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Beyond the Ruby Veil #1
Beyond the Ruby Veil
A dark, queer YA fantasy that's perfect for fans of the Three Dark Crowns series. After Emanuela Ragno kills the one person in Occhia who can create water, she must find a way to save her city from dying of thirst.
Cunning and unapologetic, Emanuela Ragno is a socialite who plays by her own rules. In her most ambitious move yet, she’s about to marry Alessandro Morandi, her childhood best friend and the heir to the wealthiest house in Occhia. Emanuela doesn’t care that she and her groom are both gay, because she doesn’t want a love match. She wants power, and through Ale, she’ll have it all.
But Emanuela has a secret that could shatter her plans. In her city of Occhia, the only source of water is the watercrea, a mysterious being who uses magic to make water from blood. When their first bruise-like omen appears on their skin, all Occhians must surrender themselves to the watercrea to be drained of life. Everyone throughout history has obeyed this law for the greater good. Everyone except Emanuela. She’s kept the tiny omen on her hip out of sight for years.
When the watercrea exposes Emanuela during her wedding ceremony and takes her to be sacrificed, Emanuela fights back…and kills her. Before everyone in Occhia dies of thirst, Emanuela and Ale must travel through the mysterious, blood-red veil that surrounds their city to uncover the source of the watercrea’s power and save their people—no matter what it takes.
Cunning and unapologetic, Emanuela Ragno is a socialite who plays by her own rules. In her most ambitious move yet, she’s about to marry Alessandro Morandi, her childhood best friend and the heir to the wealthiest house in Occhia. Emanuela doesn’t care that she and her groom are both gay, because she doesn’t want a love match. She wants power, and through Ale, she’ll have it all.
But Emanuela has a secret that could shatter her plans. In her city of Occhia, the only source of water is the watercrea, a mysterious being who uses magic to make water from blood. When their first bruise-like omen appears on their skin, all Occhians must surrender themselves to the watercrea to be drained of life. Everyone throughout history has obeyed this law for the greater good. Everyone except Emanuela. She’s kept the tiny omen on her hip out of sight for years.
When the watercrea exposes Emanuela during her wedding ceremony and takes her to be sacrificed, Emanuela fights back…and kills her. Before everyone in Occhia dies of thirst, Emanuela and Ale must travel through the mysterious, blood-red veil that surrounds their city to uncover the source of the watercrea’s power and save their people—no matter what it takes.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 13, 2020
95 people are currently reading
17k people want to read
About the author
Mara Fitzgerald
2 books262 followersMara Fitzgerald writes YA fantasy about unlikable female characters who ruin everything. She is a biologist by day and spends entirely too much time looking at insects under a microscope. She was born near Disney World and now lives near Graceland, which is almost as good. Her debut YA fantasy, BEYOND THE RUBY VEIL, will release on October 13th, 2020.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 536 reviews
March 6, 2021
emanuela every five seconds: i think i will cause problems on purpose 😈
Want to read
August 27, 2020SLOW BURN ENEMIES TO LOVERS SAPPHICS AND A VICIOUS FEMALE LEAD KYAAAAA MARA FITZGERALD I FREAKING LOVE YOU
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October 3, 2020EDIT (10/03/20):
Quick update to let you all know that there is a PREORDER/LAUNCH SWAG CAMPAIGN! Runs from October 1st-October 31st. You can get a signed bookplate and art prints: https://marafitzgerald.com/beyond-the...
You can also get a signed AND personalized copy by ordering from my local indie, which is also available through the link!
EDIT (04/09/20):
Hey, everyone. This is a dark book. You can find content warnings on my website: https://marafitzgerald.com/content-wa...
My publishing team and I are hard at work, and soon, I will have a lot more to share. Follow me on Twitter to get the latest! https://twitter.com/mara_fitzgerald
Out of respect for the space of readers, I don't peruse this page, so a question directly in the book's "Questions" section or a contact through my website is the best way to get an answer. Thanks 👀
ORIGINAL POST (01/06/19):
This came out of my head and turned into a book. So that's been pretty wild.
BEYOND THE RUBY VEIL is the story of a tiny, insufferable lesbian named Emanuela, and her tenderhearted best friend, Alessandro. Who is also her betrothed. And who is also gay. It’s a marriage of convenience. Emanuela and her platonic fiancé live in a city where water doesn't fall from the sky, but is created—from the blood of its citizens. This transformation is the work of a powerful magic user. When that magic user is “accidentally” murdered by someone who may or may not be named Emanuela, Emanuela and her best friend go on a deeply unpleasant journey to find new magic, and bring it back to their city, before everyone dies of thirst.
This book is my love letter to the "unlikable female protagonist." It's weird and dark, and dark and weird, and I'm so excited for people to read it. When it gets closer to publication, I'll update here with links to content warnings and any other pertinent info. In the meantime, feel free to ask questions in the book Q&A.
I will not dally here any longer, because this space belongs to you, the readers.
Cheers!
Quick update to let you all know that there is a PREORDER/LAUNCH SWAG CAMPAIGN! Runs from October 1st-October 31st. You can get a signed bookplate and art prints: https://marafitzgerald.com/beyond-the...
You can also get a signed AND personalized copy by ordering from my local indie, which is also available through the link!
EDIT (04/09/20):
Hey, everyone. This is a dark book. You can find content warnings on my website: https://marafitzgerald.com/content-wa...
My publishing team and I are hard at work, and soon, I will have a lot more to share. Follow me on Twitter to get the latest! https://twitter.com/mara_fitzgerald
Out of respect for the space of readers, I don't peruse this page, so a question directly in the book's "Questions" section or a contact through my website is the best way to get an answer. Thanks 👀
ORIGINAL POST (01/06/19):
This came out of my head and turned into a book. So that's been pretty wild.
BEYOND THE RUBY VEIL is the story of a tiny, insufferable lesbian named Emanuela, and her tenderhearted best friend, Alessandro. Who is also her betrothed. And who is also gay. It’s a marriage of convenience. Emanuela and her platonic fiancé live in a city where water doesn't fall from the sky, but is created—from the blood of its citizens. This transformation is the work of a powerful magic user. When that magic user is “accidentally” murdered by someone who may or may not be named Emanuela, Emanuela and her best friend go on a deeply unpleasant journey to find new magic, and bring it back to their city, before everyone dies of thirst.
This book is my love letter to the "unlikable female protagonist." It's weird and dark, and dark and weird, and I'm so excited for people to read it. When it gets closer to publication, I'll update here with links to content warnings and any other pertinent info. In the meantime, feel free to ask questions in the book Q&A.
I will not dally here any longer, because this space belongs to you, the readers.
Cheers!
October 13, 2020
if the author hadn't been melting down on twitter dot com* for two weeks at least, i might have given this an extra star - it would be notionally harmless standing alone and i bolted it down in two very stupid hours. it moves like a fast brainless trout, like most editors these days want their young adult literature to do. its "cunning" "unapologetic" "chaotic" heroine creates plot for plot's sake and feels evermore like authorial overcompensation the more and more blood she spills - she swings her lil knife and wears dresses with slits in them and yells "look at me i am doing my little crimes because i WANT to!" because the author put UNAPOLOGETIC and RUTHLESS on her outline (rather than, say, us extrapolating character from actions and thought, or, god forbid, plot generates from the characters' reactions to stimuli). i can already feel this slipping with perfect smoothness out the other ear.
