Book Review: ‘The House of Shattered Wings’ by Aliette de Bodard

The House of Shattered Wings is the first book in the Dominion of the Fallen series by French/Vietnamese author Aliette de Bodard.

The book is an odd mix of genres. Primarily it is an urban fantasy set in Paris but it also has elements of a post-apocalypse future as the book explores what our world could look like if angels fell to Earth and openly lived amongst us. As well, the book also contains a detective-style sub plot.

Urban fantasy isn’t favourite sub-genre and when I started reading I wasn’t initially sure if I was going to enjoy the book however I’m glad I persevered as I ended up becoming fully invested in the story and its characters.

The story follows Philippe, an anomaly in this world who is neither human nor angel, and the recently fallen angel Isabelle. After Philippe relieves Isabelle of two her fingers to consume the magic in her bones (cosy fantasy this is not) the pair are taken in by House Silverspires – one as a prisoner, one as a guest. When Philippe accidentally releases an old curse he triggers visions of Morningstar and a shadow that threatens to literally rip apart the House and its inhabitants. Philippe and Isabelle realise they must join forces stop the coming bloodshed.

The House of Shattered Wings is a character driven story that is populated by anti-heroes who become reluctant heroes. Philippe repeatedly stresses his dislike and indifference towards Silverspires yet he finds himself unable to walk away once he realises the danger its inhabitants are in. The young and naïve Isabelle is torn between her immediate loyalty to the House that saved her and the unexpected bond she shares with Philippe – she has to choose which side to support.

There are also plenty of supporting characters with similar journeys. Selene, the angel leader of House Silverspires, is originally set up as the antagonist of the book until we see how much she is struggling under the pressure of keeping the House running in Morningstar’s absence. Then there is my favourite character Madeline, Silverspires’ human physician. Constantly battling her addiction to angel essence and her own self-worth, Madeline is forced to overcome her demons in order to help her friends.

The world Bodard has created clearly has a lot of history to it (as is frequently hinted in the story) but for this first novel I actually liked how contained the plot was in terms of its settings. The majority of the novel is set in House Silverspires and we only see a small number of buildings in Paris outside of this main setting. It gave the story a claustrophobic feel which linked nicely to the plotline of Philippe’s imprisonment within the House. Even though I was very curious about how the rest of the world had fared since the angels arrival I liked that I was able to focus on untangling the connections between the book’s cast of characters as well as concentrating on the unfurling plotline.

Another element of the story I loved was its post-apocalypse setting. After war left much of Paris in ruins and the Seine deathly polluted, all of the remaining Houses are still rebuilding however Silverspires is failing rapidly and Selene is desperately trying to maintain the illusion of power. This led to some of my favourite moments in the book which examined the chess-like power struggles happening both between and within the Houses.

The House of Shattered Wings was an unexpected surprise that let me explore a fantasy sub-genre I don’t often delve into. The dark, yet at times melancholy, story held my interest and Dominion of the Fallen is another series I plan on continuing in the future.

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