When the death of Iron Queen Sarelin Brey fractures the realm of Elira, Lysande Prior, the palace scholar and the queen’s closest friend, is appointed Councillor. Publically, Lysande must choose the next monarch from amongst the city-rulers vying for the throne. Privately, she seeks to discover which ruler murdered the queen, suspecting the use of magic.
Resourceful, analytical, and quiet, Lysande appears to embody the motto she was raised with: everything in its place. Yet while she hides her drug addiction from her new associates, she cannot hide her growing interest in power. She becomes locked in a game of strategy with the city-rulers – especially the erudite prince Luca Fontaine, who seems to shift between ally and rival.
This Machiavellian debut keeps you on the edge of your seat. E.J. Beaton's The Councillor is full of scheming and politics, with an elegant prose that enriches the experience. The protagonist and sole point of view, Lysande, is an incredibly complex character, a highly competent scholar with a drug addiction, a woman with a few secrets of her own. Over the course of the novel she will also learn the finer points of the art of politics. The tension is built perfectly towards the incredible climax of the novel, where secrets are laid bare and new foundations laid out for what I believe to be the second and last novel of the series.
Magic is feared, and magic users are killed and despised. The world-building is excquisite, with different cultures that are part of the empire expertly and vividly described. There's a true sense of depth, especially when Lysande recalls histories and treatises and also uses them to find hidden thruths.
The characters are all complex and multi-dimensional, with relationships just as complex. The city-rulers shine, but it's also the smaller characters who are depicted perfectly with a few deft strokes. The Iron Queen, dead at the beginning of the novel, had a major part in Lysande's upbringing and is often mentioned, permeating the narrative with her presence. Lysande also has to battle with what the Queen meant for her, and what she did for her country, giving a perfect conflict to the story. I also loved her growing relationship with her new maid, made of fondess, duty, and respect.
This is a queernormative world, so the conflict doesn't come from the romance; in truth, the romance isn't a main focus of the story, though Lysande spends much time thinking about her lovers, past and present, and a mlm romance between two side characters is at the center of a subplot. Lysande is bisexual, and while her past lover is a woman and isn't discarded by the narrative, she's now more focused on pursuing a male lover, or two, each of them with their own agendas.
The Councillor is an excellent first installation, perfect for anyone who wants a cerebral read.
✨ 4 stars
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