From the Bookshelf of Q&A with Josh Lanyon…

Lord of the White Hell, Book 1 (The Cadeleonian Series, #1)

Ginn Hale

Start date: March 1, 2022

Finish date: March 31, 2022

Discussion: Book of the Month Club

Why we're reading this: This is our Cadeleonian Challenge Read for March 2022.
[close] This is our Cadeleonian Challenge Read for March 2022.

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 2 topics — 4,118 comments total

Book of the Month Club

* Candidates for Next Month's Read
By Josh · 3043 posts · 623 views

last updated Feb 21, 2024 10:37PM

February 2025: The Lemon Drop Kid
By Karen · 15 posts · 20 views

last updated Jun 14, 2025 04:47PM

showing 5 of 5 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Jul 02, 2010 Josh rated it it was amazing

I particularly like the blend of mystery, romance, and fantasy here. I think Hale does some of the best world building I've come across -- in this case a combination of Middle Eastern and Castilian -- and so much of it lies in the small details. And yet for all the complex world-building, the focus of the story remains intimate and vividly personal (which is sometimes a complaint of mine in fantasy -- too often the story goes so big scale it's off the page). Really well done. I finished it and w ...more

33 likes · Like · see review

Mar 18, 2013 Colette rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance, favorites, m-m, fantasy, mystery, series, magic, 2014

I have had this book on my kindle for about a year, I am so sorry I waited so long to read both this and book 2. Ms. Hale is one of those writers who can create a world so rich and alive, that pulls you in so completely that you forget you are reading a book and are surprised when you realize you are not at the Academy or walking through the markets of Anacleto.

Highly recommended

2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 25, 2020 ReviewerLarissa rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This book has been on my to read list for a very long time. When I came across it on StoryTell... well. It started of really good. Kiram is a likable character and you can't help but get attached.

However, it didn't take long for me to become annoyed. The story is saturated with religious themes (on the Cadeleonia part) and the more interesting Haldiim side is underlighted. There is this big mystery of the curse and the white hell, yet the story focusses much more on the other areas of the story ...more

1 like · Like · see review

May 21, 2010 Elisa Rolle added it

I thought if waiting to post this review, since the book will be officially out on June 15, but then you have now the change to pre-order it with a % off the cover price, and even more if you pre-order also book 2 together. Wait, someone will think, Book 2 is already planned when Book 1 is still to be released? Do you know what I think? the author has built a complex world, and she needed a lot of "space" to develop it that when she was in the middle of writing she realized that one book was not I thought if waiting to post this review, since the book will be officially out on June 15, but then you have now the change to pre-order it with a % off the cover price, and even more if you pre-order also book 2 together. Wait, someone will think, Book 2 is already planned when Book 1 is still to be released? Do you know what I think? the author has built a complex world, and she needed a lot of "space" to develop it that when she was in the middle of writing she realized that one book was not enough, and she parted it in two novels. But they are still, really, one huge book, and so I highly recommend people to pre-order both of them, if you liked Ginn Hale's previous novel, and I know you did, then you will be not disappointed by this one, if not for the "little" detail that, as soon as you will reach last page of book 1 you will want to have book 2 right there, ready to be read.

Lord of the White Hell is a Fantasy, and for sure I have to use the capital letter here; for sure it reminded me a famous fantasy series of the recent past, but, truth be told, it reminded me also a movie, Chariots of Fire, set at the beginning of the XX century. Like one of the character of that movie, a Jew if I remember well, Kiram was admitted to a prestigious academy thanks to his family money, and yes, of course also due to his academic value, but without the money, for sure there would have been any chance for him. Kiram is an Haldiim, while most of the attendees of the academy are Cadeleonian; the differences between the two “births” are most like a difference in religion and also in social status. From some Kiram’s remembrance of his past life with his family, and also from his academic knowledge, he is a mechanist, I had the feeling that Kiram’s family can be compared to middle class, and instead the Cadeleonian, and Javier, Kiram’s roommate, in front of all of them, are more like aristocracy. There is also a difference perception of Kiram of all things related to faith and superstition, Kiram seems to be less archaic, more open. And finally, the attitude toward homosexuality: Kiram is a virgin, he has apparently no issue in being drawn by boys instead of girls, his only trouble is that he considers all sex acts like a sin, but I felt his fears more like the one any innocent boy will experiment while approaching adulthood and sex. Cadeleonian instead considers homosexuality a sin in absolute, and if Kiram wants to be with a man in their society, he has to do that in secret.

