A dazzling, fast-paced story with clashing civilizations, squabbling gods, and an indomitable heroine caught in the center of it all, Hessa''s is a tale that will grab you from the very first line and won''t let you go. The world is unique, the fights are top-notch, and the cast is unforgettable. A vivid and compelling debut.' Lucy Holland, author of Sistersong 'Hall of Smoke is a breath of fresh air. Hall of Smoke is ultimately a book about what it means to have your deepest illusions shattered and still scrape together the courage to begin again. Long''s writing is elegantly understated, filling out Hessa''s complex world without ever stranding us - we are with her through every stumble and triumph. It is thrilling to stand beside Hessa as she stares into the abyss and begins to reassemble herself there. Not to be missed.' Jessica Cluess, author of the Kingdom on Fire series and House of Dragons 'Long gives us a flawed hero, a woman battling grief, rage and - perhaps most poignant of all - doubt. Add to that lyrical writing and intriguing world building, and you have a truly special debut. And they're about to wake up.įeatured in Goodreads 45 most anticipated SFF of 2021 'Hall of Smoke is the kind of fantasy I love, filled with both high stakes and tender, nuanced human emotion. Bigger, older powers slumber beneath the surface of her world. Thrust into a battle between the gods of the Old World and the New, Hessa realizes there is far more on the line than securing a life beyond her own death. Soon Hessa's trust in her goddess weakens with every unheeded prayer. But her journey reveals a harrowing truth: the gods are dying and the High Halls of the afterlife are fading. Beset by zealot soldiers, deceitful gods, and newly-awakened demons at every turn, Hessa burns her path towards redemption and revenge. As clans from the north and legionaries from the south tear through her homeland, slaughtering everyone in their path Hessa strives to win back her goddess' favour. Grieving and alone, Hessa - the last Eangi - must find the traveller and atone for her weakness and secure her place with her loved ones in the High Halls. While she is gone, raiders raze her village and obliterate the Eangi priesthood. Banished for disobeying her goddess's command to murder a traveller, she prays for forgiveness alone on a mountainside. Hessa is an Eangi: a warrior priestess of the Goddess of War, with the power to turn an enemy's bones to dust with a scream. Epic fantasy featuring warrior priestesses and fickle gods at war, for readers of Brian Staveley's Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne. Epic fantasy featuring warrior priestesses, and fickle gods at war, for readers of Brian Staveley's Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne.

Hall of smoke