Stephanie Feldman

Saturnalia

It’s the winter solstice in Philadelphia, which has been eroded by extreme weather, economic collapse, and disease-carrying mosquitoes. The Saturnalia carnival is about to begin – an evening on which forgets their troubles for a moment. For Nina, Saturnalia is a cruel reminder of the night that changed everything. It’s now three years since she walked away from the elite Saturn Club, with its genteel debauchery, arcane pecking order, and winking interest in alchemy and the occult. Since then, she’s led an isolated life, telling fortunes with her Saturn Club tarot deck. But when she gets a call from Max, her last remaining friend from the club, Nina will put on a black dress and attend the Club’s wild solstice masquerade, the biggest party of the year, to fulfill a mysterious errand. Before the night is over, she will become the custodian of a horrifying secret, and the target of a mysterious hunter. As Nina runs across the city balanced on a knife’s edge between celebration and catastrophe – through parades, worship houses, museums, hidden mansions, and the place she once called home – she’s forced to confront her past so she can finally take charge of her own, and perhaps everyone else’s, future.

Paperback: 240 Pages

Language: English

Format: Kindle Edition, Audiobook, Hardcover, Paperback

3.5/5
Reviewed By Reviewed By Violeta Nedkova
“If you’re a fan of dark academia, mysterious alchemical stories, overcoming trauma, and self-discovering journeys, then this is the book for you.”
Buy Now

Saturnalia by Stephanie Feldman is easily a 4-star read. It’s one of those books that carry you on a daze of adventure, mystery, and magic, as well as fascinating character relations, although it peters out at the very end, where you expect something amazing, but nothing much happens.

At least that’s how I experienced it.

So Saturnalia is about a yearly festival where a bunch of secret societies have their own parties, and Saturnalia is the party of Club Saturn, aka the former club of the protagonist, Nina. We know she left the club three years ago, and now she’s asked to go back and retrieve something – something very peculiar! That sets her off on a journey down memory lane as well as an alchemical adventure that will cause her to reexamine everything (and everyone) she knows and wants. Meanwhile, we’ll find out about secret deals cast in shadows, alchemical processes that are supposed to be impossible, the world of secret societies in general and the superfluousness of everything.

It’s a very eerie and compulsive novel, so I couldn’t put it down until I finished it. The only thing I found disappointing is that one of the characters could have been revealed much earlier, instead of the infodump at the end, but hey, maybe that’s just me. For me, the most riveting parts were the psychological effects on the main character as she walked down memory lane, through her traumas and new revelations. It was heart-breaking but also empowering. If you’re looking for a good love story, however, please do not pick up this book. It’s not one of those.

Finally, if you enjoy a dash of dark academia with your reads, then this is perfect for you. It has just enough nihilism and mockery to last you a long time. Some people might accept it as disappointing in some ways when it comes to the trauma and human relationships, but I have found that dark academia is it’s own beast – it’s not supposed to make you feel better. It’s just supposed to be real.

If you’re a fan of dark academia, mysterious alchemical stories, overcoming trauma, and self-discovering journeys, then this is the book for you.

Reviewed by Violeta Nedkova

Lost your password?