This is the second in Katherine Addison's fantasy series featuring Prelate of Ulis Othara Celehar. As a Witness for the Dead, he can experience the last moments of any recently deceased.

As the episode opens, he is settled in the city of Amalo, where he has made both friends and enemies. He's called to see the Marquess Ulzhavel, who asks him to witness for his wife who died three months before. The Marquess believes she was murdered. What follows is a fantasy procedural.

Celehar soon discovers who poisoned the marquise, but then has to track down the person pulling the strings. There are more deaths - and a terrifying confrontation in a tomb beneath the Hill of Werewolves that leaves Celehar wounded and his future uncertain.

As ever, this book continues the trend: Thara Celehar needs a hug, but he won’t let anyone give him one.

That’s a pretty succinct summary of this book, but it’s a bit unfairly reductive, so let’s see what else I can say without spoilering… This obviously continues in the vein of the previous book about Celehar, and it widens the scope again to show us more of this world. Photography, for example, does exist, and is considered automatically rather risqué. Celehar ventures into that world with very little judgement and does what he does best and listens. Not just to the dead, but to what people are willing to tell him, and to the scraps of information that let him eventually put things together: not just who killed who, but also where the scone recipe might be, and the burial customs of particular traditions, and who you need to ask about any given problem.

Slowly, he pieces his way through multiple mysteries, which of course begin to intersect. He’s helped in this by a new apprentice, a woman who began to hear the voices of the dead as an adult and has no training in how to be a prelate, and by the friends he made in previous books.

There is some progress, I think, toward Celehar forgiving himself and allowing light into his life again… but it’s a slow, slow burn. I really want to see that come to fruition — and I really need to know what happens to Celehar next given the results of his work in this book.

Thankfully I discovered the audiobooks for this series. Upon reading the first one I had such a hard time with all of the names that I found myself skimming, and not able to focus on what was going on. However, the narrator for this series is amazing! and as I listened to the first book as well as this one I found myself sucked into this amazing world that Katherine Addison has made. So if you have tried reading either this or the first one, and had some trouble I definitely recommend the audiobook.

While I did make sure to read The Witness for the Dead before reading this one, I think that it could be read as a standalone. Celahar is a Witness for the Dead, when someone dies unexpectedly or dies and leaves their family with questions someone can petition for Celahar to "read" them. Where he says a prayer and is able to enter their mind, and hopefully find out what needs to be known.

Calehar really has his work cut out for him in this one, not only is he witnessing for a marquess whose husband fears she had been murdered, but also for a young orphaned girl who was murdered. The Grief of Stones was definitely more action-packed than the first book but mostly is almost like a journal of Calehar and how he goes about doing his duty as a witness for the dead. I was sucked in and loved following Calehar as he did his best to investigate for the dead, and tried his best to navigate the politics of Amalo I loved the characters and the world, and I will absolutely be adding any further books in this series, and I am excited to add The Goblin Empire series to my TBR.

This book delivers exactly what I expect from Katherine Addison and her writing. It was easy to slide back into Celehar's world - a place full of everyday wonder, intrigue, and a fair bit of frustrating circumstances.

'The Grief of Stones' continues in the same style as 'The Witness for the Dead' - a thoughtful and wondering tale that follows Celehar through his day-to-day life.

This second installment of the 'Cemeteries of Amalo' series raises the stakes for both readers and characters in the book, including leaving us all anxious as to what will happen next...

I loved every minute of it and will continue to champion anything Addison writes! Book 3 can't come soon enough!

I didn't realize this was a sequel at first, so I had to go back and check out The Goblin Emperor from the library. This book feels like a cozy mystery, but with great worldbuilding to get you sucked into the story. I hope Katherine Addison comes out with more books in this series!

