A medieval YA fantasy thriller that started as a slow burn, which turned into quite an entertaining thriller. A refreshing change to the current YA fantasies coming out lately.
Book Synopsis
Book Details
Pages: 448
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Format: Hardback
Rising above the city of Collis is the holy Sanctum. And watching over its spires is Catrin, an orphan girl with unique skills–for she alone can spot the building’s flaws in construction before they turn deadly.
But when Catrin witnesses a murderer escaping the scene of his crime, she’s pulled into the web of a dangerous man who will definitely strike again. Assigned to capture the culprit is the mysterious, brilliant, and enigmatic Simon, whose insights into the mind of a killer are frighteningly accurate.
As the grisly crimes continue, Catrin finds herself caught between murderer and detective while hiding her own secret–a supernatural sight granted by the moon, destined to make her an outcast, and the only thing that might save her and those she loves from becoming the next victims…
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Review
* Non-Spoiler Review*
From my Holiday Haul, this book was from an old book box subscription called Abraxas Boxes. I didn’t know anything about this book or author, but upon reflection I appreciated that because I ended up enjoying the story.
Catrin is a passionate assistant to the head architect in the city of Collis, she is tasked with ensuring all scaffolding is sound and that the building being erected doesn’t have any faults in the structure. I liked that the MC has an simple yet interesting job in this world, it was quite refreshing to read about how dedicated and proud she was of her craft.
After witnessing a murder, Catrin become an assistant to the detective who is tasked with solving the crime. The story has a strong who done it baseline and the pace was good, just enough interesting side plots that it keeps everything humming along quite nicely.
I did enjoy the supernatural elements added and the mystery was not as predictable as I thought, the support characters added the right amount of texture that help carried the plot.
Overall, it was enjoyable and I look forward to reading the sequel.
Spice Rating: 2/6 – See my rating system here
Book Rating: 4/5
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