Tread of Angels

By: Rebecca Roanhorse

Narrated by: Dion Graham

Celeste, a card sharp with a need for justice, takes on the role of advocatus diaboli, to defend her sister Mariel, accused of murdering a Virtue, a member of the ruling class of this mining town, in an “intricate…engrossing” (The Washington Post) new world of dark fantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of Black Sun, Rebecca Roanhorse.

The year is 1883, and the mining town of Goetia is booming as prospectors from near and far come to mine the powerful new element Divinity from the high mountains of Colorado with the help of the pariahs of society known as the Fallen. The Fallen are the descendants of demonkind living among the Virtues, the winners in an ancient war, with the descendants of both sides choosing to live alongside Abaddon’s mountain in this tale of the mythological West from the best-selling mastermind Rebecca Roanhorse.

©2022 Rebecca Roanhorse. All rights reserved. (P)2022 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved

Critic reviews

"Narrator Dion Graham's superb performance helps to create a weird and wonderful fantasy world based around Goetia, a town full of demon- and angel-type characters with a Western feel. When Goetian slum resident Mariel is accused of murder, her sister, Celeste, sets out to prove her innocence, using every method open to her. Graham's narration is the perfect match to this tale. As he skillfully brings alive the broad cast of characters, his voicing of Celeste is particularly notable. His pitch-perfect timing keeps the listener engaged, and his authentic-sounding pronunciation of the evocative names gives a sense of reality to this otherwise alternative world."—AudioFile Magazine

Compelling

I was not sure who the bad guys and who the good guys were. It was interesting seeing how the story played out

Unique and compelling

Very unique take on the relationship of heaven and hell, right and wrong, guilt and innocence, and we humans who have to navigate the consequences.

Wrap it all up in steampunk-ish world set in the 19th Century American West, and you just can’t walk away.

I found this book the type that kept me in an idling car to finish just one more chapter before going in the house.

LOVED it. Hope you will too.

Pretty good book

I agree with the reviews that mentioned the ending as depressing and disappointing and I too wish there had maybe been more development of the angels/demons and heaven/hell story than there was. And it was a little slow getting going.

I loved the performance!!

Not what I expected

Spoilers: Don't read this review if you hate spoilers.

This book was not what I expected it to be; it took me a few times to finish it.

Environment:

The author did a very good job setting the scene. Though I did find I wanted more steampunk, even though the summary did not promise it, this is because of the way the author described some of the elements of steampunk. It definitely left me wanting to hear more.

Heroine:

It is annoying, to say the least. I can't fault the author for her writing. I find that I obsess over small things with my family as well, but I don't want to read/listen to it for four hours. I also found that I wanted more of Abraxas and ultimately hated the ending. The small hints of their past relationship had me excited to see what new sparks would form when they met up. Sadly, that was a lackluster reunion. I know that the ending is probably a play into a possible book two, but the fact that the heroine made a few sacrifices and still lost everything hurt my heart a bit. So kudos to the author; that was good writing on your part, but it left me not craving to read a second book in fear it will end the same way.

Heaven and Hell Dynamic:

I enjoyed this aspect of the story. The twist on heaven's angels being martyrs against the fallen was an interesting twist on angelic history. Then twisting that with demons who developed a conscience made me chuckle—well, until the ending, then I just shook my head.

Overall:

Good book. Would I read it again? Probably not, but that is due to the ending. Maybe I will try to listen once more to see if I can understand why it ended the way it did. 

Tread of Angels is another Roanhorse triumph!

I am never disappointed when I sit down to a Rebecca Roanhorse novel. "Tread of Angels" is no exception.

I had no idea what to expect, but this fast paced tale had me riveted from the first line. Amazing characters, a mystery to solve and an ending I didn't forsee; all made this a story one that will live in my head, perhaps forever.

I will gladly resubmerge into the world of this novel. I think rer-reading will only deepen its complexity and thought provoking themes of good and evil, love and selfishness, and truth from lies.

Surprise

I love the universe created in this story. It’s unique to anything that I have seen so far.

Crossing lines

Dion Graham has a beautiful deep, soft voice that was relaxing to listen to, even as he was able to express the emotions of the characters. Celeste is the main character and I didn’t like her from the beginning of the book and even less as the story evolved. In a world with two classes of people, she and her sister were half breeds, she looked like her father who was the higher class while her sister looked like their mother, a Fallen. This was a murder mystery; when Celeste’s sister is accused of murder she will do anything to free her sister, no matter the consequences. I found it odd how I liked the demon more than Celeste.

It’s Intense

Wow! Okay, what can I say that isn’t spoilers. It’s a novella so the synopsis you read gives you a good idea of the plot. This is a character study, so keep that in mind. I know this is a stand alone, but I wouldn’t mind it if she wrote some other stories in this world. The reader is very good as well. I was easily pulled into this story.

Religious fantasy?

I don't know about you, but I make star reviews to remind myself which authors and narrators I do and don't like. I don't like being required to leave a text review in order to leave a star review. I hope Audible fixes this soon.

Sadly Fell Short

Sadly, this book fell short. I had trouble remaining focused and had to repeat several sections. The narrator did a decent job but seemed over dramatic in his enunciation of chapter numbers and some other phrases. Dissapointed.