Ms. Armstrong has spread before the reader a richly detailed worldscape, one steeped in magic that is forbidden and therefore all the more delicious. Clothing can be enchanted to have embroidery unfurl like flowers; gloves give off scented smoke; skin gleams as if lit with internal fires.
This is a world of magical women and the men who both fear and covet them. Matilde, Ǣsa and Sayer are as different as can be and their diversities fuel and ignite their interactions whenever they’re together. While Spoiled Matilde resents the other two’s closeness and longs for the camaraderie of her former Nightbirds—girls who sell their magic through kisses—timid Ǣsa wishes to play the peacemaker and bitter Sayer can’t wait to escape from the gilded cage in which she’s found herself.
The building of trust and friendship among these disparate women is commendable and a joy to read. There are rough patches, moments of misunderstanding and scenes of incredible, jaw-dropping awe as they forge their unique link and learn to take control of their awesome magical abilities.
Theirs is a world on the cusp of radical change, filled with others who are as equally compelling. The tale is fueled by desires for revenge, political power, success, romance and wealth. The girls are scattered to the winds and you sense that much will happen—good and bad—before they’re reunited. It’s a fabulous story and I’m all agog to read the continuation of it.
This is a world of magical women and the men who both fear and covet them. Matilde, Ǣsa and Sayer are as different as can be and their diversities fuel and ignite their interactions whenever they’re together. While Spoiled Matilde resents the other two’s closeness and longs for the camaraderie of her former Nightbirds—girls who sell their magic through kisses—timid Ǣsa wishes to play the peacemaker and bitter Sayer can’t wait to escape from the gilded cage in which she’s found herself.
The building of trust and friendship among these disparate women is commendable and a joy to read. There are rough patches, moments of misunderstanding and scenes of incredible, jaw-dropping awe as they forge their unique link and learn to take control of their awesome magical abilities.
Theirs is a world on the cusp of radical change, filled with others who are as equally compelling. The tale is fueled by desires for revenge, political power, success, romance and wealth. The girls are scattered to the winds and you sense that much will happen—good and bad—before they’re reunited. It’s a fabulous story and I’m all agog to read the continuation of it.