Fantasy novels are a great form of escapism, transporting the reader to new worlds with greater possibilities and adventures than they’ll experience in everyday life. But fantasy novels can also turn the lens back onto our own society by reflecting popular beliefs or common social dynamics that have been transformed and replicated in this fictional world, whether it’s as subtle as the Christian themes presented in The Chronicles of Narnia or the more obvious political allegory of The Hunger Games. In What We Devour, Linsey Miller highlights our modern class struggle which is represented here in a recognisable (if exaggerated) fashion through the ruling class literally serving up the lower class for ritual blood sacrifice.
Our protagonist Lorena lives in a post-apocalyptic world in which humans long ago threw over their immortal tyrants—the Noble and the Vile—by consuming them to take their magic which later led to the birth of the noblewrought and vilewrought, their descendants who are born with the ability to use magic through sacrifices to the fragments of the immortal spirit residing in them. The former sacrifice from themselves to power their magic and the latter use sacrifices from others, leading to strict bindings put in place by the court and council to ensure they’re leashed and under control to perform only approved forms of magic. However Lorena has remained under the radar, growing up in the Wallows where her mother toiled under poor working conditions that caused her eventual death, then later moving to a small town known as Felhollow, the better to keep her dangerous secret hidden from those in power—she is a dualwrought, meaning she is able to use both Noble and Vile magic.
The story begins when Lorena’s long-held secret is discovered by the Heir to the Crown, Alistair Wyrslaine, after he witnesses her using her abilities to deter the soldiers who have come to Felhollow to serve a sacrificial warrant on her fiancé’s father. Alistair is a dangerous vilewrought feared by the people of Cynlira after destroying the free will of four thousand people as a child in order to crush a rebellion and now that he has Lorena in his sights, he won’t give her up. The Heir is determined to whisk her back to the capital of Cynlira so she can assist him with his experiments to shut the Door behind which the last of the Vile are imprisoned, and while Lorena is reluctant to work with him, she has little choice if she wants to help her future father-in-law avoid being a sacrifice to this Door ‘for the good of this great nation’.
What We Devour boasts an intricate magical system and richly layered worldbuilding that is rewarding for patient readers who can take the time to grasp the dense volume of information embedded in the text. Unfortunately it’s likely that this book will lose some of its audience because of its expansive lore which takes a bit of dedication to master or an ability to gloss over the convoluted magical terminology and absorb its meaning from context. The author doesn’t spell everything out plainly and expects you to pay attention and keep up which can be a challenge.
I originally put this down after struggling with the beginning, but once I picked it back up, I devoured the book overnight and haven’t been able to stop thinking about it ever since. It’s rare to see a YA novel that is primarily focused on capitalism and examining the questionable morality and ethics of its participants, from those at the top to even those in the lower classes who eke out shreds of power for themselves by contributing to the system of oppression over their fellows. Lorena is strongly opinionated about the despicability of the Crown, the council and common court, all of whom place value on human lives and determine which count as acceptable losses.
In the beginning, she is limited in power for all that she’s a dualwrought, but as the story progresses with her at Alistair’s side, she gains social prestige and begins moving in the upper tier of society, leading her to deliberate over how best to use her newfound power to change the status quo now that she’s gained access to the ruling class. This is a book that will have you thinking deep thoughts about power, who is best suited to exercise it and when is it justifiable (or can it ever be?) to wield power at another person’s expense. Clearly there is a rot at the core of Cynlira’s social structure, but is it Lorena’s right to strike it down and enact a new order in its place?
One of the more deliciously subversive aspects of this book is the cat-and-mouse relationship between Lorena and Alistair, which completely upends the usual dynamic between dark arrogant princes and regular down-to-earth girls that is traditionally depicted in YA books. Given his position as royalty, Alistair obviously starts off with the upper hand, but Lorena’s cunning tilts the scales in her favour as she subtly manipulates him into seeing from her perspective. It’s a thing of beauty to watch her work her wiles, especially as Alistair is aware to an extent of what she’s attempting, but as described by the author, he is ‘apathetic and curious’ enough to let her schemes play out to see where it leads. They have a beautiful, cut-throat romantic dynamic that is even more precious because of how it respects Lorena’s asexuality—she is reluctantly intensely drawn to Alistair as she becomes closer to this monstrous misunderstood villain. Most unexpectedly, he turns out to be someone who truly sees her and understands her, who respects her for who she is and what she’s capable of, who appreciates what she’s willing to give him and doesn’t push against her boundaries. Their scenes together have a razor-sharp tension and yet also a stark sweetness that asks the reader to invest in them, to root for this unlikely pairing to find their happy ending in the midst of all the turmoil and unrest.
A dark and brooding fantasy with an amoral asexual heroine, a charismatic villainous prince, and diverse secondary characters in a broken world steeped in gloomy and on a collision course with its ominous history. Readers who enjoy rich complex characters, difficult moral quandaries and political intrigue will relish sinking their teeth into this book.
What We Devour is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of July 6th 2021.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
From the author of Mask of Shadows comes a dark and intricate story of a girl who must tether herself to a violent ruler to save her crumbling world.
Lorena Adler has a secret—she holds the power of the banished gods, the Noble and the Vile, inside her. She has spent her entire life hiding from the world and her past. She’s content to spend her days as an undertaker in a small town, marry her best friend, Julian, and live an unfulfilling life so long as no one uncovers her true nature.
But when the notoriously bloodthirsty and equally Vile crown prince comes to arrest Julian’s father, he immediately recognizes Lorena for what she is. So she makes a deal—a fair trial for her betrothed’s father in exchange for her service to the crown.
The prince is desperate for her help. He’s spent years trying to repair the weakening Door that holds back the Vile…and he’s losing the battle. As Lorena learns more about the Door and the horrifying price it takes to keep it closed, she’ll have to embrace both parts of herself to survive.
“A triumphant dark fantasy, What We Devour serves up an incredibly smart magic system with a side of eat-the-rich energy.” —Rosiee Thor, author of Tarnished Are the Stars
