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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