RECEIVED FROM: Net Galley For Review


***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS***


Chalice is a Vyantara thief, kidnapped as a child from a monetary she has been forced to use her enhanced sense to steal magical artifacts from around the world ever since. The one thing she desires more than anything else is her freedom, a chance to have a life of her own away from her captors and the things they force her to do. She doesn’t trust magic, she’s only seen the bad side of it. When she meets Aydin another Vyantara thief he opens up a new world to her, a world where not all magic is evil and shows her another side to the world of magic. Together they must discover an escape from the Vyantara so that they can fulfill her destiny, to reunite the Hatchet Knights she was born from and help them to protect the world. But with evil surrounding them, can they make it out of the organization that has kept them captive so long alive?

The first thing I have to say is that I didn’t understand the relationship between Aydin and Chalice. I mean yes he was helping her because he was sworn to protect the order of the Hatchet Knights. But Chalice trusts him and falls for him rather quickly over the spans of what a couple days. DuVall’s created this character who was basically violently abducted from a monastery, forcible bonded to a vicious killer gargoyle and forced to steal even though it goes against all her believes. She’s never had one person in her life she could depend on her trust. Knowing that it doesn’t make sense that she’d let Aydin in so quickly or trust any attraction she might feel for him. I mean yeah I could eventually see a bond forming between them over time, but as quickly as this one did, I just found it very hard to believe and that’s one of my major issues with the story. I honestly think with the type of character DuVall has created here it would take Aydin coming through for her multiple times and proving what type of person he was before any sort of trust would occur. Trust is earned, it’s not a gift and with a character like this it should take a lot more time and be a lot harder for that trust to be earned than what is shown in the story. My second issue with the book as that though the end of the novel was written with a sense of closure, the story itself seemed less like plot and more like world building. Meaning what we’ve been offered in this first novel in the series seems more like setting the scene and creating a world the reader can understand. I guess the intent of the plot was for Chalice to get free of the Vyantara so she could begin her destiny of uniting the Hatchett Knights. But while there was a lot going on I wouldn’t really call the book fast paced and neither would I call the plot I don’t know driven I guess I’d say. It didn’t really feel like the story had a beginning middle and end. It more felt like the scene for the world has been set, the main character is being built and suddenly there’s an end that does have a feel of closure but I just don’t really know how to explain it. While the world was interesting I think this book would have served better as the start to a longer novel, rather than writing the final scenes with a sense of closure it would have served better as a scene transition to a new chapter in the character’s life. Also while DuVall has created an interesting world here I don’t feel she explained things enough, the history is missing from the story. We sort of know what the Vyantara is, but we don’t know how long they’ve existed or why or really what their purpose is other than to make money. I can’t see an organization existing as long as this one is hinted to have existed without a larger purpose beyond monetary gain. Also how does anyone know Chalice’s destiny, why was this order of Knights really created? Finishing this novel leaves a lot more questions than there are answers and while I understand that it’s the start of a larger series I personally feel it should have offered more in the opening novel rather than only offering enough to leave you curious as to what will happen in future works. The first person novel was well written, but I didn’t feel it was really fulfilling. While DuVall shows a talent for world building I didn’t think there was enough of a plot for this to be a standalone novel. Now with what little taste she’s given us of her world in this novel, I’m certain that this combined with future series world will lead to a stunning series, but as a standalone title in my opinion it falls short.

DuVall did a decent job with building characters. Being in the first person Chalice is obviously well developed. Though some of her actions don’t quite fit with the history and life created for her she does have a nice depth of feeling as well as obvious strength and flaws. She promises to be a very interesting character in the series to come. Aydin was less developed but we definitely got a good sense of him in the novel. Considering his fate at the end I’m not sure if we’ll be offered the opportunity to learn more in future works or not. Gavin was a cross between well developed and one dimensional. While he did come across as a fleshy character, no reasons were offered for his motives and his only real character traits were that he was demented and evil. The thing is no matter how good or bad a person is no one is completely one thing or another and Gavin needs a little bit more to his character though it’s pretty much a given that’s not going to happen. Other characters were given enough to be distinctive from one another but we didn’t really get a sense of knowing them which is common in a first person novel.

Overall I think I’d recommend the book to fantasy readers, but I would probably also advise to wait and get more than one title in the series before reading it since this book more serves as a series introduction than it does a fleshed out and fulfilling novel.