I really loved The Witness for the Dead, and this sequel is very much a straight continuation of Celehar’s story, so if you’re new to the series, I really do recommend that you start with book one. It’s not that the plot is a direct follow-up so much as the emotional journey that Celehar has been through, and the world and the writing are both very intricate, so it’s worth brushing up so you can remember who’s who, and to get your ear in for the very formal system of addresses. As with book one, you can more or less just let the dozens of different titles and naming conventions flow over you – if you can keep track of the main players, then all the little differences are just extra bonuses for linguistic nerds. I wish there was a glossary or a dramatis personae included, though.

This is, in a way, a dark book, as Celehar investigates murders, deals with ghouls, and discovers the dark secrets of a poorly-run school for orphans, but it’s also an intensely warm and loving one, and one that holds space for all the worries and emotions that Celehar’s work provokes. The story is always on the small-scale: one person (and his new assistant) doing what they can to make the world around them a tiny bit better. The plot weaves quietly and slowly along from seemingly-minor job to seemingly-minor job, until we see how cumulative actions can become an avalanche. Without giving too much away, the second half of the book deals with something of a crisis of faith for Celehar, which I found fascinating to read. Here is a character who is equal parts cynic and optimist, who believes in the best of people even as he gets to know their worst, and to lose something of that is a very powerful, evocative storyline, even when it isn’t dramatic. It’s a great depiction of being lost without your purpose, of needing to carve a place for yourself without knowing what shape it should be. I stand by my assessment of this series as ‘if Kiki’s Delivery Service was about an elven death priest’, but while I meant that about the themes of getting to know people and the value of hard work in the first book, here I mean more in how it engages with purpose, strength, and depression. It’s an odd comparison but it really does give me the same heart-warming, intensely human feel.

These books really are a masterclass in atmosphere – I felt completely immersed in the world from the get-go, and everything is so vividly evoked, from setting to character to emotion, that it feels very intimate. The Grief of Stones tackles some very grim subjects but never forgets the compassion and warmth that keeps it from being a grim, heavy read. It’s kind of gentle and sweet even in the most horrible moments – really very hard to describe! But I wholeheartedly recommend the series to those willing to try a more unusual fantasy – for me, this gets five out of five cats!

THE GRIEF OF STONES is another great entry to this world, a mystery about one man seeking justice (and having to find a few legal loopholes and illegal actions to do so.)

One of the things I enjoy about this series, and noticed particularly reading all three books back to back this week, is that the books are not structured as you'd really expect for either fantasy or mystery novels. There are mysteries solved very early on that then lead on (sometimes tangentially) to the larger mystery (which comes in later). There are mini-mysteries that aren't always tied to the main ones.

This meant, for me at least, that the plot/mystery wasn't the thing driving the book. There is a plot, but when it doesn't hit a lot of the beats you expect for its genre (the mystery side in particular), it ends up taking second place to the characters. This is a book that is about Celehar trying to come to terms with the fact he has friends (he keeps thinking he's imposing and/or panicking about his/their feelings) and how to trust this new reality.

Plus he has an apprentice and I really enjoyed watching him and Tomasaran find their equilibrium as teacher/pupil (which then accelerates as events later in the book occur.) Celehar is the sort of mentor you'd want - not patronising, but also aware of skill set gaps and looking to fill those in. He's also a hand-on teacher ("come solve this murder with me, and I promise it's not usually this bad.")

Like with the ghouls in THE WITNESS FOR THE DEAD, there is more supernatural/speculative elements in this book (compared to the almost no-magic of THE GOBLIN EMPEROR.) As well as the witnessing/listening to the dead, there is a very terrifying spirit who is so powerful. That was a really tense section of the book! And it had consequences that began to be explored and look very interesting to follow in future instalment(s).

I believe there is at least one more book to come (yay!) about Celehar. The ending certainly implies another adventure as there is a massive hint that there is a job the Archprelate wants him to do. Plus he needs time to heal from some of his adventures, particularly the emotional side of it.

