THE ANCIENT'S GAME

It’s illegal for 16-year-old tinker’s assistant Kellan DuCuivre to use the metal-carving magic of makecraft on her own, but it’s worth the risk to save her mentor.

Kellan, a Black girl, is the descendant of traitors to Nanseau, someone regarded as being among the lowest members of society in the city of Riz. But when she impresses Madame Minora Mesny, a courtier and Master Engineer in makecraft, Kellan’s life is transformed. She accepts Mesny’s offer to become her apprentice and so breaks generations of tradition and law forbidding people of her status from rising up. Orphaned Kellan dreams of finding a cure to help her ailing guardian, Edgar, but the dangers surrounding her unlikely ascent are heightened by a mysterious, encroaching darkness that makes people disappear…or worse. In order to triumph, Kellan must navigate the cruelties of both the darkness and high society. She’ll have to unpack years of trauma carved into the very fabric of her existence. The worldbuilding is strong, with complex connections and a robust history for readers to delve into as they adventure with Kellan and her friends. This steampunk version of New Orleans is recognizable in the quarters that make up Riz and the twists of the bayous beyond the city. The magic gets lost when it’s time to knit the characters and their interactions together, however: Their profiles are distinct but not cohesive, and some of the camaraderie feels forced.

A promising debut that lacks unity but showcases mountains of glorious imagination.