Hands Like Secrets by Mariah Norris – 5 Star Review

Saeli has always been different: she is autistic, in a world that doesn’t have a word for people like her.

I was granted a complimentary eARC copy of Hands Like Secrets by Mariah Norris in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Mariah for reaching out! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

If this spotlight and review catch your interest, be sure to watch for more reviews and content during the Escapist Book Tours tour for this title in June!

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About the Book

Hands Like Secrets
The Seven Strands Book One
by Mariah Norris

Publishing 13 May 2022
Shadow Spark Publishing

Genre: Epic Fantasy
Page Count: 296
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Saeli has always been different: she is autistic, in a world that doesn’t have a word for people like her.

She attends the exclusive institute of Aschamon, learning to harness her inner qi and preparing to join the battle between her people and their enemies, the Crimson Cowls. But despite her years of work, her teachers still refuse to elevate her to Silver Mantle status and dedicate her to their god’s service.

When notorious Crimson Cowl Rafel Kailar breaks into her school, it is either cruel irony…or fate…that Saeli is there to confront him.

But Rafel is nothing like the Cowls she’s been taught to hate. He draws her in with his charm and reveals his ultimate ambition: to overthrow the gods of Verre and end a hundred years of war. And he needs Saeli’s help.

As she is pulled deeper into Rafel’s schemes, Saeli fears she’ll be forced to choose whose side she’s truly on: her people, who have never understood her…or Rafel, who’d gladly turn her world upside-down to kill the gods.

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My Review

My Rating: 5 Stars
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Hands Like Secrets is a fascinating, fast-paced epic fantasy in an academic setting that explores xenophobia, racism, LGBTQIA+ identities, and neurodivergence all while introducing the reader to a world full of magic that feels like a new spin on Aristotle’s elements.

I can’t quite put my finger on which details really did it for me, but the early chapters of this book made me think that this book and upcoming series continuation will be absolutely perfect for now-adult fans of the House of Night series that was so popular back in the mid-2000s. So if that was your jam 15 years ago, read this!

I very much love and respect how Saeli’s autism is a vital part of the story and her character, but it isn’t the one and only thing we know about her. There are so many little details thrown in here and there as we see this world through Saeli’s point of view that show us how her brain processes things a little differently, but she’s never presented as intellectually disabled. A lot of attention is brought to the fact that she physically cannot tolerate a lot of touch and contact, it causes pain, yet she’s also not considered physically disabled. Again, I respect that so much! Not only do some of her experiences sound very familiar to this reader on the spectrum, but I very much appreciate that she has the respect, trust, and faith of her peers and superiors.

I also loved all of the LGBTQIA+ representation in this book. There’s a prominent non-binary character, Fien, who uses they/them pronouns and frequently binds their chest to appear less feminine. Again, not only does everything about this character’s identity feel so right to this non-binary reader, but the way the other characters respond to and protect their friend is perfect. They firmly but casually correct pronouns, setting a great example of how that should always be done. There’s also a character who expresses a lack of attraction, hinting at an asexual identity, and I loved seeing that as well.

Setting all of the rep aside and addressing the world and plot, this book kept impressing me. Every setting from locations on the school campus to the town and world beyond the campus walls were vividly described and felt like places I’d love to explore, but the descriptions never got in the way of the storytelling. For the most part, the world-building around how magic works in this world, how students earn their mantles and other accolades, and how the magic they’re learning ends up being used for better and worse (yes and, not or) in the wider world were all laid out clearly in a way that was engaging. I will say there were a few points when something new was being explained to Saeli or Saeli was recalling information learned prior to the start of the book that felt a little too much like plot-required exposition and made me take note of that, but do keep in mind that I was reading with the intent to review so these things are on my mind. I really don’t think any of them would prove notably distracting to a casual reader.

I don’t want to say too much about the plot lest I leak spoilers, look to the official synopsis for a spoiler-free teaser, but I will say this book moves fast, it tugs at your heart strings, and every time you think you know where the plot is going it will spin you around in a new direction so fast you won’t know what hit you. It does tie up enough loose ends to feel like it has a satisfyingly complete arc by the last page, but it’s also absolutely a first book in a series and leaves you wanting to turn the page and start the next chapter. I hope that the next book picks up immediately where this one left off (give or take a few days, doesn’t have to be the next moment) because I need to know what happens next!

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