This is a bit of an unusual review, because at the time of writing, Caligo isn’t actually out yet! But as part of the cover reveal and street team, I had early access to the book and absolutely loved it. So, if you’re reading this before the May 15 release date, I highly encourage you to check out the preorder link!

Genre: Christian fantasy

Overall Rating: 5/5

Literary Value: 5/5 Caligo isn’t a literary book (by which I mean the prose serves the plot and not vice versa), but it has a lot of literary value. The prose is both clear and beautiful, and the vocabulary used is neither simplistic nor overly complicated.

Worldview: 5/5 I didn’t disagree with anything in the author’s worldview. I will say, Caligo has a lot of religious elements in it (never preachy, though). I personally enjoy theology in fiction, but if you’re not a fan of that, Caligo might not be your new favorite book. Also, as a Lutheran, I would have appreciated more sacramental theology—but again, I didn’t disagree with anything, I just would have emphasized that differently. Aside from theology, Caligo has the most beautiful and nuanced exploration of feminism I have ever found in fiction—the characters truly wrestle with the hard questions behind feminism, finally coming to appreciate the strength of femininity.

Enjoyability: 5/5 I absolutely loved this book. I read it on my laptop (because I was reading the e-ARC) and I hate reading books as PDFs on my laptop… and I still loved it. If you haven’t read The Nightingale Trilogy, it might take a little longer to get into Caligo, but you should still find it enjoyable. The plot and pacing held my interest without fail (including keeping me up late two nights in a row right before a plane flight!), and the characters felt very nuanced and human. I really enjoyed all of The Nightingale Trilogy, but it has been incredible to watch the author’s skills grow with each book! I can’t wait to see what she writes next….

Caveats: Caligo is intended for an adult audience, and so it does go into some darker subject matter, including infertility and infanticide. I also found the violence to be slightly higher than the other books in The Nightingale Trilogy. That being said, since Caligo is by a Christian author, the darkness is never excessive or gratuitous, but well-balanced by hope and faith. As far as other content goes, there was no language or sexual content. A main character’s previous unchastity is mentioned, but not glorified. There is some romance (noticing a character is attractive, brief kisses, etc.), which was very tastefully done. I’d recommend Caligo for 15+ because of the discussion of infertility and infanticide, but a mature 13-year-old would probably enjoy it also.

Other books by the author: Caligo is a standalone sequel to The Nightingale Trilogy (so it can be read alone, but it does have major spoilers for the trilogy). I absolutely loved The Nightingale Trilogy (you can read my review of Book 1, Calor, here!), but found myself loving Caligo even more! So, if you’re short on time, I’d say go ahead and read Caligo—otherwise, the whole trilogy is worth checking out! The author also has some other fantasy novels out there, which I haven’t read. But you can check them out on her website if you’re interested!