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Reviewed by Christian Sia for Readers' Favorite
In Peter Eliott's Falconbrow, Terza Jaidenson grows up in Lower City, a crumbling slum ruled by a shadowy aristocracy of criminal Underlords, a place that has plummeted so far from its heyday that it is known as “Hell’s Labyrinth.” Her father trained her to fight fiercely, and she kills two assailants, an act that fractures her family and changes her, setting her on a path of no return. In the coming years, she loses her mother to the northern tundra, her father to addiction and the justice of the underworld, and her first love to a dear friend. She reinvents herself among the Shadow Bidders who smuggle stolen goods past the Imperial constables, tattooing a falcon across her forehead. The action that follows is brutal. Can she earn her place among the ruthless fighters in a merciless world?
Peter Eliott’s prose is textured for grimdark fantasy, as he skillfully balances grit with lyricism. Terza is an extraordinary heroine; she is, in turn, ferocious and tender. Her artistic soul complicates each violent choice she makes. The other characters are fully drawn, including the sly broker Silky Eblans, Terza's loyal “Triumvirate” of friends, and the brawling Reed sisters. These characters evolve in a world where there is hardly ever justice, and where one needs to fight for what one really wants. You are taken through dirty canals, the Ripening Halls, and criminal codes as you follow the exhilarating action. The three-part structure and retrospective digressions give the tale a brutal, surprising poignancy. Things you will relish include the cinematic action, which keeps the pacing fast, with hold-your-breath, suspenseful encounters and pirate raids. Falconbrow thrusts readers into harsh territory and follows a young girl who refuses to let a savage world define her; it is gritty, utterly gripping, and moving.