*the author has been melting down about whether or not she is valid to call her character a lesbian despite having written her a flimsy milquetoast romance with a girl in the back half; she has been publicly concerned that people reading her book will not be as much fun as people reading her tweets that say "buy my chaotic lesbian book". her gay insecurities are simply not my business but if she wanted to uncouple 'gay book' from 'book with a gay romance in it' i would start with the heroine having gay thoughts.
*the author has been melting down about whether or not she is valid to call her character a lesbian despite having written her a flimsy milquetoast romance with a girl in the back half; she has been publicly concerned that people reading her book will not be as much fun as people reading her tweets that say "buy my chaotic lesbian book". her gay insecurities are simply not my business but if she wanted to uncouple 'gay book' from 'book with a gay romance in it' i would start with the heroine having gay thoughts.
October 12, 2020
To be fair, the author did say that she enjoys writing unlikable female characters and did she ever deliver. I couldn’t stand Emanuela to the point that I never fully engaged with this story. Yes, the world building is great and the author doesn’t shy away from gore, but you can absolutely just throw Emanuela off a cliff and be down with her. I don’t appreciate one dimensional asshole characters.
More to come.
More to come.
October 8, 2020
Beyond the Ruby Veil is one hell of a debut fantasy that is perfect for fans of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao or Fairest by Marissa Meyer. It's dark and bloody page turner and I devoured it. Also, can I have book 2 yet???
This is one where you probably shouldn't know too much going in, but it is deliciously dark with a queer, ambitious, "unlikeable" female lead who really DGAF whether people think she's likable or not. It's bloody and twisty and includes the beginning of an f/f enemies to lovers plot to boot. I've no doubt this is going to be a polarizing book, but I truly loved it. I'm not going to tell you more because I don't think you should know much else, but do check content warnings on this one if you need them because it's not for the faint of heart. I would classify this as dark fantasy, far more than other YA books I've read. I received an advance copy for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Content warnings include murder, torture, depictions of blood, rituals, eye horror, semi-cannibalism, killing a parent, probably others.
This is one where you probably shouldn't know too much going in, but it is deliciously dark with a queer, ambitious, "unlikeable" female lead who really DGAF whether people think she's likable or not. It's bloody and twisty and includes the beginning of an f/f enemies to lovers plot to boot. I've no doubt this is going to be a polarizing book, but I truly loved it. I'm not going to tell you more because I don't think you should know much else, but do check content warnings on this one if you need them because it's not for the faint of heart. I would classify this as dark fantasy, far more than other YA books I've read. I received an advance copy for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Content warnings include murder, torture, depictions of blood, rituals, eye horror, semi-cannibalism, killing a parent, probably others.
November 5, 2020
0 stars if I could! This book compiles the worst possible features of any YA debut. This book only has its worldbuilding to recommend it, and even that aspect was flimsy.
I have never met a more unlikeable protagonist and narrator than Emanuela, and I live for unlikeable characters! I know that her selling point was that she was a "chaotic lesbian," but holy hell this girl needs a fucking leash.
And how the hell are we still supposed to be on her side when she regularly (verbally) abuses and takes advantage of her so-called "best friend," the one person who cares about her? How the hell are we supposed to root for her tacked-on Sapphic romance when Emanuela repeatedly threatened her love interest, her love interest's brother, and and in turn, when the love interest This is the enemies-to-lovers trope executed in the most clumsy, uncomfortable way.
Moreover, how the hell do you expect me to believe that this pampered aristocrat is constantly finding ways to break into important locations as well as escape prison cells and angry mobs without a hitch? The idea that Emanuela is ~so cunning~ is constantly shoved in our faces, with so many interjected recollections of all the times she snuck into her rival's room, the way she bested another girl in an underhanded way, as if the book keeps insisting loudly, "SHE IS SO MURDEROUS! ISN'T SHE FUN???" She's more impulsive than anything, and while I can appreciate impulsive characters, this girl functions on zero brain cells.
I would have loved bloodthirstiness on any other character (vengeful women are my favorite archetypes), but Emanuela's ruthless streak is told in such a superficial manner that my secondhand embarrassment for the author's efforts nearly took over my overall distaste.
I don't even know how I was able to finish this mess. I hope never to encounter Emanuela ever again.
I have never met a more unlikeable protagonist and narrator than Emanuela, and I live for unlikeable characters! I know that her selling point was that she was a "chaotic lesbian," but holy hell this girl needs a fucking leash.
And how the hell are we still supposed to be on her side when she regularly (verbally) abuses and takes advantage of her so-called "best friend," the one person who cares about her? How the hell are we supposed to root for her tacked-on Sapphic romance when Emanuela repeatedly threatened her love interest, her love interest's brother, and and in turn, when the love interest This is the enemies-to-lovers trope executed in the most clumsy, uncomfortable way.
Moreover, how the hell do you expect me to believe that this pampered aristocrat is constantly finding ways to break into important locations as well as escape prison cells and angry mobs without a hitch? The idea that Emanuela is ~so cunning~ is constantly shoved in our faces, with so many interjected recollections of all the times she snuck into her rival's room, the way she bested another girl in an underhanded way, as if the book keeps insisting loudly, "SHE IS SO MURDEROUS! ISN'T SHE FUN???" She's more impulsive than anything, and while I can appreciate impulsive characters, this girl functions on zero brain cells.
I would have loved bloodthirstiness on any other character (vengeful women are my favorite archetypes), but Emanuela's ruthless streak is told in such a superficial manner that my secondhand embarrassment for the author's efforts nearly took over my overall distaste.
I don't even know how I was able to finish this mess. I hope never to encounter Emanuela ever again.
August 15, 2020
My blurb:
Wicked-sharp and queer as hell, Mara Fitzgerald’s BEYOND THE RUBY VEIL takes you on a breathless ride through a world of blood magic and terrifying secrets, with writing as vicious, provocative, and darkly witty as anti-heroine Emanuela herself.
(it's so SO good, y'all. tiny chaos lesbian and her himbo bff, what more do you need?)
Wicked-sharp and queer as hell, Mara Fitzgerald’s BEYOND THE RUBY VEIL takes you on a breathless ride through a world of blood magic and terrifying secrets, with writing as vicious, provocative, and darkly witty as anti-heroine Emanuela herself.
(it's so SO good, y'all. tiny chaos lesbian and her himbo bff, what more do you need?)
October 2, 2024
I was promised lesbians !!!! Specifically a lesbian relationship !!!! You better give me that in the next book or else!!!!
October 17, 2020
Beyond the Ruby Veil was one of those books that I instantly wanted to dive into based on seeing the cover. Then I read the synopsis and I just knew it had to be amazing. Yet, after diving into the actual book... it was just okay for me.
Now don't get your panties in a twist or mad at me because I didn't downright love the book. Trust me, I wanted to love it. I wont lie, the book even had something interesting parts to it.. I just couldn't really connect with anyone or anything that was happening. Maybe it's because of the extreme vagueness throughout the book which I could understand. The reason why is because I figured I would everything might make more sense down the road in future books. So, yeah I can get behind the book being downright vague to my face.
Other than that, the characters were okay. The romance was just fine too. Maybe if I had a thing for slow burns I probably would've adored everything that was happening. I guess the main thing for me today is that I wanted to love this book. Overly adored the shit out of it. I just couldn't. It was just okay for me and I'm hoping that the next book will be a lot better. Or maybe get me out of this weird funk that I'm in...
