The Thirteenth Hour

The Cruel Gods #1

by Trudie Skies

When the saints fail, the sinners step up.

Cruel gods rule the steam-powered city of Chime, demanding worship and tribute from their mortal subjects. Kayl lost her faith in them long ago, and now seeks to protect vulnerable and downtrodden mortals from their gods’ whims. But when Kayl discovers powers that she didn’t know she had—and destroys a mortal’s soul by accident—she becomes Chime’s most wanted.

Quen’s job was to pursue sinners, until the visions started. Haunted by foreboding images of his beloved city’s destruction, Quen hunts soul-sucking creatures made of aether who prey on its citizens—and Kayl is his number one target.

To ensure Chime’s future, Kayl and Quen must discover the truth of Kayl’s divine abilities before the gods take matters into their own hands.

For a city that bows to cruel gods, it’ll take godless heathens to save it.

The Thirteenth Hour is the first book in The Cruel Gods series—a gaslamp fantasy featuring magical portals, gothic cosmic deities, quaint Britishisms, and steampunk vibes. This is an adult book containing strong language and mature themes that some readers may find disturbing. For a full list of content warnings, visit Trudie Skies's website.

Genres: Fantasy, Steampunk, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Fiction, LGBT, Romance

535 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 29, 2021

About the author

Trudie Skies is a non-binary author based in North East England, though they have been living inside fantasy worlds ever since they discovered books and refuse to return to reality. Within Trudie’s daydreams you’ll find SPFBO and BBNYA finalist The Thirteenth Hour, a gaslamp fantasy described as obnoxiously British and best read with a cup of tea.

When not conjuring new worlds, Trudie spends their free time exploring the realms of indie books and video games, staring at clouds, and chasing after their fluffy companions.

Visit Trudie’s worlds at www.trudieskies.com

Reviews

[Mark Lawrence]

I haven't read this yet, but it has been chosen as one of 10 finalists from 300 entries to the 8th annual Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off ... so it must be good!

https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...

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[Lukasz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool cover, I thought, before diving into the story. Initially, I was confused but intrigued. Then confusion turned into amazement. The story is unique, and it’s trying to do something fresh.

Set in a secondary world influenced by Edwardian aesthetics, The Thirteenth Hour can be classified as Gaslamp Fantasy. Twelve omnipotent gods have complete control over their domains and the mortal races created in their image. Domains and their inhabitants are radically different. Travelers can reach them only through a magical portal called The Gate, located in the steampunk city of Chime.

Twelve races include the red-skinned Ember who can summon flame, bird-like Zephyr who can fly, or elve-like Vesper, who can summon and manipulate shadows. Necro can manipulate the physical body (but also feel an appetite for flesh). Diviners manipulate time and also explore the past and future of those they touch.

TL; DR: Twelve gods, twelve domains, twelve races. All cool.

The story revolves around the mystery of soul-sucking creatures made of aether. The main protagonist, Kayl, becomes the primary suspect of Quen, a Warden with impressive time-manipulation skills. After unexpected discoveries, the two team up to solve the mystery (involving the world, their pasts, and their nature). We follow the plot through the first-person points of view of Kayl and Quen. An interesting choice. Initially, it felt slightly confusing, but each of them was different and had a distinct voice. No chance of mistaking their chapters.

Kayl is a Vesper. She considers herself godless and wants to live an independent life free from her god’s whims. She’s also flirty and emotional. Plus, it seems she has rather unique magical abilities. As a Diviner, Quen can manipulate time (pause, rewind it, see the future, and deaths, of mortals he touches). He is a member of the Wardens, the police force of Chime. He loves tea and biscuits and is rather charming.

The author charged their interactions with painful history, and their relationship oscillates between conflict and cooperation. And maybe something spicier. There are a lot of intriguing side characters here but I don’t want to write an essay no one will read. Suffice to say, the secondary characters feel well-rounded and I wouldn't mind reading short stories written from their POVs.

The emphasis on world-building usually turns me off, but in this case, it almost worked for me. I found the world exciting, but there’s a steep learning curve here to understand how it all works. In consequence, parts of the book are slow and inflated with backstories/histories. Because the world awed me, I didn’t mind that much, though.

A few words about gods. They’re a nasty bunch. They are horrifying, bloodthirsty, and powerful beyond measure, with alien ways of reasoning. They own the souls of mortals and can “extinguish” them in an instant. Blasphemy and apostasy are crimes, and committing them has dire consequences.

Skies brings the sights, sounds, and smells of Chime to life with crisp prose that moves swiftly between thrilling action sequences and imaginative worldbuilding. Equal parts dark and entertaining, The Thirteenth Hour tells a satisfying and imaginative story. I can’t wait to read the sequel.

[P.L. Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Thirteenth Hour", Book One in "The Cruel Gods", a steampunk, gaslamp affair, by author Trudie Skies, was a book long on my radar. But #FebruarySheWrote, where I read exclusively female authors who use the pronouns she/her, the stars aligned to pick up this popular book. An Indies Today Recommended and Reader's Favorite Five-Star reviewed novel, "The Thirteenth Hour" had been getting a lot of buzz recently in fantasy circles, especially for amazing worldbuilding. Sold. I took the plunge.

The setting for "The Thirteenth Hour" is the city of Chime. Chime is one of the most unique settings you are ever going to find in a fantasy novel. In this epicentre, where differing cultures converge, there are 12 human races inhabiting the city, and each of those 12 races revere their own individual god. Chime is considered a free-city, and - ironically - safe zone from the 12 gods themselves, who are essentially barred from Chime.

But the reader will soon discover the so-called free citizens of Chime are not truly free at all. If one commits any actions contrary to the will of the gods while in Chime, punishment is severe, up to and including death. 

The two main characters, Kayl and Quen, could not come from more opposite parts of Chime's society. Kayl has abandoned the gods. She is a heathen, and she wants to protect other heathens from the gods she has forsaken. 

"When one god's demand of such heavy tithes of her own mortals and punished those who couldn't afford to pay, the poorest had no choice but to run, to seek the only city where not even the gods could tread. That's where my organization stepped in."

In opposition to Kayl stands people like Quen, who is one of the powerful, uber-devout enforcers working for the gods in Chime, known as Wardens. Kayl refers to Wardens as "the gods' mortal eyes." Wardens are chosen from the 12 diverse societies that inhabit Chime, and they prevent those various societies from clashing with each other, and ensure the societies conform to the doctrines of the gods. 

As a Warden, Quen is charged with chasing sinners, and ensuring they are punished for their transgressions against the gods. But Quen is a soul tormented by his past, and by his visions. For all his righteousness, his faith just might be undermined by the very gods that he clings to, that define who and what he is.

But Quen soon becomes aware of Kayl, who appears to be more than just a Vesper (originating from the domain of Eventide, a domain of glowing mushrooms, under control of the god of autumn, called Valeria). Kayl has special powers, and Quen is determined to uncover what those powers are. Says Quen to Kayl, about his overriding goal: 

"We solve the mystery of you."

Because the fate of Chime lies in the balance, and if the gods intervene, the results will be devastating. 

Any book I give high praise to will have compelling themes that give me something to think about long after I have finished the book. Skies excels here, particularly with one of my favourite themes: religion. In the case of "The Thirteenth Hour", Skies explores why humans are so attached to the worship of deities; why various deities are worshipped by one faction as opposed to another; what are the consequences of the sins of so-called apostasy and blasphemy against one's gods to the psyche of the "sinner"; and are the gods worthy of human veneration in the first place?

As a character-driven reader, Skies was speaking my language. The main ones, and their supporting cast, are all wonderfully complicated, damaged, and hiding stuff from each other. Coming together, initially as natural foes, for a common cause, Kayl and Quen are characters the reader will become completely invested in. The passionate Kayl is nicely contrasted to the more austere and mysterious Quen. 