The grief of stones, Celehar explains at the end of the novel, is the grief of an object that stands still and bears witness to the unfolding of human tragedy—to folly, indifference, cruelty, atrocity, and even to the brutality of justice (the novel begins with the execution of a serial killer). Celehar has been buried under this grief for so long that he does not even recognize it as a burden, but as the novel ends he is beginning to take the measure of it. It remains to be seen how far Addison is interested in taking us on this journey of understanding (and whether the crux of this series will prove to be the healing of one gentle, wounded man, or a genuine change in his society). But, in the meantime, Celehar’s adventures, and the light they shed on him and his world, are a worthy pursuit in their own right.

4.5 stars

I have never been so excited to be approved for an eARC; The Goblin Emperor and The Witness for the Dead are two books I thoroughly enjoyed, and I recommend them to other people all the time.

It's been a while since I read The Witness for the Dead, so it took a moment to reorient myself in this world. After a few pages, though, it felt like returning to an old friend; despite the focus on death, the atmosphere is warm and comforting. Celehar's unassuming nature quickly draws you back in for another adventure.

I love how slowly everything moves without feeling like it's dragging. The details that Addison puts into her narratives separate this book, and this series, from most of the other books I read. We follow Celehar throughout his entire day, from waking in his small apartment, his morning work as a Witness for the Dead, his afternoon work as a detective, through dinner, tea, and tuna for the stray cats. And, of course, his visits to the opera - which are arguably my favourite parts.

The emotions are palpable - so many of these characters are lost or hurting, and Celehar is the perfect guide. His calling seems to be the only thing holding him together, and watching this unravel over the course of the narrative is heartbreaking and compelling. His new 'apprentice' Tomasaran adds a welcome perspective to this calling - Celehar's devotion is unfaltering, so it's nice to see someone new to this role with less surety. Celehar is not a natural mentor, so their dynamic is difficult at times, perfectly representing this forced, complex relationship; I loved every moment. Celehar is already an incredibly awkward character, and this new situation only enhanced his natural state.

I would be happy if this series never ended. I don't know how many books are planned, but I will read every single one. So much happens in The Grief of Stones, and it's all tied together beautifully. I guess this is technically the third book in the Goblin Emperor series or the second in the Cemeteries of Amalo series, but it's my favourite of both. I may have received an eARC, but I will definitely be purchasing this book.

The Grief of Stones is book 2 of the Centries of Amalo series (a spin off of the amazing novel, The Goblin Emperor). It follows Thara Celehar, a “Witness for the Dead” as he solves a new mystery scandal—this time based around the Orphan girls of the city. (The details of the scandal are of a darker nature, so definitely look up the trigger warnings if you’re interested!) What makes things different this time around (and even better, in my opinion) is that Celehar has the support of a small group of friends—the ones he made in The Witness for the Dead— as he endeavors to solve the mystery of the foundling girls.

While I enjoyed watching Celehar solve the main mystery of the novel, in true me fashion, I think my favorite part of this book, and the real meat of it for me, was the friendships that Celehar made along the way (lol). Watching him finally allow himself to open up to new friendships (and a new relationship 👀), depend on others for help, and begin to let go of his painful past was such a cathartic journey to watch him go through. And Celehar letting himself (begin to) love again was everything to me.

It’s also impossible to talk about this series without mentioning the world that they exist in. If there’s one thing that Katherine Addison does well it’s creating insanely intricate worlds in a way that’s both intimidating (don’t ask me to pronounce literally anything from this series) but still somehow strangely accessible. I definitely, multiple times, read lines and thought “do I know what that means?” but four lines later was like “oh, duh.”

Anyways, If you’re looking for a new high fantasy series, I highly recommend this one!

4/5 🌟

The Grief of Stones by Katherine Addison is the newest from this author, a sequel to The Witness for the Dead. It’s a secondary world fantasy with a mystery plot; really there are several mysteries. If you liked the first one, I am pretty sure you will like the second one; first-person narrator Thara Celehar continues to be a quiet badass who does not realize he is a badass, and who also has trouble recognizing that other people like and value him as a persongiv. This gives an extra layer of emotional intensity to his various griefs and struggles. The opera composer from volume one is back and his agonizingly slow burn potential romance with Thara takes another step or two. A fascinating new female character is introduced and I have hopes she will be a bigger part of volume three (I’m told there will be three total).