Now don't get your panties in a twist or mad at me because I didn't downright love the book. Trust me, I wanted to love it. I wont lie, the book even had something interesting parts to it.. I just couldn't really connect with anyone or anything that was happening. Maybe it's because of the extreme vagueness throughout the book which I could understand. The reason why is because I figured I would everything might make more sense down the road in future books. So, yeah I can get behind the book being downright vague to my face.
Other than that, the characters were okay. The romance was just fine too. Maybe if I had a thing for slow burns I probably would've adored everything that was happening. I guess the main thing for me today is that I wanted to love this book. Overly adored the shit out of it. I just couldn't. It was just okay for me and I'm hoping that the next book will be a lot better. Or maybe get me out of this weird funk that I'm in...
December 2, 2022
#1) Into the Midnight Void ★★★☆☆
The embodiment of the 'I support women's rights but I also support women's wrongs' meme. Emanuella is one of the most compelling characters I have ever read. I love antiheroines and this series reminded me why. An absolute gem.
Blog • Trigger Warning Database • StoryGraph
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August 24, 2020Ambitious antiheroine mistress of destruction in the form of a chaos lesbian with a closeted gay BFF and lots of blood and Wicked Saints levels of eye gore? Sure did read this in one night and will take the sequel now, thanks.
July 22, 2023
rep: lesbian mc, gay side character, wlw side character
tw: gore, blood, torture, eye horror/body mutilation including eating of an eyeball (chapter 16 & 18), murder, body horror (especially chapter 19)
rtc. maybe?
tw: gore, blood, torture, eye horror/body mutilation including eating of an eyeball (chapter 16 & 18), murder, body horror (especially chapter 19)
rtc. maybe?
October 16, 2020
Star Rating: —> 3.5 to 4 Stars
I love me a good anti-heroine! I definitely enjoyed this!
RTC
I love me a good anti-heroine! I definitely enjoyed this!
RTC
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May 24, 2020
November 26, 2020
3.5 stars.
Beyond the Ruby Veil is a difficult book to rate. It has an incredibly unique world and a fascinating concept, but the execution is...slightly lackluster. This is a debut novel, and it shows in the writing, which I found to be incredibly bland and a bit juvenile, for lack of a better word. This is a story that would have benefited heavily from lush prose, and we get...not that. I really enjoyed Emanuela; although her self-righteousness got grating, it was something that others called out. I adored Alessandro with my entire soul and he is now my son, thank you very much. That being said, some of his decisions at the end didn't make much sense. And the rest of the cast was lackluster at best. Paola only showed up when she was necessary and Vee and Theo were just sort of bland. That being said, I still flew through this book and enjoyed it, and want to read the sequel.
Beyond the Ruby Veil is a difficult book to rate. It has an incredibly unique world and a fascinating concept, but the execution is...slightly lackluster. This is a debut novel, and it shows in the writing, which I found to be incredibly bland and a bit juvenile, for lack of a better word. This is a story that would have benefited heavily from lush prose, and we get...not that. I really enjoyed Emanuela; although her self-righteousness got grating, it was something that others called out. I adored Alessandro with my entire soul and he is now my son, thank you very much. That being said, some of his decisions at the end didn't make much sense. And the rest of the cast was lackluster at best. Paola only showed up when she was necessary and Vee and Theo were just sort of bland. That being said, I still flew through this book and enjoyed it, and want to read the sequel.
December 16, 2021
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
Well that was unexpected. This is one of the darkest YA fantasy books I've ever read and it is not for the faint of heart. Props to Mara Fitzgerald for not being afraid to push some boundaries. Not only was this dark, but also highly original. Our anti-heroine Emanuela is a pretty terrible person and probably a sociopath. I'm still not sure how I feel about her but she is definitely not a boring character.
It's safe to say that if unlikeable female characters are not your thing you should skip this one. The plot was fine but I never felt particularly invested in the story on an emotional level. Overall, this is a solid debut. If you like dark fantasy and very morally grey characters give this one a try.
Well that was unexpected. This is one of the darkest YA fantasy books I've ever read and it is not for the faint of heart. Props to Mara Fitzgerald for not being afraid to push some boundaries. Not only was this dark, but also highly original. Our anti-heroine Emanuela is a pretty terrible person and probably a sociopath. I'm still not sure how I feel about her but she is definitely not a boring character.
It's safe to say that if unlikeable female characters are not your thing you should skip this one. The plot was fine but I never felt particularly invested in the story on an emotional level. Overall, this is a solid debut. If you like dark fantasy and very morally grey characters give this one a try.
August 18, 2022
FOUR STARS
What on earth is going on....IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS!!!
Review to come
What on earth is going on....IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS!!!
Review to come
July 27, 2021
Review: 5 Stars
You can also read my review here: https://devouringbooks2017.wordpress....
I have had this book on my radar for a long time now. When I first read the blurb I knew I wanted to read it, but I had no idea just how incredible this story would really be. Beyond the Ruby Veil is a very dark and fast paced read. I tore through this book in a day and was incredibly impressed with Mara Fitzgerald's debut. I loved every minute of this twisted book.
The writing captivated me right away, The story is told in first person from Emanuela's point of view and her voice brings this book to life. Emanuela was a morally dark character who was ruthless in pursuing whatever she wanted. She came off as a bit of a villain at times, but I couldn't help but fall in love with her character regardless. Her best friend Ale is softer hearted and their friendship was one of my favorite parts of this novel, even the darker parts of it.
The plot took off really quickly and the pacing of the book made it hard to set down. If I didn't have to work I would have finished this book in one sitting. It is not very often that a book grabs my attention so quickly and captivates me until the very end, but Beyond the Ruby Veil was just so riveting that I had a hard time doing anything other than reading. This is a dark book and many horrifying events were described vividly, so if you prefer your books light and fluffy, this book might not be for you.
I didn't expect to love this book as much as I did, but I was really impressed with it. I love dark books with gothic vibes, but I love dark characters even more. Beyond the Ruby Veil just had so many incredible aspects to it that it's hard to put my love for this little book into words. The world built in the story was so original and fascinating, the characters were vivid and three dimensional, but it was the voice captured in the writing that really drew me into the story and kept me reading. If you enjoy morally grey or dark characters I would highly recommend you check out Beyond the Ruby Veil. This is not a story that I will forget anytime soon and I can not wait for the sequel to come out!
You can also read my review here: https://devouringbooks2017.wordpress....
I have had this book on my radar for a long time now. When I first read the blurb I knew I wanted to read it, but I had no idea just how incredible this story would really be. Beyond the Ruby Veil is a very dark and fast paced read. I tore through this book in a day and was incredibly impressed with Mara Fitzgerald's debut. I loved every minute of this twisted book.
The writing captivated me right away, The story is told in first person from Emanuela's point of view and her voice brings this book to life. Emanuela was a morally dark character who was ruthless in pursuing whatever she wanted. She came off as a bit of a villain at times, but I couldn't help but fall in love with her character regardless. Her best friend Ale is softer hearted and their friendship was one of my favorite parts of this novel, even the darker parts of it.
The plot took off really quickly and the pacing of the book made it hard to set down. If I didn't have to work I would have finished this book in one sitting. It is not very often that a book grabs my attention so quickly and captivates me until the very end, but Beyond the Ruby Veil was just so riveting that I had a hard time doing anything other than reading. This is a dark book and many horrifying events were described vividly, so if you prefer your books light and fluffy, this book might not be for you.