But the scene stealing here goes to the cruel gods. My my, are they baddies. The reader will love to hate them, and what they subject their faithful human subjects to, just for sake of eccentricity, selfishness, greed, or simply the desire to be worshiped exclusively, is horrifying. 
 
Finally, I've saved perhaps the best element of this marvellous book for last: the worldbuilding. Wow! Wow! Wow! The design and concept here are examples of some of the best fantasy has to offer. It is completely beguiling, absolutely bewitching. Twelve distinct domains, ruled by twelve distinct gods, who have their own demands, agendas, desires, and use humans as pawns. These gods, as the series title indicates, and I have already alluded to, are by no means benevolent. Capricious, selfish, foreboding gods ensnaring humans in their schemes (and the humans getting wise and against impossible odds trying to fight back) is a theme that will hook me every time, and it was so well done in "The Thirteenth Hour".  

"Varen understood the cruel whims of his god. That was the one reason why he risked associating with the Godless, to help us undermine her in the few petty ways that he could."

But I digress into themes there, we're talking about worldbuilding. 

Some domains in the novel were cities of golden cathedrals, some were tropical islands, some were treacherous jungles. Others were desert, or observatories of stars, or frozen wastelands, or sky worlds made from floating airships, and MORE. Incredible. Each domain had a designated crossing time into Chime and, with 12 realms, bringing a special meaning to the eponymous Thirteenth Hour.  

Then we have Chime itself. It's a grim place, with plenty of poverty and despair, paired along with affluence. It's a place where "sinners" are ruthlessly pursued by Wardens, the helpless and frail humans are at the mercy of the gods' fancies, and chaos, desperation, and fear is cloaked in a fine veneer of urbane civility. A collision between worshipers of different gods is a constant threat, calamity always looms, and things are bound to eventually get complicated, bloody, and downright scary. Rest assured, it does.  

The sheer scope of this, the uniqueness, the detail, and the ingenuity involved in creating all this, vaults Skies into my top 10 worldbuilders of any authors I have ever read. The lore and backstory is rich, intricate, and helps make this book a phenomenal read for fantasy lovers. 

Told in my favourite first person perspective, from predominantly Kayl and Quen's POVs, this novel may burn slow at the start (again the way I like it) but the action builds steadily. If you are looking for major battle set-pieces, look elsewhere. But if you are looking for startling conflict in a clash of beliefs, cultures, and manipulative gods, this is your book.  

This was a book I truly wanted to savour, and found myself utterly disappointed once it was over, especially due to the exceptional characters, and that sumptuous, scrumptious worldbuilding.  

My "best of 2022" list is already getting somewhat crowded, though we are only in February, but "The Thirteenth Hour" is definitely jockeying for position on that list. Full five stars for this book for sure, and the worldbuilding alone for me pushes it above nominal five star range, but alas the rating system only allows for five.

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I was a beta reader, but my review is honest.

"Time had run away from me again, but I couldn't afford to let it escape, not today."

The book opens with Kayl being late. Again. But even though she's chasing a tram right away, The Thirteenth Hour is fairly slow-paced at first as Skies takes her time to build her world.

It's a wonderful world, clever, innovative - a world I've not seen done before. It's also a fairly complex one, and it took me a few chapters to find my bearings.

There are twelve domains, twelve gods, and twelve mortal races. It's a lot, but damn if it isn't one of the most fascinating worlds I've ever had the joy of discovering. Then there is Chime, a mortal city where the gods cannot tread.

The social structure and hierarchy, and Skies' critique of it is executed in a subtle yet impactful manner. While the author's disdain for Victorian Workhouses (and their modern counterparts) is practically spilling from each page, Skies' social commentary is cleverly packed into a fun fantasy adventure with loveable characters.

The Thirteenth Hour is told from the point of view of Kayl and Quen, both written in the first person (the first switch confused me, but after that I could quickly tell them apart thanks to Skies' distinct prose).

Kayl is a bit of a scatterbrain with a healthy dose of sharp wit. She embarks on a journey of self-discovery, staying true to her principles and beliefs throughout the book. "If I was a pious woman, I'd be praying. But I was a Godless woman, and the gods left me to dictate my own fate."

Quen, on the other hand, is a quirky gentleman dork, and I love him. He likes a biscuit with his tea, and I'd adopt him and offer him our guest room any day. He's just so charming, albeit a bit grumpy at times, as well as incredibly tortured by his past, which makes him even more charming. "The tea they'd offered me was serviceable at best. [...] Things could have been worse. They could have offered me coffee."

Yes, there is some romance, but it's a wonderful romance and I'm here for it! (Which is a rare thing for me to say, I know!)

The writing is - I've been trying to come up with a way to describe it - devilishly charming, filled with the very best Britain has on offer (tea and biscuits and more importantly, "Thou must not violate the sanctity of the queue!") and also British humour. British humour is arguably the best in the world (don't @ me)!

On a more serious note, Trudie Skies' writing is incredibly charming and witty. The prose is easy to read and even the slower parts flow smoothly.

And before you know it, you're reading the second half of this wonderful book, and suddenly the pace picks up, throwing one twist after another at the unsuspecting reader.

Need more reasons to read The Thirteenth Hour? Read this blog post written by the author herself, which will give you a whole thirteen reasons! The most important ones that I haven't mentioned yet? LGBT+ representation and the found family trope! (The found family trope is one of my favourite tropes out there, and it's incredibly well done here.)

I recommend The Thirteenth Hour to all fantasy readers who enjoy character-driven gaslamp or steampunk stories.

[Andrews WizardlyReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s hard for me to articulate how much I loved this book!!! Video review will be coming. To keep it short this is a masterful blend of social ideas that I have only ever seen Terry Pratchett tackle with taste. The murder mystery and story of rebellion is amazing. Definitely a contender for my book of the year

[L.L. MacRae · Rating 5 out of 5]

I apologise for how long it’s taken me to read this. This is purely a failing on my part and is in no way a reflection of this book’s quality or enjoyment - which are excellent.

Thirteenth Hour is listed as Gaslamp fantasy, which was something new for me. Think urban fantasy but with a strong flavour of victorian steampunk. There are tea shops, there are brass pipes, there are machines, and there is plenty of magic.

Set in Chime, a city where the 12 (somewhat ruthless and mostly cruel) gods cannot tread, it’s a melting pot of people from all 12 domains where their various gods rule. You know it’s a good book when you can recognise each race of people without having to think “wait, who/what is that again?”

Each of the 12 races have a distinct appearance and set of powers - Diviners can stop time (or slow it down/speed it up), Vesper control shadows, Glimmer control light, Fauna can transform into various animals etc. It’s wildly different, and while a few races are more typical fantasy fare, there are a lot of new spins on them. I was excited to discover each and every race, and learn more of them and their powers.

Fantasy books can be intimidating. There are whole new worlds to learn, people’s names, magic systems, the setting of the story. This is masterfully written. There are no infodumps, no exposition to drag things down. Need to know information is fed through in a natural way that never became overwhelming. There is a lot to get through in this book - it’s quite a chunk! - but at no point did I feel hit over the head with an onslaught of “and so this is how the world works” which was refreshing and greatly appreciated.

The book holds some familiar tropes - an upper city vs an undercity; found family; amnesia (sort of); and things being far more than they appear. There’s a thread of a murder mystery running through it, which is the driving force for much of the book, before it shifts gears into something altogether more sinister. The last quarter or so of the book charges forward at breakneck speed, making me desperate to read one more page - one more chapter! There are some dark things that happen, so be prepared for some parts that are difficult or uncomfortable to read.

Characters are one of Skies’ biggest strengths. Told from two first-person perspectives (a tricky ask at the best of times), Kayl and Quen lead the story. They are flanked by a colourful plethora of side characters, some major and some minor, and they all have vibrant personalities and are clearly distinct from one another (Sinder and Vincent were probably my favourites outside the leads). The story leads our cast down dark paths and into unexpected situations, and several times I was baffled as to how they’d get themselves out of trouble!

