“It really was that simple. You figured out what you needed to do to stay alive, and you did it.”
This was a slow moving, well written mystery with a freaking fantastic protagonist. The fantasy world was richly developed, filled with “steeplejacks” or rooftop climbers who repaired chimneys and spires, different races of people, and a clever, intricate mystery.
Anglet is our awesome main character who is the best steeplejack in Bar-Selehm. The story opens with Ang going to meet her new apprentice, but she finds him dead instead. The authorities say he fell from the rooftops, but Ang doesn’t believe it. Her curiosity gets her hired as a private detective to find a stolen historical icon, the Beacon.
Ang was quick and smart on her feet. It was impossible not to immediately fall in love with her. Juggling her job, trying to solve a mystery, and looking after her sister’s new baby has put her in a tight spot.
Along with the intriguing mystery, racial tensions were explored. The Lani or “brown” race, which Ang was a part of, lived in the dirtier and poorer community, the Mahweni “black” race was discriminated against, and the Feldish “white” race was rich and powerful. It was a sad reflection of our world, but this truthful observation just added more depth to the story.
The ending was strong, the plot twist surprising, and I loved learning how everything came together. The mystery kept me guessing and baffled me, just as a good mystery should.
One thing I will add is I would have liked the pacing to be quicker. I understand the author needed time to develop the fantasy world and characters, but the story was a bit too much on the slow side for me.
Really though, how cool is it that the fantasy, dystopian, and thriller genres were all combined in one story? I just love it when authors blend multiple genres and Hartley did it so well it felt like this world could actually exist.
For fans of Jackaby, These Shallow Graves, The Diviners, and strong female narrators.
No comments:
Post a Comment