I didn't expect to love this book as much as I did, but I was really impressed with it. I love dark books with gothic vibes, but I love dark characters even more. Beyond the Ruby Veil just had so many incredible aspects to it that it's hard to put my love for this little book into words. The world built in the story was so original and fascinating, the characters were vivid and three dimensional, but it was the voice captured in the writing that really drew me into the story and kept me reading. If you enjoy morally grey or dark characters I would highly recommend you check out Beyond the Ruby Veil. This is not a story that I will forget anytime soon and I can not wait for the sequel to come out!
October 7, 2020
Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Kibby Robinson
Mara Fitzgerald’s debut novel Beyond the Ruby Veil tears down every tenent of YA fantasy and gives us a bold and bloody story of a viciously power-hungry girl who will leave her mark on you in more ways than one.
In the city of Occhia, water is created only through the blood magic of the mysterious watercrea, which becomes a real inconvenience when Emanuela Ragno pushes the watercrea out a window and to their death. But Emanuela does nothing in half measures or without a power plan forming. Dragging her best friend, Ale, along with her, Emanuela travels through the ruby veil that has always surrounded Occhia with the intention to save her city and accept the status and adoration she knows she deserves. And she’ll fight for her end goal, no matter the cost.
Beyond the Ruby Veil is one of the most intriguing YA fantasy novels that has come out in quite some time. There is no big bad evil that must be taken down through revolution or scrappy band of thieves fighting a broken system. Just an amazingly vicious and focused girl making some epically bad decisions that threaten to destroy her city and her puppy dog like best friend that is dragged along through the chaos. And it just works.
Read the FULL REVIEW on The Nerd Daily
Mara Fitzgerald’s debut novel Beyond the Ruby Veil tears down every tenent of YA fantasy and gives us a bold and bloody story of a viciously power-hungry girl who will leave her mark on you in more ways than one.
In the city of Occhia, water is created only through the blood magic of the mysterious watercrea, which becomes a real inconvenience when Emanuela Ragno pushes the watercrea out a window and to their death. But Emanuela does nothing in half measures or without a power plan forming. Dragging her best friend, Ale, along with her, Emanuela travels through the ruby veil that has always surrounded Occhia with the intention to save her city and accept the status and adoration she knows she deserves. And she’ll fight for her end goal, no matter the cost.
Beyond the Ruby Veil is one of the most intriguing YA fantasy novels that has come out in quite some time. There is no big bad evil that must be taken down through revolution or scrappy band of thieves fighting a broken system. Just an amazingly vicious and focused girl making some epically bad decisions that threaten to destroy her city and her puppy dog like best friend that is dragged along through the chaos. And it just works.
Read the FULL REVIEW on The Nerd Daily
November 5, 2020
Wow I’ve been in a HARSH slump since the beginning of this year, but some freaking how this book managed pluck me out of that abyss for at least the last couple of days. And let me tell you it was soooooo worth it!
Beyond the Ruby Veil possesses some innovative world-building and some sassy, scintillating characters that hooked me right from the beginning. Emanuela gave me some MASSIVE Alessandra (The Shadows between Us) vibes. Though instead of being a full on B-WORD, she was mostly just sarcastic and bold with a hint of BWORD that mixed in towards the end.
The plot itself intrigued me instantly. Usually, it takes me 100 pages to understand the base-plot and I usually can work it out from there, but this one was easily maneuvered and exciting every step of the way.
I was very appreciative of Ale. As a side character I expected nothing from him. He was a nervous wreck who I wanted to protect from Emanuela every time she spoke about his lack of courage. But that boy preserved and became such an iconic secondary character. I cannot wait to see what happens in the finale between him and Emanuela after the ending.
I didn’t give this the 5 stars that I wanted because it was presented as a sapphic bloody chaos book, 2/3 of those adjectives were met but I didn’t feel that sapphic energy much until the last chapter 😞.
Beyond the Ruby Veil possesses some innovative world-building and some sassy, scintillating characters that hooked me right from the beginning. Emanuela gave me some MASSIVE Alessandra (The Shadows between Us) vibes. Though instead of being a full on B-WORD, she was mostly just sarcastic and bold with a hint of BWORD that mixed in towards the end.
The plot itself intrigued me instantly. Usually, it takes me 100 pages to understand the base-plot and I usually can work it out from there, but this one was easily maneuvered and exciting every step of the way.
I was very appreciative of Ale. As a side character I expected nothing from him. He was a nervous wreck who I wanted to protect from Emanuela every time she spoke about his lack of courage. But that boy preserved and became such an iconic secondary character. I cannot wait to see what happens in the finale between him and Emanuela after the ending.
I didn’t give this the 5 stars that I wanted because it was presented as a sapphic bloody chaos book, 2/3 of those adjectives were met but I didn’t feel that sapphic energy much until the last chapter 😞.
December 20, 2020
Краткая рецензия: кто рекламировал эту книгу как лесбийский янг-эдалт с розочками на обложке, тому надо вилы в жопу.
Длинная рецензия:
☆ Жанр - экшн по спирали в ад.
Всего 280 страниц, и каждую страницу стреляет ружье. Невинная свадьба медленно и логично превращается в трупы, каннибализм и безумие. Если терзает ностальгия по "Mirai Nikki" и "Higurashi" - рекомендую, хорошие сапоги.
☆ Стиль - лаконичный. Я очень люблю purple prose. Но еще больше я люблю, когда слов мало, а они все равно отлично работают.
☆ Романтика - отсутствует. Совсем.
Зато есть черный юмор, и это куда лучше.
☆ Героиня - настолько плохая, что оторваться невозможно.
Есть два вида антигероев.
Первый из них популярен. Герой плохой, но все его любят, хотят и уважают. Герой плохой, потому что решил быть плохим. Герой убивает, но не слетает с катушек. Герой получит хеппиенд.
Второй вид на любителя. Герой хочет быть хорошим, но превращается в монстра. Герой творит зло и ответочка прилетает по полной. Герой убивает и медленно сходит с ума. Герой будет гнить в самой черной и глубокой яме в аду.
И Эммануэла - из вторых. И она офигительна.
Итого: пять звезд, скрещу пальцы, чтобы продолжение все-таки издали.
Длинная рецензия:
☆ Жанр - экшн по спирали в ад.
Всего 280 страниц, и каждую страницу стреляет ружье. Невинная свадьба медленно и логично превращается в трупы, каннибализм и безумие. Если терзает ностальгия по "Mirai Nikki" и "Higurashi" - рекомендую, хорошие сапоги.
☆ Стиль - лаконичный. Я очень люблю purple prose. Но еще больше я люблю, когда слов мало, а они все равно отлично работают.
☆ Романтика - отсутствует. Совсем.
Зато есть черный юмор, и это куда лучше.
☆ Героиня - настолько плохая, что оторваться невозможно.
Есть два вида антигероев.
Первый из них популярен. Герой плохой, но все его любят, хотят и уважают. Герой плохой, потому что решил быть плохим. Герой убивает, но не слетает с катушек. Герой получит хеппиенд.
Второй вид на любителя. Герой хочет быть хорошим, но превращается в монстра. Герой творит зло и ответочка прилетает по полной. Герой убивает и медленно сходит с ума. Герой будет гнить в самой черной и глубокой яме в аду.
И Эммануэла - из вторых. И она офигительна.
Итого: пять звезд, скрещу пальцы, чтобы продолжение все-таки издали.
