Book Review
Title: The Year of the Knife (Witch of Empire Book 1) by G. D. Penman
Genre: Urban, Paranormal, Romance
Rating: 4.25 Stars
The opening to The Year of the Knife was interesting as it is set in New Amsterdam and we are following Agent “Sully” Sullivan who works for the Imperial Bureau of Investigation or IBI. Sully is a witch of the British Empire and is tracking a serial killer in the opening chapter before she gets called to another scene, one with a potential demonic summoning. Upon entering the house Sully doesn’t find a demon but it is clear that the husband has been possessed by something that claims they are returning whatever they are and that it is the year of the knife. I liked the introduction to the magic system which seems to be rooted in mathematics and equations which was interesting and I am excited to see where this story goes. Getting to know Agent Sullivan we can see she is the best in the business but has her own vices including booze and women. After the strange incident she is taken off the case and returns to normal duty which makes it seem like her boss is trying to cover this up.
However, this doesn’t last long as more and more murders like the one Sully intervened at are taking place and it suddenly seems like they have something much larger than they originally thought on their hands. The current murderer is a police officer in Carolina who has been killing several people and Sully is called in to capture him for interrogation. Sully and the coroner Raavi are convinced this is some form of demonic possession but that is a myth no one has been able to verify so no one would take them seriously if they voiced their opinions. Things get even stranger when Sully find the rogue officer and attempts to stop him using a freezing spell only for him to explode into a million pieces which shouldn’t happen and it seems like the mystery is getting deeper and Sully is drawn further into it. Sully begins digging deeper into who or what can be controlling all these people and in the end she turns to Eugene, a demon trap in a sailor doll that has been imprisoned for the protection of the people. By making a deal with Eugene, Sully learns that whoever is doing this is more powerful than a magus and has hidden themselves from even the enhanced sight of demons. The most notable thing about this encounter is that Eugene refers to this person(s) as an enemy which makes Sully believe that it might be political in nature which makes it even more difficult for her to solve and there will be interference from the Governor as well as her boss.
Sully encounters a new killer while having lunch with Marie and this one was excited. We learn that Marie and Sully were in a relationship until Marie ditched Sully at the alter for a man. Marie then was turned into a vampire who most people would kill on site and they come up with an arrangement where Sully provides Marie with blood in exchange for sexual favours and it works for them although Marie seems to want a relationship again but Sully isn’t prepared to forgive her yet. Sully manages to transport the new killer somewhere and it seems to know who she is but she is gravely injured in the process. A friend, Leonard Pratt, bring in a healer for her to deal with the worst of her injuries and after she tells him about the case and he agrees to work with her. Leonard explains that one of the phrases the possessed people used he has heard before and we jump from 2015 to 1998. Leonard explains he heard the phrase before when a dimensional rift was caused during one of his session but he doesn’t think a demon is responsible but something beyond their knowledge. Obviously, Sully isn’t happy with this answer and begins hunting down leads once more which lead her to four demons and one hell of a battle but she does get some more information but nothing that seems to be bringing her closer to the answers she wants until a woman wanders into the IBI offices claiming she is the one being possessed. She set off one of their devices and speaks about losing time quite a lot and this might be the break that Sully has been looking for.
Sully soon meets Aldophous DiNapoli who she believes is responsible for the murders but it turns out he is just another step up the ladder, he isn’t controlling the people but he seems to know who is. Sully learns through Bertie one of the people being controlled that whoever is controlling her wants to send a message but it is taboo meaning it can’t be remembered by another who reads it. Sully takes the information to the demon, Eugene to break the taboo as he won’t be affected by it and in exchange she agrees to set him free from his prison with a 24 hour head start before they start hunting him down again and he agrees. The message turns out to be a place, Manhattan but Sully doesn’t know what Manhattan is. Then some strange things begin to happen, even more strange than we have already seen. An island suddenly rises out of the Black Bay and here Sully meets Magus Ogden. Ogden explains that the island is called Manhattan and it was sealed away by another Magus resulting in the Black Bay but now she has broken the taboo it has reappeared. Ogden and the others want revenge for being hidden away for so long and they seem to convince Sully to help them and so a takeover begins. Towards the end a lot of political elements are introduced and Sully proposes the idea of bringing down the barrier between the demon world and theirs as Ogden has an alliance with the demons and they are friendly towards him. I am not sure where the sequel is going to go but I am excited to see.
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
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