Hexalogy on Dora Wilk

I would like to make a reservation right away that I will not tell you how much the new edition of Soul Stealer has changed . I like this author very much, but I know only the newest volume from the series on Dora, because I only sat down at Jadowska after Wars with Sawa and Nikita appeared in the universe of alternative cities . Therefore, let me look at the beginning of the hexalogy from the perspective of the writer’s new texts.

I suspect that most fantasy readers in Poland have heard something about Jadowska and her alternative cities, so it will be brief. Most of the series focuses on the events taking place in Toruń and its magical counterpart – the much older and more densely inhabited Thornie. This is just one of the many places where power lines converge and which the magicians therefore occupy. The universe is inhabited primarily by characters from pagan orders – werewolves, vampires, deities and fairies. But in Soul Stealerone of the most important motives is the presence of Judeo-Christian beings, angels and devils in this world. At the center of the confusion is Dora, a witch of complicated origins, very attached to the idea of ​​leading an ordinary mortal life “after all”. When we meet her in the first volume, she is a rebellious but effective policewoman, hiding her powers from her colleagues, not very attached to her magical abilities and considering herself to be not very talented.

The entire hexalogy is written from the perspective of the protagonist, who spends hypotheses on the currently solved criminal riddles. Dora also tells the reader about herself, and treats life with a large dose of sarcasm. Fortunately, this tough woman knows when to use boxing and magic fighting methods, and when to hug. The latter is a very important issue in the alternative world. Although hexalogy is, in genre terms, a crime fiction and urban fantasy , the cycle contains a lot of threads describing building relationships and those related to finding oneself. This does not only apply to Dora, Jadowska can create very interesting supporting characters.

The soul stealer, that is, beginnings

As I mentioned, it is not only the first volume of hexalogy, but also Jadowska’s novel debut. It begins a series that has become a cult hit, elevated the author to the list of Polish fantasy celebrities and allowed her to write professionally. Now Dora and Nikita are loved by readers, collect fame and provoke intense conversations on the bookstagram . I know because I’m one of the female fans. And from this honorable position, let me now a little pomarudzić the thief of souls , because – although improved – not lost the character debut. It’s an honest approach to the book, but it may put off some new readers.

The first volume of Jadowska’s hexalogy, and the subsequent ones, simultaneously tell about Dora’s investigation and the story of her personal life happening at the same time. It is not – admittedly – an origin storybecause the main character grew up not knowing about her magical nature (she had to undergo accelerated education and training), but we learn about it only in the margins, not even flashbacks. You won’t see the typical “team gathering” either, the witch has been visiting Thorn and its famous pubs for some time, has close friends there, and even has a “blood sister”. From the first volume, Dora is a full-blown character with a past and a strong background of mentors, colleagues and friends. Personally, I really appreciate this approach to the reader – throwing in the deep water and explaining the context only when this knowledge can be really useful for something.

Now there will be whining. Although the narrator insistently makes us understand that the investigation is the most important in this story and is personally involved in it (the criminal kidnapped and imprisoned her closest person), I did not feel it at all. Much more space was occupied by the topic of Dora’s relationship with the devil Miron and the angel Joshua. He also gave the impression of being much more emotional for the main character. No, it’s not an affair, although there are various things in the air. Jadowska evidently had a lot of fun writing about interpersonal relations, but she was moderately interested in the police work. I think this is a typical debut-age disease, consisting in completing a book with too many threads at once. After all, no one can guarantee the author that he will publish something again.

To read this hexalogy?

Necessarily! I’m just afraid that with Jadowska, if you didn’t like her style, we would have lost it. So it’s best to start with something absolutely good. The soul stealer is not a good gift for a friend you want to infect with fantasy . Better to buy her The Girl in the Wonderland (if she likes dark stories) or The Wild Child of Love – although this is the latest volume of the hexalogy, it can be safely read as an independent thing. The author cherishes the tradition of the genre. After all, Nesbo, Rankin and Chmielewska also write long series that can be jumped into at any time. In addition, The Wild Child of Love uses a similar plot in the crime story asThief , but it has been developed more interestingly.

Dora Wilk has become a cult figure because she is the heroine we have been waiting for. It has a complicated magical origin: the northern half (with tough, fighting power), the other – related to fertility magic. She intensively defends herself against the latter, which is a clear metaphor for every girl who wants to be a person first, then possibly (sometime, posthumously, never – delete as appropriate) this charming creature with a maternal instinct. In addition to the main character, the world of Thorn is inhabited by many interesting creatures that Jadowska can show in an interesting way – this is another advantage of the hexalogy and other books by the author. Finally, the aforementioned proposals are real crime fiction, they are suspenseful, sometimes shocking with brutality, and are credible when it comes to the psychology of criminals. And although they are entertainment items, you can easily read them over and over again.

New release and what’s next

The first edition of The Soul Stealer and subsequent volumes of Dora’s adventures were published by Fabryka Słów, but Jadowska has been associated with Sine Qua Non for several years and it is this team that is responsible for the return of the hexalogy in a revised version. The text has changed, but as I mentioned, I only know this from someone else’s comments and information that the edition is corrected. New illustrations have also been added. As in the series about Nikita originally published by SQN, Magda Babińska is responsible for them . Gradually, new volumes will appear, so the whole thing can be added without shame to Strange Child , the first Dora from Sine Qua Non. And if anyone would like to read in good company, the Satanic book club has recently been established, a reading group devoted to hexalogy and other books by Aneta Jadowska. You can find her on Facebook and Instagram.