Also my advice is to have a snack with you while you read this (or eat a large meal before), because all the descriptions of tea and biscuits, scones and pastries, and other delicacies made me ragingly hungry for the most part!

So much of the world building and character behaviours - especially Quen - is quintessentially British. If you’ve spent any time in the UK, you’ll know what I mean, and that brought a flavour of comfort to the read in a way I didn’t realise I needed, but came to enjoy very much.

If you want something that truly feels different, unique, and original, I highly recommend The Thirteenth Hour. There are fresh ideas, brilliant worldbulding (Chime feels so lived in), exceptional characters, and an absolutely brilliant, beautiful writing style!

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book ticked all sorts of boxes for me, but one of the standout aspects has got to be the worldbuilding! There is a lot happening in this book, all the different cultures, the different gods and peoples are thrown together in the city of Chime. This could have been the book's downfall, but Trudie does a fantastic job of pacing this. The descriptions of each race are brilliant, putting a clear picture of the city that is Chime. It was paced so nicely as well, with information coming to the reader in a measured way.

The world that Trudie has created is complex, but the level of detail and thought is incredible, It took me a little while to get my bearings with it to be fair. The potential for this series is incredible, through the initial scenes where the secrets of the map (no spoilers) are revealed and the depth of this world hits the reader. I seriously enjoyed the idea of twelve realms, ruled by twelve different gods with different races of people, it comes together so well and wonderfully that I didn’t want the book to end.

We have two point of view characters, Kayl and Quen. When you first meet them they are on different paths, and I enjoyed the first person viewpoint of the characters. It really helped with the immersion, but also when the magic system starts to come to the fore, the first person viewpoint makes some scenes truly special! The journey of these two characters is brilliant, the arcs are wonderful and they are not perfect characters. The thing that really struck me with how real they felt, for example Quen is dorky in a loveable and quirky way and loves Tea. Kayl is always late and forgets people’s names. It was things like this which really drew me to the characters and invested me in them, they are wonderful and I honestly think when I revisit this book then I will greet them like old friends.

So there you are my review of The Thirteenth Hour by Trudie Skies. A story that starts out quite small but then gradually expands. Trudie’s writing is fluid and accessible, careful as well as humour is balanced very well in the book. So what we have is another excellent example of character driven fantasy here, it is complex, but the balance of character and plot along with the measured reveal of the world makes this easily one of the stand out books of the year for me and something that I highly recommend you read.

[Olivia Atwater]

The Thirteenth Hour asks the question "how much do we owe to a cruel creator?", and the book pretty much doesn't pull punches on the idea. It was a big philosophical swing, executed beautifully, which surpassed my already-high expectations based on its summary.

The book starts by following Kayl, an inhabitant of the city of Chime who calls herself Godless. The Godless, we soon learn, are rare people who have turned their backs on their creators, the gods of the twelve worlds; the Godless refuse to pray or worship or offer tribute, which makes them inherently illegal in a world where the gods objectively exist and can dictate laws for their created children. Within the first few pages, we can already see examples of the casual cruelty which results from the gods' abusive relationship with their children, when a goddess kills one of her followers from afar for her inability to offer up a scheduled tribute.

We soon learn that Kayl and the other Godless have stumbled on some larger conspiracy to do with one god selling their children to another god, with the agreement of the city's Wardens, who should in theory be against such an illegal act. As in the real world, however, the laws of Chime become more like guidelines as soon as powerful people find them inconvenient. This conspiracy deepens further over the course of the story, especially as we switch over regularly to the novel's other point-of-view character, Quen.

At first, I was wary of Quen's perspective, as he's a Warden of Chime and very attached to his calling. I wondered whether I'd be able to empathise with someone whose very existence enforces such an awful setup. But Quen turned out to be a well-painted example of a brainwashed character still clawing for occasional clarity, despite his very thorough indoctrination. Once the narrative revealed that Quen has been through "re-education" before, I was able to accept him as someone subconsciously trapped within the system, with much of his free will subtly quashed before it can fully manifest into the choices which the reader desperately wants him to make. By the end of the book, I found Quen to be the most philosophically interesting character, as he brings up fascinating questions of both identity and free will.

Overall, The Thirteenth Hour was exactly as interesting as I hoped it was going to be, with a few extra surprises along the way. It does come with several content warnings for sexual and religious abuse, but I think there's an element of catharsis involved with the ruthlessly plain way in which these topics are eventually handled; the real-life trauma of such ideas is primarily based in the constant downplaying and denial of them, and The Thirteenth Hour feels as though it is angrily throwing open doors and demanding that people acknowledge their existence.

Truly, I am a sucker for righteous anger, properly applied.

[FantasyBookNerd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal, intricate, mind blowing and just bloody brilliant!

All these superlatives can apply to describe Trudie Skies’s book The Thirteenth Hour.

I have been dying to read this since I was first involved with the map reveal, which I think was in August last year. And from the initial view of Soraya Cocoran’s design for the book, it hinted that there was something definitely special about this book. I mean look at it!

The story revolves around our two main characters; Kayl and Quen

The two characters couldn’t be more opposite. Kayl is a Vesper, a race of people from Eventide, who can control shadow and darkness. Well, that is what she thinks she is as she is an orphan that was brought up on the streets of the Undercity of Chime. However she is a bit of a mystery. No one knows anything about her past, like who her parents are etc etc.

Now she is a Godless, a member of a disparate group of anarchists, made up of different races of people from the different realms that make up the domain of Chime. As a person, she is chaos!

Quen on the other hand is highly organised. He is a member of the Wardens, a Diviner. A race of people that can control time. He is fastidious about his appearance, order and following the rules.

We start the story with Kayl missing a tram! From this seemingly innocuous event things go rapidly down hill from there. You see, as I said earlier, Kayl is a member of the anarchist group, The Godless, who are there to fight against the God’s cruel and capricious rule over their mortals. As she and the other Godless are attempting to transport a group of refugees from the land of Eventide, events occur that will change both Kayl and Quen’s life.

After a disastrous incident in which she is noticed to not be affected by the Diviners control of time, she is confronted by none other than the leader of The Wardens. Her boss at the tea shop that she works at intervenes which results in Kayl inadvertently killing the owner.

At the same time a series of Diviner deaths are rocking the Warden ranks. Diviners are turning up with their eyes torn out and their souls ripped from their bodies.

The star Warden, Quen is brought in to investigate the connection and discovers Kayl’s involvement. However, things go from bad to worse. Not only is Kayl accused of murder, she also discovers that everything that she knew about herself is not what she thought. And as she and Quen discover the truth about the deaths of the Diviners, her world will be changed forever.

The Thirteenth Hour is a rip roaring adventure that I totally enjoyed. In truth I was not sure what to expect from the book, I expected it to be good but this totally blew my socks off. I totally fell head over heels with this book. Trudie Skies has really created something special with this book. The world is intricately built and is extremely original. The characters of the book are so vivid and real and I was so engrossed with the story of Quen & Kayl that I was thinking about what would happen next in the story, even when I wasn't reading it.

In addition to a fantastic plot and brilliant characters, we have to talk about the real star of the show, Chime itself. It is such a wonderfully developed piece of world building. Not only is there the description of the environment in the book, but there are also little nuggets of information at the head of each chapter that give details about the lore of different lands and general observations about race, culture and a whole load of other things. But let us get back to Chime itself! In some aspects it is reminiscent of portal fantasy, where the characters have to cross a gate to another world, and in others it is like a Neo – Dickensian playground of sin and filth, but with the pristine newness of Industrial age mechanika.

