Tread of Angels

Roanhorse (Fevered Star) sets her latest fantasy in an 1883 Colorado mining town populated by angels and demons, referred to as “Virtues” and “Fallen.” The names are misleading as the Virtues are far from virtuous while the Fallen have become an underclass who are overworked, underpaid, and subject to prejudice at every turn. When a Virtue is found dead and dismembered in a Fallen woman’s bed, “Virtuous” officialdom presumes her guilt, but her sister Celeste is determined to prove her innocence no matter how many roadblocks stand in her way. In the end, she exposes the truth about the Virtues that no one wants to believe, and the truth about her sister that she refused to see. It’s the determination of Celeste that carries this story. The reader isn’t surprised that her world is corrupt, but her dogged determination to corrupt herself to save her sister drive the story forward and keep the reader turning pages.