back on track

Stronger than previous book, with a dark and intriguing start leading to a ploddier finish.

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Not what I expected

I’ve given this book 4’s across the board but I will cover that later.

This story is a lot more Grim Dark than anything I’ve read or listened too in a fair while from Black Library. It settles the story into a more adult and believable / realistic version of the Warhammer fantasy world in a way that mirrors our own world in the most terrible of ways but with a fantasy flair.

Some people’s sensibilities may be upset as there is causal murder, strong suggestions of child abuse / sexual abuse, rape, murder of women “but nobody cares about men being killed but that’s another topic for another day”.
Misogynistic behaviour and various other deplorable behaviours and I must say, I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed it.

The author handles the dark subjects and tone without apologising or flinching away, there is no tones of modern wokeism just a true reflection of the Warhammer world would truly be like, full of complex characters with complex motivations.

Now the reason for the 4’s across the board is the performance was pretty good but at parts it blurred together for me and lost my attention.

The story was excellent in most ways as it was simple but with elements of complexity but at parts a little convoluted and some parts could have been cut out or expanded.
Anyway, this is very much worth a credit and I’ll personally be looking for more books the author has in their collection.

Reason for the 4 stars is I sometimes got confused by

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1 person found this helpful

Awesome

Brilliant book from write of dranchenfels. Kind of a sequel but following other characters with some cameos

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Hard to put down

A wonderful book that keeps you guessing.
Well paced and beautifully set in the old world

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6 people found this helpful

Classic mystery

Well written well told and very well read, really enjoyed this dark tale set in the grim dark AoS universe

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A Perfect Murder Mystery

Preface: This is NOT a Vampire Genevieve Novel. Genevieve Dieudonné only makes fleeting "guest appearances".

Beasts in Velvet is an incredible murder mystery from Kim Newman which fully develops a host of brand new characters, old friends, and treats the reader with a descriptive insight towards life in fog-shrouded Altdorf. I spent much of this novel hooked on picking up clues and cross-referencing possibilities and potential suspects. However, the ending fully took me by delightful surprise. It is gory, gothic, dark and carries Newman's signature black comedy. I look forward to my second read, I hope you enjoy your first!

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A marvellous mystery

In this book, we enjoy a taste of conflict between socio-economic classes, of gritty and mature themes, and a curiosity to fuel one's drive to finish the story. I must make clear that Genevieve is more of a cameo in this novel, than an impactful character to this story. This story also takes place "before" the events of the preceeding novel.

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Beautifully Grimdark!

Warhammer fantasy at one of its best tellings! Builds a beautifully rich and vivid world; perfect if you want a read of something that has more than just sword-porn

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A gripping crime/horror narrative

A great book that kept the reader guessing throughout. Perhaps too many main characters which could cause confusion at times. It's a thoroughly enjoyable listen.

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1 person found this helpful

Interesting story

It was a bit dark for my taste and sometimes it was difficult to understand what was going on because there were so many characters, but it all made sense by the end of the book which left me absolutely flabbergasted! Therefore, I might listen to the second book in the series just to find out what will happen to some of the characters.

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