I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

To Finn Voy, magic is two things: a knife to hold under the chin of anyone who crosses her…and a disguise she shrugs on as easily as others pull on cloaks.

As a talented faceshifter, it’s been years since Finn has seen her own face, and that’s exactly how she likes it. But when Finn gets caught by a powerful mobster, she’s forced into an impossible mission: steal a legendary treasure from Castallan’s royal palace or be stripped of her magic forever.

After the murder of his older brother, Prince Alfehr is first in line for the Castallan throne. But Alfie can’t help but feel that he will never live up to his brother’s legacy. Riddled with grief, Alfie is obsessed with finding a way to bring his brother back, even if it means dabbling in forbidden magic.

But when Finn and Alfie’s fates collide, they accidentally unlock a terrible, ancient power—which, if not contained, will devour the world. And with Castallan’s fate in their hands, Alfie and Finn must race to vanquish what they have unleashed, even if it means facing the deepest darkness in their pasts.

Short and Sweet

After the murder of his older brother, Prince Alfie is next in line for the throne but he doesn’t feel like it should be him. Alfie will do anything to bring Dez back even if it means using forbidden magic. Finn is a thief and one of her powers is the ability to change her appearance which comes in handy, but when Finn comes in contact with a mobster who takes her power she has no choice but to do her bidding to get her power back. Now Finn is tasked with breaking into the palace and stealing a treasure. Finn and Alfie’s fates collide when Alfie ends up setting an evil force free and now both of them have to stop ii or watch the destruction of their home.

Characters

Alfie: Alfie has been through a lot, he’s still dealing with the loss of his older brother and at the beginning of the book he’s coming back from a trip away. Alfie knows that people are relying on him to be the leader they need and he’s not sure he can live up to their expectations. Alfie has also developed a bit of a drinking problem to deal with his emotions and sometimes he does have a small anger problem. The one thing I truly loved about Alfie is that he know what kind of person he didn’t want to be and he never wanted to go to far, so if he did get angry at people he would stop himself before it got too far. He was a good character he tried to do what he felt was right and owned up to his mistakes and tried to make things right.

Finn: Finn is a thief and she can change her face, she hasn’t seen her own face in years and she likes it that way. Finn’s past was pretty mysterious and we don’t find out what happened until later about why she likes to change her face. Finn was pretty guarded and mainly cared about herself and getting her magic back. I did like how Finn does end up helping Alfie, she’s snarky and definitely able to stand her ground and I loved her for it.

Luka: Luka is Alfie’s cousin but they’re more like brothers. Luka was upset when Alfie left and felt like Alfie was abandoning him. He cares about his cousin a lot and he plays a very pivotal role in helping Alfie when they’re trying to stop the ancient power.

Ignacio: Ignacio is like an adoptive father to Finn. He felt betrayed when she left him and now he wants her to either join him or die. Ignacio likes to hurt everyone that Finn gets close to and its pretty sick how much control he wants over her.

Romance

Alfie and Finn: Well this is more of a friendship, a friendship I feel that could possibly blossom into more if these two wanted it to happen. I liked the dynamic between these two they had to learn to work together. Alfie was the more caring one in this partnership while Finn was a little more realistic about everything.

My Thoughts

~ Let me just start off by saying this is a Latinx inspired world, and it wasn’t like things were just sprinkled in but it felt very authentic, from the settings, the words, and characters names. Honestly the writing is amazing and it makes the imagery seem real.

~ I loved our characters, I’m sure Alfie and Finn were never supposed to meet but it just so happens they were at the same card game. These two don’t have the best first encounter, they end up fighting and in a few days are reunited again and have to learn to work together to stop the magic they unleashed.

~ I realize I haven’t talked about Dez much, but he was important to his family and his kingdom. Alfie was with Dez when he was taken from him and Alfie felt like Dez was still alive so he spent most of his time looking for ways to get his brother back.

~ I liked their adventure to stop the magic, they even broke into a prison and had a very elaborate plan. The magic was a dark force and was looking for people who could sustain it and act as a host. Alfie had a bit of it with him and it took a toll on him to use it.

~ Alfie was able to control water while Finn is able to control stone. It’s interesting because characters also have propios which I want to describe as like their shadow, each one does something different, Alfie’s is able to see the color of other peoples magic, Finn’s allows her to change her face, and Ignacio’s gives him control over people.

~ The ending was great and I think that this is going to be a series so I can’t wait until the next book is released to see what’s going to happen to these characters.

Overall

This book was magical! I loved the Latinx inspired world it was different, and I haven’t read a book like it. The characters are what really make the story it was nice seeing two people from different worlds having to learn to work together for a common goal. The magic elements were a nice touch and our characters learned that sometimes magic comes with a consequence. I thought this book was great and once I really got into it I couldn’t stop reading! Definitely read this book if you want to get swept away into a world full of magic!