Author: Roshani Chokshi

Genre: Historical Fantasy

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Pages: 400

In 1889 Paris, the Order of Babel manage and guard all of the Forged artifacts and the secrets of the Babel Fragments that make it possible to forge minds and artifacts. Severin Montagnet-Alarie is a well known hotelier and a treasure hunter, which allows him to keep his thumb on the pulse of the city and has afforded him the ability to collect artifacts and secrets of his own. The Order has certainly taken things from Severin, but they coerce him to help him on a mission in exchange for a treasure that he never dreamed possible: his true inheritance. Severin puts together a team no one would dream up to take on this mission: to find an ancient artifact and possibly change the course of history…but only if they survive. 

I was looking forward to this book from the time that I read the first blurb on it, and I was so excited to receive a galley copy of it! Guys, this book did not let me down. It was everything that I was hoping that it would be. Chokshi took the time to create a beautiful, rich fantasy world within the backstop of what we know historical Paris to be. The character development is incredibly well done. The characters are well fleshed out throughout the book, as they alternate chapters and we get to learn the backstories of each. If you’re a fan of fantasy, you can tell that this is the beginning of a fantasy series, as the author is taking the time to set up the world, etc, which can get a bit tedious at times but it never felt stale. There were wonderful twists, riddles, puzzles, and delightful banter to keep me fully engaged throughout the book. I’m anxiously awaiting the next!