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Damelas Shademantaigne picked a poor night to flee a judicial duel. He has precious little hope of escaping the wrath of the Vixen, the most feared duellist in the entire city, until he stumbles through the stage doors of the magnificent Operato Belleza and tricks his way into the company of actors. An archaic law provides a temporary respite from his troubles – until one night a ghostly voice in his head causes Damelas to fumble his lines, inadvertently blurting out a dreadful truth: the city’s most legendary hero may actually be a traitor and a brutal murderer. With only the help of his boisterous and lusty friend Bereto, a beautiful assassin whose target may well be Damelas himself, and a company of misfit actors who’d just as soon see him dead, this failed son of two Greatcoats must somehow find within himself the courage to dig up long-buried truths before a ruthless band of bravos known as the Iron Orchids come for his head.Oh, and there’s still that matter of the Vixen waiting to duel him…
This was really good. I had such a fun time with it. I absolutely love Sebastien De Castell’s writing style. He is great at writing characters. Damelas is an excellent leading character. I really got behind him and wanted him to succeed. I enjoyed all the side characters and they bounce off each other perfectly. The atmosphere and world building are excellently written. This author can really write an action scene that puts you right there with the characters. The thing I absolutely love about Sebastien De Castell’s writing is his humour and his injection of emotions. One minute you’re fearing for the characters lives and the next you are laughing your head off. I also listened to the audio and the voice actor Joe Jameson does an amazing job of bringing these characters and story to life. I cannot wait for the next instalment of this series.
Thank you to Quercus Books for the advanced copy of this book.
Kim Reads 