Blurb:

The Halls of Venn are the seat of both knowledge and power in the great continent of Luna Ruinam. Renia, a scribe with a tragic past, spends her days expertly copying books that do little to satiate her desire for knowledge.

When a fateful commission lands on her desk, she finds herself tasked with transcribing a book coveted by assassins from the southern continent. Its theft throws the scribing halls into chaos and threatens to destroy the fragile peace that exists between their nations.

Haunted by dreams of her past, Renia must learn to master her impulses and awaken her long dormant magical abilities if she is to prevent war.
Fate, it would seem, is eager to grant her wishes. Yet she must risk everything to pursue it, and pay the bloody price it demands.

Content Warning: This book contains dark themes that some readers may find unsettling.

Review:

Ambitious. Emotional. Intriguing.

These are a few words that I can use to best summarize Renia, by Karl Forshaw. This book pulled me back, day after day, goading me into reading its words. I am a slow reader, typically reading a chapter or two each night before bed. During this read I would get excited to go to bed, because it meant I could read more.

I’m going to go into characters, setting, and plot a little bit further down in this review but I wanted to highlight the one aspect of Renia that made my heart yearn to keep reading. 

Consequences.

Everything in this world feels real because there is no plot armor. There is no getting away with things. When someone does something, it matters. I say it again, because Karl broke my heart, repeatedly, with how much IT MATTERS. Actions, messages, magic, politicking, relationships, decisions. Anything this wide cast of characters does affects this beautifully intertwined story in some way. There is no ‘and then this happened’. It is 100% ‘this happened, because of this cause’. Renia is a rippling pool of colliding waves, with the force of determination and will to achieve victory pushing forward all sides.

Characters

Renia is the main focus of the story, but we view the world and the happenings in it through at least seven or eight POV’s. At first you think this might bother you, but with the way Karl structures scenes, there is a seamless transition between them. You don’t ever say ‘golly-gee I wish I was back with a character that I like more’ because of the snappy scene structure, and related plotlines that drip information to you over the story. More on that later. We have a grouchy old hall master, a duty-bound chief of security, a high-falutin antagonist, a charming assassin (yes you read that right, the assassin is the most charming character in the novel), and many other fully formed characters that have their own unique place in this story. The most impressive aspect of this wide cast of characters is that they all belong. They’re not in the story to fill a trope, they are people living in this world, doing the best they can to engage their responsibilities with the happenings of the plot. Some of them deserve their consequences, and some might not, but none of them escape the consequences. 

Setting/Worldbuilding

Karl is building his own Cosmere, but on a more local level. Renia takes place in a few locations on the continent of Luna Ruinam but the main storyline focuses on happenings in the Halls of Venn, and the small surrounding city. The continent is unique because of a cataclysmic event that shattered the world way back when, bringing to it this world's magic system and most powerful resource. Knowledge or Magic, which is more powerful? Renia lets you make that assertion, and by the end of the novel you might strongly disagree with me. You’ll just have to get there, and we’ll have to talk about it. While the locale of the story is small, the world is expansive. Because we have such a wide range of POV’s Karl is able to drip information about the ‘outside’ world; through flashbacks, storytelling, and character behaviors they pull from their homeland. There is an overarching, worldly conflict that helps build the world, but it isn’t the central driving factor for Renia. 

Plot

This might be the section that some readers may find not to their taste. I want to emphasize that it is personal taste to be considered, and not execution. Karl takes you through a conflict over one central desire. Each of the characters, following their own motivations, are intertwined and pulled together over this central conflict. There is no grandiose war, with dragons or beasts. There are no armies crossing vast mountains to fight the great big bad. The plot is real people, living their real lives, doing the best they can to make it to the next day and not have the conflict damn their efforts to get back to normalcy. If you are a plot driven reader, who wants breakneck pace, Renia may not be the ideal read for you. If you are a reader who can get immersed in a slow-burn, where information is dripped through an IV, then Renia will pull you in. There’s mystery, there’s politicking, there’s relationship struggles, and a wickedly written action sequence that gripped me to the ink on page.

Personal Feelings

There are a few moments in Renia that are heartbreaking and/or uncomfortable to read. Karl utilizes these moments not for shock value, not to get an easy emotional reaction, but because they are the consequences of this world. There are some moments that might pull a reader out of it due to their relation to the real world. I commend Karl on this, however. It’s incredibly difficult to write ‘hard’ moments, and he gives them to us to accept, process, and internalize. He doesn’t belabor the point, he doesn’t glorify the negativity that life can bestow upon the best and worst of us. All he does is present characters experiencing the consequences of their actions, leaving them to pick up the pieces and find their way on the rest of their journey.

Fun quotes!

I participated in a buddy read of Renia at the SFF Insiders discord and here are a few of the comments that I left while I was reading along with everyone else. These are all directed at Karl, from my POV.

Underscores for character names I don’t want to spoil.

“You are wicked and cruel and my soft heart hates you. I thought it was going to end at the hands.”

“I. Love. ____.

I. Hate. ______.”

“Oh no, the cost. I know what's coming. I'm already hurting. 😭”

“You constantly hurt me. Day after day, I come back expecting kindness and relief, and I am met with disaster and malice. I'll miss you _____. You deserved better...from everyone.”

If you asked me if I recommend Renia I would slap you upside the head with it until you got the story via osmosis.

Guest Reviewer Bio:
Ryan Skeffington is engineer, author, and pet dad to three. He enjoys crafting worlds, made up characters, and plotlines filled with shenanigans when his mind is allowed to daydream. He resides in Oklahoma City, and enjoys travelling to every corner of the US, plus internationally when the rare occurrence arises. He enjoys science fiction most, fantasy next, and will dive deep into the occasional mystery or romance if he connects with the author’s voice and storytelling. Hates editing in all shapes and sizes, video editing especially, but will tolerate editing the written word to make sure his stories reach the light of day. He can be found early in the morning, huddled up on the couch, watching Formula 1, his latest obsession.

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