The Faithful Dark by Cate Baumer marks the beginning of a compelling series that explores faith, demons, angels, and corruption within a queer-normative fantasy gothic world, all wrapped up in a murder mystery.
I want to start my review by saying that in the end, I loved this book. But it didn’t start out that way.
I found the learning curve to this new world STEEP. New faith, new hierarchy, new rules and laws and very little explanation. This isn’t a story that holds your hand. It has extensive lore, and you’re thrown in the deep end and just expected to keep up.
Admittedly, I found this tricky and confusing (and I say this as someone who adores lore and backstory and always wants more, more, more!). And because of this, I did find the first half of The Faithful Dark difficult to enjoy. Perhaps I would have given up if it hadn’t been an arc from the lovely folks at Netgalley, but in the end, I did persevere.
I’m so glad I did.
This story is rich and inspired. Ambitious to craft a murder mystery set inside a deeply religious fantasy setting, but Baumer did it masterfully. Her characters are fully formed, alongside a fleshed-out faith, set amidst a wholly designed and nuanced world.
Csilla, an orphan without a soul, is one of our narrators. She is wilful, despite wanting to do the highest good and be “approved” by the church. Her desire for a soul and a family broke my heart in its earnestness.
Mihaly, the Izir, has the blood of an angel. I think he’s similar to a nephilim, i.e. descended from angels and with some of their powers. He has a cult following of undetermined size, and preaches alternative views to the church.
Ilan is our other narrator. He’s the High Inquisitor, and with his chapters come descriptions of physical violence and torture. He hates the Izir, comes from a noble background, and is fully behind all of the church’s doctrines and teachings.
Murder is afoot in The Faithful Dark.
Someone is killing Mihaly’s followers in the most brutal fashion. We learn early on that there are dark, or Shadow, runes carved into their skin, a language that hasn’t been seen since the church split many (many) years before. The prime suspect is, of course, the Izir himself.
Csilla, sent to murder Mihaly by the church, instead forms an alliance with him. In return for granting her a soul, something she wants more than anything, she will help him clear his name. They begin investigating the murders, and what they find leads them to a deep conspiracy within the church. They need more help, and so they enlist the help of Ilan to uncover who the real murderer is.
I feel like this book really came into its own in the second half of the story. By then, I had a better grasp of the intricate worldbuilding, understood the characters and motives, and was able to follow the complicated faith, including some of the gods and demons.
The Faithful Dark was playful, emotional, and full of quiet yearning.
I love the dynamic between all three of the main characters, and I enjoyed the relationships we witness between some of the side characters, as well, especially between Csilla and Agnes, the woman who raised her at the church.
The queer-normative world formed a rich background for these characters to come into their own to explore religion, religious trauma, and, of course, the delicious, slow-burning romance that I, personally, can’t wait to taste more of in the next book.
Would recommend it if you’re a reader of dark fantasy, deep lore twisted amongst gothic shadows, and complex characters.
Author: Cate Baumer
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Available On: Amazon
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