OUR LADY OF MYSTERIOUS AILMENTS (EDINBURGH NIGHTS BOOK 2) BY T. L. HUCHU

OUR LADY OF MYSTERIOUS AILMENTS BY T. L. HUCHU

3/3/2022

Last year we were introduced to The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu and Ropa Moyo, a teenage ghost whisperer with a spikey attitude and a somewhat screw you attitude to conventions and authority. Set in a post-apocalyptic Edinburgh, filled with ghosts, paranormal activity and magical practitioners, this first book in the Edinburgh Nights series set a powerful and exciting foundation for brand new, dare I say it, contemporary fantasy series (I really should become more read up on my genre labels), that puts a whole new spin on some standard tropes and characters.

Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments is set immediately after the first book's events, with Ropa, determined to become a proper member of Edinburgh's highly respected magic school. Desperate to hone her already formidable skills, as well as the desire to learn new magic, Ropa must fight her rather tempestuous nature to break past the obstacles and the prejudices preventing her from achieving her goals. But when a mysterious ailment that baffles traditional medicine and magical medicine enters her world, Ropa is forced into an investigation that leads her to discover that a long-dormant and malevolent entity is awakening and hellbent on destroying the world she knows.

I was a massive fan of the first book in this series. It was only the fact that last year was a hellish year for me, that I never got around to reviewing the book, but take it from me, before you read any more of this review, go and order yourself a copy of both of Huchu's novels in this series, they are indeed something special.

There are loads of books like this, but none come close to the depth of character or world-building displayed here. These books rip apart the confines of their genre and deliver a fresh, powerful and exciting take on the teenage protagonist on a quest to save to the world trope. And when you add in the fact that Ropa presents a worldview that is a million miles away from your middle-class white warrior hero, that is endemic in contemporary fantasy, and you have a book and a character that demands your attention, with a graceful and poetic narrative style that sings of the page.

Huchu's world-building is exceptional, and I have to admit I adore books that are set in locations that I know well and compared to my top three books for the familiarity of location, Banquet for the Damned by Adam Nevill, Moonseed by Alan Baxter and The Road Hole Bunker Mystery: A St. Andrews Murder Mystery Kindle Edition by William Meikle, Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments, is right up there with them. I loved following Ropa's adventures around Edinburgh, albeit a post-apocalyptic one; the Edinburgh I know and love was richly painted with an ethereal brush, giving the streets a mysterious and magical flavour.

A common error found in books set in Scotland is the use of the Scottish language, so many authors make the mistake of labouring the point when it comes to dialogue, with characters often sounding like they have stepped out of a Russ Abbott sketch. However, Huchu has perfectly allows the characters to sound Scottish without ever being too Scottish.

The greatest strength of Huchu's world-building is his deliberate ambiguity regarding when the novel is set. His use of pop culture references throughout the story, and even references to long ago historical events, keeps the reader guessing as to when the story is set; it could easily be placed in the past, present, or future of our timeline. It is a bold move on Huchu's part, but it works exceptionally well. It adds a magnificent layer of mystery to this magical story. I just want to know two things, why he disses the X-Man Jubilee and which is the best oyster bar in Edinburgh.

The story itself is compelling and demands the reader's attention; Huchu has a wonderful grasp on both the narrative structure and the pacing of the narrative throughout the story, this is one of those, "one more chapter before I need to go to sleep, and there were a few nights where I really should have gone to sleep a little sooner, but hey who needs sleep when you are reading a book as good as this.

As I said earlier, this is a fresh take on contemporary fantasy, and reading a story from the perspective of the non-typical protagonist was pure joy. Huchu tackles some important topics within the book. Still, his deftness of touch never allows the issues to overbear on the story. While he never shies away from making some crucial swipes at such things as the patriarchy, it never feels like you are being hit over the head with it.

As for Ropa, I loved being in her company, maybe because she reminds me a little bit of my daughter. I saw some criticism for his first book that Ropa didn't feel like a typical young teenage girl, which is stupid. She isn't the ordinary young teenage girl typically found in this type of story. Yes, she is a little bit wise beyond her years, but so would you be if you were forced to lie in a shantytown in Hermiston Gate and forced to scrimp and save for the most basic of things. As far as I am concerned, her dialogue was spot on; she had the same sharp tongue and no-nonsense approach to those who stand in her way as my daughter has. I also loved how he made her fallible, mainly due to her hotheadedness. Nothing bores me more than having a protagonist who never puts a foot wrong. Ropa's inexperience is handled with a sympathetic and realistic portrayal.

With many of the characters reappearing from the first novel, Huchu grounds this novel within its universe; Ropa's Granny is my favourite. She is quickly becoming my favourite Granny after the gold standard of magical Grannies, Granny Weatherwax.

Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments is an enthralling and essential novel. It cleverly plays around with many of the conventions of the contemporary fantasy setting to deliver a gripping, fast-paced novel filled with exciting set pieces, intelligent social commentary, and a protagonist that will kick and scream until she finds her place in the world around her.

A magnificent, magical, medical mystery

Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments (Edinburgh Nights Book 2)
by T. L. Huchu

Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments by T. L. Huchu is the second spellbinding book in the Edinburgh Nights series.

‘Stupendously engaging’ – Ben Aaronovitch, bestselling author of Rivers of London

Some secrets are meant to stay buried

When Ropa Moyo discovered an occult underground library, she expected great things. She’s really into Edinburgh’s secret societies – but turns out they are less into her. So instead of getting paid to work magic, she’s had to accept a crummy unpaid internship. And her with bills to pay and a pet fox to feed.

Then her friend Priya offers her a job on the side. Priya works at Our Lady of Mysterious Maladies, a very specialized hospital, where a new illness is resisting magical and medical remedies alike. The first patient was a teenage boy, Max Wu, and his healers are baffled. If Ropa can solve the case, she might earn as she learns – and impress her mentor, Sir Callander.

Her sleuthing will lead her to a lost fortune, an avenging spirit and a secret buried deep in Scotland’s past. But how are they connected? Lives are at stake and Ropa is running out of time.

Praise for The Library of the Dead:

‘Roll on the sequel’ – The Times

‘One of the strangest and most compelling fantasy worlds you'll see all year’ – SFX