And another thing that jumped out at me was the care that is taken in the book. Let me explain! The story cycles points of view every chapter. One chapter Quen, one chapter Kayl (although this is not a finite rule!), but you can always tell whose chapter it is going to be with the chapter numbers. Quen’s chapters are headed by Roman Numerals, whilst Kayl’s are presented in the standard Arabic numeral forms for easier identification of whose chapter it is, which I have to say that I loved as it gives a clear boundary and you know what to expect. It is these little things that make the book that much more enjoyable.

The Thirteenth Hour is a brilliant start to one of the most original fantasy stories that I have read in a long time, totally captivating me with its engrossing narrative, intricate world building and incredibly dry wit (with some of the standout little tidbits getting ‘exceedingly good cakes by Mr Kipler, or the Ferrero Roscher reference, which made me chuckle no end). Oh, and lets us not forget the biscuits. I was just dying for a pink wafer to show up, or maybe a Garibaldi!

[Rebecca Crunden]

❧ audiobook review

MILD SPOILERS

If I wiped my memories a hundred times over, I’d still dream of those eyes.

Oh this was such a fun surprise! I’ve been meaning to read The Thirteenth Hour for a while now (the TBR is huge! HUGE!) but if I’d known how much Quen YEARNED for Kayl, I’d have shuffled it right up the TBR and started it sooner. LMFAO. I’m such a sucker for angst-riddled romances and this DELIVERED. It fits really well with my week of rewatching Buffy and Once Upon a Time, too, as all my ships do be angstin’ right now. Let’s add Quen and Kayl to the mix.

In my most wondrous dreams, I sagged to my knees, tears streaming down my face. I hugged her legs and pleaded not for mercy, but for her to do it. She’ll one day reach down and kiss me with such sweet lips, her silvery-blue eyes burning with determination, and her palm will rest on my neck. Kayl will rip my soul apart. And I’ll thank her for it.

Quen broke my heart several times over throughout this book. I hope he gets a break in the next book, poor dear. SO MUCH WAS DONE TO MY FAV. :(

The world-building in this was exceptional and the plot was intricate and well developed, and it was honestly a very intriguing concept. Overall there’s just a really good mixture of mediums and threads going on and it all mixes together quite well. Truly an original, intriguing gem of a novel! I also found Jinx to be a fascinating character, and I also really liked Kayl, Dru and Harmony as characters.

Bring on book two and all its angsty goodness!

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[Julia Sarene · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very delightful read!

I had no idea what to expect when I started it I just went by a friend's "you should read this", without even glancing at the blurb.

What I found was a wild mix of murder mystery, heist, revolution, a gang of misfits, cranky gods, aether fuelled technology and a lot of mystery.

Really, a whole ton of mystery, as even the main character doesn't have the slightest idea what she is, after one strange incident.

I loved the world, though at times it felt a bit rough around the edges. It's such a complex set up, that other pieces felt a bit lacking in contrast. Those weren't enough to rip me out of the story, just felt a bit too loose here and there.

What really made the book for me was the character! I loved the snark and the sarcasm that just felt right at home in a rather bleak and dark world. This made for a great balance between humourous and fun, and yet full of suspense and gritty. The main character(s? As she has a voice in her head) was easily my favourite, but I also enjoyed all her friends, and some of her enemies as well.

The gods were a bit too stereotypical for me, again with how amazing the rest of the book was, I expected a bit more from this part as well.

There's a bit of romance, but written in a way that even I, as a decidedly non romance reader, didn't mind. Warning for one short and well handled, but still hard to read scene of sexual assault.

The whole book was an "easy" read for me, but it's really rather dark in places. It has topics like social injustice, work houses, correction facilities, murder, violence, quite some death, some torture. It's not a fully Grimdark story at all, but it's also not at all fluffy!

I'll definitely pick up more by the author!

[Craig Bookwyrm · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully imaginative world with two fascinating main characters. Full review can be read here:

https://fanfiaddict.com/review-the-th...

[Tammie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much to the author for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 stars

For a bit of context on why I picked this book up and why exactly I enjoyed it as much as I have, I came across this because I've been on a bit of a hunt for a book that will make me feel the same way I felt when I watched Arcane for the first time. This book seemed like it would be a great fit - steampunk fantasy (technically gaslamp fantasy, but it's all under the same umbrella to me), a world with an undercity, and multiple POVs where we follow a character from the undercity and another character who is from a more privileged class. After reading this book, I can very confidently say that if you, like me, were looking for a book that gave you all the chaotic energy and excitement as Arcane, this is it.

Aside from that though, the book itself was incredibly engaging from start to finish. I really loved both of our main characters. Kayl is a brazen, kind of impulsive main character who makes terrible decisions, but you can't help but root for her. Quen, on the other hand, is kind of a nerdy, and behaves a bit like a moody cat - endearing at times, but also has an attitude and will bite if necessary. I appreciated that even though this was written in first person POV, the voices for each character was distinct enough to be able to tell whose chapter was whose without too much confusion. A special shoutout to Jinx, who is unhinged and chaos incarnate. I have heard that we might be getting her POV in book 2, and I am very excited for those chapters.

While I did find the plot to be fairly straightforward, I actually thought this worked here to balance the complex worldbuilding. Which brings me to my favourite part about this book - the worldbuilding. Chime is a vivid and rich city, and the author really manages to bring it to life within the pages. The politics between the different gods and domains, as well as the tensions between all the mortals in charge, were intriguing, and constantly made me want more. Beyond that, there's so much that is teased in this first book but we don't get to see - each of the twelve gods effectively has their own world, with their own unique ecosystems and politics, and while we didn't get too much of that here, I think this book set a solid foundation for the author to build upon in future installments.

I'd say that if you're interested in the meddling gods trope, you would love this book. The gods in this world are, as the name of the series suggests, cruel. Their people are beholden to their every whim, and so extremely unlikeable, but I really can't wait to meet more of them and see what's in store.

My only minor criticism is that I do feel like some of the side characters could've used a little more depth - I think while I was extremely invested in Kayl, Quen, and Jinx, I felt less attachment towards some of the other characters, and some of the more emotional moments in this book were lost on me because of that.

Overall, I absolutely loved this book, and I think that it's a great first installment to what will hopefully be a new favourite series for me. It was exactly what I was looking for - a dark, gritty, steampunk/gaslamp fantasy with a lot of chaotic energy. I do think that some readers might be put off by the sheer amount of worldbuilding there is here and just how much is going on in general, but I think if this even sounds vaguely interesting to you, I recommend giving it a try!

[Cassidy Chivers · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up for Goodreads!

My full thoughts are in my video review/vlog
https://youtu.be/ahEh6DSSDQM

The first half of this book started really strong for me I was super intrigued and enjoyed the world building as well as being interested in the stories of our two main characters.

But after hitting 60% I found myself losing interest. I didn't care where the plot was going and the repetitive writing of the book made it far too long for me. (& I mean I love a chunky book but there needs to be meaning for the chunk)

The main point of issue for me ended up being the characters in this book. We had two protagonists who's voices were too similar for me. I had a hard time defining the two. I did prefer the male pov over the female as we had an interesting convos about memories in his chapters. And all of the side characters and gods didn't have any personality for me.

That being said the book was well written just some pacing issues. And the world building was fascinating.

It is urban but set in a new fantastical world. Not our own. Which I like. It reminded me of the settings of City Of Stairs and Foundryside by Robert Jacson Bennett.

[Rob Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderfully fun adventure with a side helping of charming danger. This book is aetherpunky, steampunky, madness with brilliant characters, a bizarre world full of unique gods and races, and a story that drags you in and doesn't let go.

[Rowena Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Chime needs godless heathens.

May the gods leave you to your fate.”

Gaslamp fantasy? Multiple Gods and Domains? I have been so excited for The Thirteenth Hour from the moment I heard about it, and the snippets and artwork have only fed that excitement, and don’t get me started on the Domain Map (It’s freaking beautiful is what it is!!), and this book did not disappoint!!