The Grief of Stones by Katherine Addison

I felt somewhat lukewarm on Addison's first story in the Cemeteries of Amalo series, set in the world of The Goblin Emperor - featuring Celehar, a Witness for the Dead who plays a small but important role in the original book - but that didn't stop me from getting excited about the continuation of Celehar's adventures in the provincial city of Amalo. Seeing as my biggest gripe with Witness for the Dead was that it set me up to care about one story, involving an opera murder and a certain handsome singer, only to switch into an episodic structure with a lot less Pel-Thenhior than I had been led to expect. Luckily, Pel-Thenhior is back again in the Grief of Stones, and my expectations about Celehar's very slow acceptance of his feelings (understandable, given the weight of his past trauma and the homophobia of the world he inhabits) were set at just the right level to not get wound up over this again. This is good, because once one's expectations are set, The Grief of Stones becomes a slow but satisfying mystery novel, diving deep into the lives of the people of Amalo and into Celehar's unique position within it.

The central mystery here is around an orphanage for foundling girls, one of whom turns up dead and therefore under Celehar's remit. As Witness, Celehar is able to use magic to speak with the dead and uncover the circumstances of suspicious deaths - or he can be petitioned to settle inheritance disputes, ask after lost objects or crack the secret recipe to a dead relative's delicious scones, if needed. Cases involving the latter, as well as a welcome new character in the widow Tomasarin, who is appointed as Celehar's apprentice somewhat against his will, provide levity that balances against the macabre aspects of his work and Celehar's own tendency towards melancholy. Still, this is a book that spends a lot of time dwelling in sorrow and loss, and, much like Witness for the Dead, it ends with a great deal of unfinished business. I can only hope that the next installment - which may be the last? - brings some much needed peace to Celehar, who deserves a lot more than his world seems willing to give him.

I don't know if it just caught me in a better mood, but I liked this much better than The Witness for the Dead (although not, naturally, quite as much as The Goblin Emperor). It was a satisfying mystery and the inherent goodness of Celehar really shines through.

Stop with the travel details! This spinoff series seems to primarily about a man going from suspect to suspect, asking just enough questions to give very little information, then having to return to those characters when he realises he hasn’t asked them the right questions.. Every train ride, carriage ride and walk is described in detail and seems to take up more of the book than the interactions. Had to skip passages by the end. Which was no mystery by the way. It was obvious whodunnit the moment he met them.

Such a pity as I know just how great this author can be. The Goblin Emperor is my favourite book. It’s so epic, with a main character that’s very relatable and sweet. The Angel of Crows was both original and interesting.

The ending of this book was the best part, though its location came out of left field. Maybe a Tomb Raider type adventure might suit this character better?

Addison's worldbuilding and attention to cultural detail shine in this addition to the world of The Goblin Emperor. The story is captivating, and it is a good thing the volume is so short because it is nearly impossible to put down. I really cannot get enough of these books.

I meant to post this review yesterday and time got away from me - Oops!

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Books and the author for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

This was very enjoyable. It's rare nowadays (in my opinion) to find such excellent straight-up high fantasy. I have no problems with sci-fi/fantasy, or fantasy romance, etc, in the least. But really good pure high fantasy is getting harder and harder to find. Fantasy mystery is an even rarer beast and I really liked it in this book. I will admit that I keep wishing for Maya to make an appearance, but Thara Celehar is an engaging main character you can't help liking. A little threadbare, a little run down, but persistent, smart, empathetic, and devoted, Othala Celehar is a person you want on your side. The addition of his "apprentice", Othalo Tomasin, I think really went a long way into warming him up. On his own, Celehar has a tendency towards shyness and solitariness that makes him come across as a little cool and aloof, although this is undeserved and untrue.

I actually enjoyed the little side mysteries almost more than the major one (troubling events - don't want to spoil - going on at a foundling girls' school). It's commendable that the worldbuilding is so formal and elaborate but that even after a long break between books, I could sink back into it so easily and so completely. It took me a minute to refamiliarize myself with the titles and structure but not long. I hope that Othalo Celehar comes back for many more adventures.

