Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier – Review

Published: November 9, 2021

Publisher: Clarion Books

Series: Standalone

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 336 (Hardcover)

My Rating: 5.0/5.0

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

Synopsis:
The past never forgets…

Before an ambush by enemy soldiers, Lord Cassia was an engineer’s apprentice on a mission entrusted by the king. But when plague sweeps over the land, leaving countless dead and devastating the kingdom, even Cas’ title cannot save him from a rotting prison cell and a merciless sickness.

Three years later, Cas wants only to return to his home in the mountains and forget past horrors. But home is not what he remembers. His castle has become a refuge for the royal court. And they have brought their enemies with them.

When an assassin targets those closest to the queen, Cas is drawn into a search for a killer… one that leads him to form an unexpected bond with a brilliant young historian named Lena. Cas and Lena soon realize that who is behind the attacks is far less important than why. They must look to the past, following the trail of a terrible secret—one that could threaten the kingdom’s newfound peace and plunge it back into war.

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Are you ever just totally blindsided by a 5 star book out of nowhere? I had heard virtually no press about Year of the Reaper, so imagine my delight when it turns out to be one of the best YA fantasy books I’ve ever read. AND it has the benefit of being a standalone, so you don’t have to worry about waiting on future installments that may or may not get worse as the series goes along.

The story starts off with a young prince returning home after having escaped an enemy prison camp. Plague has ravaged the lands, and countless homes are abandoned or filled with only corpses and even the animals have become more dangerous. He arrives home only to find that he’s just in time to witness the blessing of the King and Queen’s new baby and to save the very same child from assassination. His dramatic entrance proves to be a fine return home, though the assassin remains at large and the mystery only deepens as he begins to investigate with Lena, the King’s half sister and historian. 

The mystery aspect of this story is fantastic and took me somewhat by surprise, as I didn’t know what to expect from the story. The characters are excellent and well fleshed out given that this is a standalone and easy to root for.  Also, can we just talk about the plot twists??? OMG, I was STUNNED and at that moment I knew this was going to be one of my best books of 2021. And the it totally stuck the landing too!! I am shook. 

Hands down, this is one of my favorite books of the year and one of the best Young Adult fantasies I’ve ever read. It could have easily been marketed as an adult fantasy and have found equivalent success among that audience as well. I’m a little surprised I haven’t seen much hype about this, but it deserves to be shouted about from the rooftops. Guess I’ll just have to step up and do it myself! 10/10, this is worth checking out especially if you love some mystery in with your fantasy books. This is kind of a low fantasy, with minimal fantastical elements but it didn’t lack because of that. It was actually a lovely change of pace for me.