M.R. Carrick reimagines Spain’s conquest of the Americas by placing a magical ocean filled with islands populated by faeries, accessible via the Pillars of Hercules at designated times in the lunar calendar, in The Eye of the Leviathan. Beyond the Pillars await untold riches and devastating magics for anyone courageous enough to brave the fae—and ruthless enough to use the power of the Catholic Church to “civilize” the people who live in the islands of the Sea Beyond. Carrick delivers an immersive world of heartbreak, greed, and plenty of determination to fight for liberty.
Two characters—linked by a mother’s desperate bargain—narrate The Eye of the Leviathan. The first is Estevan, a faerie, offers to take the place of a girl born to Teresa, the wife of a wealthy brute who wants a son. Teresa agrees to the deal, and promises to help shield Estevan from discovery, and gives her daughter into the care of Estevan’s tree-dwelling relatives for safe keeping. Estevan plans to use his time in the human world to find a way to free faerie from the rapacious grip of the Spanish. He knows that iron and Catholic rites (especially baptism) can strip the fae of their abilities, but he can’t figure out how the Spanish discovered a way to fix the perpetually wandering islands in the Sea Beyond in place so that they can be plundered and turned into Spanish colonies. With the right connections and the right education, Estevan might be able to learn this closely guarded secret.
Our second narrator is only known as the Hungry Girl, so named because her faerie guardians frequently forget that humans need regular food. Her life has been one hardship after another, ever since her guardians lost their grove and traded her away to faeries in the Sea Beyond. By the time we catch up with her, the Hungry Girl works for a deposed aristocrat on an island that is slowly turning all of its non-human inhabitants into harpies. She’s doomed to exile and probable starvation when a contingent of Spaniards arrives at the island by chance, offering her a chance at getting back to the human world.
There are few good people in Spain or in the Sea Beyond, let alone heroes. Everyone has an agenda. The Spaniards who take in the Hungry Girl want to use her knowledge of languages and immunity to fae magic to conquer new islands. Their translator, a forcibly baptized fae, wants to find a way to reclaim his magic and immortality. Teresa wants her children to survive, even if it means teaching them to smother their dreams of a better life. Estevan’s friends in Valencia work for mysterious masters. Even our protagonists are often problematic. Estevan is unwilling to stick his neck out to help others for fear of blowing his cover, while the Hungry Girl needs some sharp lessons about her new “saviors.” Consequently, it’s hard to know who to root for in The Eye of the Leviathan until quite near the end of the book.
I relished the complexity of this novel. The intertwining narratives took the story in unexpected directions with thought-provoking payoffs. And not only are the characters and the plots fascinating, Carrick’s blend of magic and real history creates a delightfully rich setting for me to explore. I have only one note of caution about this incredible, inventive book: readers should be advised that this book ends on a cliffhanger that will lead directly into the plot of the next book in the series.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.