Happy Sunday, readers! I am a tad bit late publishing this post but today I am here with the latest on the next book in the Requiem Dark series by Claire Winn, City of Vicious Night! First, I have a little Q&A to introduce us to the the sequel to City of Shattered Light but feel free to read my review via the button below too! Then scroll all the way down for a look at the gorgeous cover!
Q: What inspired you to write this book?
Claire Winn: This story was a long time coming. After the first book, City of Shattered Light, I had ideas simmering for a few years, since a general rule in publishing is that you don’t write a sequel until the first book is sold and edited (because changes can happen at any stage in the publishing process!). Once developmental edits on CoSL were finished, I immediately started working on City of Vicious Night. I knew it might never see the light of day (it wouldn’t be pitched until after CoSL had some sales data to look at!), but I wanted to give my characters the ending they deserved—even if I’d be the only one to ever read it.
Like the first book, it incorporates concepts like pervasive tech, privacy, and bodily autonomy. With the first book as an established baseline for readers, I wanted to focus on deepening the found-family bonds and the world-building of the city. This book takes the themes of CoSL a little bit further, and Asa and Riven are both grappling with what it means to have power—why they want it, how far they’ll go to get it, and the responsibilities that come with leadership. Ty is also a POV character, and his arc deals with violence and whether it’s possible to stay true to himself under harrowing circumstances and malicious influences.
Q: What were the biggest challenges you faced writing this book?
CW: For one, I started this book in 2020, when pandemic uncertainty was at its highest point. Because of that, the story grapples with some darker themes, but there’s also an undercurrent of raging hope.
Also, like I noted in my previous answer, I felt like I wasn’t allowed to write this book for the longest time. I didn’t even know whether I’d get to share this book with readers at all! But that uncertainty ended up working in the story’s favor, because when I wrote the first draft, it was only for me—no deadlines, no contract (yet), no pressure. And it became the story I’d always dreamed of it being.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from this book?
CW: I hope readers will enjoy the closure from the first book. There are many threads that pick up directly after the events of CoSL, and this wraps up the duology in what I hope is a satisfying conclusion. In both books, I aimed to tell the story of a ride-or-die found family in a queer-normative world, with breakneck adventure and romantic angst and zero homophobia—and there’s a lot more of that in City of Vicious Night. I hope this book provides a fun, fast-paced escape, but that it also inspires readers to think about the nuances of power, responsibility, and the influences that shape us, especially in the digital age.
Q: What is your favorite quote, scene, or moment from your book?
CW: There are several, but most of them contain pretty heavy spoilers! I really loved getting to deepen the relationships among the cast in this story. I think the only chapter I can describe without spoilers is the first, because it’s special to me for a few reasons—it re-introduces the cast in their element (doing questionable underworld jobs together!), and it contains all the banter and action and kissing you’ve come to expect from these books. The first chapter feels like a “welcome back!” and I hope readers will love sinking back into this world & characters.
Release Date: May 23, 2023
Author’s Note on Cover:
“This might be one of my favorite covers ever, and I keep finding myself staring at the artwork—the background is so vividly detailed that I still discover new things! Both main characters are fiercer than ever, and their new exosuits (and Riven’s sword) are ripped straight from the story. I love the eyeball-busting neon color scheme—fitting for a cutthroat outlaw city that’s half glitter and half grime. It’s so unique; the illustrator, Sanjay Charlton, did an amazing job.”
Full Synopsis:
For the most hated crew on Requiem, the only way out is up.
It’s been four months since runaway heiress Asa crash-landed on matriarchal outlaw colony Requiem, bringing a nasty AI and host of deadly secrets with her. Now, she runs with almost-girlfriend Riven’s smuggler crew, stealing kisses between gunfights and heists. But when a mysterious hacker sabotages their latest job, other gangs turn against them, blaming them for the destruction the rogue AI caused. Nowhere in the city is safe.
The only way to protect their crew is a series of trials for control of an underworld faction–and vying for a matriarch’s throne is a dream Riven can’t let go. But as the trials intensify, the saboteur hounds Asa and Riven’s every step, determined to kill Asa and right her father’s wrongs. When the saboteur reveals a horrific conspiracy threatening all of Requiem–one involving the crew member they thought they’d lost–the girls must decide whether to risk their own skins for a city that loathes them.
Claire Winn spends her time immersed in other worlds—through LARP, video games, books, nerd conventions, and her own stories. Since graduating from Northwestern University, she’s worked as a legal and technical writer. Aside from writing, she builds cosplay props and armor, tears up dance floors, and battles with boffer swords.
What do you guys think of City of Vicious Night‘s cover? Let me know in the comments below! And don’t forget to support Claire Winn on her socials if you like what you see!
