The truth of life is the grape’s truth: only when jaws bite down, when the skin splits, when the sun-cold flesh explodes onto the tongue does it matter. You are like that grape – plump with slick, rich sweetness, with wet purple life. You could hold it trapped between your palate and tongue forever, only the faintest hint of juice at the tiny breach where it was plucked from the stem. It might as well be a stone plucked from the cold current of some river in autumn: a smooth, chill orb, reticent, flavorless. Until you bite the grape, it has no taste. “A grape tastes like a grape? Of course not. She must travel through croc-infested marshes, deal with the dangers hidden within, and come across peoples thought dead or myth to prove herself to her God. If she can’t complete her trial and find what love truly means, she will have to offer herself to Ananshael.

The killing comes easy, for the most part, as she has trained for this almost her entire life, but when love enters in, will she be able to pass the trial? Pyrre has never been in or known true love, at least that is what she thinks.

She is an acolyte to Ananshael, the God of Death, and to become a priestess, she has fourteen days to deliver these seven to her God. This is the test/trial for our strong, female protagonist, Pyrre. Give to the god the one who made your mind The writing is beautiful and mesmerizing, the world-building is vividly imagined and thoroughly detailed, and the characters will bring out personal cheers and exultations from the reader. Unlike myself, because I enjoy letting all of the words sink in through every pore, anyone can pick up Skullsworn, sink their teeth in, and finish with relative ease, as it is only about 300 pages. You already know Staveley is a fantastic writer if you read his Unhewn Trilogy (which, if you haven’t, do yourself a favor) and this novel is no different. First and foremost, buy this freaking book.

Skullsworn book