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Cover of Child of Fire

Child of Fire

A Twenty Palaces Novel

368 pages

A gritty, high-stakes plunge into a hidden world where magic is deadly and survival means facing inhuman horrors with almost nothing but your wits.

What it feels like

This contemporary fantasy delivers a propulsive, dread-soaked experience, plunging the reader into a gritty underworld of secret societies and lethal magic. The narrative feels constantly on edge, driven by a protagonist who is severely outgunned and operating on borrowed time. It is a tense, survival-focused read where the atmosphere is thick with betrayal and the looming threat of inhuman forces. The prose is sharp and urgent, perfectly matching the desperate scramble to stop catastrophic, sacrificial magic. It will deeply satisfy readers who crave dark, action-heavy urban fantasy where the heroes are flawed, the magic is terrifyingly dangerous, and every victory is hard-won against impossible odds.

Mood
  • dark
  • perilous
  • dread-soaked
  • suspenseful
Tone
  • gritty
  • urgent
  • tense
  • cynical
Pace
propulsive
Themes
survival against the odds · the cost of power · navigating betrayal · seeking redemption
The writing
Direct and action-oriented, focusing on the gritty reality of a dangerous, hidden magical world.
The arc
A desperate scramble for survival transforms into a solitary, high-stakes stand against overwhelming darkness.
Who it's for
Readers who love dark, contemporary fantasy where underpowered protagonists must outsmart deadly, inhuman forces.
Content notes
  • murder
  • human sacrifice
  • betrayal
  • violence

About the book

Ray Lilly is living on borrowed time. He's the driver for Annalise Powliss, a high-ranking member of the Twenty Palace Society, a group of sorcerers devoted to hunting down and executing rogue magicians. But because Ray betrayed her once, Annalise is looking for an excuse to kill him--or let someone else do the job.Unfortunately for both of them, Annalise's next mission goes wrong, leaving her critically injured. With the little magic he controls, Ray must complete her assignment alone. Not only does he have to stop a sorcerer who's sacrificing dozens of innocent lives in exchange for supernatural power, he must find--and destroy--the source of that inhuman magic.From the Paperback edition.

Description from Open Library.

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