Keeper of Sorrows is a gothic sci-fantasy written by Rachel Fikes, published by Flame Tree Press. A mesmerising and emotional story that plays with parallel timelines, throwing us into an excellent gothic adventure that gets enhanced by the lyrical prose used by Fikes, in a world where ecosystems are dying, and bees are the key.

The next Keeper, ruler of the bees, Naokah's sister, has disappeared. This marks the starting point for a new Praxis, a competition to determine the next successor of the Keeper, and Naokah, despite her paralyzing fear of bees, enters, hoping to investigate what happened to her sister. But she won't only have to overcome her fear of bees (an opportunity that Fikes takes to shed a better light over a traditionally slandered insect), but also navigate and survive the whole Praxis, a dangerous task once that other aspirants start to dissappear only leaving a feather behind.

Naokah is not only an interesting main character, especially considering her fear of bees, but she's exactly the kind of brave and sassy FMC that I absolutely love. She's decided to overcome any obstacle if that means she's closer to her sister, but we can also see how she establishes a nice bond with other aspirants, sort as an answer to her lack of relationship with her sister. The rest of the aspirants play an important role in the development of the story, and also help us to see a Naokah that open herself to others.

The worldbuilding is simply stunning, combining the vibes from a post-apocalyptic dystopia with touches of ecology; the citadel perfectly fits the gothic conventions of a haunted and labyrinth place, with its own mysteries. And the humblebee is simply a brilliant addition to the plot, which Fikes uses to debunk many myths about the whole function of the bee and how important they are for the ecosystem survival.
The story is amazingly paced, playing with two parallel timelines, which might feel a bit confusing at the start, but dear reader, trust Rachel Fikes. We have some slower moments that help us to catch our breath in between tenser sections.

Keeper of Sorrows is an absolute banger of a debut, a perfect piece if you like authors like Silvia Moreno Garcia; part gothic, part adventure, you will find yourself craving to read one more page. And trust me, Rachel Fikes is a name to keep a tab on.