I quickly devoured this book! Definitely grabs your attention and hangs on! The world descriptions are so fantastic that the reader sees them. Always an entertaining time to be had with a Saintcrow book in hand! Thanks#Netgalley and #BelleBooks for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine.

Oh my, this was fun. Saintcrow knocks it out of the park with her characterization, intrigue and pacing. All main and secondary characters have their unique train of thought, motivations, etc. My only negative point is that the setting, which is supposed to be the Roman Empire in London just feels like plain old old-timey London. Seems like a waste, but all in all, this is a minor point and the book was very good.

Lilith Saintcrow starts a fun tale of gangs in nineteenth century England that calls London New Rome. There’s a special way of fighting called the path that can confer almost magical abilities. Gemma Dove has come to seek revenge on the man who killed her parents shortly after her birth. Avery Black is the head of a gang in the Hell's Acre(paper from Bell Bridge Books) section of the city and has his own reasons for killing the same Noble. The story ends with the two meeting and fighting a common enemy. I look forward to continuing the tale

I included this in my wrap-up of top reads of the year on my blog, which is also publicized on social media, in my newsletter, and in my writing community.

All the very best bits of historical/gaslamp fiction mixed with a dash of fantasy, a sprinkle of romance, and a hefty dose of what-if. Absolute perfection, 10/10. I love these characters and this world; I need so many more books of them. It is going to be a struggle waiting for the second half of this duology! My only complaint is that I read it too quickly instead of slowing down and savouring it.

Hmmm. Great premise New Rome on the banks of the Thames. The style of writing was convoluted and whilst trying to add depth made it quite difficult to read. It didn’t hold my attention. Thank you to the author. thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Lilith Saintcrow's Hell's Acre is an alternative reality Gaslamp fantasy novel that features Gemma Dove (Not her real name), and Avery Black leader known as the Rook. This story has an interesting mixture of Victorian England and Fantasy Rome. New Rome perches upon the shores of the Thamis River, and in its soot-stained depths, a teeming mass of humanity lives under the iron fist of an Empire that never fell to Vandals or Christianity.

In the shadows, assassins congregate and secret societies bloom—the Priory, dedicated to the worship of the criminal Dead God, and the Hellions, thieves and murderers whose aim is mere freedom. Gemma Dove arrives in New Rome with a small independence and a burning desire: to gain revenge upon those who murdered her parents and drove her beloved aunt to a premature death. The city is a dangerous place, but Gemma has her own secret skills and isn't afraid to use them.

She longs to complete her vengeance and return to her safe, beautiful estate across the Channel, but fate has other ideas. With the help of her "uncle" who is a fallen Priory member known as Father Nossorten, Gemma finds work as a governess at Imanuel orphanage filled with boys. Gemma isn't a Karen. Gemma was trained very well by a man known as Sampson, apparently not his real name either. Gemma is driven to find the man responsible for murdering her parents but finds more trouble.

His name is Avery Black, but they call him the Rook. The young Hellion has sunk himself in vice and treachery with his own crew, and he knows there's more to Miss Dove than meets the eye. Especially after she runs into trouble to save children who had been taken by kidnappers. He also knows she's playing a dangerous game, one which will end in her death—unless he takes a hand in matters. It might even be connected to his own vengeance against the Priory, but that's fast becoming a secondary consideration.

Under soot-stained skies and flickering gaslamps, from the crowd of thieves and gin-soaked tenements to the glittering whirl of Society, plans, treachery and counter-betrayal are afoot. Gemma and Avery can defeat the Priory, but that ancient organization has its own plans for Miss Dove, and the Rook might be her only defense. While their paths cross several times throughout the book, they have no idea that they are likely on the same side, and have the same goal of ending not only the Priory but the man who killed her parents. There is no romance, and the book does end on a cliffhanger which should have been provided to readers before posting it to request and review.

Review: Oh boy. This novel insists upon itself. Can a writer try too hard? Everyone wants to be inventive with prose thereby setting the visual stage to enhance whatever may follow. Yet, sometimes it can become so grandiose that interest is lost when perfidy vies with attempts to glean true meaning. "Really Viking, deceitful?". Why yes, as all fiction novels are predicated on a web of lies.

This novel is faintly steampunkian with a dash of the olde English Oliver Twist. This alternate reality has Bull worship referents among other religious denigrations. Not really my cup of joe, that.

