Review: The Seventh Veil by Heidi Cullinan

I've enjoyed a number of Heidi Cullinan's fantasy novels and when I saw that she'd released this dark fantasy I was very keen to read it. The story is not your usual m/m romance and in fact its roots are in more traditional fantasy both in setting and also in that it follows a set of characters with different story threads whose stories then converge and intertwine as the story progresses.

Within this set of characters two distinct focuses arise. The first focus is that of relationships, and this is where the romance comes to the fore in the story. We follow three main set of characters to begin with, all linked by their noble blood to one of the great 'houses', starting with Charles who is the bastard son to the Perry house. He's tormented by ghost like creatures who follow him wherever he goes and overwhelm him. In order to rid himself of these wraiths he makes a bargain with a alchemist. The second set of characters are Jonathan, the first-born Perry son, and his equerry Timothy who are returning from exile in a war-torn country. Jonathan is struggling with illness and possible possession and only the aid of Jonathan's former sweetheart, Madeline, could save him. Then there is Madeline herself and her sister, Emily, whose strength is needed to save both Jonathan and Charles. As the book progresses, so do the relationships. Madeline and Jonathan's past must be dealt with and much of their scenes involve the push and pull of past hurts and present desires. Charles and Timothy are attracted to each other but have many obstacles to overcome before they can be together and Emily finds sweet love in the arms of someone wholly unexpected. I found these relationships deeply satisfying. The narrative is driven by love: filial, platonic and romantic, and it was in these relationships that the book shone for me. At several times my heart was in my mouth over what was happening, over the sheer emotion in the scenes. All the main characters are sympathetic and I was completely immersed in them as people and their situation. Even Charles who comes across as selfish and needy at first is redeemed by the end in a most unusual way.  Alongside the romantic relationships is that of the poisonous family relationships contained within the great houses which contrasted then with the close knit bonds that the characters create between them as the story progresses.

The second focus of the book is that of a spiritual world based around a Goddess myth.  This provides most of the fantasy part to the book and was breathtaking in its narrative sweep.  The whole mythology and world created by the author was so complex, with layers upon layers of different types of magic and spiritual planes, that I sometimes felt a little overwhelmed by it all.  However, the author always managed to keep me grounded in the book through the use of the characters as links to fantasy, so even when I was unsure what was happening I could relate to the conversation that was taking place between characters.  Those readers who are looking for a thoughtful and intricate fantasy world, which combines the worldly plane with a mix of mythology, truth, story telling and history, are in for a treat here. I marvelled at the imagination of the author as I read this wholly engrossing book.

The setting itself is a familiar high fantasy setting with the country of Etsey being very similar to medieval Britain and Catal (where Timothy is from) like that of Spain.  Given that much of the fantasy involves the different and hidden layers beneath the surface of both the real world setting and the minds and bodies of the characters, then I felt some comfort in the familiarity of the Etsey, especially as when the unusual begins to happen it seems all the more shocking.

I feel I ought to give a couple of warnings. Firstly this is a series, and although the story in this book is mostly complete within itself, it's also a gateway to the rest of the series.  There's happiness at the end, and also delayed happiness - and that's all I'm going to say about it at this point!  Another thing I want to mention is that this is not just an m/m book.  All three relationships, both m/m and m/f are explored, although the m/f sex scenes are much less explicit than the m/m with more fade to black.  This didn't bother me at all because I was just as invested in the relationship between Madeline and Jonathan, as I was Charles and Timothy.

Overall, I was pretty blown away by the depth and reach of this book.  The world building is vivid and complex, the characterisation thorough and sympathetic.  I felt a whole range of emotions as I was reading from genuine chills to laughter, amazement and sorrow.  I'm already anticipating the next in this series and couldn't recommend it highly enough with a grade of 'Excellent'.

Buy this book HERE.