Rain Through Her Fingers

by Rabia Gale

Two magicians on the run in an unnaturally flooded city.

Brighton, 1824.

Elaine thought she’d be safe in Brighton. But then the sea rose up and flooded the city. Now, fish dwell in submerged ground floors, mists wreathe the city, and faery creatures roam the watery streets.

Trapped in an attic for several months, protected by small enchantments, Elaine’s supplies are finally running low. But she doesn't dare risk the dangers outside, until the night her hiding place is discovered by a roguish treasure hunter who brings trouble in his wake.

Forced into the open, Elaine must confront her past, battle an old foe, and protect her family legacy.

Genres: Fantasy

114 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2019

About the author

I break fairy tales and fuse fantasy and science fiction. I love to write about flawed heroes who never give up, transformation and redemption, and things from outer space. In my spare time, I read, doodle, eat chocolate, avoid housework, and homeschool my three children.

A native of Pakistan, I grew up in hot, humid Karachi. I then spent almost a decade in Northern New England where I learned to love fall, tolerate snow, and be snobbish about maple syrup and sweet corn. I now live in Northern Virginia.

Reviews

[Christina Baehr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novella is one of the best pieces of speculative fiction I read in 2023.

Take a bit of I AM LEGEND and a splash of PIRANESI's water-logged setting, but make it 1820s with magic! And add the genuinely likeable characters that Rabia Gale seems to conjure up so effortlessly. This story is insanely atmospheric. I was particularly impressed with how much I was able to piece together about the world and character backstories without any dull info-dumps. There's enough invention here to fill a series, yet I never felt overwhelmed by detail.

This is very elegant writing with a surprising post-apocalyptic vibe and a heroine who is allowed to be soft and courageous, in the best way. Get it for only 99c, and thank me!

[W.R. Gingell]

a quick, sweet read in an evocative, rain-scented, and waterbound world

i loved the beginning especially, where our heroine is by herself and pottering around the house to do her enchantments, which might sound odd if it wasn't because the world was so very tangible and gently entrancing. or maybe because i love the idea of working magic during a storm while gazing dreamily up at my roof-window, who knows?

the hero is my absolute least favourite type of hero; the sort of man who breaks into houses, decides that he'll knock the heroine out if she doesn't go with him, "tests" her, etc, and for a decent chunk of the middle of the book i was fearful that Elaine would never regain the agency and self-sufficiency she'd had at the start

i needn't have worried; Rabia did a delightful job of making Elaine step back into some self sufficiency by the mid point (tho i wish it was the hero she grabbed by the hair and hauled out of the water--that image would have FED me) and by the end point we're still given a heroine who is allowed to save the day in her own story, while ably assisted by the hero

to end with: i really loved this world; it's a character by itself honestly

[Beka · Rating 4 out of 5]

This lovely novella has me wanting more, in the absolute best way possible. I loved this apocalyptic fantasy set in England. The atmosphere was so vivid and rich, the characters noble and brave and real. Really hoping we get more with these characters—I have Suspicions about Ned that I’d love confirmed! I think Elaine might be in for a big surprise when it comes to him.

[T P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immersive!
A tiny book but a giant world.
Perfect for a rainy winter day.

[Carina Shephard · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

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Despite the fact that the tone and setting are completely different, this gave me Tangled vibes. I doubt that was intentional, but there are some similar elements: isolated young woman alone in the higher level of a building with only a small creature for company, a man who may or may not be of the thieving occupation enters uninvited and she improvises a household item as a weapon... after that are Spoilers and the similarities are a bit more subliminal.

Rain Through Her Fingers is a delightful mixture of darker fantasy with vibrant characters. I liked the symbolism of chains. Anyways, really enjoyed and I hope to see more of a certain Mr. Carstares and Elaine in the future.


Content: no swearing (aside from Good God! or Dear God!, that sort of thing) or sensuality; violence- as mentioned beforehand this is on the darker side; the monsters are slimy and maybe scary to more sensitive readers and there's some mention of dead bodies (mildly descriptive.)

[Suzannah Rowntree · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Rabia Gale's creepy gaslamp worlds SO MUCH. This one takes place in a flooded Brighton roamed by creepy tentaclebeasts, ruled by an evil magician with a captive mermaid. It was waterily delicious.

[Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun, quirky little novella showcasing Gale's ability to see the fey in the everyday - in this case, to see the aftermath of a storm and flood, and see hobgoblins and bespelled chain monsters in the wrack, mermaids and dragons around the corner, and spells in drizzle. From the opening image of our heroine drinking the last of her tea in an upper floor above the flooded remains of an alternate-Brighton everything sort of gets damper and more magical as it goes on.

I won't give away any plot but the basic storytelling style and characters are broadly quite similar to the Reflected City series, which is fine as I really liked that. There's a clear setup for more stories in this world but this tale does resolve well enough by itself.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fantastic read, with believable characters in an interesting magical universe. If only it had been longer!

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely delicious.

Short and sweet, this simple fantasy lays out its cards slowly and draws you into its world with melancholy, mystery, and luscious description. Clean, though taking place in the aftermath of death and great destruction, which are described and alluded to without explicit gore. I absolutely adored the descriptions of magic in this short book, which are so vivid you can nearly feel it trickling across your own skin. A delightful afternoon’s read.

I am looking forward to discovering more from this author.

Thanks to PhoenixCrate for including this in my first box! 🥰

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite type of story, where you jump into the story and the backstory unfolds slowly. It's a fine line, because the author does need to give the reader enough so that the reader can follow. This pushed the balance, I did need the book blurb to find my footing at the beginning, but it was a wonderful read after that.

[Sadie Forsythe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really lovely. Gale manages to squeeze a complete, meaningful story into a scant hundred or so pages. Elaine, despite being the retiring sort, claimed her agency and strength to come through and save the day. The male lead, Ned, remained a bit of a shadow, but he served his purpose well. I'd love to see this as a full-length novel, or failing that, more of Elaine's adventures.

[Marissa Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, however I found it a bit difficult to follow. Like I was missing part of the beginning of the story and scenes didn't seem to transition smoothly. I would still read it again and think it would be better the second time after knowing the story line. An okay book.

[Chrisanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightfully fresh and unique.

The ending was a tad abrupt, but it made me remember how fun and immersive short stories can be. Pity there aren't more like this.

A warning to potential readers: this book is hard to put down.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was intrigued by Elaine's magic, and the ending did not disappoint.

[Julia Garcia · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting story that took literally the whole book to make any sense. I think that was it's point, but not my cup of tea.

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading this is like eating a crumb of delicious chocolate cake, and just as you start to enjoy it, it's over. It was a fun read, a few plot holes but pretty good.

[Kelly Abels]

Exciting premise and loved the atmosphere, not a fan of the characterization. Would consider picking it up in the future to try again.