I am happy to share the review of this wonderful book that is out today. The Book of Gold (The Feral Gods 1) by Ruth Frances Long gets 4 stars from me.
Lyta is a notorious thief. Her brother Kit is a lawful printer. That is till he gets caught printing seditious pamphlets. He wants nothing to do with her but she is going to save him. She make a deal with the King to steal an infamous book of magic in exchange for her brother's freedom. What she wasn't counting on was her ex-lover and partner in crime now royal bodyguard Sylvian, an enigmatic scholar and her brother interfering. And that book puts them in jeopardy...
Heists seem to be a literary trend at the moment and I'm here for it. The book starts in the midst of one and this author knows how to stage a scene with words set in wonderful, descriptive embellishments and showing the cunningness of the protagonist. The author grounds us in this historical with Latin flair fantasy of hers, an alternate Renaissance, by use of evocative & plentiful detailing. If you like lots of info about the literary world you are entering there is an abundance of informative paragraphs. You can get lost in this imaginary place, these pages — this narrative that sings lyrical in such a relatable way.
There are many interesting characters and they are all given depth even with the slightest of enlightening sentences. Was not expecting the multiple POVs but they certainly did enhance the story, the narrative's flow never interrupted as we go from one character to the other. They are flawed character you cannot help but like. The POVs are honest and insightful. Lyta is reckless, presenting a sharp wit and tongue that get her in trouble. Then we have angry with her, loyal, beautiful Sylvian. These two past lovers with betrayal between them have a passionate connection and are constantly butting heads. Kit is noted for his idealism and is supposed to be the voice of reason between them. Idealism & cynicism are warring in these POVs, and at the center is hope.
As emotions fly high we have more often than not developments that are heart-squeezing and we readers get dearly invested. The shocks come early and I did literally gasp time and again. There is a wonderfully adventurous atmosphere to the book, which is suspenseful, thrilling (there were parts where I cheered) and has a great sense of humor with clever dialogue.
I loved how fast-paced it was but there were scenes that I wished were given more time to breathe. I had to go back and read them again to get the whole picture. Also there were some things I'd have liked if they were explained more extensively about some betrayals — one from a character that never really resonated — but mostly having to do with the magic and gods. A few things just did not make sense to me.
A few themes of this story were the force of love and the desire for power. It is about making the world a better place, striving for fairness, equality and freedom. It is about fighting the system.
The Book of Gold invites you to come for the heist but stay for the action-packed twists and turns, the double dealings, the plans upon plans and some really delicious, villainy villains.
Comentarios