Book Review: Calor

Calor by J. J. Fischer

Post-Apocalyptic. 305 Pages. 5 Stars

Synopsis:

What if you could edit memories with a single touch?

The world-that-was is gone, lost to everything except living memory . . . but remembering comes at a terrible price. Sixty-two years after the apocalypse, a new society has emerged from the ashes of the old world where highly valued memories are traded and nostalgia is worth dying—and even killing—for.

Enslaved by a cruel master, Sephone Winter is forced to use her rare ability to manipulate memories to numb the darkest secrets of the ruling aristocracy.

Then Lord Adamo appears, speaking of a powerful relic capable of permanently erasing memories and recovering Sephone’s own lost childhood. But not everything about the young lord is as it seems, and soon Sephone must choose between helping Lord Adamo forget his past or journeying deep into the land of Lethe, where the truth about who she really is might finally be revealed . . . and a long desired future restored.

My Review:

Here’s yet another book that has been on my TBR for way too long, but I finally got to it!

First, the cover is so cool – and the covers for the whole series are equally as cool. Sometimes good covers don’t carry through all the books, but this series is definitely one I’d love to have the whole set on my shelf just to oogle.

Second, I have long been fascinated with the story of Persephone. When I saw one of the endorsements mention this was a take on her story, I got super excited. (Sidenote, it took me embarrassingly too long to realize Sephone was pronounced like Persephone -_-) As I read, I kept looking for the connections, but I struggled to see them until the end. I really enjoyed how subtle the Persephone inspiration has been throughout this story. It’s really it’s own story in a unique, post-apocalyptic world, but it has delicious elements of the old tale that always intrigued me.

One of those elements is so beautifully showcased by the worldbuilding: the haunting contrast of sunshine and warmth with the dark, icy cold. (Also, the parallel of the opening with the moment of realization toward the end (no spoilers) is honestly a huge part of what kept me reading. I was dying to see the characters connect the dots.) It’s a great backdrop for the war between hope and cynicism we see in the culture and the characters. And the memory magic is fascinating. I’m super curious to see if we dig deeper into that and how it permeates every aspect of the society’s beliefs and behaviors.

Speaking of, I LOVED Dorian! Dude, the tortured noble soul. Yes, please. I was 100% on board the ship early. I am here for it! His wrestle with the darkness and his stubborn dedication to what is good is such a combo. I also really enjoyed how Sephone’s delight and wonder and hope brought light to their little group in a way none of them expected, even Sephone. She’s tenacious all on her own, and the contrast between how she handles deep darkness and hurt to how Dorian handles it was so compelling. Her true gift is her wonder and selflessness.

I also really loved Bear and Bas! I love a good brother combo, and their undying loyalty to Dorian is heart melting. (It says something to find someone who inspires such loyalty, and I’m definitely ready to see what that is in Dorian.) I hope we dive deeper into that too. Maybe we’ll get to peel back the layers behind Bas and he’ll fall for Sephone’s innocent charm. Either way, I just find the duo completely endearing and I have high hopes that that feeling will only grow.

Cass is a lot of fun, too. And the dynamics of the whole group are great together. Cass hints at his own pain and depth and I’m curious to see more of that and how it could lead to growth on his part. (Can y’all tell I am HERE for allllll the growing pains in this story? XD) These guys are set up for an epic payoff in terms of character growth. Bring it on Fischer! Please! Oh! I also really loved the threads with Cutter and Draven and how the story kept driving toward the quest with such villains on their heels.

This book has such contrasts and they’re delicious. I’ve already jumped right into the sequel cause I’m thoroughly enjoying this journey. I will say I felt a little dumped into the deep end at first. The prose can be a little dense, but the story was compelling and kept me guessing. I was never really sure what was coming next and there were plenty of surprises to expand the world, the characters, and the plot. It was also neat to see such a travel-heavy story that was still so engaging. That can be hard to pull off.

Content: no swearing, some fantasy violence, and a dark hopeless world full of hardship and evil in control. The romance is sweet and clean, but there are darker insinuations from less than noble men of not-so-great desires. (The characters have each witnessed great brutality and the wickedness of men either personally or through the memories of others.) It’s all tactfully handled and I’d say appropriate for 14+ but each kid is different, so just be aware of that going in.

More

Book 1 in the Nightingale Trilogy is Calor (5 Stars)

Book 2 is Lumen (5 Stars)

Book 3 is Memoria

Book 4 is Caligo

This series must be read in order. Caligo is a sequel to the trilogy. You can find more info on Goodreads with the links above.

On GraceBought

Don’t miss my thoughts on the next book in the series below!

Lumen