I read this years back and haven’t visited it since. It’s not an easy read, which makes it hard to want to pick it up again. I’d like to think I’ve come further along in my ability to read critically and analyze stories, so with all that being said… I’m not sure this quite holds up. While the premise, themes, and character exploration are compelling, I found the execution and pacing work to the story’s detriment. 

To start, Sigourney is a deeply unlikable protagonist. While her traumatic backstory (e.g., murdered family, hatred from Fjern and other kongelig, etc.) soooort of makes you understand why she’s doing such awful things, after a certain point her quest for vengeance wears thin. And that’s intentional. You’re not supposed to like someone who enslaves her own people, who forces/coerces slaves to have sex with her, or who morally bankrupts herself all for the purpose gaining power in the eyes of an oppressive, racist class of colonizers. 

A large part of Sigourney’s power comes from her family’s generational wealth. Against all odds, she is the descendent of an islander who bought his own freedom, though her mother was formerly enslaved. With that in mind, Mirjam Rose is an interesting counterpoint to Sigourney as kongelig. Although we only see glimpses of her from Sigourney’s childhood memories,  it’s understood that her compassion towards slaves and intention of setting them free is because of her own experiences as a former enslaved woman. 

Sigourney fails to see the irony of her own power and wealth being built by the blood and bodies of her people: 

In contrast to her mother, Sigourney all but embraces her role as kongelig. She owns slaves, puts down uprisings to maintain the status quo, executes islanders with kraft in accordance with kongelig law, and really doesn’t attempt to connect with her people. To some degree, this is understandable. As she notes in her interactions with Friedrich or Marieke, the vast power differential between her and other islanders (namely the fact that she owns them) makes it impossible for there to be genuine, unconditional affection or friendship. 

However, it also becomes quite clear that Sigourney had bought into the colonizer mindset. As an example, she’s very much aware of reneging on her mother’s promises of freedom to Marieke and other slaves - she admits to herself and Løren that she can’t free them otherwise she will lose the power she supposedly needs to be seen as an equal by the other kongelig. 

Another example that jumped out at me was how, when trying to figure out the mastermind behind all the kongelig’s mysterious deaths, it barely occurs to her that the culprit could be an islander. Sigourney briefly considers whether Løren might be part of the plot, but otherwise doesn’t bother to read the minds of the slaves around her. While she expresses fear of hearing the unfiltered hatred and resentment of her slaves, it also feels like she doesn’t think them capable or powerful enough to take down the kongelig. Put differently, she simply doesn’t seem them as equals. 

I think this is all very interesting stuff, and that Callender’s exploration of a problematic character complicit in the oppression of their people is well thought-out. There are a lot of relatable examples of this type of behavior in our society, where people in privileged positions care more for their individual well-being or success, even if it comes at the expense of others with less power or means. 

However, it’s when we get into Sigourney’s abilities that the book loses points with me. You see, the other major piece of Sigourney’s power comes from her kraft, or magical ability, to feel people’s emotions, read their minds, and exert some level of control over their actions. She leverages this power multiple times throughout the story - forcing rebels to kill their comrades and themselves, diving into people’s memories, or otherwise getting a general read of the room around her. 

The thing is, this tends to slow things down as we’re treated to paragraphs of exposition or explanations of another character’s emotions or experiences. On a similar note, memories or past events from these perspectives are often recounted quite linearly, which… I mean, it makes sense from a storytelling ease but also counterintuitive to how minds actually work. 

This was a really tough read. A good one, but tough to get through. It's all darkness, no real hope or light. Realistic, given the setting. Interesting having a main character who's a mind reader, so we see her not only through her own eyes, but see her through others' eyes, etc. It will be interesting to see if the next book gets any lighter.