I did not fully vibe with the story. The text was repetitive and strangely convoluted. I really, really wanted to like this, but ended up not my cup of tea.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC copy of this book, in exchange for this honest review.

Dark fantasy & mystery all in one! Sounded right up my street and I’m sure future writing from this novel will hit a bit better for me!

Worth a read for any dark mystery lover. I just would have preferred a more solid format!

Will be keeping an eye out for what this author does next.

Stars: 4.5 out of 5.

This is a fascinating book. It almost reads like a cross between a poem and a fevered dream, but in a good way. Rarely have I been so entranced by the world depicted in a book.

There are character driven books, there are story driven books, there are books that incorporate a bit of both. Then there are books that try to introduce us to a new world or concept more than they care about characters. I am not saying that this book is the later, because there is a solid detective story here, and the characters are engaging enough. But to me, the description of the world in which those characters live is the most important part here.

And that description is so well done! It permeates every page, weaving organically into the story, so that it never appears tedious. It creates an image of a fascinating world of arctic winds and white snow, of gray seas and red bones, of big white motes fluttering against buildings darkened by soot and landing on burning corpses. A world growing on the ruins of an older civilization, where a night can turn hollow, and an inverted moon would rise, and dead giants will stalk the shallow waters off shore. This is a harsh and unforgiving world, but it's also very beautiful, in a cruel kind of way.

There are so many fascinating little details about the different religions and superstitions, about how different castes of people are living on Death City Island. The bone miners who wear red copper masks and white furs of a long dead animal, and risk their lives to mine the red bones of a giant who died off shore of the Death City. The merchant caste that wears silver masks and drapes themselves in layers of embroidered silks...

I liked Soldier Honnan Skyin and his relentless pursuit of a babe killer. Even when everyone told him to let it go. Even when a deadly epidemic was sweeping the island, killing thousands. Even when they ran out of pale boxes to burn the death at sea and had to resort to communal pyres in the middle of dead villages, Honnan still followed the clues he could find and stubbornly investigated this murder. And I'm really glad he did, because he brought to justice a monster worse than the black lung. 

All in all, this is a successful introduction to a brand new world. Now I definitely want to read the first book in the Red Kingdom series. Because while this book is still part of that universe, Death City Island is at the very outskirt of the Red Kingdom, so the customs and traditions are slightly different and watered down. Some of the details Honnan mentions about mainland are rather intriguing.

PS: I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When a child is found dead in a man's coffin, Honnan Skyin is determined to have an investigation. But the Viceroy tells him to leave it alone, because there is an epidemic on the island that needs to be dealt with. But Honnan can't get it out of his head, so he decides to pry about a bit anyway. He finds a very disturbing story about unwanted children and a murder.

All in all, it was a quick read, if a bit repetitive at times.

When I started this book, I did not realise that it was part of a series. By the time I finished it, although I felt immersed in the world that was created, I felt like it was incomplete. There was no satisfaction in watching a whole book unfold.
The actual 'mystery' addressed in this book is seen all the way to its completion. However gory the solution might be. Although the book does not spend too much time describing the gory aspects, there is a lingering sense of that feeling throughout the book. The oppressive darkness, the 'otherness' of everyone as and when they interact. The hierarchies seem to be important in the bigger picture.
There is a pandemic that is plaguing the world we have entered. The book begins directly into that scene. During the burning of the bodies, our lead protagonist finds an unexplained body in a coffin designed for an adult. Its discovery gnaws at him, and he starts to investigate. He is expressly asked to avoid looking into it and to focus on ensuring the plague is under control and quarantine measures are being followed.
Soldier Honnan is a dedicated man who has his heart set on getting justice, but it is tough in this strange and complicated world. There are a lot of barriers and hurdles in his quest. The book felt like it covered a lot of ground for its size, but I do not think it works well as a standalone.
Readers of the fantasy genre will like this series.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Perfect for spooky season, this collection of intertwined stories is sure to send a chill down your spine. While I often tend to read story collections, no matter how interconnected, relatively slowly, I found myself turning page after page desperate to figure out where the book would take me next. I enjoyed the twists and turns that had to be puzzled out and found this book anything but predictable with characters I’d enjoy coming across again. This book is perfect for fans of Sherlock Holmes retellings and macabre fantasy, and for anyone who is looking forward to curling up with a thrilling book as the nights grow longer.

I really wanted to love this book but unfortunately it wasn’t for me. This book took me quite a while to actually get into it, I kept picking it up and putting it back down which is usually a bad sign for me
The world building was really good. This was a world that I wanted to know more about and this was what compelled me to finish this book
The characters just felt very one dimensional to me, I just didn’t feel like I got to know any of them at all. And the amount of times they said ‘true’ was a shocking 121 times, it got annoying as it was just used so often
I feel I was left with many questions at the end of this book but I see that the rest of the series seems to surround different characters, so I’m not writing it off. I just didn’t love this one

By way of introductory remarks, I’d like to say that before I got PJ Nwosu’s A Pale Box on the Distant Shore on Netgalley, I only knew this claimed to be a dark fantasy with a murder mystery.

That was enough. When it comes to fictional murder, I am a big fan. Dark fantasy is a bit more hit and miss with me, but I love the idea of it. Fantasy that takes on an uncanny, macabre, horrifying atmosphere hits a sweet spot for me.

A Pale Box on the Distant Shore really hit it.

Death City, the setting for this book and a name right out of heavy metal, is a place of plagues and heresy, social stratification and secret loves, bronze blades and dead gods, and just general fucking creepiness. This is the sort of thing RJ Barker might put out, or CJ Cherryh in the Morgaine series. The very first act has an unwelcome discovery in a coffin – said Pale Box – and things only escalate. It’s generally quite difficult to have something more unwelcome than the standard occupant when it comes to coffins, but I really felt the soldiers’ sense of revulsion.

Or for the short version, PJ Nwosu researches ghoulish things, has a nasty mind, and writes vivid prose.

That, sweet friends, is a winning combination.

Atmosphere aside, I could pick at things. The mystery was more of the lead the detective by the nose and unravel it all at the end than the give the reader a chance to solve it kind, and I prefer the latter. Character wise, our detective Soldier Honnan Skyin didn’t really rise above the story, and nor did those around him. Fair enough in a vibe-heavy novella, but I don’t think that’d work for me in a full novel. The worldbuilding was intriguing but probably gave me more questions about the world than answers. Still, that’s not an awful thing. It does make me want to read the next Red Kingdom book Nwosu releases.

And I do, I really really do. A Pale Box on the Distant Shore was good creepy fun, an accomplished work for a new author. But with some space to really work with and some more experience? PJ Nwosu could turn into one of my favourite authors.

Since it seems the full length Dream of Death City is out now or soon, looks like I’ll get to find out soon. I suggest that all of you who like it dark and mysterious come join me.

Hands down one of my favourite reads of this year.
A Pale Box is a dark fantasy mystery. It's set in its own very unique world, carefully crafted by the author and full of horror drawn from historical true crimes. There is a definite inspiration from medieval black plague episodes, but it is so much more, you might see some Attack on Titan similitude and at the same time, it's not that at all.
This book has a truly amazing atmosphere, built masterfully and if you are a fan of the gothic you will just love it. Nothing is telegraphed though, and if you are not used to fantasy, and haven't got experience figuring out what things are from suggestions and inferring world rules/terms/accepting zones of unknown, this novel might be a little hard to leap aboard. Let's say it's for more seasoned readers of the genre who enjoy getting their hands on something different. And not only is this story standing out from the usual crowd, it does that with brilliance!
The writing is beautiful, the story is very intriguing, and there are no tired tropes. The main character is very likable and the way the people speak really builds the realism of this other world.
The mystery takes its time, but it is rather gripping to see the obsession growing in the main character. The book is rather on the shorter side, but my understanding is there will be others set in the same universe, and that's fantastic news. I know I'll be looking forward to getting my hands on other work from this author.
Highly recommend it, especially considering this is an independent author, the quality is amazing and she deserves all the support she can get.

Death City, an island on the outskirts of the Red Kingdom, is facing an outbreak of Black Lung – a deadly disease, usually associated with the elderly and very young, but now a threat to anyone. Soldier Skyin is one of the team setting the pale wooden coffins alight before launching them into the river. However, when they find one of the boxes damaged – forced open – what Skyin discovers inside sees him become obsessed with a murder mystery.

If you like your fantasy dark, then this might well be right up your street. Personally I loved it: the author sketches out a very vivid new fantasy setting, giving us a glimpse of the world in this prequel.

It is a little unusual, to release the prequel novella (and short story, available for free if you sign up to the newsletter – and I suggest you do!) ahead of the first novel (due November 2022). I’ve seen other reviews say that they felt a little lost with the setting, as we get no real set up. I thought it worked just fine: you get enough, and can figure out plenty to make the story work, and ample to make you want to buy the full novel.

It maybe did help that I decided to read the short story, Pyres in the Long Night, first. It’s set on the mainland, and despite having even less details, it served as an intro to the Red Kingdom. This is a world of castes and servitude, and priests of a dark ‘Purge House’ that seems to hold a lot of sway and religious fervour. This is mentioned in Pale Box, so yeah – do grab it, it’s only 46 pages.

Death City immediately has differences from the capitol, but still seems to follow similar social structure – there are ‘Dust caste’ servants, nobility, merchant classes, politics and bureaucrats. But there’s also something hugely fantastical hinted at: giants, living and dead, extinct gods having their bones mined.

The setting is a tease, I think, an enticement to try the full series. Here it’s a background to a dark mystery. Content warnings are probably appropriate, as there is a bit of a turn towards the end to some dreadful treatment of children that almost soured things a bit for me – it was a bit too ‘real’, perhaps? Certainly, the author’s afterword explains the real-life history that inspired her here, and let’s face it, that’s even more grim.

Still, I do recommend this – and again, the short story! – and I’m eagerly awaiting the full novel to see how this intriguing new fantasy world can bloom.

Bonus: at time of writing, A Pale Box on the Distant Shore is *free* on Amazon UK (and possibly other places). Definitely worth the go!

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A Pale Box on the Distant Shore is a dark mystery set in a fascinating fantasy world, where our main character Honnan finds something in the coffin of a dead man that sends him on a chase, risking his life in the underworld of the plague-ridden Death City. Although I did find the plot very straight-forward, and would have liked a bit more depth overall, I ended up enjoying it more than I expected to. The themes are dark and disturbing, but also based in (and I recognized them from) actual history, which I found to be very interesting. The ending also took me by surprise, I loved where it left off, resolved enough to be satisfying but leaving enough questions to make you think.

Writing wise, this is a unique book. The use of language is weird, sometimes in a cool way and sometimes in a weird way. It did create a very specific atmosphere, which I really liked, but all the characters come off as having a northern British accent (is that what it is? I think so) and it was kind of throwing me off. One thing I noted specifically is that everyone, from nobility to miners and workers, talked in the exact same accented way, which took away from the otherwise very interesting take on social hierarchy. And I don't think I've ever seen the word "behemoth" used with such frequency. It's almost impressive.

The world is the strongest point of A Pale Box on the Distant Shore, in that it's so interesting, so unique, and so aesthetically pleasing. The story takes place in Death City on Death City Island, where all buildings are called towers instead of houses, and where the mysterious bone miners in furs and copper masks mine red bone from the corpse of one of the giants that wander the ocean. Also, the settings are described in a masterful way. I would say I love the visual design if not for the fact that it's in my head, but you know what I mean. The world building is the main reason why I'd recommend this book, and finding out more about what's going on in this dark fantasy world definitely has me wanting to read more by the author!

Thank you Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the ARC.

A Pale Box on the Distant Shore is a murder mystery set in a very dark fantasy world. It follows Soldier Honnan Skyin and his pursuit to do the right thing in a city tormented by a plague.

Masterfully written and with an interesting worldbuilding, I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I can't wait to read the next installment and spend more time in this world.

Thanks to Netgalley and the author for providing a copy to review.

The story is unique, dark and gritty, but left me asking alot of background related questions. I feel like had this been a full novel, I would have had a better understanding of the world and maybe the story would have worked for me.

Unfortunately, although I was intrigued by the description, the book was not my " cup of tea" by "deaths - daughter" lol. The characters lacked the depth I desired, and the story, albeit rather linear in some areas. I do like the idea and I'm sure the larger world has some really great stories to share, which honestly has me wanting to try the larger book by this author to see how it compares.

2.5 stars

Dark, moody mystery that will definitely be right up the alley of those who like their whodunits tonally different. This wasn't a home run for me but I can see the potential and will look for more from this author.

I read and am now obsessed with PJ Nwosu’s A Pale Box on a Distant Shore. It is a beautifully crafted mystery set in the dark fantasy world of The Red Kingdom. I am particularly happy with how Nwosu introduced her world piece by piece, giving the reader just enough to follow and be hooked by the story. There is also beautiful imagery that is recurring throughout the novella - in particular the image of the island’s ubiquitous pale moths. I stopped in the middle of chapter 1 to pre-order Nwosu’s full-length novel as well as her other novella set in the world of the Red Kingdom.

DNF at @28%
It has a lot of potential but after days not reading it I have n’oit et ion of pig it backup. I felt like I was reading some sentences over and over again and it’s not because I was rereading the same line ut because the beginning is very repetitive. It may be intentional but I really didn’t vibe with that aspect.
However I loved the atmosphere so I may pick it back up when I more in the mood for this novella so I can continue with the series because (again) it has potential!

There's a lot of potential, a lot of powerful images but the storytelling didn't keep my attention and the story fell flat.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A silent killer stalks the slum towers of Death City. In the shadow of a drowned death god, a young soldier burns the dead.



To solve a violent crime, Soldier Honnan Skyin follows a bloody trail through the isolated Frontier and over the behemoth bones of a dead giant.



Some secrets should stay buried.



Welcome to Death City.



The Red Kingdom is a new series of dark mysteries in fantasy worlds that delve into a land of vicious crimes, strange lore and Purge House zealots.

Not what I thought it was going to be at all. I was drawn in with the cover but turned out to not be my kind of book at ll unfortunately.
Great in its own right for people who like this type of book but it's not for me sorry!

Chilling, dark fantasy with a heavy dose of Sherlock Holmes in this new series of twisty mysteries in fantasy worlds.

A silent killer stalks the slum towers of Death City.

In the shadow of a drowned death god, a young soldier risks his life to solve a violent crime.

To catch a killer, Soldier Honnan Skyin carves a bloody trail over the behemoth bones of a dead giant and through the deepest forest of a frozen island. But some secrets should stay buried.

Welcome to Death City.

The Red Kingdom is a new series of dark mysteries in fantasy worlds that delve into a land of vicious crimes, strange lore and Purge House zealots.