Those who know me well, know that I have been obsessed with the love story of Sissi and Death ever since I saw the musical Elisabeth for the first time, back in 2009. So when I told people I was reading a book called Death and the Maiden by Daan Katz, most assumed it was some sort of retelling or similar tale. Spoiler: not at all! It’s a wholly original, character-driven fantasy novel, set in the same universe as Night’s Reign, which I reviewed a while ago.

Death and the Maiden

Death and the Maiden introduces us to Alysia, a 54-year-old therapist from London, who suddenly finds herself stuck in another world. And to make matters even more unsettling for her, she soon realises she’s young again. Her quest to return to her world and family sends her and her newfound friends on a journey through various worlds. They soon realise getting her back to her old life isn’t going to be that straightforward and revelations about her past keep popping up, bringing more questions than answers with them.

A tale I loved as of the very start

It didn’t take me long at all to dive in this fantasy story. Like with Night’s Reign, there’s something unique about the way in which this tale is told, among other things thanks to the remarkable attention given to each character. The cast is very diverse and important themes are addressed, like (mental) health, disability, and neurodiversity. I really enjoyed getting to know these characters, and meeting some of the characters of Night’s Reign again. I especially liked Garth. He’s such a nice character!

Although this book is very much character-focused, the worldbuilding is amazing too. The different worlds in this universe (the All) each have a unique identity and are very rich in details, without being overwhelming. I often struggle with Fantasy books that do “info dumping” in order to create the world, so I highly appreciated the fact that this does not happen in this novel. The worlds are woven gradually throughout the story, without taking away from the zoom on the character development, so that the reader has an elaborate tapestry at the end of the tale in which the characters fully belong.

I also really liked the way Alysia’s quest brought her and her friends from one world to another. Everywhere, there were things for the characters to learn, new aspects from the worldbuilding to get to know for the reader, and new stages to zoom in on important topics for the author. Some aspects of the story were definitely dark (check out the trigger warnings below!) but there was also a lot of humour, hope and wonder.

There were a couple of plot twists that I didn’t see coming. One of which shocked me quite a bit…Twice.

As might be obvious from the name of my blog, I really like dragons. Fantastical creatures in general, really. Love them all <3 So I also quite liked the dragonets that make appearances both in this book as in Night’s Reign, and the way the associated magic is explained. Just to be clear, I’m not talking about the fish ;).

Dragonets [are] magical creatures who hatched the moment their human partner was born. In little more than a heartbeat, they’d locate their Human and bond. From that moment on, they were bonded for life. […] Dragonets would only bond with babies who possessed the dragon magic, a rare magic that—his studies suggested—had become extinct when Emperor Bartomir III of Ingravia had been murdered. […] Dragonets are no pets. They are companions. Sentient, intelligent and loyal. Bonded to [their human partner] for life. They feel and understand [their] emotions. They communicate with [them] telepathically and allow [them] to communicate with others who have the Dragon Magic.

Last but not least, the art in this novel is also very beautiful. The cover, the illustrations between the chapters, loved them!

Four out of five gemstones!

Age Category: Adult

Representation: Autism, genetical disease, wheelchair user, LGBTQ+, mental health, trauma, grief

Trigger Warnings (click here, may contain spoilers)

Warnings for sexual assault, alcoholism, mental illness, suicide and forced abortion.

Do you want to discover more?

If my review inspired you to pick up the book, don’t hesitate to check it out at Goodreads or at the below online stores.

Amazon.nl: ebook edition

Check out my interview with Daan Katz here, as well as his guest post about the representation of disabled people in literature!

Similar to this

As I already mentioned a few times, Death and the Maiden is set in the same universe as Night’s Reign , the first book of the Curse of the Fathers Series. This is the tale of Niels and Bel, a priest and a cantor, who upon befriending each other decide to confront the King for whom Niels is on the run. My review can be found here, but I can already tell you I really enjoyed that novel too.

A while ago, I also reviewed Children of War, an anthology that raises funds for children in Ukraine who are impacted by the war. Daan Katz also contributed a fantasy story to that bundle, called The Dragon’s Demise. Check out my review here!

Daan Katz also writes poetry and has published several bundles. Night Song is a collection of 46 fantasy cinquains, spanning a broad range of themes. It’s the first book in the Songs of Redemption Series. My review can now be found here! He has also written Mewsings of a Cat Lover, which is a collection of short poems about cats that subscribers to his newsletter receive as an exclusive gift.

Last but not least, I have two recommendations for you if you like stories in which various worlds are explored. First of all, The Chaos Covenant Series by Kate Craft, which starts out with Chaos Forged a Fable. This is an adult fantasy series about a police woman who discovers that her late parents are still alive…in another realm. My Bookstagram review of part one can be found here, and part two here.

Secondly, there’s the Bewilderness Series by Kevin Cox, which starts off with a book by the same name. This is a Young Adult science-fiction fantasy in which multiple realms are explored. Book one is the tale of a girl who suddenly finds herself in another world, with no recollection of her life before. Check out my review of part one here.