There were quite a few side characters here I'd like to explore more, and I hope they come back too: Mer Pel-Thenhior obviously, and several of the opera staff and performers. A short story from Tomasin's point of view would be great. And obviously, OBVIOUSLY, a cameo from Maya would be awesome.

Looking forward to more in this series!

The Goblin Emperor is one of my favorite fantasy novels, a go-to comfort read for me. I haven’t yet fallen in love with Celehar as I did with Maia, but I’m liking him more with every book.

This novel begins with Celehar being asked to act as a Witness for the Dead for a woman who may have been murdered. Although he resolves the question of her death relatively quickly, Celehar’s investigation connects him to another mystery centered on a school for foundling girls. That inquiry takes a dangerous turn when it leads Celehar back to the haunted Hill of Werewolves for a terrifying encounter with the supernatural.

As in The Goblin Emperor, the worldbuilding is phenomenal, with a level of detail that makes Celehar’s world feel so lived-in and three-dimensional that it might almost be real. For example, not only does Addison describe the places Celehar visits in the course of his duties, but she also takes the time to mention the tram lines that he takes to get to them! Then there are the specifics of social customs and language she works into the story, such as switching to “thee” and “thou” as a form of address when talking to someone you are close to, which indicates whether that person sees Celehar as a friend. For me, all those details made for a truly immersive reading experience.

That focus on worldbuilding slows down the pace of the narrative, which is made even more leisurely by the detailed descriptions of Celehar’s daily activities. It’s not just that Addison includes other requests for his help in addition to the main mystery, like finding a hidden recipe for scones. Rather, it seems as if almost every step Celehar takes is outlined in the story. Readers who like lots of action are likely to find it tedious, I think. For me, though, all those mundane details increased the book’s realism by allowing me to experience Celehar's life right along with him.

Because of that intense focus, a big part of the success of this book for a particular reader hinges on how much they like Celehar as a character. I found it very easy to empathize with Celehar. He is a good man who takes his work as a Witness seriously, especially when it comes to finding justice for the dead. Still weighed down by grief and guilt over the events surrounding the death of his lover, Celehar really doesn't see his own worth and feels very much alone. A number of the people he has met as a Witness do value him, however, and over the course of the story Celehar learns that he has more friends than he realized. (And maybe more than just a friend, if a hinted-at potential romance plays out.)

Frustratingly, the novel ends in a bit of a cliffhanger, with Celehar facing a crisis in his career and only the vaguest allusion to what might lie in store for him. The good news for fans is that means another novel will be coming in the series. I can’t wait to find out what happens next!

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

I think I liked this one the same amount as the previous installment in the series!

Sadly I was kind of left wanting more when I finished this book, and not wholly in a good way. I think just the mystery itself was too gruesome for me to fully embrace the otherwise calm and cozy vibes of the book, which also made it hard to fully enjoy the ending when it was also sad. I guess I kind of just expected more kind, healing vibes from this book, and instead it left me sad at the gruesome things that often take place in both the books world and our own. I did find the main mystery better developed this time around though, even if it was a bit too dark for my taste!

Yet Celehars kindness does shine through the pages, and it is comforting to know that people like him do truly exist. I also loved how his relationships to various side characters developed. as they were all very kind and supportive.

The Grief of Stones is Katherine Addison’s newest work focusing on Thara Celehar, a Prelate of Ulis and, more importantly, a Witness for the Dead — someone who can communicate (albeit it in very limited fashion) with the recently deceased. In the prior novel, titled aptly enough Witness for the Dead, Celehar uses that gift to help solve several murders. They also, much to their dismay, end up the go-to-person (or the hapless person in the wrong place at the wrong time) for dealing with various types of undead, such as ghouls. Both elements — murder and undead — crop up here as well. Which, along with other reasons, makes The Grief of Stones quite similar to its predecessor. How one reacts to that will depend on the kind of story one prefers, as we’ll see. Some inevitable spoilers for the prior book to follow.