Now, speaking of sex and relationship, I don’t want to give you the idea that this novel is full of that; on the contrary, if not for some sex scene, very mild and almost chaste, this book could be easily classified as Young Adult; indeed the main character, Kiram, is 17 years old, and most of his experiences are the same a normal boy his age will experiment when living home for the first time to go to college; of course a boy from a conservative family, today 17 years old boys are way more experienced than me at the same age, and I bet that at the beginning of the XX century they were even less aware of sex and sexuality.

If you are wondered why I’m speaking only of Kiram and not so much of his partner in this story, Javier, maybe it’s due to the fact that I think that book 1 is more centered on Kiram’s growth from boy to man, and indeed, at the end of book 1, that growth is not yet completed. Javier instead is on the brink of adulthood, he is able to tease and entice, and sometime he has the strength, and the sureness, of an adult. Kiram needs to reach a point to be at the same level with Javier, and he will probably be at that point in book 2. So a reason more to wait for that.

http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/10... ...more

Like · see review

Feb 18, 2014 Leah Petersen rated it really liked it

Shelves: gay, fantasy, lgbt

I loved this so much, the characters were rich and complex, the concept of the white hell was fascinating, and the world well-fleshed and vibrant. So beautifully done and so full of emotional twists and turns.

I'd have given it five stars if it weren't for what I felt was a lack in the editing more than anything. There was a lot of stuff we just didn't need to know, that didn't inform or advance the plot any, and that dragged at the pace and was a frustrating buffer between Interesting Things Ha ...more

Like · see review

Jun 17, 2012 ttg rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, reviews, m-m, steampunk

A wonderful fantasy romance with very well-developed characters and rich world-building. A true and honest pleasure to read, and I almost wish I could go back to my pre-Lord of the White Hell self so I can go through it for the first time again. (I’m sure rereading will be just as fantastic, but I still remember my feelings of excited awe as I turned the pages, not knowing what would happen next.)

This is the first “long” work I’ve read by Hale, but I’ve been really impressed with her novella con A wonderful fantasy romance with very well-developed characters and rich world-building. A true and honest pleasure to read, and I almost wish I could go back to my pre-Lord of the White Hell self so I can go through it for the first time again. (I’m sure rereading will be just as fantastic, but I still remember my feelings of excited awe as I turned the pages, not knowing what would happen next.)

This is the first “long” work I’ve read by Hale, but I’ve been really impressed with her novella contributions to the m/m fantasy anthologies The Irregulars, Hell Cop 1 and Hell Cop 2. (All very recommended reads.) Hale easily makes the jump from novella to a much longer novel. (And that’s how I would qualify Lord of the White Hell 1 & 2--it’s a long novel broken up into two 350 page books. If you’re really enjoying book 1, you should do yourself the favor and go ahead and buy book 2. I don’t think you’ll regret it.)

Hale’s writing is smooth and detailed, and she adeptly paints a rich setting without overtaxing the reader with too much information. (And I kept wanting to go out and find some marzipan to eat after reading about Kiram’s care packages from his candy-maker mother.) The characters of Javier and Kiram were both very well-developed--imperfect, and yet you very much wanted to root for them (and for their developing relationship.) Javier also grew in ways that I would never have expected from the start of the book. You watched as a young haughty man grew to better understand himself, and also take steps to control and understand the “hell” within him. The way both they and their relationship evolved was very riveting to read.

It reminded me a little of Harry Potter, not so much for the magical fantasy setting, but there is one larger mystery that looms over the characters through multiple school quarters and seasons. They still had classes to take, and competitions to train for, but all the while, darker forces were still developing. Also like in HP, there are a lot of developed side characters, including school chums and relatives. All of these characters felt very realized and added to the depth of the story without overshadowing the evolution of the two main characters.

All and all—if you’re looking for an excellent fantasy with the added bonus of a well-developed and captivating m/m romance, I can’t recommend these two books enough. Hale is a fantastic writer, and after finishing this, I felt somehow “blessed” to have read it. (Strange but true.) I look forward to diving into her next work. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 11, 2011 Caryn rated it liked it

I liked this about the same as Wicked Gentlemen but it could have been ranked higher if not for the main character Kiram. He's weak and ineffectual and I just wanted him to go away. But the writing was good enough to keep me reading and I will be reading the next book. ...more

Like · see review