Review of The Oblivion Bride by Caitlin Starling
Caitlin Starling’s The Oblivion Bride (Neon Hemlock, 2025) is a gorgeous science-fantasy novella with some Gothic and surreal elements worked into an incredible world.
Lorelei is one of a very small number of members of her family who hasn’t been killed by the family curse, which no one has been able to figure out. In order to protect the family’s holdings, her uncle arranges for her to marry Nephele, a War Alchemist with the knowledge to investigate this seemingly magical curse. But as Nephele investigates Lorelei’s family curse, both women encounter unexpected things about each other and the nature of magic in their world.
I absolutely adored Lorelei and Nephele, who were both relatable characters in dramatically different ways. Watching as they struggled with the mystery of the curse and one another, coupled with their disparate strengths and flaws, I found them equal parts endearing and frustrating, the latter in the sense of watching them talk and act past one another. But that was so indelibly part of each of their personalities that it made perfect sense, as much as I wanted them to figure things out more quickly. (Of course, if they had, the book would have been shorter, and I certainly didn’t want that!)
If you like a bit of “will they or won’t they” simmering romance with a speculative setting with magic and technology intertwined, plus the Gothic family curse trope and some truly surreal interludes, check out The Oblivion Bride!
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