The Revenant of Surolifia, by Florence Chien

The Revenant of Surolifia is a standalone political fantasy novel written by Florence Chien, published by Rising Action Publishing. An ambitious proposal composed of a fair share of court intrigue, heists, secrets and a quite original magic system that manages to set an interesting plot pivoting about how the system can change and the different paths that could let toward that change, all accompanied by a superb cast of characters.

A novel that presents two different ways to bring change to the world; on the one hand, we have Lucas, working for the gendarmerie, aiming to change the fate of his people through diplomacy, slowly climbing through the ranks to reach that point where he could exert it. On the other, Faye, a disgraced prince who wants his throne back, collaborating with the revolutionaries and not afraid of violence in order to liberate his people from the Imperial power. Both aim for the same goal, but their own paths will put them on opposite sides of the balance; however, with both hunting each other across the country, time is running out, the Empire's ships on their way. If they don't manage to unite their forces, there won't be much of a country to liberate.

In a certain sense, you could argue that Faye and Lucas not only share the same goals, but they also have suffered quite a difficult past, mistakes that are still haunting them; the animosity between them is natural as they could almost see their own reflection in their rival. However, while Lucas is the cold, calculating type, Faye is much more chaotic, suiting much more with a more explosive way of doing things. It is difficult to write two opposed POVs that make you cheer for both at the same time, but Chien certainly achieved this, as I deeply cared for these two idiots.
There's also a third POV, Stelle, who is the perfect example of character growth, as we see her passing from just a pretty disingenuous girl that doesn't care much about the current situation to eventually understand why and become part of it; it's a bit overshadowed by the two big idiots, but it was refreshing to have her at certain points of the plot.

The worldbuilding is quite enjoyable, from the own Baroque aesthetic of this world to how Chien manages to reflect what is a small slice of the vast history of this setting; the magic system is quite nebulous but still powerful, and the author doesn't hold our hand, trusting us to get how it works. The political intrigue is constant, with many secrets that are kept from the reader (and the characters) until they become relevant enough for plot, always keeping you in awe of what will come next.

The Revenant of Surolifia is a brilliant fantasy novel, perfect if you are looking for a self-contained but still ambitious political fantasy proposal in the vein of The Traitor or The Sovereign with excellent character work. An amazing fantasy debut by Florence Chien!