The Knave of Graves | S.J. Shank

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🌟 The Knave of Graves by S.J. Shank 🌟

📚 Genre: Fantasy, Horror

📅 Release Date: July 24, 2025 — Purchase Link (*only $0.99 now!)

🖊️ Publisher: Carthago Nova Press

🔗 Goodreads: The Knave of Graves on Goodreads

💫 Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis

Jeppo hates his hometown, its people, and especially his life as a gravedigger—a fate he never wanted after studying at the southern Academy. So when a sinister sorcerer demands the bones of the local saint, Jeppo doesn’t object in principle. But defying the night hag, who’s been buying corpses from him for years, could be deadly. Now he must choose the lesser of two evils before the feud spills innocent blood—and exposes his darkest secrets.

My Thoughts 💭

🔍 Why I Picked This Up:

The synopsis had really drew me in. I love gothic books, and the mention of a night hag plus a sinister sorcerer sounded very intriguing. Thank you so much to S.J. Shank, along with Carthago Nova Press, for reaching out and providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

✨ What I Loved:

At first, I wasn’t sure if this book was going to be for me, but once I started using text-to-speech, something just clicked. The story opened up, and I really started to appreciate the layers here—the lore, the strange worldbuilding, and the moody atmosphere. There’s something quietly rich about this story, and once I found my groove, I was fully drawn in. The storytelling by S.J. Shank is truly excellent, and I’d recommend picking this up just for the narrative voice alone. 🗨️

The characters are written really well and carry a great deal of intrigue. I was genuinely interested in them and the relationships they had with our main character. The plot itself is a bit simpler than I expected, but what made it spectacular was the storytelling and the author’s ability to build such a complex, layered world full of complications and secrets. 🤐

✍️ Room for Improvement:

I’ll be honest, the first stretch look me a little bit to get into. The language was, at times, confusing to the point where I had to reread to figure out what was going on (though that could be just a me thing, I’m not super used to books written in this style). I also think the book could’ve been trimmed down just a bit without losing its impact. That said, I really enjoyed the read once I got into the flow of it.

🥈 Overall Takeaway:

If you like your fantasy dark, moody, and steeped in death and questionable morality, this might be your book. I would definintely recommend this book, especially if you’re into atmospheric stories, dark folklore, and rich, immersive worldbuilding. 📖

💡 From The Margins:

• Mood Board:🕯️ dark graveyard, twisted forest paths, evil peering around the corner, bones under the moonlight 🦴

• Favorite Quote: “Your company is worth any interruption.”

*Price subject to change. Not a sponsored post; this is an honest, unpaid review.