I get that there was a huge amount of the ol' weft and weave of creative backlogging, INITIALLY. Yet this story line grows on you like the varied characters that ride the line. The gobs of flowery descriptions and inner-ruminations begin to take shape upon a disparate landscape as awareness unfolds. I now see why the review sycophants are quick to pile on the heap of rutting praise. This was a masterful presentation.

4.4/5

This eARC was provided by Netgalley.com and I am giving an unbiased review.

Saintcrow has done a wonderful job in creating this new world scenario. It is like modern Europe, but kind of like if the Romans had actually conquered it all, and held sway for hundreds of years. The story is a bit historical, as many names that are somewhat recognized have a 'Latin-ish' sound to them, and they use wood/coal for fires with no autos in the story. So like the 1800s I guess.

This brings us to our two main characters: Miss Dove, a pseudonym for the rich daughter of some married bureaucrats who seeks revenge, and Avery Black, the Rook, a local sort-of Crime boss of the area of London called Hell's Acre. The Rook is actually a man of morals, and is trying to help the Acre, even if violence is necessary. Miss Dove, who has an "uncle" at a type of monastery in the Acre, manages with his help to get a job as a school mistress for an orphanage. I know I am skipping some parts (for you to enjoy) but the interest between Dove and Rook build throughout the story, which leaves us hanging a bit for a future installment.

The world-building in this novel is spectacular. I really liked the idea of a conquered Roman'ish Europe, and love how the names have that Latin quality. My history may not be the best, but there are several religions and deities Romans worshipped, and they have their part in the tale as well. The intrigue as to what is really going on keeps one reading. Dove does find the man responsible for her parents deaths (per the information she had received) but is that really the one. And how is it Rook's interests and Dove's coincide with each other, without the other knowing? Really looking forward to more in this series!

Hell’s Acre was a really different book from what I presumed by the description, cover, and previous books by the author I’ve read. I expected a fast-paced alt-world urban fantasy told in first person narrative. But it’s an alt-Victorian gaslamp fantasy told in third person by multiple point of view characters, with an overly florid narrative style that is incredibly slow to read, as every sentence is packed full in a convoluted fashion that forces the reader to go back several times.

The world isn’t what I thought either, based on the description: a country that has refused to accept Christianity and where Rome never fell. I presumed it would be based on Roman gods and traditions, or since this takes place in England, Anglo-Saxon ones, or a combination of both. Mithraism, for example, in the temple of which the book starts, would’ve had rich, distinct rituals and interesting underground architecture that would’ve immediately made this world unique.

What we have is a very traditional Christian setting, like convents structured like Christian ones and organised by gender, and Priories and Abbeys, with a few token words of other religions and cultures in the mix to make it seem something else. Character names are based on Bible. Even the name of the book directs thoughts to Christianity, even if the concept of hell isn’t solely Christian. The world feels half thought out and is a great disappointment.

It took a long time to get a hang of the characters too, as the narrative doesn’t really dwell on their inner thoughts, and reader is more observing them from the outside. Yet, for all the floridity, characters are very sparsely described, and long after the reader has already formed their own image of them.

The story emerges slowly and in a roundabout way, with every character’s POV chapter opening mid-action with little or nothing to orient the reader. Beth, going by Gemma Dove, an orphan, has been living in this world’s version of France to hide her from powers who want her for something that isn’t specified. But her guardian has died and she’s returned to England (Albion) to revenge her parents’ death. She’s well trained in self-defence and believes in her abilities, but it isn’t easy to go after her prey even with powerful backers.

She takes a job as a teacher of boys in an orphanage near the bad part of town, Hell’s Acre, and that fills most of her days, with some adventures in the mix. She catches the attention of Avery Black, who leads a group of vigilantes (or something, I never quite figured out) in Hell’s Acre. Reader doesn’t learn much about him, or Hellions, the organisation he belongs to (but not the vigilantes?), but he’s after the same man as Gemma.

The book description gives to understand that the two team up. However, while their paths cross from time to time, the two don’t realise their mutual goal before the book ends. The ending is a cliffhanger. There’s a hint of interest, but no romance. I’m not sure I need to read more to find out what happens next. The story wasn’t interesting enough, and it was too much work to read, with too little given in return. I’m giving it three stars though, because I did finish it and it doesn’t quite feel like a two-star book despite everything I found lacking.

There is definitely a lot of detailed world building. You almost feel like you're standing on the sidelines amongst the characters. Overall I'd rate this moreso 3.5. There's a bit of an information dump in the first quarter. Interesting plot of revenge/vengeance.

An interesting mix of Victorian England and Fantasy Rome combined with a secret society and a quest for revenge and a thief.