Fantasy fans will enjoy this lively, twisty tale of intrigue, theft, and double-crosses.
Scrappy sorcerers must band together to survive in a world where magic is a curse.
Romy isn’t Romy anymore. She’s Cataline, a courtesan and the favored mistress of the Shadow Lord, ruler of the city of Cantagna. She can read, discuss high art, even use a sword. But there’s another skill she keeps secret—magic, a curse that means certain death. And when her brother, Neri, foolishly uses his magic in a theft, risking discovery, Cataline must give up her comfortable life, and the man she loves, to save his life. Back in the hardscrabble slum of Lizard’s Alley, Romy and Neri have to find a way to survive. And survival means hiding their magic at all costs. Until a desperate woman comes to Romy with an impossible task where failure means disaster, not just for Romy and Neri, but for all Cantagna. Now, magic may be the only thing that can save the city. Debut novelist Glass creates a compellingly gritty world in the city-state of Cantagna, and Romy makes for an engagingly fierce and flawed heroine. The central plot takes some time to get moving, but the stakes are high from the start, and once a team is assembled for a heist, the pace is brisk. The conclusion is satisfying but leaves plenty of room for Romy and her band of thieves to continue their adventures.
Fantasy fans will enjoy this lively, twisty tale of intrigue, theft, and double-crosses.Pub Date: May 21, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-250-31100-9
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2019
A fast-paced, action-packed epic fantasy to sink your teeth into.
In a world where difference means death, can a boy with a secret find his own path?
Annev has only one more chance to pass his Test of Judgment. Pass, and he gets a coveted spot as an "avatar" who will travel the countryside searching for magical artifacts. Fail, and he’ll spend the rest of his life as a servant. He’ll also be forbidden to marry, so if he fails, he’ll lose his chance at a life with Myjun, his headmaster’s daughter. Until now, he’s teamed up with his friends Titus and Therin to pass the Tests; but with only one avatar spot left, Annev will have to compete with them to win. To further complicate matters, Annev has a secret—a secret that began years ago when his mentor, the priest Sodar, saved a baby who was born with only one hand. In Annev’s world, even something as minor as a scar is considered a mark of the dark god Keos—a missing limb would be a death sentence. Even as Annev attempts to prove himself within this harsh, unforgiving system, he struggles with the black-and-white thinking that dominates his world. Ultimately, he must learn that “if you don’t like the road you’re on, there’s always another path.” Debut novelist Call plunges the reader directly into the action and never lets the pace flag. Even as we learn about the ancient battles, dark prophecies, and mystical assassins that are about to change the course of Annev’s life, the stakes remain appealingly human: Can Annev achieve his goals without betraying his moral code? Will the people he cares about accept him for who he is?
A fast-paced, action-packed epic fantasy to sink your teeth into.Pub Date: Feb. 25, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9825-9178-6
Page Count: 656
Publisher: Blackstone
Review Posted Online: Dec. 8, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
Foundation (1951) and Foundation and Empire (1952) are the predecessors of this tale of galaxy security based on conflicting searches for the Second Foundation, established and hidden by the master psycho-historian, Hari Seldon. The Mule, wrecker of part of Seldon's plan, and members of the First Foundation are at odds; the Mule is disposed of and the First Foundation believes itself the victor. But the Second Foundation carries on, devising impromptu methods to maintain its superiority. The blue yonder, and not so wild.
Pub Date: June 25, 1953
ISBN: 0553382594
Page Count: -
Publisher: Gnome Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1953
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