The Tinder Box, by M. R. Carey

The Tinder Box is a standalone dark fantasy novel written by M. R. Carey, published by Orbit Books. A story that vaguely draws from the eponymous fairytale to deliver a much more nuanced story about power, temptation, and trauma, set in an obscure medieval-world where the barriers between the human and the upper powers are much thinner, delighting the reader with an excellent character work that makes an effort to destroy the weight of appearances.

Former soldier Mag Tresti finds work in the home of a reclusive widow, Jannae Mirchella; a woman of many talents, who hides them under her respectability as a widow. After a demon falls from the sky, the fates of the soldier and the widow become intertwined, all due to an artifact that Mag finds and keeps for himself in the demon's body: a tinderbox that allows to summon three powerful demons. An incident that marks Mag's departure and the start of a big story where their paths will be crossed many times against the background of the kingdom.

One of the elements that makes this book remarkable is the excellent character work made by Carey on his two main characters and some of the secondaries. Mag is not a hero and has lived too much in the war, something that shapes how he sees the world; a broken soldier, aware of how much damage can be done by the people in power just to satiate their desires, a view of the world that will shape his attitude towards certain entities. Jannae is also a twist on the classical witch archetype, a much more human idea that is struggling with guilt, trying to hide her powers, but with an inner fire that will move her towards doing good actions in the end.
Even in the case of the demonic entities, I think Carey's decision of portraying them as mere soldiers of an unwanted war helps the reader to empathize with them; for a former soldier like Mag, we will see how he will find easy to fill the same shoes, trying to help them when possible. My only negative note is regarding the main antagonist, as it lands as a bit plain, especially since we get his own POV, but only during a few chapters, not enough to paint a complete portrait.

Carey's writing tries to mimic the cadence of a fairytale while trying to keep a gritty world as the scenario of the story; at the end, this is a story that revolves around power, how it is exerted and the consequences it might bring to others. The cost of desires plays an important role in the whole plot, opening an interesting debate that is explored through the different characters.
The pacing is relatively slow at the start, but it acts as a way to set all the pieces on the board; once all kicks into action, it doesn't stop until the end.

The Tinder Box is an excellent novel, a memorable story that makes its most of its character work and how well used is the dark medieval atmosphere (similarly to Once Was Willem); another book that goes to the favourite list!