This book captured me. It dragged me back to the pages every time I tried to get on with my regular life and do some of my own work. It was enchanting. And smart. And I absolutely fell in love with the two main characters.
Moreso, I fell in love with the way they fell in love with each other. Roman Kitt and Iris Winnow have leapt straight to the top of my favorite couples list. Right after Jamie and Claire Fraser.
The world was everything I never knew I needed in a fantasy novel. WWII-esque with shades of magic. Where magic does very little outside of the pantheon and people maintain their day to day struggles of paying the bills. There are some special artifacts, like some enchanted typewriters, and the idea of a shop being able to weigh what’s in your coin purse and shuffle what you can afford straight to the front of the shelves.
It was brilliant.
I adored this book. Seriously.
5 stars.
5.5 if we want to tag a little extra on because Roman Kitt’s reactions when in the trenches hit me so hard in the guts that I could scarcely breathe.
AJMaguire - Author 