What a fantastic book!

I have to start by saying that The Thirteenth Hour is a stunning book inside and out. The cover is beautiful – and even if I hadn’t known about the book beforehand, it would have certainly had me grabbing it. The Domain map, as you might have already guessed is one of my favourite features. It’s not your typical map, but it is perfect for this book – and I don’t think that I will ever get tired of looking at it. I also loved all the little details throughout the book, from the pictorial scene breaks, to the different font at the start of each chapter. There’s just so much care and obvious love that has been poured into this book, and it adds to the feel and atmosphere of The Thirteenth Hour in such a fabulous way.

The world-building is absolutely my favourite thing about this book. There is a lot happening in this book, with all the different domains and their unique Gods, peoples and cultures, and then the cultural melting pot that is the city of Chime where all of that comes together. It could have been overwhelming. However, Skies does a fantastic job of balancing all those different elements, and the imagery for the different peoples is so vivid that it is easy to differentiate between them whether in terms of their appearance or the powers granted by their domain. It is also a rolling introduction and one that takes it time to establish this world in all its glorious details, and the information was provided in a timely manner where it was relevant so that there was plenty of timeto get used to a certain aspect before we were introduced to another. This made for a slightly slower start to the book, but by the gods, it was worth it (and by the time the pace really picks up you know where you are in the world), and honestly, I could have spent an entire book just exploring the wonders of this world (and even better is knowing that there is still so much more to explore in future books).

I also loved the little pieces of information that we got at the top of each chapter – which is one of my favourite ways of having glimpses into the history or culture of a book, and it just works so well here. There is also a fantastic introduction to the covenant, and the ‘unforgivable sins’ at the beginning of the book, which is not only key information, but does an excellent job of being both intriguing and setting the tone for the book.

Chime itself is an absolutely fantastic setting and was an excellent choice for kicking off The Cruel Gods series because it was that crossroads and meeting point of all the domains. Knowing that this was a city where gods cannot tread conjures certain images and expectations, and some of them were correct, but Skies has taken this concept and made it into something that is wonderfully complex and compelling. The Gods might not be able to tread there, but their influence is everywhere – from the devout and pious, to the sinners, to those who want to be free of the gods entirely. This is then built into the social structure and hierarchy of Chime, and Skies using that explore so many interesting topics – from workhouses and all that entails, to the question of free will, and the concept of faith and how far an individual could take that belief, as well exploring sin. This is a book that makes you think, that makes you ask questions, and I had so much fun with that aspect, and it all works so well because Chime is such a well-written, multi-layered city that allows for that exploration and because it is paired with a gripping plot and fantastic characters.

The Thirteenth Hour is written in the first person, alternating between Kayl and Quen our main characters. I love both of them, although I think Kayl stole my heart. She wasn’t a classic badass (although she certainly has her moments), but she had a wonderfully sharp wit and a strong sense of who and what she believed in, and what that meant for her and those around her. She was also a disaster. I felt her so much with forgetting names, or not noticing details and having it pointed out to her, and it just made her so wonderfully human and realistic.

“If I was a pious woman, I’d be praying. But I was a Godless woman, and the gods left me to dictate my own fate.”

That isn’t to say that I didn’t love Quen, who has to be one of the most endearing, dorky characters I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. You end up just sort of wanting to wrap in a blanket and hide him away from the world – and especially away from Elijah – but, also there were so many times when I wanted to shake him or give him a good kick in the shin. His obsession with tea and the quality of it is also so traditionally British that I couldn’t help but smile each time he was faced with coffee, or bad tea. He was a wonderful character, with a strong sense of purpose and duty, even as he warred with himself, his ‘sin’ and his past.

“Partners with some caveats.”

Both are so wonderfully written, and it is so easy to tell their POV apart because their character voices are so distinct and well-realised, and I loved reading the two of them together. In many ways, they couldn’t have been further apart, or at least that’s how it seems for a long time, and yet they are still drawn together – as much by those differences as by the common goals. The Thirteenth Hour is very much a journey of self-discovery for both of them, albeit in different ways – Kayl to find out who and what she really is, while holding on to who she is now, and Quen to find himself in the web he had woven around himself.

The wonderful characters don’t end with them though. The Godless in particular were my favourite characters in this book, and I liked that time was taken to explore why they had come to stand against their Gods, it felt like pulling back the curtain on the world and again added little details to the world. There was also very much the found family feel with this group, and the loyalty and love were beautiful to behold, just as the worry and fear and loss was vividly palpable. Vincent and Sindar were probably my favourites if I was forced to choose, just their relationship, and their histories endeared them to me. I also adore Reve, although we spent less time with him, but there was just something about how Skies brought him to life that had me wanting to join Dru and take care of him.

This care with the characterisation is also evident with the antagonists. I hesitate to say villains, because while there are undoubtedly reprehensible characters in this book – those that seek to exploit other mortals, who abuse what power they have. However, it was never that simple. Some were so tightly bound by their Gods, that arguably they had no choice – again returning to that debate about free will, or that it was so ingrained in their very being that they couldn’t defy. There were others who were acting on a direct order or goal from the god or trying on their own to save as many as they could. Are they good? Probably not, but it could also be said that our main characters were not ‘good’ and not just within the concept of ‘sin’ in Chime, but because of the impact of their choices. But, nor would I say they were evil – even those who wanted chaos and to tear the world down had motivations. It makes for fantastic reading, and the character work throughout the book was top-notch. (I will say I might make an exception for Elijah just because I really want to kick him – HARD).

“I see her there. I see where her path leads. The clock of fate is ticking for her.” His dark eyes turned to me. “Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.”

There were twists and turns – betrayals and surprising alliances – and as soon as I thought I knew what was happening, we would learn something new, or hit a wall and it made for a gripping read. There was almost a heist-like atmosphere to this book, and in a way, there are multiple heists – and things go wrong, sometimes a little more disastrously than others, and honestly I was on the edge of my seat at point (…and broken-hearted at others). The characters and worldbuilding really stole the show, but the plot was great and as the pace builds and builds, and the stakes grew I couldn’t look away because I needed to know what was going to happen. This is also paired with a really enjoyable prose style, that is charming in its own way – and I loved the Britishness that slipped through – but it makes not only for a fun read all around, but it just makes all the different aspects shine even brighter (and it doesn’t even need a Glimmer to help).

The Thirteenth Hour was a fantastic read with layers within layers, wrapped up in chaos and fun, and oh so many emotions and there are a couple of moments at least that I won’t be over for a while. An absolutely fantastic start to a new series that I will be following closely, and a book I can’t recommend highly enough. So, grab a warm beverage of your choice (although Quen will be displeased if it’s not tea), a good biscuit or two and curl up with this book, you won’t regret it!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://www.bookwormblues.net/2021/10...

There are some people in the world I want to succeed purely because I think they are good humans who deserve wonderful things in their life. Trudie Skies is one of those people. This made the reading of her book kind of awkward. I want her to do so well, because I genuinely feel like she deserves success, so what if I read this book and hate it? What then?

So, as with most books that I straddle this particular line on, I put off reading it. And then I read it in fits and starts, constantly anticipating something to happen that would ruin the entire experience for me, because isn’t that how life works? You want good things to happen, and the skies pour mud.

It is with great relief that I can tell you, that never happened. This book started out, charming me to bits, and ended with me reeling and almost aggressively wanting more. There was never a moment when The Thirteenth Hour was anything less than superb.

The first thing I noticed was the worldbuilding, which really deserves a review all on its own. Set in a truly complex world, I was amazed by how much thought and insight went into its crafting. No detail was overlooked. It took a bit of time for me to gather my bearings due to said complexities, but I didn’t honestly mind this in the least. I never felt overly confused or lost in information. Rather, this was a place I didn’t understand, and I wanted to understand it. Different realms ruled by different gods and inhabited by different people with different rules all clash together to create something truly unforgettable.

