Petals in the Hail
Written by Anthony Baus
If you should never judge a book by its cover—and I will touch upon the cover itself as this paragraph continues—it stands to reason that you should never judge a book by its title. If the cover is a sales pitch enticing you to pick the book up, the title is a hook to pique your interest. With the title Petals in the Hail, author Anthony Baus (credited as Toney Baus in the book’s previous edition) certainly piqued my interest. It’s an opaque title that doesn’t tell the reader what to expect; it’s close to a beautiful image conjured by “petals in the rain,” but with a harsher edge. The cover image presents a mysterious warrior, and while it looks like it could belong on the front of a graphic novel, it doesn’t. Quite the contrary; Petals in the Hail is a dense, prose-based epic fantasy novel.
While a moderate length at an estimated 275 pages on Kindle, Petals in the Hail feels like a longer book. Baus’ prose is full of short, sharp sentences that cover the story being told, the world, and the actions—many of which form the book’s action. While this book is an epic fantasy tale, and for all of its characters, and through its romance, if there is one thing it has in abundance, it’s action. The author’s writing style serves the book’s action beautifully. In taking a less is more approach to the sentences, he ensures they pack a punch. The words don’t paint a picturesque image of the book’s world, they assault the reader like a blunt weapon, rewarding a close read. The writing is succinct, yet tells the reader all they need to know.
Also adding to its longer feel than its page count is the fantasy world it introduces readers to. Petals in the Hail drops the reader right into its world without holding their hand. Whether it’s character names, locations, how time is identified, the names of weapons, or the book’s various fantastical elements, their names are created by the author. The book doesn’t ease the reader into the world, but thrusts them into it, leaving them to parse it. It’s a complex world, meaning the reader needs to do some of the work to get the most out of the book. The approach makes the world feel foreign, somewhere far away from the mundanities of reading fiction on your Kindle. As different as the world feels, it has a distinctly Eastern flavour to it, with elements reminding me of Chinese, Japanese and Indian stories.
Baus has crafted a fantasy setting full of nuance. It’s a complex world full of different cultures and differing opinions, much like our own. This is a world full of political intrigue and the threat of war, that despite feeling so foreign, also feels entirely relatable. While there is so much depth present in the book’s world building, it feels as though the author has only just scratched the surface of what this world has to offer. The fantastical elements shine, offering a unique setting that epic fantasy fans will love for both its differences and its presentation.
Without getting into spoilers, Petals in the Hail tells the story of Princess Nebati Dar Rasheba—or simply, Rasheba—who is coming of age as her parents betrothed her into an impending political marriage. Leaving her family, culture and title behind her, Rasheba becomes a warrior who must fight for the future of not only herself, but her world. The plot is full of of twists and turns which will keep the reader intrigued. However, the book moves at a slow pace that will test the patience of readers who like their stories to move more quickly, particularly when familiarising themselves with a new world.
When books focus on a character as tightly as Petals in the Hail focuses on Rasheba, the quality of the character is important. Rasheba is a wonderful character, full of complexities that make her feel all the more human. She is a driven character, often an outsider amongst those who hate her for everything her previous title stood for. Despite this, she perseveres through the story, determined to fight for all she believes in. She is a fierce warrior, but one with a softer side, explored through the book’s romance. The romance provides a reprieve from the book’s darkness, engaging the reader. It’s no spoiler to say that Rasheba’s romance is with a woman, nor does it matter. What matters is that Petals in the Hail treats the LGBTQI+ romance as any book featuring a same sex romance should—as entirely natural.
As natural as Rasheba’s romantic entanglement is—and, indeed, the book’s relationships as a whole are—the dialogue doesn’t ring as true. While the characters all have unique voices, their speech doesn’t feel entirely natural. A common theme for books with fantastical settings is to give the dialogue an affection that sounds like “fantasy.” Petals in the Hail falls into this pattern, and as a result, the conversations often feel stilted.
Again, while avoiding spoilers, Petals in the Hail ends on a sudden note. As the Volume 1 in its title denotes, this is the first book in a series, and its ending builds towards what’s to come, instead of providing closure to Rasheba’s character arc. The result is a book that doesn’t feel entirely complete, and while it may leave you wanting more, if you prefer stories and arcs to be contained within a single book, you’ll be disappointed.Petals in the Hail, Volume 1 crafts a unique fantasy world that drops the reader into it. Its moderate length feels substantial thanks to the complexity of its world and protagonist. Although a slow-paced story that doesn’t stand on its own, it is a fantasy that will provide something different for its readers.
Favourite Passage
A few drops of blood fell into the jar. Rasheba then wrapped her hand with a bandage and considered the words of the ritual. That was indeed the soil she wanted her rebirth to take place on. She belonged on the ancestral lands of the Nebati clan, Father’s order to train with the Forsaken had scared Rasheba, but under the gaze of Turmagasa, she admitted eagerness, too. A passive life, the life of cattle, seemed a waste, and now she would be anything but.
Petals in the Hail: Volume 1, Chapter 4
Petals in the Hail, Volume 1 was provided by the author for the purpose of an honest review.
Petals in the Hail, Volume 1 is available in paperback eBook from retailers, including—but not limited to—Amazon.
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Petals in the Hail
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