THE TREACHERY OF RAVENS

In Nickell’s dark steampunk adventure, a wily small-time criminal, a girl with forbidden magic powers, and a troubled inspector try to survive in a world rife with violence and corruption.

In post-Revolutionary Acastria, 16-year-old Meryl Gaspard, an accomplished thief, dreams of flying skyships and leaving home. She enters and leaves her rented room in a brothel in the guise of a boy, hiding from violent gang leader Jonah “Gull” Gulliver. She has a beloved mentor, the mechanist Tinker, and a secret friendship with Alys, a 15-year-old acolyte of a church and a “practitioner of heretical magic.” The first half of Nickell’s book establishes a compelling and richly drawn world featuring multilayered history, political deception, and intriguing technology. However, the second half stumbles, due mainly to the machinations of an overly complex plot. Meryl learns that Tinker is actually an active military colonel working with the famed Sky Marshal, Aric DeMartes. DeMartes, who ordered the rescue of Meryl years ago when she was a baby, now assigns her a mission to steal a priceless and mysterious item from a looted ducal treasury aboard an airship. Former prisoner-turned-inspector Michel Aubergon, originally hunting Meryl, teams up with her for the mission. After a prolonged heist sequence involving hostages and disguises, DeMartes reveals a secret about the object that he asked her to steal: But other aspects of the item remain unexplained, which readers may find to be unsatisfying. The Sky Marshal then sends Meryl on yet another mission to locate a member of the underexplained “resistance” in Fardallan, who promises to have more information. The ending clearly leaves things open for a sequel.

A tale set in an often-compelling fantasy world that’s hampered by convoluted plotlines.