The Grief of Stones opens with the execution of one of the serial killer Celehar uncovered in the last book, a brief scene that works nicely to remind us of prior events, highlight Celehar’s sense of responsibility, their isolation (often self-imposed), and the emotional burden their job entails. After this short scene, the story turns to one of the two major plot lines. Celehar is tasked with investigating the death of an upper-class woman, whose husband believes was murdered. In the course of investigating, Celehar also uncovers a second mystery involving a school of young girls. Two other complications involve the aforementioned undead encounter, and the sudden appearance of another Witness for the Dead Celehar is supposed to train.

I noted above that this book is similar in a number of respects to the last one, and one such way is that here again I’d say the mysteries are the weakest part of the story, with the same sort of issues that cropped up in Witness for the Dead: thinly characterized and pretty obvious perpetrators and relatively desultory investigations that go extremely smoothly and lead to the solutions pretty easily (not in terms of actual events but the unraveling of the mysteries). And so I’ll say the same thing I said about the last novel. If you’re looking for a compelling mystery or impressive detecting in your mystery-fantasy, this is not the novel for you.

That said, I’ll also repeat what I said about the impact of said weakness. While I would have preferred a better mystery, it didn’t really detract all that much because I so love this world, this character, and this voice. So no, don’t come for the mystery. But if you like immersive world-building, a wonderfully rich main character, and a gently quiet, contemplative voice (that doesn’t eschew action altogether), then this is absolutely the book for you. I started and finished it happily in one sitting and would have been just as happy had it kept going for another 100 pages (I was somewhat consoled by how it ends with a strong hint another book is to come).

Celehar is a fully realized character, one who doesn’t spring into existence in each novel free of context. Past events continue to haunt them, and that burden only grows heavier due to the events in this novel as well. Celehar is a gentle soul, withdrawn by nature from the people who would help Celehar carry their burdens, unaware of their own gifts, making them an easy character to root for and an emotionally painful one to empathize with. Other characters try their best to break through Celehar’s isolation and grief, but to little effect so far. The addition of an apprentice of sorts is one newly possible path out of loneliness beyond the friendships that continue from the prior novel. Or halo Tomasaran also offers up a secondary benefit — the fish-out-of water character who needs things explained to them and who thus presents an easy and natural method for the author to explain those same things to the reader, such as bits of world-building or reminders of past events readers Amy have forgotten about in between books.
The writing remains smooth, precise, vivid, lovely in places (especially moments of introspection rather than physical description), and is frequently wryly funny, as when one petitioner, after some hesitation, finally reveals the question she wants Celehar to ask her recently dead friend: “Who is the dead body in the attic?” To which Celehar replies, in typically understated fashion, “That seems like a very reasonable question.”

An immersive story that draws you in via the compellingly vulnerable character at its center and its emotionally evocative voice and language, The Grief of Stones ends movingly and powerfully, leaving me looking forward to our next chance to spend some time in this world with this character.

4,5 stars

The Cemeteries of Amalo series is a companion to The Goblin Emperor in which we follow the Witness for the Dead Celehar. The Grief of Stones is the second story. If you are looking for soul warming and character focus fantasy this is a great series for you.

The Grief of Stones starts us off rather slow with an assignment that seems to have very little substance. And yet when Celehar searches a desk at some point, regardless of already knowing the killer, he finds something that sets him off on something far greater. I have to say that I found the start not as captivating as I wanted it to be and it is why I am not rating this the full 5 stars.

Regardless of course Celehar manages to find a bigger thing going on. Even though he hasn't been officially petitioned for it he still researches it. Even more so when one of the girls from the orphanage he is looking at turns up dead.

This book shows a lot of things happening to our Celehar. From gaining a witness student, to questioning his feelings for a friend to events regarding his own powers. A lot of things are changing in his world and that is hard on someone so set in his way. But as always it is great to follow Celehar. He is a bit hard headed about his calling and having to find new things will open up a whole new world for him. And I can't wait to see where it will take him.