In Creije, you don’t have to look far to find illicit old magic, and the city is run by underbosses and crooks. But a new, real magic has been seen on the streets for the first time in generations, and it’s far more dangerous than the tricks and charms the people are used to.
Tavia is a magic seller with a life debt and an attitude problem, fuelled by a desperation to get out.
Karam is a ring-fighter, who prides herself on her strength and loyalty, comes from a long line of sacred protectors.
Saxony is a Crafter – a holder of true magic – hiding in plain sight as she waits for the moment she can fix her broken family.
And Wesley. The underboss, second to the kingpin. His desperation for power is tempered by only one thing – his soft spot for Tavia.
These four friends/enemies must put their differences – and more difficult, their egos - aside in order to work together to save the realms from total chaos and war.
Hurumph. I’ve got to be honest here, this book was a real slog for me. It took me roughly two years to finish it. I don’t know that I can put a finger on exactly what it was, but I just could not get into it. I didn’t find the characters interesting or unique or charming, and somehow the story felt used up. I ended up finishing it because I found the audiobook on my library app, and knew that was the only way – I am not a DFN’er, so this book has been staring at me from my shelf all year. And, to be fair, by the end of the book I was genuinely interested. I think it was around 2/3 of the way in, it started to pique my interest, and the characters finally started to feel real. I would even listen to book two, if it becomes available to me.
However, I would still not recommend starting the duology to a friend, the first half of the book was just so difficult to get through. I wouldn’t say the writing was terrible, it just was not compelling.
I liked the little touches best, the way Wesley chews clover for luck, the flying train, Tavia selling fake prophecies from a rigged crystal ball. The actual setting as a whole was pretty decent, and although I didn’t feel like I got to know the story world all that well in this book, the details of it were fun.
There was a distinct lack of average people though – did anyone else notice that? I think the whole feel of the world and the story could have been better fleshed out if we had had more interactions with regular people who were not part of Wesley or the Kingpin’s crew or Crafters. Everyone was significant, which meant that we didn’t really get to know the world they were fighting over.
By the end I was a big fan of Wesley and Tavia’s relationship. It was nicely under the surface yet constantly there. Although I really love the concept of Saxony, I somehow just never found her to be a believable character. Karam, on the other hand, I found believable, but I never came to love her like I felt like I was being led to.
Overall, I would say that I am glad to have finished this book, but not glad to have started it. I don’t know quite what was missing, but I would not feel happy to recommend this book to friends. However, If you loved Into the Crooked Place, I would recommend Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller (which I felt the same about, but had a similar feel to this book in different ways) and The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon (Which I LOVE and would recommend to everyone).
Tavia is a magic seller with a life debt and an attitude problem, fuelled by a desperation to get out.
Karam is a ring-fighter, who prides herself on her strength and loyalty, comes from a long line of sacred protectors.
Saxony is a Crafter – a holder of true magic – hiding in plain sight as she waits for the moment she can fix her broken family.
And Wesley. The underboss, second to the kingpin. His desperation for power is tempered by only one thing – his soft spot for Tavia.
These four friends/enemies must put their differences – and more difficult, their egos - aside in order to work together to save the realms from total chaos and war.
Hurumph. I’ve got to be honest here, this book was a real slog for me. It took me roughly two years to finish it. I don’t know that I can put a finger on exactly what it was, but I just could not get into it. I didn’t find the characters interesting or unique or charming, and somehow the story felt used up. I ended up finishing it because I found the audiobook on my library app, and knew that was the only way – I am not a DFN’er, so this book has been staring at me from my shelf all year. And, to be fair, by the end of the book I was genuinely interested. I think it was around 2/3 of the way in, it started to pique my interest, and the characters finally started to feel real. I would even listen to book two, if it becomes available to me.
However, I would still not recommend starting the duology to a friend, the first half of the book was just so difficult to get through. I wouldn’t say the writing was terrible, it just was not compelling.
I liked the little touches best, the way Wesley chews clover for luck, the flying train, Tavia selling fake prophecies from a rigged crystal ball. The actual setting as a whole was pretty decent, and although I didn’t feel like I got to know the story world all that well in this book, the details of it were fun.
There was a distinct lack of average people though – did anyone else notice that? I think the whole feel of the world and the story could have been better fleshed out if we had had more interactions with regular people who were not part of Wesley or the Kingpin’s crew or Crafters. Everyone was significant, which meant that we didn’t really get to know the world they were fighting over.
By the end I was a big fan of Wesley and Tavia’s relationship. It was nicely under the surface yet constantly there. Although I really love the concept of Saxony, I somehow just never found her to be a believable character. Karam, on the other hand, I found believable, but I never came to love her like I felt like I was being led to.
Overall, I would say that I am glad to have finished this book, but not glad to have started it. I don’t know quite what was missing, but I would not feel happy to recommend this book to friends. However, If you loved Into the Crooked Place, I would recommend Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller (which I felt the same about, but had a similar feel to this book in different ways) and The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon (Which I LOVE and would recommend to everyone).