What’s more, Skies’s writing is fluid and careful, staying light and humorous in the right places and somber when needed. Her thoughtful use of words allowed the world to unfold naturally. Gaslamp fantasy with some steampunk-ish minor elements, this book straddles a few lines, and never fully adheres to any one category, which is something I love. Perhaps it is this element of balance which really makes The Thirteenth Hour shine so bright. There is a lot happening in this book. The worldbuilding alone made my head spin (it’s really amazing) and yet Skies kept everything perfectly balanced. Information is offered in easy to digest bites at the perfect moments. Details are given when they are most relevant, and then there is time to let it all sink in and gel in your mind as you read. Yes, it is complex, but Skies balances complexity, plot, and characters perfectly, which combined to make this world something I wanted to explore and study.

Chime is an amazing place, and the perfect setting for this book. Here, you get a taste of all the domains. Chime is a place the gods cannot tread. That gives it a sort of tug-and-pull feel, where there’s an intoxicating (and sometimes uncomfortable) clash of cultures, and yet it’s one step removed from the truly terrifying power players. Influence is important, and it is felt everywhere. An ominous feeling sort of crept up on me as the book progressed, as I could see strings being pulled by unseen puppet masters, and while some of them are easy to guess, there’s an ambiguity there as well, which only served to heighten the tension.

The Thirteenth Hour is told through two first-person perspectives. I’m a big sucker for first person POVs. I love how they allow me to get into a character’s head, but when you write with more than one first-person POV, it’s important to be able to keep the voices distinct so there’s no confusion. It’s always a risk, and I feel like Skies did a great job here. Kayl and Quen are easy to tell apart, with unique voices and traits. Perhaps the thing that I loved the most about them was how real they were. Kayl forgets everyone’s name and is always late. Quen is kind of dorky but in a really loveable way. They both were so real, I felt like they could hop right out of the book and visit with me in my living room. My attachment to them, my relationship with their quirks, made me care so much about them. It invested me in the story. I wasn’t reading about interesting characters, I was experiencing these events along with two friends. Skies ability to transport me from reading a book to experiencing a story is truly masterful, and it is owed, in large part, to her realistic, carefully crafted characters.

The Thirteenth Hour is one of those books that starts out small and gets bigger as things progress. The atmosphere gets more ominous, the characters risk more, lose more, want more. There’s a sort of caper-like vibe to it, but not quite. Again, this book seems to straddle a bunch of lines, never quite being one thing, but rather being the best part of a whole bunch of different things. There are alliances and betrayals, antagonists, and uncomfortable moral quandaries. The surface-level story is gripping and absorbing, extremely hard to put down, and I dare you not to enjoy it. There’s dark moments and light, and plenty of tea and British humor that really round things out nicely… but there were deeper themes here as well, and Skies ability to play on both levels—surface and deeper—truly delighted me.

Free will is an important concept in this book, and it can both be limiting and liberating. Skies plays with this idea throughout, in some surprising ways. While there are some truly reprehensible characters in this book, the theme of free will, the puppet master vibe I mentioned above, the very world itself all work together to humanize even the characters I ended up loathing. There are some I never liked, and never will like, and that’s fine because that’s how it’s supposed to be, but even then, through the “free will” lens that Skies crafted, they are somewhat human, and that makes them, in their own way, tragedies.

And yeah, I love stuff like that.

So where does that leave us?

The Thirteenth Hour blew me away. Phenomenal worldbuilding, stunning prose, attention to detail, characters I love, and numerous layers to the story all work together to create one of those gems that I want everyone to read.

[Lana (Lore & Lullabies) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Thirteenth Hour is a steampunk dark fantasy with incredible world building that sucks you in and immerses you in the world of Chime until the very last page. I need book 2!

Kayl is part of the Godless, an underground secret organisation trying to bring down the reign of the Gods of the 12 domains/realms they are forced to obey. However, their mission is way bigger than any of them could imagine and long forgotten secrets come to the surface with chaotic consequences.

It has been a while since I have dived head first into a steampunk fantasy and I loved this! I read 5% of TTH before I realised this is a massive world with 12 different domains (plus Chime) and 12 different... species, and I wanted more knowledge about each place and people. Skies already had this covered.

I downloaded The Travellers Handbook to Chime and Beyond. It is a 120 page Handbook written for the people of Chime and has notes from past Kayl written in the margins. This handbook is so in depth for each and every domain. From the mortals and the Gods that rule each domain, to the climate and best places to eat and find lodgings!!! It was well worth the read. Continuing TTH was a full 3D like experience. I could all but smell and taste the streets, buildings and tea. I highly recommend reading this companion/prequel.

A consistent pace throughout, TTH gave me the steampunk elements I was craving, with all the fantasy elements that I love. Kayl was an interesting character and her interactions with Diviner Quen were amusing. But the worldbuilding is what really stood out for me in this book.

I will say this book isn't for everyone. This book, like Kayl, is quite chaotic at times. A lot is going on behind the scenes and the consequences may not be what you want or expect. For this chaos demon, I was in my element and LOVED every moment.

[Trudie Skies]

With just over a week until The Thirteenth Hour launches on ebook, I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who has reviewed this book so far or added it to their TBR! I appreciate and read every review, and even if this book wasn't for you, I'm grateful that you took the time to read it and share your thoughts.

I truly believe this is the best book I've ever written (so far!) and I thoroughly enjoyed spending time bringing Kayl and Quen to life. There will be more books in this world as we explore the various domains and learn more about the races, gods, and characters.

So I'll end with a little announcement: paperback copies of The Thirteenth Hour are now available ahead of the ebook launch coming October 13th!

Thank you again for sharing in my world. I won't rate it, but I will add it to my own Goodreads because I have a challenge to win, and I've certainly read this book enough times for it to count ;)

[Chloe Frizzle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book convinced me that my least favorite trope is:

A member of the team totally knows what is going on. However, they coyly keep it a secret while the rest of the team try to figure out the mystery for the whole book.

(Bonus points if they then get angry and turn into a villain because the rest of the team doesn't go along with their grand plan. You know, the plan that they kept a secret. For reasons)

[Esmay Rosalyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up

I am always on the hunt for fantasy books with a unique flair, so when I heard about this intriguing gaslamp fantasy with its intricate world building, I was immediately convinced I needed to give it a shot. Plus, who can resist a blurb like this: “For a city that bows to cruel gods, it’ll take godless heathens to save it.”?

The Thirteenth Hour follows Kayl and Quen, two individuals who couldn’t be more different from each other if they tried. Kayl is part of a merry band of heathen misfits calling themselves ‘the Godless’, and they have made it their mission to protect the vulnerable and oppressed mortals from their cruel gods’ whims. Quen, on the other hand, is part of the zealous Wardens who are charged with chasing and punishing sinners who transgress the tyrannical doctrine of their gods.
They live in the magnificent, steam-powered city of Chime, which lies at the centre of the clock that makes up the twelve different Domains of this universe. Each Domain is ruled over by a specific God and is inhabited by a unique species, with Chime serving as the neutral ground where the Gods cannot tread and where peoples from all Domains can live and work alongside each other.
But when mysterious soul-sucking creatures of aether start appearing all over the city, Kayl and Quen find themselves at the centre of the mystery and reluctantly team up to save their entire universe from collapsing.

I am incredibly impressed with the world building in this story. The whole concept of these twelve different Domains with their own distinct God and species is super cool and resulted in a delightfully diverse world. Chime is truly a melting-pot of all the different species from the twelve Domains, which allows for a natural way of trickling in bits of worldbuilding without it feeling like an infodump. We get a good grasp of what makes each unique species tick and the vivid descriptions of the other Domains help feel this world feel more fleshed out, despite the fact that we only ever visit one of the twelve Domains.
I also really liked the fact that we get to explore this world through both Kayl and Quen’s eyes, because they offer such different perspectives on this world and that made everything feel more realistic and nuanced.