March 23, 2020
My official review:
"BEYOND THE RUBY VEIL explores the themes of power, ambition, and the thin line between hero and villain in one of the most ingenious fantasy worlds I've seen in YA. Emanuela is both darkly funny and utterly terrifying, and I was compelled to follow her until the bitter, bloodthirsty end."
- Julie C. Dao, author of FOREST OF A THOUSAND LANTERNS
"BEYOND THE RUBY VEIL explores the themes of power, ambition, and the thin line between hero and villain in one of the most ingenious fantasy worlds I've seen in YA. Emanuela is both darkly funny and utterly terrifying, and I was compelled to follow her until the bitter, bloodthirsty end."
- Julie C. Dao, author of FOREST OF A THOUSAND LANTERNS
November 28, 2020
Had a lot of fun reading this, but the beginning was the most promising part of the book and the rest didn't quite live up to that for me. Would still recommend this though, because I thought the unlikeable main character was done very well and I liked the LGBTQ+ rep: it was very casual and there was no romance, which is so nice to see for a change!
February 24, 2021
Buddyread with Melissa:)
Melissa's review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I liked the main character at first but after awhile she just got annoying.
The mythology/magic was interesting but the story itself was underwhelming overall. It felt kind of aimless at times.
Not a bad book, just an okay one.
Melissa's review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I liked the main character at first but after awhile she just got annoying.
The mythology/magic was interesting but the story itself was underwhelming overall. It felt kind of aimless at times.
Not a bad book, just an okay one.
April 3, 2021
Well, this was gory af.
I can forgive many things but being a bitch when your supposedly best friend comes out to you, is a NO from me. And making jabs about your friend's sexuality.
I can forgive many things but being a bitch when your supposedly best friend comes out to you, is a NO from me. And making jabs about your friend's sexuality.
November 7, 2020
"I believe in myself. I believe that I can change things no one else has ever been able to change, and do things no one else has ever been able to do. I don't care if people love me, or if what they think I do is good. But rest assured, they're going to know I was here."
A stunning debut about a heroine who isn't afraid to play dirty and be violent to get what she wants.
SUMMARY
In the veiled city of Occhia, House Morandi rules. But it is the Watercrea who holds the most power, for she is the being who turns blood into water for the citizens. Without her, they would die of thirst. So, when the bruise-like omen appears on an Occhians skin, it is the signal that they must sacrifice their blood, and life, to the Watercrea.
Emanuela Ragno has been engaged to her best friend, Alessandro Morandi, since birth. While they have a strong platonic love for one another, they know that it will never blossom into romance because they are both gay. Emanuela doesn't care that she isn't marrying for love, because all she craves is power. And by marrying Ale, she will become head of the most powerful house in Occhia.
But when the omen Emanuela has been hiding for a decade is exposed on her wedding day, she is dragged to the watercrea's tower. The town believes her fate is sealed. But Emanuela refuses to be a victim of the watercrea and fights back - killing the watercrea. What Emanuela sees as a triumphant display of power, the city views as a disaster. Without the watercrea, there is no source of water. And it is Emanuela's fault. Now, with Ale alongside her, Emanuela must race against time to find the source of the watercrea's power - even if it means travelling into the veil.
REVIEW
I am in love with this book. It is easily one of the best novels I have read in 2020 and I urge you to go out and buy it.
Emanuela Ragno is one of my new favourite heroines. Well, heroine may be a stretch. I have never met a protagonist more driven by power than Emanuela. She hungers for power, she dreams of it, and she is not afraid to get bloody and be deceiving to get it. She is beautiful and revels in that knowledge. She loves wearing scintillating clothing and takes pleasure in her appearance - her goal is to have everyone envy her and wish they were her. She is not a good person, the methods she uses to claw her way to the top involves pushing others down. She acknowledges that to be the best, you have to sometimes be the worst. Her drive for power blinds her to those closest to her, and she is flat-out mean to even her friends. I would actually describe her as vicious and spiteful. Some people may find Emanuela unlikeable, because she isn't a nice or good person. I, however, thought she was freaking wonderful and an inspiration.
To touch on other characters in this book I can only say that they were very intriguing. Alessandro is the only one I can name without spoiling anything in the plot so let me expand on him a bit more.
Ale is a closet gay, only Emanuela knows of his sexual preference. He always has his nose in a book and is the quiet voice of reason to Emanuela loud and viscous personality. While he is Emanuela's best friend, his opinions are constantly ignored or belittled by her. At first I didn't think much of him, he seemed too passive for my liking. But I was impressed by his progression throughout the novel and feel for him a little more now.
Fitzgerald did an amazing job at building her world. It is hard to go into detail about why I thought she did a phenomenal job without spoiling the plot - but I can tell you that every detail is thought out. I was able to envision the cities and feel the chilling atmosphere of the red veil. I understood the lore and loved learning about the dark magic system she created.
This book is pitched as being LGBTQ+ and it is. However, Emanuela being lesbian and Ale being gay isn't a large aspect of the story. People rave about how this book is a sapphic romance, and that isn't true. The sapphic romance is very minor to the plot, and it more of a sapphic attraction than anything else - hence the "slowburn" aspect you see everyone talking about.
I do want to quickly mention that if you are sensitive to eye horror... this book may be a little much. I have read eye horror in books before that made me wrinkle my no. But this book? This book had me saying "OMG" and scrunching my fac. It is graphic eye horror. And while it is amazing, it is also disgusting.
Content warnings: murder, torture, graphic blood, ritual self-harm for blood magic, eye horror, semi-cannibalism.
A stunning debut about a heroine who isn't afraid to play dirty and be violent to get what she wants.
SUMMARY
In the veiled city of Occhia, House Morandi rules. But it is the Watercrea who holds the most power, for she is the being who turns blood into water for the citizens. Without her, they would die of thirst. So, when the bruise-like omen appears on an Occhians skin, it is the signal that they must sacrifice their blood, and life, to the Watercrea.
Emanuela Ragno has been engaged to her best friend, Alessandro Morandi, since birth. While they have a strong platonic love for one another, they know that it will never blossom into romance because they are both gay. Emanuela doesn't care that she isn't marrying for love, because all she craves is power. And by marrying Ale, she will become head of the most powerful house in Occhia.
But when the omen Emanuela has been hiding for a decade is exposed on her wedding day, she is dragged to the watercrea's tower. The town believes her fate is sealed. But Emanuela refuses to be a victim of the watercrea and fights back - killing the watercrea. What Emanuela sees as a triumphant display of power, the city views as a disaster. Without the watercrea, there is no source of water. And it is Emanuela's fault. Now, with Ale alongside her, Emanuela must race against time to find the source of the watercrea's power - even if it means travelling into the veil.
REVIEW
I am in love with this book. It is easily one of the best novels I have read in 2020 and I urge you to go out and buy it.
Emanuela Ragno is one of my new favourite heroines. Well, heroine may be a stretch. I have never met a protagonist more driven by power than Emanuela. She hungers for power, she dreams of it, and she is not afraid to get bloody and be deceiving to get it. She is beautiful and revels in that knowledge. She loves wearing scintillating clothing and takes pleasure in her appearance - her goal is to have everyone envy her and wish they were her. She is not a good person, the methods she uses to claw her way to the top involves pushing others down. She acknowledges that to be the best, you have to sometimes be the worst. Her drive for power blinds her to those closest to her, and she is flat-out mean to even her friends. I would actually describe her as vicious and spiteful. Some people may find Emanuela unlikeable, because she isn't a nice or good person. I, however, thought she was freaking wonderful and an inspiration.
