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Review of The Seventh Bride by T. Kingfisher
Fantasy Fiction | Dark Fantasy | Folklore
“I suppose it doesn’t matter. They’re all different shades of the same madman.”
When Rhea’s parents come to her with an offer of marriage, the feeling of dread is instant. Her first thought is why would Lord Crevan want to marry her, and the sudden truth of having to save her family’s mill has her taken aback. At their first meeting Rhea knows there is something dark at play but being duty bound, she agrees but the feeling of wrongness never leaves her. She doesn’t realize how right she is about the wrongness of the entire situation until it is too late to turn back.
Whether it is the hedgehog that comforts her during the journey or the strange golems waiting at each gate, Rhea knows in her bones that saving her family’s mill will require her to face the fear she feels.. Escape isn’t an option, and neither is completing every task Crevan sets before her, even though she knows if she fails, he will marry her.
Should You Read The Seventh Bride?
If you enjoy dark fantasy, story telling, and dark magic, this book is likely a good fit for you. The Seventh Bride is best suited for readers who enjoy character-driven dark fantasy filled with eerie atmosphere, unsettling magic, and slow-building tension.
The Seventh Bride has an eerie and slightly creepy, old-world feel, threaded with magic and unknown danger. The writing brings you into the world and Lord Crevan’s house without breaking the tension of what is to come. The way that the author describes not only the characters but also the scenery and levels of tension builds the world without losing anything along the way. There are small details that carry the story-line, which lend to the overall feel of the book.
When Rhea first meets Lord Crevan for the first time she knows she wants nothing to do with him. When he mentions he’s been watching her and then kisses the back of her hand, the small zap of power, solidifies the wrongness she feels with the arrangement her parents made. Rhea’s need and forced duty to save her family’s business is the only thing that makes her override her own sense of danger.
Once she is summoned, or as Lord Crevan says “invited” to his home, she finds the entire journey strange, setting off alarm bells for her even though she tries to talk herself out of her base instinct. The relationship between Rhea and Crevan is a dangerous ones, the tasks he sets her out on carry the threat of marriage if she fails, and she wants to do anything but fail.
The relationship is what lends to the mystery and twists and turns. The first 6 wives, the relationships she builds with Maria the first wife, the way she feels about the other wives, all show depth of emotion, outside of the teenage angst that she has, which her character is 15 years old, so it is a nice balance that doesn’t go over the top with angst.
The dark magic and little bits of folklore kept me in the story. Whether it was Rhea’s interactions with the other characters, the balance between story telling and keeping the reader engaged is well done. There are plenty of twists and turns that weren’t expected and that is hard won when it comes to fantasy reads.
If you love eerie storytelling, weird dark magic, and old-world charm, this belongs on your shelf.
Find This Book
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If this story stayed with you, these reads belong on your shelf → Fantasies with Haunted Castles and Dangerous Secrets
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