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Reviewed by Kamil Wróbel for Readers' Favorite
In The Thirteen: The City of Thorns by Woody R. Clermont, we follow Kael, a half-Alfar warden, as he struggles to maintain control over a crime-ridden district in the crumbling metropolis of Vhal’Kareth. The crisis here is incredibly eerie: blocks of homes and random people are quietly evaporating into thin air. Even stranger, the surviving public effortlessly alters its own memories to smooth over the gaps, completely wiping out all knowledge of their lost neighbors. Kael sits on an elite executive board of twelve other cutthroat leaders who are too busy fighting over trade tariffs and hoarding resources to care about the missing populace. Because Kael’s unique heritage keeps him immune to the memory wipe, he must track the damage. Soon, he realizes the danger is more ancient and bigger than he could have ever imagined! Other cities throughout Velthara are being affected too. Can he convince his power-hungry peers to stop backstabbing each other long enough to secure their survival?
The Thirteen: The City of Thorns by Woody R. Clermont is an epic dark fantasy that does an excellent job of building a sense of absolute dread. The worldbuilding is very immersive and sensory-heavy, capturing everything from the gritty sights and smells of the city to the sudden panic of the bizarre anomalies breaking out around the protagonist. The narrative arc hits all the right notes, seamlessly shifting between street-level skirmishes and a huge, mind-bending mystery that feels unsolvable. It definitely took me a minute to get invested in the massive lineup of characters, but every single faction leader feels unique with their own distinct voices and conflicting goals. The author absolutely nailed the dark, high-stakes energy I wanted out of this book. If you're a fan of multi-perspective stories with intense, captivating political plots, add this to your TBR list today. Highly recommended.
