C. J. Daley
Yet another down in my quest to read all my fellow authors in The Book of Spores Anthology. And a big thanks to Saga for sending me a physical arc! I did not realize I also had this on Audible, so I had copies all over. Zoe Mills did a fantastic job bringing the characters (especially Ryia IMO) and world to life.
Carrowwick is a city filled to the brim with secrets, theft, and worse. Ryia has become a prominent name in the thieving and assassination circles, her own crew not even knowing how she slips in and out the way she does. But she has a secret, one her crew doesn’t know either. And while they may all be out for their own good, they will have to work together, as their next (desperate) job is to pull off a heist on the Guildmaster’s very own island…the one who controls the most power, and the man who wants each of them gone.
This gave me notes of Assassin’s Creed, Six of Crows and Andy Peloquin’s Queen of Thieves. A ragtag crew of pirates, disguise artists, thieves and assassins, all led by one calculating mastermind. A thief/assassin (especially with the hood on the cover) will always bring AC to mind, a comparison I always love. With its collective group of desperate people this felt like an aged-up cast from the likes of Six of Crows, the climactic heist certainly adding to the feel. Then there’s the lead of Ryia, who brought to mind Peloquin’s thieves guild and main character, Ilanna, blending the feel of this one as somehow wholly familiar and yet unique.
The city reads quite bleak, an utter cesspit of unlawfulness, almost grimdark, while the characters themselves feel like they’re only there out of necessity. They’ve learned to navigate this darkness simply so they don’t succumb to it. I thought all of them were interesting on their own, and every single one of them has a secret part to play. I did find the shifting POV to be a little on the stranger side, as there does seem to be a leading arc with Ryia, but it added depth to everyone for sure.
The magic system, which felt similar to Krystle Matar’s Tainted Dominion in the sense that it is only revealed in general shape, not its entirety, was another piece that felt both new and familiar…a new sweater from the same brand. And what I particularly enjoyed about it is the fact that it takes a sort of seat on the back burner. It is both present and not the lead, and with that, the author can really go so many places as the world doesn’t rely on any hard rules yet.
This one has a sort of reluctant found family, an honor among thieves that melds into a kind of dysfunctional family. They rely on each other, they learn trust, but even family can be hard…and some of the family members carry axes.
Yet another down in my quest to read all my fellow authors in The Book of Spores Anthology. And a big thanks to Saga for sending me a physical arc! I did not realize I also had this on Audible, so I had copies all over. Zoe Mills did a fantastic job bringing the characters (especially Ryia IMO) and world to life.
Carrowwick is a city filled to the brim with secrets, theft, and worse. Ryia has become a prominent name in the thieving and assassination circles, her own crew not even knowing how she slips in and out the way she does. But she has a secret, one her crew doesn’t know either. And while they may all be out for their own good, they will have to work together, as their next (desperate) job is to pull off a heist on the Guildmaster’s very own island…the one who controls the most power, and the man who wants each of them gone.
This gave me notes of Assassin’s Creed, Six of Crows and Andy Peloquin’s Queen of Thieves. A ragtag crew of pirates, disguise artists, thieves and assassins, all led by one calculating mastermind. A thief/assassin (especially with the hood on the cover) will always bring AC to mind, a comparison I always love. With its collective group of desperate people this felt like an aged-up cast from the likes of Six of Crows, the climactic heist certainly adding to the feel. Then there’s the lead of Ryia, who brought to mind Peloquin’s thieves guild and main character, Ilanna, blending the feel of this one as somehow wholly familiar and yet unique.
The city reads quite bleak, an utter cesspit of unlawfulness, almost grimdark, while the characters themselves feel like they’re only there out of necessity. They’ve learned to navigate this darkness simply so they don’t succumb to it. I thought all of them were interesting on their own, and every single one of them has a secret part to play. I did find the shifting POV to be a little on the stranger side, as there does seem to be a leading arc with Ryia, but it added depth to everyone for sure.
The magic system, which felt similar to Krystle Matar’s Tainted Dominion in the sense that it is only revealed in general shape, not its entirety, was another piece that felt both new and familiar…a new sweater from the same brand. And what I particularly enjoyed about it is the fact that it takes a sort of seat on the back burner. It is both present and not the lead, and with that, the author can really go so many places as the world doesn’t rely on any hard rules yet.
This one has a sort of reluctant found family, an honor among thieves that melds into a kind of dysfunctional family. They rely on each other, they learn trust, but even family can be hard…and some of the family members carry axes.