Author: J. S. Kelley
Publication: Gallery Books (September 21, 2021)
Description: J.S. Kelley weaves epic fantasy and hardboiled noir in this fast-paced, twisting tale of magic, mystery, and a whole lot of unruly behavior.
In a kingdom where magic fuels everything from street lamps to horseless carriages, the mage guilds of Penador wield power equal to the king himself. So when Lord Edmund’s infant son is kidnapped by the ruthless Alath Guild, he turns to the one person who’s feared by even the most magically adept: Rosalind Featherstone, a.k.a. the Gutter Mage.
But as Roz delves into the circumstances behind the child’s disappearance, she uncovers an old enemy from her traumatic past and a long-brewing plot that could lead to the death of countless innocents, as well as the complete collapse of Penadorian society itself!
My Thoughts: This epic fantasy stars Roz Featherstone. She is known as the Gutter Mage but nobody better call her that to her face. She works as a sort of private investigator in the country of Penador.
Roz is called to the home of Lord Edmund to find his kidnapped infant son. Clues lead to the Alath Guild, one of the new mage guilds. But there are disturbing signs that an old enemy, one she thought she had killed some fifteen years earlier, wasn't quite as dead as Roz believed.
As Roz and her partner Lysander search they discover that things in Penador aren't what she always thought. Nor is she who she always thought she was.
Teaming up with a mage from a more respectable guild, Roz and Lysander track down the infant to a mining town high in the mountains. But they learn that there never was an infant and the spirits who are harnessed to run the kingdom doing everything from lighting the streets to heating the homes aren't what she thought they were either.
This was an engaging fantasy with an intriguing main character with some anger management issues. I liked the worldbuilding.
I bought this one September 18, 2025. You can buy your copy here.
I bought this one September 18, 2025. You can buy your copy here.
No comments:
Post a Comment
I love getting comments. Let me know what you think.
This blog is now officially declared an Award Free zone! I do appreciate your kindness in thinking of me and I am humbled by your generosity.
Your comments are award enough for me. Comment away!