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A review by queenterribletimy
A Song with Teeth by T. Frohock
5.0
This review was originally posted on Queen's Book Asylum!
I got an ARC via Netgalley from HarperVoyager in exchange of an honest review.
Finishing a series is always a bittersweet experience, especially if it’s a series you fell in love with. I admit it took me a while to do so with Los Nefilim, but once I got my feet, there was no turning back. I can say with certainty, that it had become one of my all-time favorite series.
Before we get to A Song with Teeth, don’t forget to check out our reviews of Los Nefilim (the novella omnibus), Where Oblivion Lives and Carved from Stone and Dream, aka the road that led to this moment. I’ll try to keep this review as spoiler free as possible, but no guarantees for not having minor spoilers for previous books.
Right, now that’s out of the way, let’s talk about A Song with Teeth. As with the previous books, this one also takes place amid real historical events, namely World War II. The year is 1944, France is occupied by Nazi Germany, Jews, homosexuals and everyone who is against the Reich finds themselves in labor camps. The Spanish Inner Guard led by Guillermo is stretched thin as they try to help people to get away from Spain (which is still under Franco’s reign), help the Allies, and try to prevent the Nazis to win the war. And if that weren’t enough, the daimon-born Nefilim have their own plans to take over the world. Let’s just say our characters are having some hard times.
The stakes are even higher than before and hard choices are had to be made. In A Song with Teeth Ysa steps up to be a POV character along with Diago. Of course, all of the characters make their appearance for the end game, but Ysa gets a more prominent role than ever before. It’s pretty crazy to see her all grown up – I remember her in Where Oblivion Lives – she was a little girl, curious, smart and sharp as her papá. It was good to get to know her a bit better and her plotline offered one of the biggest twists in the book.
As with the previous books, A Song With Teeth doesn’t shy away from dealing with heavy topics. In this case, the horrors of WWII get addressed, especially the aspects of the camps and the prejudice against homosexuals. We get just enough scenes to drive home the message but it’s not too in your face. But then, the greatness of the Los Nefilim series is that while you get to fall in love with awesome characters, it also conveys subtle messages about love, family, and above anything else, acceptance. Be it accepting who you are, your demons, your path in life, your roots. And did I mention yet the absolutely kick-ass music-based magic?
A Song with Teeth is a worthy finale to an amazing series. The tension builds up right from the beginning and at one point I was seriously worried about the characters as we neared the end game, because I had no idea what was coming. I was nearly literally biting my nails.
This series was an emotional ride all around as we got to watch these characters grow so much and overcome so much hurt and horror. Frohock doesn’t shy away from giving them (and us) punches and then watch them as they become stronger not least thanks to the support of their friends and family.
If you are looking for a Historical Fantasy series with kick ass magic, strong messages, LGBTQ+ rep, and loveable characters, then you definitely should give a go to Los Nefilim. It’s raw, brutal, emotional and so damn satisfactory.
I got an ARC via Netgalley from HarperVoyager in exchange of an honest review.
“Diago sang for the child he was; he sang for the broken man he became; he sang for a hundred years of loneliness and pain; for the dark nights that left him walking… walking… walking… placing sigils on the doors and windows, one of the father, one for the son, and one to drive away the ghosts.”
Finishing a series is always a bittersweet experience, especially if it’s a series you fell in love with. I admit it took me a while to do so with Los Nefilim, but once I got my feet, there was no turning back. I can say with certainty, that it had become one of my all-time favorite series.
Before we get to A Song with Teeth, don’t forget to check out our reviews of Los Nefilim (the novella omnibus), Where Oblivion Lives and Carved from Stone and Dream, aka the road that led to this moment. I’ll try to keep this review as spoiler free as possible, but no guarantees for not having minor spoilers for previous books.
Right, now that’s out of the way, let’s talk about A Song with Teeth. As with the previous books, this one also takes place amid real historical events, namely World War II. The year is 1944, France is occupied by Nazi Germany, Jews, homosexuals and everyone who is against the Reich finds themselves in labor camps. The Spanish Inner Guard led by Guillermo is stretched thin as they try to help people to get away from Spain (which is still under Franco’s reign), help the Allies, and try to prevent the Nazis to win the war. And if that weren’t enough, the daimon-born Nefilim have their own plans to take over the world. Let’s just say our characters are having some hard times.
The stakes are even higher than before and hard choices are had to be made. In A Song with Teeth Ysa steps up to be a POV character along with Diago. Of course, all of the characters make their appearance for the end game, but Ysa gets a more prominent role than ever before. It’s pretty crazy to see her all grown up – I remember her in Where Oblivion Lives – she was a little girl, curious, smart and sharp as her papá. It was good to get to know her a bit better and her plotline offered one of the biggest twists in the book.
As with the previous books, A Song With Teeth doesn’t shy away from dealing with heavy topics. In this case, the horrors of WWII get addressed, especially the aspects of the camps and the prejudice against homosexuals. We get just enough scenes to drive home the message but it’s not too in your face. But then, the greatness of the Los Nefilim series is that while you get to fall in love with awesome characters, it also conveys subtle messages about love, family, and above anything else, acceptance. Be it accepting who you are, your demons, your path in life, your roots. And did I mention yet the absolutely kick-ass music-based magic?
A Song with Teeth is a worthy finale to an amazing series. The tension builds up right from the beginning and at one point I was seriously worried about the characters as we neared the end game, because I had no idea what was coming. I was nearly literally biting my nails.
This series was an emotional ride all around as we got to watch these characters grow so much and overcome so much hurt and horror. Frohock doesn’t shy away from giving them (and us) punches and then watch them as they become stronger not least thanks to the support of their friends and family.
If you are looking for a Historical Fantasy series with kick ass magic, strong messages, LGBTQ+ rep, and loveable characters, then you definitely should give a go to Los Nefilim. It’s raw, brutal, emotional and so damn satisfactory.