A review by incipientdreamer
The Six Deaths of the Saint by Alix E. Harrow

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 5 stars

When you die, little Devil, a kingdom will fall to its knees and crawl to your bier. In a thousand years and a thousand after that, they will still sing of the Prince and his Devil.

Everything I love in a book condensed into one bite-sized story. Lady knights, oaths of fealty, timey wimey shit, and 2nd person POV payoff! Trust me, the blurb does not even scratch the surface of the story.
“I would rather love a coward than mourn a legend.”

Gold stars for Alix E. Harrow because she has yet to disappoint me with any of her books, novellas, or short stories! What makes her work even more impressive is that all her stories are so different from each other. There isn't such a thing as a "typical" Harrow book and I feel like that versatility is something that makes her books very fresh. The Six Deaths of the Saint is Harrow's darkest book yet. The palette is very limited and that works perfectly considering the length of the short story. There is a lot of physicality to the story, given that it's about war and the relationship between the soldiers and the people calling the shots. A lot of thematic resonance to The Poppy War and The Locked Tomb trilogy. Harrow does not shy away from the topic or sugar coat it, the ugliness and terribleness seep through the pages, but at the same time, the gore isn't oversaturated for the thrill factor.
“I could have killed you," you said, and he had answered, obscurely, “You never do.”

I'm usually super picky about short stories and I rarely ever like them, because mostly they don't manage to convey the depth in 30-50 pages. The Six Deaths meanwhile, is brimming with emotions. The whole story only works because the writer was able to convey the main character's and Gwynne's emotions so well. Imagine being ride or die for a couple only introduced in a handful of pages! Another reason why I instantly loved this was that it was timey wimey and everyone knows I eat that shit up.

Apparently, this short story is an experiment for a proper novel the author might later write, and I have to say I'll be down to read it for sure! The strength of The Six Deaths does lie in its short and concise length but I am curious to how she would handle a full novel.

Disclaimer: Thank you to the author for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Content Warnings:
War, death, and violence, on the page, described with some detail; child neglect; physical violence against a child; death of a major character 
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