The Psalm of Ashen Silk: A Prelude to The Hells of Notre Dame (The Phantom of Notre Dame)

A stunningly harrowing prequel to Hells of Notre Dame. There is pining beyond measure, angst and fear that is well know from Hells, but is brought to a whole new light with digging deep into Esmeralda’s POV. I loved getting deeper into Claude’s head and their dance with duty versus desire. Always looking forward to more from this author.

NOTE: I should've started the read with this book. I first read The Hells of Notre Dame, and I felt some things were missing. All the things that felt missing made sense when reading this one. Of course, you can read them in what order you want, but I feel this makes everything clearer and less confusing 🜲 Characters 🜲 I loved getting to know Claude and Esmeralda and how everything started between them. It was really captivating their yearning and how things took an unexpected turn. Loved them. ⚔︎ World-Building ⚔︎ The world they are living in has been quite unkind. The details offered feel real and makes you understand some of the choices the characters make due to the world they live in. ♡ What I liked/Disliked ♡ I loved everything about the story. I felt it was easy to read, especially with the pronouns and the gender identity; nothing was confusing. In fact, I felt the story to be very clear on why the character chooses what they choose, and I loved the overall vibe of the story. 🔥 Spice Level/Potential Triggers 🔥 There are religious subjects in the story, but nothing that happened or was described in the story triggered me. The story is steamy!

Davennor weaved a tantalizing reimagining of the beginning of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Queering the story through not just gender-bending but also through power--Claude submitting to Esmerelda instead of attempting to control and devour her--creates a unique romantic opening for the following books. The one part that did leave a distaste in my mouth was, for the sake of a more fantastical setting, the out-group (originally Hugo uses the Roma people who have a long, continuing history of discrimination) for people who happen to have magic. While I can see the church vs. magic dynamic that has been explored, to me it feels unnecessary when the tension could have already existed and could provide real-life representation and queering. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The beginning of Claude and Esmerelda's love story. Set in Gothic Paris, Claude trapped by the church and Esmerelda a mage performer, both unable to stay away & the beginning of the scarf hand off. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I LOVED every second of the Psalm of Ashen Silk, a prequel to the Hells of Notre Dame. I adore R.L. Davennor’s prose and the story she weaves. More than just a romance, Psalm delivers a story about surviving religious trauma, oppression, and finding oneself in a turbulent world that is scarily poignant to our contemporary lives. As a queer person who didn’t come out until later in life I felt so seen by both lead characters, Claude and Esmerelda, and found something deeply personal in their stories. Reading Claude’s story especially has helped me process past trauma and internalized homophobia that was holding me back from further exploring my gender identity. The book also features a very diverse cast all representing different queer and intersectional identities. One of my favorite reads of 2025. Check the trigger warnings! ❤️Things I liked ❤️ Split character POV with equally engaging storylines SO MUCH SAPPHIC YEARNING Claude’s relationship with Quasimodo + Found queer family Elemental magic system The vibes (Hunchback of Notre Dame + Phantom of the Opera) Political Intrigue 🔥Things I Could Take or Leave 🔥 Every chapter felt very heavy, I needed some more levity The spice was well written, but wasn’t between two main characters and didn’t add much of anything to the book… the sapphic yearning between Claude and Esmerelda was enough! I received this as an e-book ARC and am giving my honest review. I loved this book so much and cannot wait to order a physical,…