Mara Fitzgerald’s debut novel Beyond the Ruby Veil tears down every tenet of YA fantasy and gives us a bold and bloody story of a viciously power-hungry girl who will leave her mark on you in more ways than one.
In the city of Occhia, water is created only through the blood magic of the mysterious watercrea, which becomes a real inconvenience when Emanuela Ragno pushes the watercrea out a window and to their death. But Emanuela does nothing in half measures or without a power plan forming. Dragging her best friend, Ale, along with her, Emanuela travels through the ruby veil that has always surrounded Occhia with the intention to save her city and accept the status and adoration she knows she deserves. And she’ll fight for her end goal, no matter the cost.
Beyond the Ruby Veil is one of the most intriguing YA fantasy novels that has come out in quite some time. There is no big bad evil that must be taken down through revolution or scrappy band of thieves fighting a broken system. Just an amazingly vicious and focused girl making some epically bad decisions that threaten to destroy her city and her puppy dog like best friend that is dragged along through the chaos. And it just works.
Emanuela is a piece of work and I mean that in a good way. She is a damn masterpiece and oh my, does she know it. Fitzgerald crafted Emanuela with razor sharp claws and such ferocity that at any moment while reading, it feels like she will crawl out of the page and insult your quarantine outfit and unwashed hair. And you’ll thank her for the insult, because frankly, she is a bit scary. There has never been a YA protagonist like Emanuela, but after enduring her perceived perfection and absolutely terrible life decisions throughout the novel, I am hoping we can get more characters like her. We need more stories of girls fighting for their place in the world, but not always taking the rights steps.
Though I’d be terrified to take the spotlight away from Emanuela, I do wish we had gotten a little more building in the other characters. While Ale, the best friend who truly is the most puppy dog like character that has ever been written, got some fairly solid characterisation, I wanted more for Verne and Theo. In a way, they are warped mirror images of Emanuela and Ale, but you always feel like there is a bit more we could get from them.
The world in Beyond the Ruby Veil starts small, but grows with the story. Though I will concede that the world building isn’t as in depth as I personally like, one thing this novel isn’t lacking in is atmosphere. Everything feels dark and ornate and soaked in blood. While I may not be able to grasp what day to day life would be like in Occhia, I can certainly feel what it would be like. With such a focus on Emanuela and her escapades, the world building falls a bit to the wayside, but Fitzgerald gives us what we need to know to keep pace with Emanuela.
One last thing I want to touch on is the romance side of the book. It is the slowest of slow burns, but always woven throughout the story in a clever and subtle way. Fitzgerald delicately lays the groundwork for what I’m fairly certain will be one of the best enemies to lovers couples in YA.
When I first heard about this novel, it was being described as bloody sapphic chaos. Which sets the bar pretty high and I am happy to report that Beyond the Ruby Veil hits all the targets, dead center. While some more time character and world building would not have gone amiss, Fitzgerald crafted a novel that will stand out in the YA world for its ferocity and stark atmosphere.
Beyond the Ruby Veil is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of October 13th 2020.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
A dark, queer YA fantasy that’s perfect for fans of the Three Dark Crowns series and Wicked Saints. After Emanuela Ragno kills the one person in Occhia who can create water, she must find a way to save her city from dying of thirst.
Emanuela Ragno always gets what she wants. With her daring mind and socialite schemes, she refuses to be the demure young lady everyone wants her to be. In her most ambitious move yet, she’s about to marry Alessandro Morandi, her childhood best friend and the heir to the wealthiest house in Occhia. Emanuela doesn’t care that she and her groom are both gay, because she doesn’t want a love match. She wants power, and through Ale, she’ll have it all.
But Emanuela has a secret that could shatter her plans. In the city of Occhia, the only source of water is the watercrea, a mysterious being who uses magic to make water from blood. When their first bruise-like omen appears on their skin, all Occhians must surrender themselves to the watercrea to be drained of life. Everyone throughout history has given themselves up for the greater good. Everyone except Emanuela. She’s kept the tiny omen on her hip out of sight for years.
When the watercrea exposes Emanuela during her wedding ceremony and takes her to be sacrificed, Emanuela fights back…and kills her. Now Occhia has no one to make their water and no idea how to get more. In a race against time, Emanuela and Ale must travel through the mysterious, blood-red veil that surrounds their city to uncover the secrets of the watercrea’s magic and find a way to save their people-no matter what it takes.
