The Helm of Midnight (Five Penalties, #1)

by Marina Lostetter

A legendary serial killer stalks the streets of a fantastical city in The Helm of Midnight, the stunning first novel in a new trilogy from acclaimed author Marina Lostetter.

In a daring and deadly heist, thieves have made away with an artifact of terrible power―the death mask of Louis Charbon. Made by a master craftsman, it is imbued with the spirit of a monster from history, a serial murderer who terrorized the city with a series of gruesome murders.

Now Charbon is loose once more, killing from beyond the grave. But these murders are different from before, not simply random but the work of a deliberate mind probing for answers to a sinister question.

It is up to Krona Hirvath and her fellow Regulators to enter the mind of madness to stop this insatiable killer while facing the terrible truths left in his wake.

• ISBN10: 1250757053
• ISBN13: 9781250757050
• Publish Date: 13 April 2021
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Tor Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 464
• Language: English
• URL: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250757050/thehelmofmidnight

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

The Helm of Midnight is Marina J. Losetter's newest novel and the start of a new series: The Five Penalties. Dramatic name, no?

There once was an infamous killer – Louis Charbon. He was a brutal serial killer, one that the city thought they were free of. His death should have stopped the killings, after all. Only, Charbon was able to infuse his killing intent into his death mask, and now he is once again tearing the city apart.

That's where Krona Hirvath comes into play. She was a Regulator assigned to protect the mask (and other valuable items). She may have failed that task, but she will get that mask back. She'll stop this killer and save the lives of as many future victims as possible.

“His will to kill might very well be ingrained in his echo.”

The Helm of Midnight is a legendary story. The world is so full of imagination and fantastical elements; it's impossible to look away from it. In fact, I think it took at least three days to get this novel even slightly out of my head once I finished reading it. It simply lodged in my brain and refused to move out.

When I imagine epic fantasies – I picture something like The Helm of Midnight. Okay, that wasn't exactly the case before I knew of this novel. But it does touch on all of the elements I'd expect in an epic, and it is certainly what I will picture from now on.

"The Rules of the Valley are as harsh as they are pure. The gods sacrificed much for humanity, and require us to sacrifice for each other in return. Beware the Five Penalties."

The world-building is one of the main things that immediately sucked me into the narrative. It was fascinating and shockingly complex. It took me some time to fully understand it all, but once I did, I was hooked.

Krona's story is an intense one, with lots of little details and side stories that helped to flesh out the world even further. I found myself falling in love with many of the secondary characters introduced, and because of that, I am honestly really looking forward to seeing what will happen next. And I have good news on that front; the next novel has already been named – The Cage of Dark Hours. Better yet, it has a release date (April 26th, 2022)!

Thanks to Tor Books and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks