“Even with venom in my veins, I could kill every soul in this courtyard.”
Alix E. Harrow holds a very special place in my heart, so whenever she writes ANYTHING, I am all over it. I fell in love with her writing when I came across The Once and Future Witches, and I have yet to find something of hers that I have not loved. Her writing is dark, unique, and it always takes me on a journey that I hadn’t expected.


This time around was no different! I had preordered this short story the moment Alix posted it on her Instagram, and when our Queen Bee told me that I had an ARC for it, I was so unbelievably pumped. Any chance I had to getting my hands on this even slightly before it was released was so exciting. I have been in a major rut lately, and I have been disappointed when my latest reads. Everything has been good not great, or just downright bad. Luckily, Six Deaths of the Saint broke that cycle for me.

An endless loop of falling
Alix has several pieces of work that deal with the concept of a multiverse or slipping through time or worlds, and this short story touches on that in a different way. The choice to use second person narration drew me right in and made me immediately curious about how this story would go. Once I realized that we were watching the same story unfold multiple times, but it was evolving as it went along, I was immediately struck with the brilliance of it all.

Living your life for yourself, by yourself
I believe that Alix used this concept of living the same life over and over and dying constantly until you become aware of what is happening as a metaphor for something. I say something because it could really be so many things. That is one of the beautiful parts of writing, especially Alix’s. She likes to keep her works a little open ended so that the reader can decide what they think it means or what really happened, and that is kind of the point of fictional literature. Maybe not every author and reader see it that way, but that seems to be how Alix views it. For me, I saw the girl dying, being willing to do terrible things in the name of “love” that wasn’t love until she literally couldn’t go on as a reminder that you can live a thousand lives full of fame and glory and still never know love. You can have everyone know your name and sing grand songs and never forget the wonderful things you did, and still never be happy. It is sad, but true. And something we all need a reminder of from time to time.

Short, bloody, and introspective

I think that is the beauty of this short story. Each person who reads it will come away with something different. Maybe it really just is a dark, bloody short story about a girl who becomes a great warrior only to die and start over again. Maybe it is something deeper. Depending on where you are in your life, this piece of literature might mean different things to you, and I think that is how all great works of writing go.

Sorry to get all English Degree on you guys…
Now that I am done raving about Alix Harrow and getting way to research papery on you guys, I just want to stress how much you all should read her work. She is seriously such an amazing author, and a truly genuine and wonderful person. If you want something with a gothic, incredibly unique and creative feel, definitely check her work out. She is always and forever my favorite author, or I wouldn’t have her words in her writing inked on my body forever.

The life of a servant girl is spared by the Saint of War, and the girl grows up to be the best warrior of her kingdom. The girl helps her prince become king and then emperor, but he always wants more. The cost begins to wear on the girl but she isn't sure how to stop fighting.

I can't get over this story. I devoured it in an afternoon and I've been thinking about it constantly since then. This was so tragic and beautiful and so, so good! It's brutal yet lovely and I cried at the end. This is not a traditional happy story with a happy ending, but it is powerful and moving.

Alix nailed when she described her short story as medieval Edge of Tomorrow. That gives you how this story works but ultimately this is a love story. This is about how the weaponization of love can even blind hindsight. This story would translate gorgeously to screen and I would love to see this get snatched up for a movie or limited run series.

I struggle with things written in second person, I think also especially since there's a bit of an unreliable narrator thing going on with this. Since this is so short I will likely re-read it again and see if I enjoy and can follow it more upon a second read. Thank you Alix for sharing!

Disclaimer first. I love Alix, and everything she's written before, has stolen my heart.
This one reads very different from her other stories, but at the same time I found bits and pieces that pointed towards her.
The writing as always is superb, poetical and very beautiful even if this one goes a bit darker than any of her previous stories.
A story told in a second person. It is an unusual choice, but it really works well and it fits the story so much that it's amazing when you get to the reveal. Alix thinks a lot over the style she uses and each story has the perfect stylistic choices for itself. This one is no exception at all.
Told fairy tale like, The Six Deaths of the Saint follows a servant girl's adventures as she gets picked up as a weapon for the Prince to wield. She gives him everything in her power and beyond to help him raise from Prince to God and yet... there is something missing in her life. Something that is right in front of her, but she is so blinded by the prince.
I love the way Alix tells the story, letting you fill the blanks but guiding with a strong hand towards the wonderful ending.
Thank you for a chance to read it earlier. It's been a pleasure

The Saint of War comes to a sick girl in the stables of a great house. A prince plucks her out of the hay and turns her into his devil, a warrior that conquers land on his behalf and turns him into a king. But just how far can she go, and is it worth it?

I really liked it! It’s definitely one of those stories that has the plot you can accept at face value, but then there are deeper undercurrents that are perfect for book clubs to tear apart. I’m not going to tell you what themes those are, because with a story this short they are definitely spoilers. 😅 The whole premise of a warrior who talks to saints working on behalf of a coddled monarch also gave me major Joan of Arc vibes.

Harrow is definitely an instant buy author for me.

Everything I love in a book condensed into one bite-sized story. Lady knights, oaths of fealty, timey wimey shit, and 2nd person POV payoff! Trust me, the blurb does not even scratch the surface of the story.

Gold stars for Alix E. Harrow because she has yet to disappoint me with any of her books, novellas, or short stories! What makes her work even more impressive is that all her stories are so different from each other. There isn't such a thing as a "typical" Harrow book and I feel like that versatility is something that makes her books very fresh. The Six Deaths of the Saint is Harrow's darkest book yet. The palette is very limited and that works perfectly considering the length of the short story. There is a lot of physicality to the story, given that it's about war and the relationship between the soldiers and the people calling the shots. A lot of thematic resonance to The Poppy War and The Locked Tomb trilogy. Harrow does not shy away from the topic or sugar coat it, the ugliness and terribleness seep through the pages, but at the same time, the gore isn't oversaturated for the thrill factor.

I'm usually super picky about short stories and I rarely ever like them, because mostly they don't manage to convey the depth in 30-50 pages. <i>The Six Deaths</i> meanwhile, is brimming with emotions. The whole story only works because the writer was able to convey the main character's and Gwynne's emotions so well. Imagine being ride or die for a couple only introduced in a handful of pages! Another reason why I instantly loved this was that it was timey wimey and everyone knows I eat that shit up.

Apparently, this short story is an experiment for a proper novel the author might later write, and I have to say I'll be down to read it for sure! The strength of The Six Deaths does lie in its short and concise length but I am curious to how she would handle a full novel.

Disclaimer: Thank you to the author for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Content Warnings:
War, death, and violence, on the page, described with some detail; child neglect; physical violence against a child; death of a major character

This short story is brilliant and brutal, ruthless, and bittersweetly romantic, with an ending worth fighting for. I loved it.