AN ILLUSION OF THIEVES

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.