fact， I'm excited for the sequel because this world is constructed in a way that it still feels mysterious and not fully ventured and I love the darkness that permeates everything within it。 I'm going to start with the world-building。 While there was very much a French inspired vibe， our setting is not the most lush and descriptive。 That has a lot to do with the fact that the world of Arkensyre doesn't have a lot of lush in it。 It's a very bleak and harsh world that is steeped in a religious mythology that is also rather dark and daunting。 We stay within the country of Lutador throughout the novel， specifically the capital， Lutador City， but the other nations are mentioned often， and their differing cultures and how they co-mingle with one another is something I'm fully looking to be furthered explored as the trilogy progresses。 The religion and mythology of the Five Penalties and the gods that ruled over everything was strict and unrelenting。 The combination of church and state was mesmerizing in how they blended and meshed with one another so seamlessly - it was a wonder to get to read how it all played out。 And by the end， as a reader， you still don’t really know what role the Unknown means to play， or what the truth is behind their motivations with respect to intentions。 For a third person multiple POV， there’s a lot of unreliable testimony and intentional misdirection and omitted context， but it’s executed so well。 There is also a hard magic system that interplays with the religion and politics of the world， and when specifically looking at the law and how it's governed and enforced with respect to the Watchsmen and Regulators and Martinets， you really got the feel that it was very deliberately structured。 I really enjoyed learning about how the masks and gemstones could be utilized and imbued with emotions and then further manipulated by the echoes that inhabited them。 I also really enjoyed the overall writing within this。 The writing really helped solidify the world-building because there was a brutality to the tone， a very tangible savagery to the diction and it made the whole vibe of the novel very dark and heavy and like danger was behind every corner。 This story is written with a very fatalistic inclination towards death and blatantly bleak undertones of it’s ultimate inevitability。 This also influenced the characterization: Krona had a very reluctant quality to her character， especially in her role as a Regulator。 Melanie and her enchanted situation was riveting to read about but ultimately was saturated in poverty and the constant struggle to overcome those who would abuse her as a person so that they could use her as property。 Thibaut was giving me all the Jaskier vibes from The Witcher and I was gobbling them up and stuffing them in my cheeks like a chipmunk saving up for winter because I knew his good humour was not going to last。 There were happy moments， but they were few and far between and felt like they had to be earned， and I didn't mind at all because that dark bleakness really settled in a way that became all-consuming。 And it was consistent throughout。I will say that there were a few editing errors that were missed in this first publication which were irritating。 And the vargers， which were giving me yao-guai vibes of the Fallout variety， were scary， but didn't quite fit in to the world-building because I feel like there's more behind them than meets the eye but nothing was really revealed about them。 This is something I hope gets further explored as the trilogy progresses。But as a whole？ This was engrossing as heck。 I’ve got all these thoughts and opinions and questions and I’m so wonderfully lost in the weeds in terms of whatever the overarching plot line this trilogy has deigned to take。 It was entirely too easy to slip back into whenever I had picked it up again and it was strangely compelling in the way it almost forcibly dragged the reader alongside Krona to figure out what in the bloody fuck everyone’s deal was。So bring on the sequel Marina Lostetter， my body is ready。 。。。more

Annarella ，

There are plenty of thrillers that mixes contemporary setting and fantasy but this is the first i read set in a fantasy world。It was a pleasant and entertaining read， a gripping story that kept me reading and guessing。The author delivers a well written story， the storytelling is good and the world building fascinating。The characters are fleshed out and realistic and the different POVS makes the story more interesting。I liked the mystery part that kept me guessing and it plays a relevant part in There are plenty of thrillers that mixes contemporary setting and fantasy but this is the first i read set in a fantasy world。It was a pleasant and entertaining read， a gripping story that kept me reading and guessing。The author delivers a well written story， the storytelling is good and the world building fascinating。The characters are fleshed out and realistic and the different POVS makes the story more interesting。I liked the mystery part that kept me guessing and it plays a relevant part in the plot。It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last as I was fascinated by how well the mix of genres works。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine 。。。more

sillypunk ，

Absolutely excellent: https://blogendorff。com/2021/06/05/bo。。。 Absolutely excellent: https://blogendorff。com/2021/06/05/bo。。。 。。。more

Jill ，

Ok， so the mystery aspect isn’t great。 But still suspense and entertaining。 And I thought the magic system/use of multiple narrators was fun。

Amanda Lauren ，

I really enjoyed uncovering the mystery throughout the book。 I really enjoyed the main character and her relationship with her sister。 I am looking forward to read the rest of the series to find out more and tie up the loose ends。

