An Illusion of Thieves by Cate Glass
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A new book by one of my favorite authors! But this is a debut, you say? No, through the magic of an open pseudonym, Carol Berg has become Cate Glass and gifted us with another one of her richly detailed stories. (As an aside, it seems like all of my favorite authors have been taking a hiatus from publishing. Not my bitch, I know. Anyhoo, I’m so glad there’s a new book by one of my faves.)

This book, the first of a trilogy, is a little smaller in scope than some of the author’s more epic fantasies, but the stakes are still raised just about as high as they can be. If you’ve read and enjoyed Carol’s work before, you’ll find the same carefully constructed characters who act in convincing, realistic ways even as they’re dealing with magic; the detailed settings that somehow come to life without pages of description; and the tightly plotted climax that draws everything together and has you thinking of all the things that came before and marveling at the deft weaving. The big difference is that the action is confined to a single city instead of an entire empire or parallel worlds.

I hate to say anything bad about a book by this author (she’s a wonderful person and if you ever get a chance to meet her, you should take it and say hi from Jen), but the beginning of this novel takes a little while to get going. That’s pretty much my only gripe. The magic in this world can be subtle, and that can take some getting used to for fans of her previous works. New readers may not notice. (Though if you’re a new fan, please search out Carol’s other fantasies, especially the Lighthouse Duet (Flesh and Spirit & Breath & Bone); you won’t be disappointed.)

Cantagna makes me think of Renaissance Italy, which is nice because I’ll probably never get to visit. I grew to love Romy and Neri and Placido and Dumond as the story went on, and I really wanted them to succeed.

It was refreshing to read a fantasy where there is no real romantic storyline. The novel definitely deals with adult themes, but it doesn’t depend on a romantic relationship to drive conflict. I can’t wait to read more about Romy and her growing skills, and learn about the friendly relationships between characters.

I received this book as a free digital ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I also bought a physical copy from my local indie bookstore!