Publisher – Wednesday Books

Published – Out Now

Price - £13.99 Hardcover £5.19 Kindle eBook

It's 1889. The city is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. Here, no one keeps tabs on dark truths better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. When the elite, ever-powerful Order of Babel coerces him to help them on a mission, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance. To hunt down the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Séverin calls upon a band of unlikely experts: An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian banished from his home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in arms if not blood. Together, they will join Séverin as he explores the dark, glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the course of history--but only if they can stay alive.

A very short and to the point review as this book ended up a DNF at the halfway mark. This is a magical heist tale set in alternative view of the Belle Epoque in France. Magical families are in charge, magical artefacts are every where and three of the four key families remain. The story centres on Severin an ousted heir of another house; his desire for justice has led him to form a magical/technical team of his step-brother, a infamous stage dancer, an explosives expert and a historian.

It sounded promising with multi-racial cast and different sexualities but sadly this is one where a particular pet hate got right in the way of my enjoying the story pretty much for the early chapters. Exposition - the story constantly narrates in detail what every object, group is and there is very little opportunity for the story to actually breathe. I don’t care about worldbuilding most of the time I hook on character and story. A heist tale for me should be light on its feet, full of style, action and speed with exposition secondary and this was like reading a story dancing in lead boots – no joy, no real spark of characters and I think this is a story style that is not for me sadly.