Avenel was once a fabled assassin known as the Blade of Elyria. Ever tight-lipped about her past, she retired from a life of death to wander the world alone. Deena is a sheltered teenage girl unaware of her extraordinary heritage. Raised alone by her mother, she has never been far from home.
Their paths cross in Deena’s secluded village, when tragedy obliterates Deena’s home and leaves her orphaned. The two begin a journey across the continent, bound together by Avenel’s promise to keep Deena safe. They encounter allies, both new and a biological father, a bastard prince and his friends, estranged family, and a physician who claims to be a member of a long-dead race. Each has regrets and painful memories of their own, memories that Deena soon discovers she can relive through dreams.
When a prophesied sign of the end of the world appears, their journey becomes about more than just the fate of a single girl, and the secrets between them may be enough to save the world — or end it.
Hallowed by Y.R. Liu shows a great deal of promise, especially for an early-career author. While it leans heavily into familiar fantasy tropes and has its share of rough edges, it also delivers an engaging tone and narrative voice that kept me thoroughly entertained from start to finish.
The protagonist, a somewhat naive and initially passive young girl, isn’t the type of lead I typically gravitate toward—especially since I tend to prefer more agency-driven characters. But in this case, her personality and role in the story made sense. Her naivety is believable given her backstory, and her quiet bravery grows on you. It’s refreshing to see a young heroine who isn’t shoehorned into a romance plot. Her journey stands on its own merit, which is a rare and welcome change in the genre.
The supporting cast is a bit of a mixed bag. Some characters fall squarely into well-worn archetypes: the stoic assassin, the manipulative noble, the noble-hearted rebel. However there were also some refreshing deviations. I especially appreciated the kind-hearted prince, who avoided the brooding or arrogant stereotypes. Another standout was a minor character in a position of authority who is clearly on the autism spectrum. He’s not a major player in the plot, but the care with which he was portrayed, needing structure, routine, and predictability, was quietly impactful and added a touch of realism and diversity to the cast.
Where the book falters most is in its pacing and priorities. There are extensive descriptions of minor side characters who barely appear again, and the page time spent detailing their looks or movements could have been better used to flesh out the world or deepen our understanding of the main cast. The world-building itself felt somewhat surface-level. I kept wanting more depth, more texture, but what’s here is functional and works well enough to carry the story.
That said, the novel still reads smoothly and quickly. I found myself breezing through it in just a couple of sittings. While many plot points followed expected beats, there were a few genuinely surprising twists, something that doesn’t happen often for me anymore, and which I greatly appreciated.
Given that the author appears to have only two books out so far, I’m genuinely impressed. Hallowed has all the hallmarks of a writer with a strong voice and the potential to grow into something special. With a bit more focus on world-building depth and character nuance, Y.R. Liu could become a real name to watch in the fantasy space.