And that leads nicely into the characters themselves, who were just a delight to follow. The main characters both have very strong personalities and distinctive quirks, so it was super easy to track which POV you were reading from at any given time. Kayl is sassy, witty and overall just a bit of a hot mess, but that’s exactly what makes her so endearing. Quen, on the other hand, presents himself as an uptight and organised gentleman, but deep down he is honestly just a bit of a quirky dork as well.
Their personal journeys were complex and compelling, and I liked that there was a sense of mystery and intrigue to both of their backstories. They are both hiding secrets, not only from the world, but also from themselves.
The supporting cast of side characters, especially the Godless, were also well-developed and added a lot of diversity to the story. They all come from different Domains, but are united by the fact that they have been left scarred and broken by their Gods. Their backstories are full of trauma and pain, which perfectly illustrates just how brutal life in this world can be.

All that said, there were some things about the characterization of certain characters in this book that didn’t work for me. Firstly, Kayl has a mysterious voice/entity inside their head, which is always a hard sell for me. I personally thought the inner monologue in her POV came off as quite juvenile, but I do have to give it to the author that there were some interesting reveals around this inner voice which tied neatly into the overall plot.
Aside from that, though, I also felt like the antagonists were a bit underdeveloped, moustache-twirly villainous, or just completely unhinged. I couldn’t get behind their motivations and thought that some of the betrayals and backstabbing didn’t make sense.
And then there are the Gods... whew, this series is really called The Cruel Gods for good reason, because these gods are unapologetically brutal and malevolent. On the one hand, I liked how their selfish, greedy and fickle natures allowed for some interesting themes around blind worship and faith. But on the other hand, I felt like the exploration of those themes wasn’t all that nuanced, because in my opinion the gods’ characterizations verged on the side of stereotypical.

Overall, though, I did end up having a fun time with this book. Despite some seriously disturbing scenes and some heavy and dark themes, there is still a light-hearted tone to the story that made this an incredibly entertaining and delightful read. The deep friendships and strong found family vibes, the quirky characters, the queer-normative society, the deadpan British humour, the mouth-watering food descriptions… there’s honestly just a lot to love in this story. Oh, and Chime is not the only thing running on steam here, because there are some delicious dashes of romance thrown in that add quite a bit of extra steam, indeed ;)

This is one of the most unique and ambitious stories I have read in a while and I am intrigued to see where the rest of the series goes. If you are looking for fantasy with a unique flair, then this is definitely a good pick. Brilliant worldbuilding, endearing and complex main characters, a nice dose of mystery with unexpected twists and turns, all the steampunk vibes and just a whole lot of heart... The Thirteenth Hour has truly got it all.

[Grace Dionne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had so much fun reading this! Truly such a pleasant surprise since I’m not very well-versed in this subgenre of fantasy!

[Mel Lenore · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a high 3. I go over this book in extensive depth in my first SPFBO finalist vlog! https://youtu.be/dltIH3lNXIw

I had a lot of fun with it! The world is very unique and well fleshed out. I loved the different species and magic they possessed. I thought the culture of the world was also done well. We're following two POVs. One that is part of the Godless and one that is basically a cop of the world. At time, I felt like the plot was trying to do a little too much. It was a relatively straightforward story with the attempt at layers. Sometimes, this made the book feel a little too long or like it dragged. I wish, rather than adding in a lot more of those "unnecessary" plot points, we had gotten more background and info on the side characters. Something big happens at the end, but because I didn't know them well, it didn't have the impact it should have.

Overall, I had a lot of fun and will likely get to book 2 at some point!

*The audio was not my favorite for this. I think the voice actor over acted just a bit, and I wish he had been a little more natural in parts.

[Terrible Timy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Thirteenth Hour is one of the SPFBO 8 Finalists, which I'm a judge of. For the team review, please visit Queen's Book Asylum. Our combined score is 8.5/10, my personal is 8/10. Below are my own thoughts only.

I’ve been following The Thirteenth Hour since its publication. Even before that as I was involved with its cover reveal, so I was aware of the hype and high praise it received since. And thus was not surprised when it made it into the finals of SPFBO 8. I put off reading it for a long time, mostly because I’m usually not good with hyped books. But I was also curious how Skies pulled off a world in which there are 12 domains with their own gods and customs and people.

As such, my favorite part about The Thirteenth Hour definitely was the worldbuilding. It’s been a while since I came across something this cool. I loved the concept of time, and how each domain represented an hour, I loved the different people that came with each domain, and their different abilities and I can only imagine how many hours of brainstorming it must have taken to figure out all the details to make it all work. I’m definitely tipping my non-existent hat before Skies. I enjoyed the aspects of societal issues, the connection with the gods – generally all the mythological aspect, you know I love that stuff a lot -, the careful and thoughtful approach to the diverse cast of characters. I’m pretty sure everyone will find one character they can identify with.

This being a vast world and all that, it takes some time for the reader to get their footing and be able to sort in their minds who is who. As others pointed out, it’s a bit info-dumpy at places, and the pacing can be a bit uneven, but once things start to fall into place, it evens out. I also liked the initial premise of the book with a murder investigation at the heart, as I’m a sucker for those. It didn’t get as much focus as I would have liked to, but it was fascinating nonetheless.

I had a feeling that The Thirteenth Hour couldn’t quite decide if it wanted to be a plot-driven or character-driven story and it ended up being a bit out of balance for me. Toward the end, the plot became a bit overcomplicated (although not very predictable which is a big accomplishment if you have visions involved), and although we get to spend a lot of time with the MCs, I never really warmed up to them. Now that’s a problem (for me), because I tend to like books the most if I can be invested in the characters. And here I just couldn’t be. Not that I hated them or anything, it’s just that I couldn’t bond with them, if you know what I mean. I could feel for both Quen and Kayl, though, and I think if I had to pick a favorite I would pick Quen. That said, Skies put both of them through the grinder. If I ever found myself in this world, I would be very afraid of her indeed.

Keeping my review short, it’s never easy to live up to the hype and expectations. The Thirteenth Hour thankfully does not disappoint. I think if it was a bit trimmed and I could connect more with the characters (which is a totally subjective thing, so you know, it can be a me thing), it could very well become one of my favorite books in the competition this year. It definitely has the coolest worldbuilding, so there is that. If you like gaslamp/steampunky novels with a twisty plot, a diverse cast of non-human characters, and a detailed, complex setting full of magic, and you don’t mind having an emotional roller-coaster ride, then you definitely will like Skies‘ first foray into the adult Fantasy world.

[Mitriel Faywood · Rating 5 out of 5]

From time to time a book comes along that I feel inadequate to review. For I’m pretty sure it’s not blood that flows in the veins of Trudie Skies, but creativity and imagination.

I went into this trilogy not knowing anything about it, except that I really liked the covers. In fact, I was so lost, I somehow even bought the second book first. Having corrected that by purchasing the first one too, I was still a little confused at the start, as there was quite a lot to take in. I think it’s safe to say that Skies took world-building to the next level. Forget about creating an imaginary map and adding your elves, dwarves, and whatnot. In The Thirteenth Hour there are twelve distinct worlds, inhabited by their distinctive mortal races, and ruled over by their individual (and mostly cruel and tyrannical) gods. They are connected by a magical gate in an hour-glass shaped city called Chime, a multi-cultural domain where a giant clocktower’s elevators transport citizens between its rich upper town, busy central part, and the more depraved, dark undercity. For this all to work like clockwork, there are quite a few rules and limitations as one might expect. But once I processed all this and this incredible setting sort of settled in my brain, there was a lot to enjoy here.

