Editor’s Note: This book review was provided in partnership with the University of Guam Press. Learn more about UOG Press and their collection of Micronesian literature at uogpress.com.
In her latest young adult novel, “The Year of the Grim Reaper,” author Makiia Lucier delivers a fantasy world that feels all too real. Lucier takes us to a medieval country called Olivieras, at war with its neighbor Brisa for more than half a century. The origin of this war is not known, but the beginning of the war is not as important as what happens after.
In the midst of this war, a new terror has arisen – a plague that leaves church bells and burnt bodies in its wake and an alliance between Olivieras and Brisa with a royal wedding.
In this world that Lucier creates, she reminds us that there is no sense in war when there is no one left to fight.
The book’s central character, 18-year-old Lord Cas, is one of the few people known to have survived this plague. After three years of trying to return home to Oliveras, he finally arrives and finds that his home is as transformed as he is.
Oliveras now hosts the royal family, including Queen Brisa, towards whom he has no good will. But after an assassination attempt on the newborn Crown Prince – heir to the newly aligned King Oliveran and Queen Brisan – Cas finds himself embroiled in a conspiracy and a race against time to find out who is attacking them and why.
“Year of the Reaper” doesn’t reinvent the wheel, because it doesn’t have to. The setting is familiar to anyone who has read a fantasy novel with a hero’s journey and such a lovable surly protagonist. But Lucier manages to bring a breath of fresh air.
The novel is unusual in that it is heavily driven by character relationships and development. The world-building is spectacular – it doesn’t take much imagination in the years of COVID-19 to grasp the repercussions of the disease on society, but it still manages to fully immerse you in it.
The characters she writes are an integral part of this world-building and this story.
Growing up in a Pasifika family, I’m used to directions like “windward” and “leeward.” In “Year of the Reaper”, the characters often refer to things like mountains or to the sea. As a fan of fantasy, it’s a relief to see similar cultural markers in a book.
The characters have varying shades of brown skin and dark hair, with no particular emphasis on blue or green eyes. Instead of characters eating turkey legs and lamb, they eat latiya, red rice and chicken kelaguen – one of the subtle ways Lucier celebrates his Mariana roots and CHamoru heritage.
And the relationships Lord Cas builds with the people around him – be it his family, historians or even the hated Brisa royal family – drive the plot forward. Lucier creates a unique human narrative that we don’t often see in fantasy.
The “plague” as they call it in “The Year of the Grim Reaper” doesn’t just affect the economy and people’s livelihoods. It affects the characters in profound ways and how they all interact with each other.
Refreshing
It’s a refreshing take, especially in 2022, when we’re all stumbling as best we can through a wealth of information, recovering from the pressure it’s put on us and how we interact with people.
Lucier does a spectacular job of making you feel invested in each of the characters and their journeys, and the emphasis they place on their family ties.
Sure, there’s the backdrop of war dividing the lines between the Olivierians and the Brisans, but deeper than that are family ties and friendships, and the underlying desire to see people succeed.
The characters cross the battle lines established by the generations that preceded them to support each other and learn more about the plot to shatter the newfound peace in the land.
Whether you’re an adult or the “target audience” of 13-18 year olds, “Year of the Reaper” is sure to draw you in with its fast-paced, character-driven plot, and excellent writing. I can’t wait to read everything else Makiia Lucier writes.