Amy Verkruissen ，

The Helm of Midnight by Marina Lostetter is a book about the things you will do for those you love。 This story takes place in a world built by the gods and the magic that surrounds their land can be harvested through stones and enchanters can make them influence you with anything from joy to despair。 At it's heart this is an investigative story about two sisters who are Regulators （ie。 police） who are investigating the theft of a powerful death mask that belonged to the killer Louis Charbon。 Tho The Helm of Midnight by Marina Lostetter is a book about the things you will do for those you love。 This story takes place in a world built by the gods and the magic that surrounds their land can be harvested through stones and enchanters can make them influence you with anything from joy to despair。 At it's heart this is an investigative story about two sisters who are Regulators （ie。 police） who are investigating the theft of a powerful death mask that belonged to the killer Louis Charbon。 Those that wear the mask can take on the skills or personality of the person who has been enchanted into the mask。 Now that the mask has been stolen and the grisly murders that were previously committed by Charbon are now being committed again。 This book has a wonderfully constructed world and an interesting magic building system based on time and emotion。 I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will definitely continue the series as it comes out。 I think fans of police procedurals mixed with some fantasy would definitely enjoy this story。 。。。more

Justin ，

A fascinating fantasy world with a story told from multiple viewpoints and multiple times that all comes together in the end。 I really liked this and look forward to the next book in this world。

Ithlilian ，

More please！Great world building， great characters， great plot。 When I read the jacket I thought this was going to be a murder mystery， not so much a straight fantasy。 Honestly， I could read an entire series of books with the main character wearing different masks to solve crimes， but this was so much more than that。 I enjoyed the unexpected and I'd really love to know more about this world。 There is so much to explore！ More please！ More please！Great world building， great characters， great plot。 When I read the jacket I thought this was going to be a murder mystery， not so much a straight fantasy。 Honestly， I could read an entire series of books with the main character wearing different masks to solve crimes， but this was so much more than that。 I enjoyed the unexpected and I'd really love to know more about this world。 There is so much to explore！ More please！ 。。。more

Scott Hitchcock ，

Just not for me。 I think a lot of my female friends would like this one。 There are just too many details about things like comfortable sheets that I really don't care about。 Just not for me。 I think a lot of my female friends would like this one。 There are just too many details about things like comfortable sheets that I really don't care about。 。。。more

