Sacaran Nights by Rachel Emma Shaw

Thank you to the author for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Sacaran Nights will be available for purchase on October 28th.

Rachel Emma Shaw is the author of Last Memoria, an incredibly unique book which has stayed with me since I first read it (review here). I am delighted but not at all surprised that Sacaran Nights continues in this vein with multiple layers begging to be peeled back and examined.

The book follows Dagner, a contradiction in sorts. Dagner is a figure at odds with himself. He struggles with his desire to be an upstanding member of a community that only sees him as worthy of their attention because of the inheritance he wasn’t supposed to have. Part of him longs to live up to their expectations and succeed them. In a city where death is everywhere and the dead are celebrated and revered, he wants to make his ancestors proud. He wants to be the perfect match for his fiancé, whom he loves in the worshipful way that might eventually prove to be unhealthy. Another part of him, however, loathes Sacara and all that it is. He hates the dark, the fungus rot, the society that would normally never accept him. That part of him wants desperately to leave.

I loved how Dagner’s warring desires were played out in his relationships. His fiancé, Revana, represented what he saw as the good and pure part of himself. He seemed to always see himself as not quite good enough for her, just as he felt like he was lying about who he was. His friend Merany allowed him the freedom to be himself, question, and show anger at the society that discards those they deem not important. Dagner is easily one of the most complex and believable characters I’ve read recently. He was often plagued by self-doubt and indecision, regret, and bitterness at the hand life dealt him, but at the same time his actions showed a person who has not given up or given in. Dagner was wonderful.

The world itself was a fascinating one, dark and alien. There were descriptions of different fungi at the beginning of each chapter which I thought was interesting, especially since the names and descriptions changed based on the area. I also thought the variety of fungi was pretty cool. It seemed like the sort of dangerous that is really pretty. It lent an atmosphere of lurking sadness to the book.

The author’s writing style won’t be for everyone. Instead of giving a detailed background of what everything is and why it functions the way it does, the reader is put right in the middle of the world and given information as the book progresses. I personally love this sort of writing, as I am not at all a fan of info dumping. It does demand attention, though, or you will get lost. The first bit of the book is slower, but it is far from boring. It gave me time to become fully immersed in both the characters’ lives and their struggles.

As much as I enjoyed Last Memoria, I thought Sacaran Nights was even better. It brilliantly utilized the fantasy genre to explore grief, loss, and regret in ways both beautiful and raw. I highly recommend it.