To touch on other characters in this book I can only say that they were very intriguing. Alessandro is the only one I can name without spoiling anything in the plot so let me expand on him a bit more.
Ale is a closet gay, only Emanuela knows of his sexual preference. He always has his nose in a book and is the quiet voice of reason to Emanuela loud and viscous personality. While he is Emanuela's best friend, his opinions are constantly ignored or belittled by her. At first I didn't think much of him, he seemed too passive for my liking. But I was impressed by his progression throughout the novel and feel for him a little more now.
Fitzgerald did an amazing job at building her world. It is hard to go into detail about why I thought she did a phenomenal job without spoiling the plot - but I can tell you that every detail is thought out. I was able to envision the cities and feel the chilling atmosphere of the red veil. I understood the lore and loved learning about the dark magic system she created.
This book is pitched as being LGBTQ+ and it is. However, Emanuela being lesbian and Ale being gay isn't a large aspect of the story. People rave about how this book is a sapphic romance, and that isn't true. The sapphic romance is very minor to the plot, and it more of a sapphic attraction than anything else - hence the "slowburn" aspect you see everyone talking about.
I do want to quickly mention that if you are sensitive to eye horror... this book may be a little much. I have read eye horror in books before that made me wrinkle my no. But this book? This book had me saying "OMG" and scrunching my fac. It is graphic eye horror. And while it is amazing, it is also disgusting.
Content warnings: murder, torture, graphic blood, ritual self-harm for blood magic, eye horror, semi-cannibalism.
November 24, 2020
Can I give a book less than 1 star? I wish I could because this was so bad. Let's make a quick list of the things I hated in this book because I don't really want to spend more time thinking about it. I just want to forget and move on to something better. (Now before I do that, I just wanted to mention that I really wanted to love this book especially since it had queer characters and I was excited about that. Turns out I was disappointed.)
Things I hated:
1. The writing. When I first started reading it, I didn't immediately hated this book. Shocker, right? I was actually having a bit of fun during the first 25% I think. But then I paused and picked it up another day and oh boy, the writing got on my nerves pretty fast. I'm not an expert so I don't have the right words for this but it was like I could feel and see in my head the parody of every line written. Conclusion, it wasn't great.
2. The characters. This was probably why I hated the book the most. Emanuela... oh Emanuela how did you manage to piss me off so badly when I was rooting for you at the beginning? I don't know what happened to you for you to be such an unlikable and horrible character. She was treating her best friend so badly it felt like abuse to me. She also attacked people before thinking and without any real reasons sometimes. However, Emanuela wasn't the only annoying character. I found the other girl Vee too childish and immature. She was annoying too but not as much as the FMC. However their arguments felt very repetitive, like we were going in circles even though this book is only 288 pages long I wanted it to go by faster.
3. This last point was probably what made me decide to take out the last star in my rating. There was a gory scene where someone stabbed someone else in the eye then took the eye out of its socket with their hands. Then someone shoved that same bloody eye and forced another character to chew and swallow it... Just... what. the. fuck. This was so disgusting and not at all in the same vibe as the writing who felt like I mentioned earlier very young and childish. It felt completely out of place which in turn made me realize how all over the place this book was.
Overall, I was excited by the premise but the execution didn't work for me. I'm just glad I didn't pay the full price for the audiobook and went for the e-book instead.
Things I hated:
1. The writing. When I first started reading it, I didn't immediately hated this book. Shocker, right? I was actually having a bit of fun during the first 25% I think. But then I paused and picked it up another day and oh boy, the writing got on my nerves pretty fast. I'm not an expert so I don't have the right words for this but it was like I could feel and see in my head the parody of every line written. Conclusion, it wasn't great.
2. The characters. This was probably why I hated the book the most. Emanuela... oh Emanuela how did you manage to piss me off so badly when I was rooting for you at the beginning? I don't know what happened to you for you to be such an unlikable and horrible character. She was treating her best friend so badly it felt like abuse to me. She also attacked people before thinking and without any real reasons sometimes. However, Emanuela wasn't the only annoying character. I found the other girl Vee too childish and immature. She was annoying too but not as much as the FMC. However their arguments felt very repetitive, like we were going in circles even though this book is only 288 pages long I wanted it to go by faster.
3. This last point was probably what made me decide to take out the last star in my rating. There was a gory scene where someone stabbed someone else in the eye then took the eye out of its socket with their hands. Then someone shoved that same bloody eye and forced another character to chew and swallow it... Just... what. the. fuck. This was so disgusting and not at all in the same vibe as the writing who felt like I mentioned earlier very young and childish. It felt completely out of place which in turn made me realize how all over the place this book was.
Overall, I was excited by the premise but the execution didn't work for me. I'm just glad I didn't pay the full price for the audiobook and went for the e-book instead.
November 18, 2021
I started this book and didn’t come up for air until I’d finished, three-ish hours later. I can’t remember the last book I read in literally one sitting, but that’s exactly what happened with Beyond the Ruby Veil.
I don’t even have words for what I just read, but I loved every minute of it. Please read this book and come yell about it with me, LOL.
Love sapphic books, too? Let's be friends! Bookstagram | Booktube | Book Blog | Twitter
I don’t even have words for what I just read, but I loved every minute of it. Please read this book and come yell about it with me, LOL.
Love sapphic books, too? Let's be friends! Bookstagram | Booktube | Book Blog | Twitter
September 10, 2023
Well that was certainly something. I think it’s going to be a lot too wild and weird for people.… especially near the ending
But I had a amazing time seeing one girl cause so much damage in so little timeframe
Real review/analyse:
Who decides if you die? Is it your own choice? What if someone decides it for you? Are you allowed to be mad at them, even if they have a good reason? Should you accept it blindly? Should you accept every sacrifice if it’s part of your religion and culture? All those theme are buried between the batshit craziness of Beyond The Ruby Veil.
As woman, you often feel like your body isn’t your own. I can only talk about this experience from a white lesbian point of view, so I can’t even imagine how bad this feels for especially Black woman, disabled woman, trans woman or woman of color. This feelings comes back in media scrutiny, sexualization of our bodies, woman blaming, rape culture, being socialized to take in less space but also when applicable on your experience when you have the ability to get children. When you are born with the supposed ability to carry children, your body belongs to your parents who want grandkids or an non existent husband. If you are religious it belongs to god in a way with how girls get pressured to remain virgin. You get already a baby to raise on your own as a doll when you are a kid, before you can understand what it means. Getting your period, means you are now grown up and mature. When you figure out you don’t want children or don’t want a husband, you are going against years of socialization and culture. Luckily, because of feminist in the past, this assumption is constantly questioned, but still being a mom is still an expectation and that can feel horribly suffocating.
Body autonomy and discussion around it can mean a lot of things. Mostly it comes back in the context of organ donation and abortion. If your family member can survive with an organ you can miss and it’s a match, you still have the right to refuse so. If you want an abortion, it should be your choice as it’s your body. Even if you are sick, having full autonomy about your body means you can refure treatment, even if it breaks your family’s heart. What has this all to do with Beyond The Ruby Veil? Nothing and EVERYTHING.
In the word of Beyond the Ruby Veil, having rights when it comes to your own body autonomy is non existent. This worldbuilding is centered around human sacrifice, as this is needed to survive. Sacrifice of blood is needed to create water here, so humans are basically expendable and without many people you can never survive as there would be no water left. The veil is assumed to be connected to god, so dying and returning to the veil is seen as something important for religious reasons too. So, how gets decided who gets sacrificed for the “greater good”? Who gives their life so other people survive?
