An oasis city in the middle of the desert… a desert so hot, the powers that be send the condemned out into the sand to die. Aransa is a city divided by class and selium-sensitivity. Mined in the dark pits under the city, some people are able to simply detect the lighter-than-air substance, while others manipulate it to change their entire appearance. The wealthy control the mines and the shipping industry, and the sel-sensitives are shunned and used for their abilities.
Enter the high-born ne’er-do-well Deton and his sidekick Tibs. Their airship is damaged on the last mission, so they must cozy up to the Watch Captain, Ripka, to get out of trouble. They hatch a plan of mutual benefit that will hopefully take down one of the elites. The wrench in the gears is a doppel, a shapechanger, who begins a series vengeful murders. Can they solve the crimes and knock the establishment for a loop at the same time?
The worldbuilding has a steampunk/ Western/ Victorian flavor with magic-infused characters and contraptions. Deton jabs at all comers with fists and a quick lip. And Ripka is a determined and logical detective. Each character has some secrets that O’Keefe slowly reveals, making for a great deal of satisfying mystery. The plot hums along nicely, and in the end, the reader is definitely ready for the next installment of The Scorched Continent.
Well, if you liked it well enough to want to read the sequel then I guess it was a success.
I enjoyed my time with it but not nearly enough to hang around for any other installments.
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True… Makes me think about how many 1st-books I’ve read without starting moving on to the second. What makes us start that second book?
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Ahhh, I just love this series. And the ending of the second book floored me and I thought the third truly rounded out the trilogy nicely. Glad to see you enjoyed the first book!
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I had some time between ARCs, and this one had been staring at me for so long… thanks for giving me the push I needed!
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Absolutely, anytime. 🙂
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The universe definitely sounds fascinating. I like the sound of blending Victorian and Western. It has my mind going wild. Hopefully the next books will be just as good or even better. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
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Definitely good world building, with a fun magic system also.
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