Reviews
“Assassin and ex-courtesan Green has saved a city and birthed a god. Now she wants to move on–but she’s hunted by enemies from her past, the city council is mired in a power struggle and can’t provide much aid, and something is stalking goddesses, including the one Green serves. Lake deftly weaves complicated, stubborn characters into a plot that reaches the grandest and most personal scales without ever straining credulity…. This complex, lonesome, haunting novel will appeal to fans of Valente, Monette, and Miéville.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review on Endurance
“There’s something both uplifting and melancholy in this fantasy adventure’s tone, which 16-year-old Green narrates with a world-weary old soul’s experience, emotional weight hanging from every page. Thoughtful fantasy readers will appreciate Green’s newfound perspective and the lush details derived from a mixture of Eastern cultures, as well as the sheer audacity of a killer bisexual nonwhite teen mom protagonist.” —Publishers Weekly
“The richness of [Lake’s] rendering of urban life as tapestry is genuinely irresistible.” —John Clute on Green
“Running with Green over the city’s gilded rooftops, plunging through sewers with her to confront a skinless avatar of the God of Pain, readers will feel the exhilaration of freedom deeply prized, unceasingly sought, and hard-won.” —Seattle Times on Green
“Lake’s poetic metaphors and similes and full circle plotting are wonderfully pleasant to read, making this heroic tale one of the best fantasies of the year.” —Sacramento Book Review on Green