Basically, the decision who’s blood gets uses to make water gets decided by these tiny red spots that appear on your body. Often these spots are here as start of the fact that you are dying anyways.
Not only that, marriage with the intention of childbearing is incredibly important in this world. Life is short and unpredictable, so the best you can do is make sure you have as many children as possible so you can have at least one survive or otherwise the city does get new water so you help other people survive. As soon as you get your first period, you are off to marriage in this world to make babies. While woman can get political power, everyone who has the ability to make babies has to do that. Basically, everything about this worldbuilding is an autonomy disrespecting nightmare. Enter our chaos lesbian, Emanuela. And from here on I’m going to discuss some spoilers so be aware!
The first chapter starts with this cold Emanuela destroying her mothers dress, that’s been in the family for generations. Emanuela destroys it because she finds it ugly and would rather wear her own design. Of course this is all very petty, it settles Emanuela as a selfish character (she is) who doesn’t care about tradition and can’t do one small thing to make her family happy. It would be a tiny sacrifice of her to do it without complaining, but yet Emanuela refuses. She decides what happens with her body and what she wears and that’s it. It’s such a tiny thing, but looking to it from a context of bodily autonomy, it makes sense. If you have nothing, no control over what’s happening and what will happen in the future with your body, you will latch onto the tiniest thing you can control. And Emanuala, there is a lot of things going on she can’t control and this frustrates her. For Emanuela, this tiniest thing to keep some control over her lifee, it’s deciding her own wedding dress.
Because other than the whole expectation-to-have-children and arranged-marriage, Emanuela has dealt with some health problems in the past she had to just let happen as her body didn’t listen to her brain. She doesn’t have a tragic backstory surrounded shitty parents or social isolation in the traditional sense, but her body did betray her multiple times. In flashbacks, it’s revealed as a kid Emanuela had these blackouts. Periods in which she didn’t know what happened to her and with her, as her memory failed her. There was no solution to it, it just happened. And Emanuala couldn’t control it. In another flashback, and the reason she got married so late, was because she didn’t get her period yet. She imagines lying about it and is in fact annoyed her life is again not going as planned. At last, she has one of the red spots that means she is supposed to be sacrificed to make her blood water. But other than her blackouts before, she does feel fine! The spots aren’t spreading and she can live just like everyone else and in her point of view, deserves to life like everyone else. So she hides it, but the fact that these red spots are still there and threatening her existence by simply being there. Something she made no active choice to happen (can we ever control our bodies and health anyways) is scary.
In the novel, Emanuela talks about her womb and periods and childbearing it in a very crude way. She is very crude in general, but in her inner dialogue she never actually talks about wanting or raising a child, only the function her body part is supposed to have and how it needs to be done. In my eyes, she is really overcompensating as this terrifies her, but she knows it’s cultural expectations that it happens. That it’s her way to regain more power in the future so everyone can see how awesome she is. Her fiancé is in a higher social position, so marrying him will make her more powerful.
But that marriage get ruined as her little red spot is discovered by the person who makes water of blood and she is stripped of her ability to move, undressed and taken away to the tower for her blood.
Again, her body is violated. She is humiliated. This doesn’t make her softer as often is the trope in fiction (mean woman need to be tortured into seeing the mistake in their faults and be nice read more motherly is probably a trope you recognize), but makes her worse and more angry.
To clarify one thing, in this society, the blood-turning-into-water happens to man and woman. Nobody is the exception. It’s logical that this happens because otherwise everyone dies of lack of water. It’s a logical and honorable sacrifice to make. But that doesn’t make it less violating. Emanuela is humiliated and treated less human and sees the same happening to a lot of other people who also aren’t dying as fast as the person making water claimed they would be. So she escapes.
In context, it’s selfish to leave. But Emanuela feels no guilt for the fact that she wants to live. It’s very unique to see someone fight to live for no other reason, with no guilt or obligation attached than that she thinks it’s her right to and refuses to die. And can we blame her for that? Is being alive selfish or something you have to deserve? She believes she is above the rules as the rules are ridiculous anyways. And than the person who creates water dies, everyone sees it and Emanuela runs. At first, she is just happy she is freed. That the town is freed. Freed from the underlying threat and saw what happened as abuse. And than, she discovers another town, where water seems to be floating. And there we meet the Heart, better know as Verene, and now I’m going to get really spoiler-y.
Verene got raised by a woman who also created water from blood and sacrificing people in a tower, such as Emanuelas city did, and got children to take over her job.
However, the important and interesting part is that magic *is* a choice, and her children refused. Verene did have a choice over what to do with her body, whenever she went trough with a ritual and to accept magic and continue her moms way or not. The ritual also included sacrificing a human body part, so again someone had to give up a part of themself to give someone else get magic. Verene got groomed into making the choice and it seemed inevitable, but she decided to go an other way around and not accept the power that would make her a monster.
Sadly, they still needed water which is unethically created in this world or her people would die. So truly, she only made to choice not to do the sacrificing of people for blood herself. Instead of sacrificing and hurting others of her people, she decided to hurt herself and stole water from other (who now had to let more people die to survive). Her solution was using a monster that accepted blood as price for obeyance, that stole water of other cities. Those cities had to cause more suffering to survive, but Verena was only indirect responsible than doing the bloody work herself. Does that make her more innocent, as technically she didn’t kill people? And the power grew got to her head, creating a water paradise while the other cities were dry.
At the same time, did she make sacrifes that had to do with her own body autonomy. Her offering blood made her weak, often almost fainting, but she decided it was better to do than using people she had guidance over. Although if the choice is letting people die or suffering yourself, is it really a choice or a moral obligation? Is accepting dead than morally right? Body autonomy means you get to decide what to do with your bodies and it’s not wrong to do that. But what does that mean in the context of this fantasy story? Is it than still selfish to choose you body autonomy above everything else?
At the end of the story, one character gets to make an active choice and the other character experiences the consequences of a choice that gets made by someone else to survive. Both character end up doing more harm and end up in worse position than if the before that choice got made, leaving lot of potential open for the sequel.
But the questions do stay (other than that it involves murder that’s like generally frowned upon): did that one character have the right to decide what she does with her body and life, even though the consequences were disastrous? Was dying theoretically better than being forced in a terrible situation, alive or was the person forcing life at terrible consequences be important? How much do you own your body and can decide what to do with it, even if it’s seen as selfish?
But I had a amazing time seeing one girl cause so much damage in so little timeframe
Real review/analyse:
Who decides if you die? Is it your own choice? What if someone decides it for you? Are you allowed to be mad at them, even if they have a good reason? Should you accept it blindly? Should you accept every sacrifice if it’s part of your religion and culture? All those theme are buried between the batshit craziness of Beyond The Ruby Veil.
As woman, you often feel like your body isn’t your own. I can only talk about this experience from a white lesbian point of view, so I can’t even imagine how bad this feels for especially Black woman, disabled woman, trans woman or woman of color. This feelings comes back in media scrutiny, sexualization of our bodies, woman blaming, rape culture, being socialized to take in less space but also when applicable on your experience when you have the ability to get children. When you are born with the supposed ability to carry children, your body belongs to your parents who want grandkids or an non existent husband. If you are religious it belongs to god in a way with how girls get pressured to remain virgin. You get already a baby to raise on your own as a doll when you are a kid, before you can understand what it means. Getting your period, means you are now grown up and mature. When you figure out you don’t want children or don’t want a husband, you are going against years of socialization and culture. Luckily, because of feminist in the past, this assumption is constantly questioned, but still being a mom is still an expectation and that can feel horribly suffocating.
