When General Aaliyah returns triumphant to the city of Titus, she expects to find the people prospering under the rule of her Queen, the stone mage Odessa. Instead, she finds a troubling imbalance in both the citizens’ well-being and Odessa’s rule. Aaliyah must rely on all of her allies, old and new, to do right by the city that made her.
“Gods forbid you should be your own sword”. Eboni J. Dunbar's Stone and Steel is a very short novella about the corruption of power. Aaliyah returns to the city whose King she helped usurpe to find that her adoptive sister (and lover) made Queen isn't taking care of the people. What follows is a fast journey as the author speeds through what could have made a really intruiguing novel. The bare bones are interesting enough, with a love triangle with another orphan who grew up beside Aaliyah as well, and a background that might feel generic but has some depth.
The novella excelled in showing the relationship between characters in a few strokes, building a believable camaraderie between Aaliyah and her retinue, and a toxic romance with her Queen; you can feel that Odessa is used to have her way by any means necessary. Her magical tantrums are mentioned as happening since early childhood. The political side of things could have used some more work, especially as the narration turned to another country. There's a few typos here and there, and a few lines of dialogue seem to be in the wrong paragraph so that it's not exactly clear who's speaking, but these problems could be easily waved away with a good editor.
Stone and Steel is a good stepping stone for readers interested in exploring afro-fantasy.
✨ 3.5 stars
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