Category: NetGalley

Rule in the kingdom of Sheridan is not transferred by blood but by a magical tattoo that appears on the one named with the king’s last breath. Coin is one of the Nameless who live by theft and con; the people so low they don’t even have names. Yet the magic tattoo burns on her shoulder and is verified by the late king’s daughter. She knows all about surviving in the streets but nothing about living through the politics in the Royal class. She just wants to last long enough to find out why young Nameless are disappearing from the streets and to rescue her best friend from the gallows. She can use her new magic and old swagger to run the ultimate con and perhaps make a difference in the lives of those she loves.

“You cannot protect everyone from everything. You are only human, Severin.” With these words Laila inadvertently plants a seed in Severin’s mind: if he were immortal, he could save everyone. All he needs is the book, The Divine Lyrics. All he needs to get the book are his friends, the people he cares most about, the people he must keep at arms-length in order to reach his goal. With reluctance, the team gets back together and travels to the ice-covered location of the Sleeping Palace to find the book before the winter meeting of the magic-wielding Houses convenes. For when they do, the possible will become impossible.

This is the second in a series (hopefully only a trilogy!) It won’t make sense unless you read the first. The characters are individuals with their own quirks, desires, and opinions. Love them, though Severin gets pretty annoying in this title with his one-minded goal that tears his friends apart. I hope the spark remaining in him at the end will burn brighter in the next book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the preview copy. The book is scheduled to be published September 2020.