Body autonomy and discussion around it can mean a lot of things. Mostly it comes back in the context of organ donation and abortion. If your family member can survive with an organ you can miss and it’s a match, you still have the right to refuse so. If you want an abortion, it should be your choice as it’s your body. Even if you are sick, having full autonomy about your body means you can refure treatment, even if it breaks your family’s heart. What has this all to do with Beyond The Ruby Veil? Nothing and EVERYTHING.
In the word of Beyond the Ruby Veil, having rights when it comes to your own body autonomy is non existent. This worldbuilding is centered around human sacrifice, as this is needed to survive. Sacrifice of blood is needed to create water here, so humans are basically expendable and without many people you can never survive as there would be no water left. The veil is assumed to be connected to god, so dying and returning to the veil is seen as something important for religious reasons too. So, how gets decided who gets sacrificed for the “greater good”? Who gives their life so other people survive?
Basically, the decision who’s blood gets uses to make water gets decided by these tiny red spots that appear on your body. Often these spots are here as start of the fact that you are dying anyways.
Not only that, marriage with the intention of childbearing is incredibly important in this world. Life is short and unpredictable, so the best you can do is make sure you have as many children as possible so you can have at least one survive or otherwise the city does get new water so you help other people survive. As soon as you get your first period, you are off to marriage in this world to make babies. While woman can get political power, everyone who has the ability to make babies has to do that. Basically, everything about this worldbuilding is an autonomy disrespecting nightmare. Enter our chaos lesbian, Emanuela. And from here on I’m going to discuss some spoilers so be aware!
The first chapter starts with this cold Emanuela destroying her mothers dress, that’s been in the family for generations. Emanuela destroys it because she finds it ugly and would rather wear her own design. Of course this is all very petty, it settles Emanuela as a selfish character (she is) who doesn’t care about tradition and can’t do one small thing to make her family happy. It would be a tiny sacrifice of her to do it without complaining, but yet Emanuela refuses. She decides what happens with her body and what she wears and that’s it. It’s such a tiny thing, but looking to it from a context of bodily autonomy, it makes sense. If you have nothing, no control over what’s happening and what will happen in the future with your body, you will latch onto the tiniest thing you can control. And Emanuala, there is a lot of things going on she can’t control and this frustrates her. For Emanuela, this tiniest thing to keep some control over her lifee, it’s deciding her own wedding dress.
Because other than the whole expectation-to-have-children and arranged-marriage, Emanuela has dealt with some health problems in the past she had to just let happen as her body didn’t listen to her brain. She doesn’t have a tragic backstory surrounded shitty parents or social isolation in the traditional sense, but her body did betray her multiple times. In flashbacks, it’s revealed as a kid Emanuela had these blackouts. Periods in which she didn’t know what happened to her and with her, as her memory failed her. There was no solution to it, it just happened. And Emanuala couldn’t control it. In another flashback, and the reason she got married so late, was because she didn’t get her period yet. She imagines lying about it and is in fact annoyed her life is again not going as planned. At last, she has one of the red spots that means she is supposed to be sacrificed to make her blood water. But other than her blackouts before, she does feel fine! The spots aren’t spreading and she can live just like everyone else and in her point of view, deserves to life like everyone else. So she hides it, but the fact that these red spots are still there and threatening her existence by simply being there. Something she made no active choice to happen (can we ever control our bodies and health anyways) is scary.
In the novel, Emanuela talks about her womb and periods and childbearing it in a very crude way. She is very crude in general, but in her inner dialogue she never actually talks about wanting or raising a child, only the function her body part is supposed to have and how it needs to be done. In my eyes, she is really overcompensating as this terrifies her, but she knows it’s cultural expectations that it happens. That it’s her way to regain more power in the future so everyone can see how awesome she is. Her fiancé is in a higher social position, so marrying him will make her more powerful.
But that marriage get ruined as her little red spot is discovered by the person who makes water of blood and she is stripped of her ability to move, undressed and taken away to the tower for her blood.
Again, her body is violated. She is humiliated. This doesn’t make her softer as often is the trope in fiction (mean woman need to be tortured into seeing the mistake in their faults and be nice read more motherly is probably a trope you recognize), but makes her worse and more angry.
To clarify one thing, in this society, the blood-turning-into-water happens to man and woman. Nobody is the exception. It’s logical that this happens because otherwise everyone dies of lack of water. It’s a logical and honorable sacrifice to make. But that doesn’t make it less violating. Emanuela is humiliated and treated less human and sees the same happening to a lot of other people who also aren’t dying as fast as the person making water claimed they would be. So she escapes.
In context, it’s selfish to leave. But Emanuela feels no guilt for the fact that she wants to live. It’s very unique to see someone fight to live for no other reason, with no guilt or obligation attached than that she thinks it’s her right to and refuses to die. And can we blame her for that? Is being alive selfish or something you have to deserve? She believes she is above the rules as the rules are ridiculous anyways. And than the person who creates water dies, everyone sees it and Emanuela runs. At first, she is just happy she is freed. That the town is freed. Freed from the underlying threat and saw what happened as abuse. And than, she discovers another town, where water seems to be floating. And there we meet the Heart, better know as Verene, and now I’m going to get really spoiler-y.
Verene got raised by a woman who also created water from blood and sacrificing people in a tower, such as Emanuelas city did, and got children to take over her job.
However, the important and interesting part is that magic *is* a choice, and her children refused. Verene did have a choice over what to do with her body, whenever she went trough with a ritual and to accept magic and continue her moms way or not. The ritual also included sacrificing a human body part, so again someone had to give up a part of themself to give someone else get magic. Verene got groomed into making the choice and it seemed inevitable, but she decided to go an other way around and not accept the power that would make her a monster.
Sadly, they still needed water which is unethically created in this world or her people would die. So truly, she only made to choice not to do the sacrificing of people for blood herself. Instead of sacrificing and hurting others of her people, she decided to hurt herself and stole water from other (who now had to let more people die to survive). Her solution was using a monster that accepted blood as price for obeyance, that stole water of other cities. Those cities had to cause more suffering to survive, but Verena was only indirect responsible than doing the bloody work herself. Does that make her more innocent, as technically she didn’t kill people? And the power grew got to her head, creating a water paradise while the other cities were dry.
At the same time, did she make sacrifes that had to do with her own body autonomy. Her offering blood made her weak, often almost fainting, but she decided it was better to do than using people she had guidance over. Although if the choice is letting people die or suffering yourself, is it really a choice or a moral obligation? Is accepting dead than morally right? Body autonomy means you get to decide what to do with your bodies and it’s not wrong to do that. But what does that mean in the context of this fantasy story? Is it than still selfish to choose you body autonomy above everything else?
At the end of the story, one character gets to make an active choice and the other character experiences the consequences of a choice that gets made by someone else to survive. Both character end up doing more harm and end up in worse position than if the before that choice got made, leaving lot of potential open for the sequel.
But the questions do stay (other than that it involves murder that’s like generally frowned upon): did that one character have the right to decide what she does with her body and life, even though the consequences were disastrous? Was dying theoretically better than being forced in a terrible situation, alive or was the person forcing life at terrible consequences be important? How much do you own your body and can decide what to do with it, even if it’s seen as selfish?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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