Rhucha

I added this one to my to-read list seeing a friend add it to their list. This book has ruined my sleep. I have sat up reading it for the whole week. It is simply amazing.

The book is about a necromancer (Harrowhark Nonagesimus) and her cavalier (Gide

I added this one to my to-read list seeing a friend add it to their list. This book has ruined my sleep. I have sat up reading it for the whole week. It is simply amazing.

The book is about a necromancer (Harrowhark Nonagesimus) and her cavalier (Gideon Nav) (her bodyguard in every sense). Both of them belong to the Ninth House, one of the Nine Houses in the book's universe. Each house has to send its pair of necromancer - cavalier to the First House planet to train them for Lyctorhood. Lyctorhood is comparable to the Necro Emperor's inner circle / personal guards. The palace on the First House planet is huge and has accommodations for the 8 pairs. They aren't given any specific instructions - just keys that open different doors. Behind these doors are necromantic challenges and each completed challenge leads to theorems (spells) behind that challenge which are necessary to understand and attain Lyctorhood e.g. regenerating bone constructs, soul siphoning shields etc. All competing people are expected to complete and hence learn these theorems - irrespective of them working together or not. Things start getting interesting, then brutal and finally dangerous when people start dying. Multiple levels of mysteries are cocooned and start to reveal like layers of an onion.

The style of writing is archaic and complicated, mostly to match the mysterious nature of the book. The surnames of different necromancers and their caveliers are sort of derived from their houses e.g. Second house necromancer is Deuteros, Sixth house is Sextus and cavalier is Hect and so on. Also, I like how she refers to the same person in different ways in the same conversation. Takes getting used to. As the level of mysteries deepen, it's extremely captivating and almost too difficult to put down.