Elle ，

wow。

Sammie ，

You can find my full review on my blog， The Bookwyrm's Den， here。Many thanks to Tor and JeanBookNerds for a copy in exchange for an honest， unbiased review。I’m not sure which part of this made it more obvious that I would pick it up。 The dark fantasy？ The serial killer？ The idea of death masks being magical？ I don’t know。 All I know is that I obviously had to read this one， because it sounded too good to pass up。The Helm of Midnight is set in a world where masks can have magic， everyone has You can find my full review on my blog， The Bookwyrm's Den， here。Many thanks to Tor and JeanBookNerds for a copy in exchange for an honest， unbiased review。I’m not sure which part of this made it more obvious that I would pick it up。 The dark fantasy？ The serial killer？ The idea of death masks being magical？ I don’t know。 All I know is that I obviously had to read this one， because it sounded too good to pass up。The Helm of Midnight is set in a world where masks can have magic， everyone has secrets—even the gods—and there’s a dangerous serial killer roaming the streets。 Filled with bad-ass women， fun flirtations， and plenty of plot twists， it’ll keep you turning pages on the edge of your seat。There were a few places it felt like the plot dragged， mostly in the beginning， but once I was into the story， I was hooked。 I didn’t realize， when I picked the book up， that it would be the first book in a series， but boy am I glad of that！ I am so not ready to leave this world or these characters。 There’s so much to do！ So much has happened and yet there’s so much more to come。 I’m ready for book two now， please！ My Thoughts- The Helm of Midnight is set in a dark， magical world with five gods， creatures that’ll tear you apart as soon as look at you， magical death masks … oh， and a deceased serial killer on the loose。 In other words， this world is freaking fun。 I’m ridiculously glad this is a series， because this is a world I want to spend time in and get to know。 So lets start with the beasts， shall we？ Vargers， they’re called， and I actually have no idea what they’re supposed to look like because I’m bad at paying attention to details， but I picture giant battle bears。 You know， the kind you really want on your side in an MMORPG but would rather not be on the wrong end of。 Except green。 I don’t know why。 I’m pretty sure there was mention of green somewhere？！ I could be making that up …Anyway， vargers， come in three types， and they’re terrifying war bears （allegedly）。 You follow so far？ Vargers exist because of the gods。 There’s five of them: Emotion， Knowledge， Time， Nature， and the Unknown。 I’m pretty sure all of their names rather speak for themselves， yes？ The last one is all mysterious， of course。 *waves fingers at you and makes spooky noises* There’s a whole backstory behind these gods， though， and it’s fascinating。 I can’t wait to find out more about them。 This is a pantheon I don’t want to mess with but I am utterly curious about。More about the serial killer in a minute， but about those masks。 I’m sure you’re probably familiar with the idea of a death mask， right？ Person dies， you make a mask of their face to preserve a likeness of it。 Pretty simple idea。 Well， it’s a little different in The Helm of Midnight， because the mask doesn’t actually look like the person （though the design should capture their personality/essence）。 Instead， it captures an echo of the person， which is basically their specialized knowledge and personality。 Great if you’ve got a renowned medical expert whose knowledge might die with them。 Less great if you have， say， a serial killer。 Which leads me to …“We wear many faces，” she said， stroking the side of the jaguar’s countenance。 Gently， she lifted the mask， turning it over once， twice， as though looking for signs of the echo glistening across the painted surface。 “Let me wear yours for a time。” - What exactly makes a serial killer？ We may never know， but The Helm of Midnight sure paints a pretty clear picture。 In fact， this Jack-the-Ripper-esque killer even gets his own point of view and the reader gets to watch the birth of a serial killer。 It’s actually quite fun。 Which now that I think about it， probably isn’t terribly surprising to any of you that I enjoyed it， but hey， people are complicated and sometimes you get the urge to murder someone， okay？ It’s no secret by now that complex/grey characters are my favorite。 Nobody’s black or white， so miss me with that mess。 The serial killer in this book is so thoroughly grey that he might as well be the suit of armor on the cover。 （Though don’t worry， he’s not。 Obviously。） I’m not going to say I’d ever give him a pass for what he does， but I do love the complexity with which Lostetter tells his story and describes his character。 It’s a little peek behind the curtain， and while I don’t love everything I see， it’s brilliant just the same。 This also goes back to those messy moral questions， too。 Can a serial killer have a compelling backstory？ Even if he does horrible things？ My answer， of course， would be yes， and Lostetter certainly makes a case for it。 Everyone starts somewhere。 Even serial killers。 This exploration into his motives and crimes was fabulous！Patroné spoke as though he were a force， some personification of an eternal， undying maliciousness。 But it wasn’t so。 Painting him as a demon helped no one。 It made him immortal， impassable。 Ascribing unknowable evil to something was just an excuse not to understand it， a way to wash one’s hands of it。Krona was determined to know him as the putrid， human thing he must have been。 A murderer didn’t deserve to be feared even in death。 If Patroné was right and Carbon had sought power through killing， she would not give it to him。 She would not allow him to dominate the living， still。 - The currency of this world is time （yes， literally， exactly what you think）， which is bottled and traded and turned in as needed to extend lives。 This raises a lot of really apropos questions regarding the value of time and whether this is a practice that should exist。 Totally changes the meaning of the phrase “time is money，” right？ Take the idea of classism and ramp it up to about 130 on the Unfair-O-Meter。 The difference between the rich and poor in this world could easily be dying at 40 and dying at 140， and if that sounds ridiculous and wrong to you … well， duh。 It’s something the characters in this book have to grapple with at some point。 I’ve said it before， I love when books make you think and stick with you。 Well， this is one of those instances。 There are so many conversations about what it really means to give up this time。 When everyone is born， five years of time is drawn from the child。 What if five years is all they get？ What happens when people have too little time to buy medicine， while others are cashing it in for abnormally long lives？ I suspect this isn’t the end of this discussion， and I look forward to seeing what the next book brings。 There are so many delicious moral dilemmas raised around this， and I enjoyed exploring each and every one！“The muscle illness doesn’t have to claim more time。 I’ll make sure people don’t have to spend their lives being sick。”He nodded。 “Because real time is worth more than bottled time。”Melanie’s heart fluttered。 “Life is always worth more when it’s lived。” - The sibling bonds in this are absolutely *chef’s kiss*。 I laughed。 I cried。 I cringed， relating a little too much to certain sibling feelings。 Krona is very much a little sister， and it shows in her interactions with her sister， De-Lia。 Krona looks up to her older sister and thinks she can do absolutely no wrong （a fact which is super annoying sometimes， of course）。 In turn， De-Lia thinks it’s her place， as the older sister， to protect Krona in any way she can， even if it means taking the weight of the world on her shoulder。 It’s such a painful dynamic sometimes， because you want to shake both of them and make them see sense when it comes to the other， but this is how siblings are。 *shrugs* I have enough of them， I ought to know。 I appreciated that there were some touching and moving sibling scenes， but there were also the deeper， darker interactions， too。 The ones that you usually just think quietly to yourself about your sibling from time to time until the moment passes。 I do love reading touching sibling bonds in books， but I think it’s all the more powerful here because it accurately portrays the good and bad moments of being an adult with siblings。 It’s not always rainbows and sunshine， and I appreciate the accurate portrayal of that。“I—I was looking for—I mean， I was going to try and prepare something for dessert tonight。 As a surprise。”“You？ Were going to prepare food？”“I’m a grown woman， I can feed myself。”“And others， without poisoning them？”De-Lia made a point of frowning deeply， but couldn’t keep the corners of her mouth from twitching upward。 。。。more

Dorkthropology ，

There was something just really frustrating about this book。Best example I can think of is how the magic cop has a romantic interest in a thief and sex worker， and the entire focus on how it's scandalous for her to have those feelings and absolutely nothing on the inherent huge power imbalance between them， even when she shows up at his house unannounced when he hasn't even told her where he lives。 There was something just really frustrating about this book。Best example I can think of is how the magic cop has a romantic interest in a thief and sex worker， and the entire focus on how it's scandalous for her to have those feelings and absolutely nothing on the inherent huge power imbalance between them， even when she shows up at his house unannounced when he hasn't even told her where he lives。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Helm of Midnight

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Helm of Midnight&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Helm of Midnight&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0