rainbowbrarian's Reviews (1.85k)

I liked the premise of the story a lot.  Psychopomps in service to heaven or hell meeting where souls pass away.  I liked the setting of the little cottage in purgatory, bleak and broken down.  There was a good mix of historical and fantastical settings as well.  

I didn't find the relationship between Hamiel and Livingstone very well developed.  Livingstone, whose book the POV is told from, gets some development since we see everything from his perspective.  But all I really know about him is that he likes horses, won't sleep with a married man, and he grew up poor.  There's this whole plot where his father has promised him to the devil and we get a single line explanation which felt underwhelming, considering we'd spent the entire story waiting to hear about that.

Hamiel gets no development at all, since he has no memories of his mortal life.  I wanted more.  They just kind of fall into each other's arms seemingly right away and get right to banging in the carriage.

I just feel like there could have been MORE to this story.  The potential was all there, it just felt, as Paul Hollywood might say, underbaked.

Great ideas and exercises.  I bought the book!