Series: Unknown
Format: E-Book, 372 pages
Release Date: October 30, 2024
Publisher: Bell Bridge Books
Source: Publisher
Genre: Gas Lamp Fantasy
New Rome perches upon the shores of the Thamis River, and in its soot-stained depths a teeming mass of humanity lives under the iron fist of an Empire that never fell to Vandals or Christianity. In the shadows, assassins congregate and secret societies bloom—the Priory, dedicated to worship of the criminal Dead God, and the Hellions, thieves and murderers whose aim is mere freedom.
Or so they say.
Gemma Dove arrives in New Rome with a small independence and a burning desire: to gain revenge upon those who murdered her parents and drove her beloved aunt to a premature death. The city is a dangerous place, but Gemma has her own secret skills and isn't afraid to use them. She longs to complete her vengeance and return to her safe, beautiful estate across the Channel, but fate has other ideas.
His name is Avery Black, but they call him the Rook. The young Hellion has sunk himself in vice and treachery, and he knows there's more to Miss Dove than meets the eye. He also knows she's playing a dangerous game, one which will end in her death—unless he takes a hand in matters. It might even be connected to his own vengeance against the Priory, but that's fast becoming a secondary consideration.
Under soot-stained skies and flickering gaslamps, from the crowd of thieves and gin-soaked tenements to the glittering whirl of Society, plans, treachery and counter-betrayal are afoot. Gemma and Avery can defeat the Priory, but that ancient organization has its own plans for Miss Dove, and the Rook might be her only defense.
Lilith Saintcrow's Hell's Acre is an alternative reality Gaslamp fantasy novel that features Gemma Dove (Not her real name), and Avery Black leader known as the Rook. This story has an interesting mixture of Victorian England and Fantasy Rome. New Rome perches upon the shores of the Thamis River, and in its soot-stained depths, a teeming mass of humanity lives under the iron fist of an Empire that never fell to Vandals or Christianity.
In the shadows, assassins congregate and secret societies bloom—the Priory, dedicated to the worship of the criminal Dead God, and the Hellions, thieves and murderers whose aim is mere freedom. Gemma Dove arrives in New Rome with a small independence and a burning desire: to gain revenge upon those who murdered her parents and drove her beloved aunt to a premature death. The city is a dangerous place, but Gemma has her own secret skills and isn't afraid to use them.
She longs to complete her vengeance and return to her safe, beautiful estate across the Channel, but fate has other ideas. With the help of her "uncle" who is a fallen Priory member known as Father Nossorten, Gemma finds work as a governess at Imanuel orphanage filled with boys. Gemma isn't a Karen. Gemma was trained very well by a man known as Sampson, apparently not his real name either. Gemma is driven to find the man responsible for murdering her parents but finds more trouble.
His name is Avery Black, but they call him the Rook. The young Hellion has sunk himself in vice and treachery with his own crew, and he knows there's more to Miss Dove than meets the eye. Especially after she runs into trouble to save children who had been taken by kidnappers. He also knows she's playing a dangerous game, one which will end in her death—unless he takes a hand in matters. It might even be connected to his own vengeance against the Priory, but that's fast becoming a secondary consideration.
Under soot-stained skies and flickering gaslamps, from the crowd of thieves and gin-soaked tenements to the glittering whirl of Society, plans, treachery and counter-betrayal are afoot. Gemma and Avery can defeat the Priory, but that ancient organization has its own plans for Miss Dove, and the Rook might be her only defense. While their paths cross several times throughout the book, they have no idea that they are likely on the same side, and have the same goal of ending not only the Priory but the man who killed her parents. There is no romance, and the book does end on a cliffhanger which should have been provided to readers before posting it to request and review.
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