The Quicksilver Court by Melissa Caruso – Review

Published: October 12, 2021

Publisher: Orbit Books

Series: Rooks and Ruin #2

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 544 (Paperback)

My Rating: 4.5/5.0

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:
The Quicksilver Court continues the wildly original epic fantasy series bursting with intrigue and ambition, questioned loyalties, and broken magic that began with The Obsidian Tower.
 
Ryxander, Warden of Gloamingard, has failed. Unsealed by her blood, the Door hidden within the black tower has opened. Now, for the first time since the age of the Graces, demons walk the world.
 
As tensions grow between nations, all eyes-and daggers are set on Morgrain, fallen under the Demon of Discord’s control. In an attempt to save her home from destruction, Ryx and the Rookery set out to find a powerful artifact. But powerful enemies are on the hunt and they’re closing in fast.

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BIG SPOILERS AHEAD!

EEEK!! I just continue to fall in love with this world and all the different characters! The Quicksilver Court picks up right after the events of The Obsidian Tower, where demons have come through a portal from the Nine Hells and one of them is inhabiting Ryx’s grandmother, the Lady of Owls. Ryx has fled Morgrain with many others, including her new friends at the Rookery and Severin with hopes to somehow track down the escaped demons and put them back through the portal. This was nothing if not an incredible start to the book.

While the stakes certainly remained high throughout the book, there’s almost a siege element when the characters get trapped in a city and things felt like they slowed a bit. It wasn’t boring by any means – they were trapped in a city with several demons, had a number of wildly fascinating (though a teensy bit predictable) big reveals, and people were literally going mad with fear. It was kind of epic in a nightmarish way! Also, the interpersonal drama was really, really satisfying!

My favorite part has to be the demon interactions, especially when we get Whisper and Ryx in the mix!! Yes, Ryx is the demon of Discord, but she’s been that way since she was a baby and knows no other life or that she was a demon. And that’s why Whisper (WHO IS THE DEMON OF DEATH!!) hangs out and has been her friend for so many years – he was always friends with Discord. Believe me, there is a grand internal struggle here since Ryx must quickly come to terms with her heritage and that her life has basically been a lie, but it’s not as crippling as one might expect. She handles with a decent amount of grace and aplomb because everything suddenly makes sense! And she had the sense to then use this knowledge to her advantage – YOU GO GIRL! There’s tons of history between the demons, so that’s another dynamic that we’ve only just explored the surface of – I do hope the next book brings about unexpected alliances, more drama, and more exciting reveals.

The stakes will be raised even higher in the third book because the last pages reveal that Hunger has released the last and worst demons from the portal out of spite and now they roam the land unchecked. I really can’t wait to see how awful Carnage, Despair and Corruption are and what forms they take. Also, how are they getting all these demons back to the Hells? I have huge amounts of enthusiasm for the next book in this series!