The Seventh Bride is a 2014 fantasy novel by T. Kingfisher. The novel was published by 47North in November 2014. It was the author's debut fantasy novel, and her debut under this pen name. It's a retelling of the story of Bluebeard.
Young Rhea is a miller's daughter of low birth, so she is understandably surprised when a mysterious nobleman, Lord Crevan, shows up on her doorstep and proposes marriage. Since commoners don't turn down lords—no matter how sinister they may seem—Rhea is forced to agree to the engagement. Lord Crevan demands that Rhea visit his remote manor before their wedding. Upon arrival, she discovers that not only was her betrothed married six times before, but his previous wives are all imprisoned in his enchanted castle. Determined not to share their same fate, Rhea asserts her desire for freedom. In answer, Lord Crevan gives Rhea a series of magical tasks to complete, with the threat "Come back before dawn, or else I'll marry you." With time running out and each task more dangerous and bizarre than the last, Rhea must use her resourcefulness, compassion, and bravery to rally the other wives and defeat the sorcerer before he binds her to him forever.
The characters in this book were engaging. Rhea was a young protagonist, fifteen-years-old, but she was insightful and cautious about the situation she found herself in. She cared a great deal not only about her family, but the other wives she interacted with, and didn't forget about the weight of her actions as she tried to fight and outsmart Lord Crevan. She was also flawed, in that she could be short-sighted at times, and made a number of mistakes as the story progressed, but they were mistakes that fit with her character, such as attempting to flee, despite being told she won't be able to. Maria, one of the wives, was an interesting and mysterious character, and the push-and-pull between her wanting to help Rhea, and having to follow Crevan's orders, was compelling and added complexity to her. Ingeth, another wife, was antagonistic, but her motives made sense with what the reader learns about her character and history. Her justification worked with her character, in a way it wouldn't have for any of the others. I wish Lord Crevan had been a more dynamic or complex villain for the story, as he was one of the few characters that fell flat for me. Despite being the main antagonist, he doesn't do much within the story. Rhea fears him, but the reader isn't given a reason to, except that he's a lord. He's not particularly threatening and most of his actions within the story are giving people orders.
From the blurb, the premise of the story has a lot of potential, and the plot for the first part of the book was interesting. There is clearly something off and unsettling about Lord Crevan, something it seems Rhea will have to uncover. Rhea's journey to his manor allowed for some spooky moments, and the author was able to add some great horror elements throughout the story. One of the best scenes within the story surrounds the first task Rhea is given, for both the creativity it displayed and creepiness of the scene. Unfortunately, the story lost me not long after. Most of what Rhea learns over the course of the story is told to her by other characters, so she uncovers very little. Rhea didn't feel like an active participant in her own story until the climax, because of her lack of agency and the actions other characters take. The tension in the story is also loosely defined, as Rhea knows something bad will happen if she marries Crevan, but she makes no attempt to learn what that "something" is. The climax of the story was exciting, and tense for a bit, but left something to be desired. I was left with a lot of unanswered questions, and the final confrontation happens and is over very quickly. It felt rushed, and the way it unfolds was dissatisfying. I kept waiting for a twist, revelation, or some previously unnoticed bit of foreshadowing to come back up, but it didn't.
It's hard for me to talk about the writing in this book, since it's the author's debut fantasy novel, and I've read multiple of her more recent books. I already knew I liked her writing style and this book has some of the hallmarks of her current style, only less polished. I don't like comparing the writing in a debut to their later work, since finding a voice and a distinct style is an art that evolves. With that said, the descriptions are vivid and the prose flows very easily.
There isn't much world-building in this book. The book has plenty of supernatural beings and creatures, from witches and gremlins to sorcerers and demons. Some things are explained, while others are given no explanation. A great deal of information is waved away as the result of Crevan's "experiments" with no other details. Certain major plot points, including one that's significant to the finale, are less impactful because the backstory and world-building aren't there for the reader to understand their importance. It seems like the author was aiming for a fantasy without extensive world-building, but that doesn't mean some explanation or exploration isn't needed.
The Seventh Wife is a book I have very mixed feelings about. I enjoyed the characters and found most of them compelling, even the more antagonistic ones. The premise of this book was creative and it starts out on a strong note. The plot wasn't able to keep my attention, however, and the story had an ending that felt dissatisfying. Despite being a good character, the protagonist didn't feel like she had agency within her own story, which was frustrating. I may have gone into this book with my hopes too high, as it was an entertaining read, but felt disappointing as a whole.
Rating: 3 Stars
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