First and foremost, the characters. The two main POVs, Kayl and Quen are wonderfully complex. They are part of opposing forces (one is a member of the local ‘police’, the wardens, a protector of the system, the other is a godless rebel), and they possess contrasting qualities (one is orderly, disciplined; the other impulsive, chaotic), which all makes their relationship a lot of fun to read about. I adored them both.

Skies tackles dark and bitter themes in this book by adding a splash of humour to lighten it, two spoonfuls of charm to sweeten it, and a smoothly written intricate plot to make it even more fun. The book feels cosy at times, action-packed at others, while still managing to be thought-provoking, especially when it comes to matters of religion.

Every now and then the question comes up in fantasy circles: which book would like to see as a movie? The Thirteenth Hour is now very high up on that particular list for me.

[Dom · Rating 3 out of 5]

* You can find my full video review here: https://youtu.be/Psep_Rig_hg *

The Thirteenth Hour, book one of The Cruel Gods by Trudie Skies, is an SPFBO8 finalist, and whichever way you look at it, that’s high praise in itself. It isn’t though, the type of book I would normally expect to pick up. It’s a Gaslamp fantasy, set in a steam-powered city, and there’s a steampunk vibe throughout. So it’s a level of technology more advanced than that of my usual reads, and that should be taken into consideration when reading my review.

We have twelve domains, that are each very different settings. Each of these domains has its own people, and they all look different and have different mannerisms and to some degree different capabilities. So there’s a very varied world and although we don’t visit all of the domains, people do move between them, giving us access to different races during our reading.

I found this setting to be a very interesting concept. As well as the twelve domains, each the purview of that individual domain’s god, you also have the afore-mentioned steam-powered city, called Chime. This is the hub of this world, and the setting for the book itself. Here, there is a portal that can take you to any of the twelve domains, but on a twelve-hour cycle, so if you miss the crossing to your intended domain, you’ll have to wait twelve hours for the next crossing.

Chime itself is a very diverse city, with a defined upper, middle, and lower layer. This is the one place the gods can’t tread, so it’s where people from all domains can mix freely, although they need to remain faithful to their individual god as they do so. So overall, the worldbuilding was very well done. There’s clearly been a lot of time and effort put into this, and in the book itself, it all works very well.

The characters are not really defined by their domain, which is a good thing. Those who we see enough of have their own personalities and motivations, and in general, the interactions between the characters were quite good.

Our main characters of Kayl and Quen worked well, even if they would probably never work well together under normal circumstances. This story though is definitely not what they would call normal circumstances. As a Diviner, Quen has the ability to manipulate time, which is a very tricky thing to write into a story, as it can make a character overpowered, and make everything all too easy. I think that was well-handled here though, so it never became a problem.

The specifics around Kayl, that I must bypass for spoiler purposes, could lead to similar problems, and while I found there was sometimes a bit too much convenience to it, it was again, mostly well-done.

I listened to the audiobook and started out really liking the narration—the voice used was good on the whole—but as the book went on, I started to fall out with it a little. A couple of the issues I have with the book overall might stem from the audio, but it’s difficult to tell.

Firstly, the voices in general started to grate on me a bit towards the end of the book. With the story ramping up and various aspects leading to frenetic dialog, I felt there was a bit too much variation in the volume of narration, and I found myself cringing now and then and reaching to turn down the volume while listening with other people in the house (especially as I have a seven-year-old daughter and there was a fair amount of swearing in the book).

The second part was that this is a story told in the first person, and you have two main characters narrating their individual parts of the story. There were no indications at the start of a chapter whose point of view we would now be in, and I found there to be insufficient variation to be able to tell this by voice. So sometimes I would have to wait a little while before I could confirm whose head I was in.

So those two factors definitely make me feel like I might have preferred reading this physically rather than listening to it, but of course, there’s no way of telling if that would change my overall perception of the book. As it is, I ended up appreciating a lot of the book, but not enjoying it as much as I’d hoped I might.

[Josie Jaffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

An addictive gaslamp fantasy with worldbuilding so wonderfully intricate it’ll blow your mind. The scope of this book is incredible, the way the story just keeps folding out and out like the most elaborate map. And on top of all that, the main characters are brilliant, the romance is subtle but compelling, and the plot is twisty turny. Fabulous stuff.

[Nils Ödlund · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Thirteenth Hour: Book One of The Cruel Gods
by
Trudie Skies
Fair warning: I'm a friend of the author, but I was not asked to write this review, and I bought and read the book without informing them of it.
Now that's out of the way, let's talk about the book. It's described as gaslamp fantasy, which is essentially steampunk but with more magic and less clockwork.
The story takes place in the city of Chime – a place that exists separate from the twelve mortal realms, but which also serves to connect them all. It's a melting pot of different races and cultures, each with their own powers and world views, and, importantly, each with their own gods.
Only, the gods aren't kind, benevolent beings looking after the interests of their mortals. Rather, they're the opposite. The gods are cruel, fickle, and the best the poor mortals can hope for is to not catch the attention of their god.
The story follows Kayl and Quen, two mortals struggling to make their own lives, on their own terms, without the influence of gods who demand obedience to their every whim.
What I'll whine about.
The worlds and realms outside of Chime felt a bit flat and empty. In fairness, we only get to see one of them during the course of the story, and not much of it. I would have liked to see/learn more of them, though. In that regard it's not much of an issue, but with the city of Chime itself being much more richly developed, it's a little bit jarring.
The number of different races and culture was a little overwhelming at first, and it took me a while to wrap my head around them all.
What I'll gush about.
The concept. The idea behind the story was new to me, and several times when I expect the story to go one way, it turned and went in a different direction. It made for an interesting read where I wasn't always quite sure what to expect next.
The world building. Much as there are a lot of races to keep track of, things eventually came together rather nicely, and it turns out there's a logic behind what at first seems quite confusing.
Final comments.
If you're looking for something new and different to dig into, you can't go wrong with this one.

[Kitty G Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up as it’s an SPFBO entrant this year and the cover is great but I found myself dipping in and out of this one a lot. Whilst I think the world building of this is really cool (it’s set in a world controlled by gods and they have their own domains and their own devout followers who they can create, the mortals, in their image) I also felt like the story is a little bit all over the place and I felt a bit like the main characters didn’t really entertain me. I liked one of the MCs much more than the other and I felt like the major character really didn’t keep my focus much.

The story for this one follows an underground organisation hoping to help mortals to escape their gods and be Godless. They help runaways and try to set up new lives for the people they work with.

In this world there is a conspiracy about weird new creatures who kill/injure, gods who conspire, mortals who just want to live, chaos and mayhem all around. There’s clear hierarchical divides between races and gods and the people of the world know that help is few and far between.

In the end I just wanted more fleshing out of the MCs and to get a better understanding into the various motivations and the reasons for everything. I do feel like I ‘got’ the main story at the end but I also feel like it just didn’t fully captivate me in the way I wanted to love this one and the world which is so fascinating. 2.5*s

[Tyra Leann · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 stars.

**This review does not reflect the opinions of Before We Go Blog's SPFBO 8 team, these thoughts are my own opinion only**

Absolutely stunning. For me, I need a lot of worldbuilding, it helps pull me in and get invested in what is happening and The Thirteenth Hour's city of Chime is incredible. The overall premise and concept of Chime and the god's domains is so unique and fun. I loved that it allowed for the possibility of creating many unique magical races. Though our main characters (Kayl and Quen) only encapsulate two of the magical races we also have supporting characters from each domain and that allows for worldbuilding details to unfold in a natural way. Each of the associated gods end up also having incredible personalities despite not being on page too often. I simply cannot wait for book two in this series, and will be eagerly awaiting it.

ALSO how can I write a review for this book and not mention the TALENT that RJ Bayley brings to the audiobook narration. Each character and race had their own voice and the reading experience was so so much better for having read this one via audiobook.