The House of Shattered Wings

Today's post is on The House of Shattered Wings by Ailette de Bodard. It is 416 pages long and is published by ROC. The cover is blue with a stone throne and Paris in the background. The intended reader is someone who likes alternate history, intricate plots, and long endings. There is no sex, no language, and some violence in this book. The story is told from the third person close perspectives of the main characters moving as needed in the story. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Multiple-award-winning author Alieete de Bodard brings her story of the War in Heaven to Paris, igniting the City of Light in a fantasy of divine power and deep conspiracy...
In the late twentieth century, the streets of Paris are lined with haunted ruins, the remnants of a Great War between arcane powers. The Grand Magasins have been reduced to piles of debris, Notre-Dame is a burned-out shell, and the Seine has turned black with ashes, and the remnants of the spells that tore the city apart. But those who survived still retain their irrepressible appetite for novelty and distraction, and the great Houses still vie for dominion over France's once-grand capital.
Once the most powerful and formidable, house Silverspires now lies in disarray. Its magic is ailing; its founder, Morningstar, has been missing for decades; and now something from the shadows stalks its people inside their very own walls.
Within the House, three very different people must come together: a naïve but powerful Fallen angel; an alchemist with a self-destructive addiction; and a resentful young man wielding spells of unknown origin. They may be Silverspires salvation- or the architects of its last, irreversible fall. And is Silverspires fall, so may the city itself.

Review- There is so much going on this book that I hardly know where to begin. The world building is excellent. The character flow over time, not really changing but, evolving with the story and the demands it puts on them. The action is slow to build but the tension is very good. The only thing that I did not like about the story was that I think that the author took too long with the ending. I think that she could have ended it 50 pages earlier and had a better story. But that said the ending was not a bad one, just drawn out. The magic of this book is very interesting and I like how the reader does not really know how the world fell into this state. I do not know if this is going to be the beginning of a series or more books set in this world. I did like how de Bodard ended the book. But I would not mind seeing more of this world. It is hinted that only places like Paris are as bad but I would find out for myself. I liked it and I like de Bodard. I look forward to whatever she writes next.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I was given this book by Ace/ROC in exchange for an honest review.