Great YA fantasy, which is a genre I haven't read in some time. Doesn't deviate significantly from the norm, with a plot that's half mystery and half romance, and of course a generous dollop of magic. Has a lot of sweet and funny moments to balance out the darker ones, which I really enjoyed. There were a few small detractions I'll try to explain, but overall an engaging read.

Worldbuilding: 4/5
Very well done visually -- being able to see the various realms and creatures of Aadilor in my mind's eye really helped the world come alive for me. Esrom in particular was one of the most eloquently described and mysterious places in the book. (Hidden underwater kingdom with shifting islands, otherworldly glowing caves and mythological creatures, yes please!) However, as with most fantasy worlds (very few, actually) that manage to captivate me, I found myself wanting to know more. I wanted more history on how Aadilor came to be, what the world was like when the lost gods walked it, why they disappeared, how these lost gifts/magic were inherited, how the Thief King established his kingdom, etc. Heck, I even wanted to know where Kaipo came from, because he was such a beautiful and interesting shapeshifter of a bird, and it seems like there's only one of him. (Plus, he has violet eyes like Achak, which leads me to believe they have similar origins...) I'm hoping more background will be given in the next installments, in any case.

Characters: 4/5
Absolutely loved the sisterly banter between the Mousai - it gave them such vitality to balance out the danger of their powers. Larkyra is an intriguing character in her own right, not just because of her magic and the heavy restraint it requires, but because of her liveliness, intelligence, and ability to adapt. She did have some lapses in parts of the book, particularly when Darius came into the picture more, but I was willing to forgive those for the most part when the pace picked up. I also really liked Darius (outside of the romance arc, but more on that later) because of how big-hearted he is when it comes to his people, putting aside his own pain and suffering to help ease their own. I do wish some of the side characters were covered a little, maybe given their own POV's, particularly Achak, Dolion, Johanna and Zimri. (Achak is mildly OP, with two ancient entities inhabiting a single body that shifts to whichever one is dominant - how could I not want to know more?)

Romance: 3.5/5
Slow-burn moments were great, where I could see Larkyra and Darius starting to learn more about and understand each other. A couple kisses here and there, not bad. But near the end, the romance felt a bit too rushed, since it seemed Darius was still too vulnerable emotionally to make any major jumps in the love life department. I felt like they could've used more time to hash things out, and even if they never officialized their relationship at the end, it would have been more realistic.

For instance, I wasn't expecting a full-blown explicit sequence in the last couple chapters, when everything had been PG up to that point, lol. Since Darius had recently just opened up to Larkyra about his years of suffering and abuse, which left him doubting and hating himself, I didn't think he would be ready for such a move so quickly.

The marriage proposal at the very end seemed sudden as well. They had both started to come to terms with who they were as people, had not had a chance to live with their new identities yet, so I figured a little more time would be needed before they could make a lifelong commitment to each other. Ah, well. If I had read this book a few years earlier, without understanding the nuances of human relationships, I'm sure my teenage girl's heart would have loved it nonetheless.

Pacing / Plot: 3.5/5
The first 75% of the book had me hooked and unable to put it down, but I wish there had been revelations of a different kind in the last 25%. When it came to the mystery behind the duke's drug use and what landed Darius in his sad fate, I was so sure that the clues given pointed in a certain direction... but the book went the opposite way with a rather underwhelming conclusion.

Considering the duke's phorria-induced powers allowed him to control people's minds briefly, I was 100% on board with Larkyra's conclusion that he might have forced Darius's mother to sign her lands to him, and abused Darius because his presence was a reminder of that theft. But Hayzar reveals that he merely hated Darius for taking his mother's attention in the last few moments of her life, and all the suffering he inflicted was an extension of that. It just seemed like a very weak explanation for so much evil to be based on so little -- there had to have been a mean/cruel streak in the duke leading up to that point, but we never saw it based on the limited memories Darius had of his childhood. So that ending had me raising an eyebrow.

Another plot twist I wasn't impressed by was the truth behind Larkyra's birth / her mother's death. We spend the majority of the book believing, as Larkyra does, that her scream at birth was what killed her mother, but that guilt eventually leads her to develop control over her powers and understand her responsibility for them. Then, it's almost as if we're expected to forget all that, when her mother (as a ghost) tells her that wasn't what killed her. And then Larkyra suddenly becomes a happier, more carefree girl in the remaining part of the book. While it was great to see Larkyra freed of her misguided guilt, I felt that she also ended up losing some emotional depth that she had in the beginning, and which was the main reason I loved her as a character. Perhaps there was a better way this could have been done, to the same end that she didn't kill her mother, but as it read to me, with how sudden the revelation was and how completely Larkyra changed, it felt like a bit of a cop-out.

Overall Verdict: 4/5
Though it doesn't break the mold and has a few lapses in plot/pacing, this book still has a lot to offer. It's been a while since I read about a world this vibrant and varied, and I hope it will be expanded further in the next installments, with more emotionally complex characters. ( )

I enjoyed it for a bit then I couldn't get into it and I'm not about forcing myself to read books I'm avoiding ( )

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Mousai trilogy. I got a copy of this on ebook through Kindle First Reads.

Thoughts: I ended up enjoying this a lot, it was much different than I was expecting but not in a bad way. This is much more of a serial fantasy romance type of format and I think I was expecting more epic fantasy. I enjoyed this though, the writing style is beautiful and effortless to read...this is one of those books that practically reads itself. The next two books of the series each feature one of Larkyra's sisters and the romance they find.

The story alternates POV between Larkyra (one of the three Mousai) and Darius (stepson of the Duke of Lachlan). Larkyra is sent to Lachlan to root out an illegal drug that's being smuggled out of the Thief Kingdom. Darius wants to stop his father the Duke, from destroying Lachlan. Initially, Larkyra and Darius are at odds but soon learn that they might accomplish more by working together.

I really enjoyed the Mousai and their magical powers and the strange Thief Kingdom. The Thief Kingdom has a magical almost dark circus-like or fairy tale feel to it. The whole book has a gothic dreamy feel to it that felt very magical.

After the initial setup, the story does devolve into more of a dark fantasy romance. Darius and Larkyra have an enemies to lovers thing going on. The main plot is always woven through this but I would put this more into the fantasy romance category. The book is beautifully written and really sweeps the reader away into magical and desolate locations.

I enjoyed Larkyra's relationship with her sisters and father. I also loved the magic in here and how the story wrapped up. I also liked some of the edginess to the darkness throughout the book. I plan on continuing the series.

My Summary (4/5): Overall this was very well done but different from what I was expecting. This is very much a dark, gothic, fantasy romance. I liked the characters and the magical settings. The description in here is beautiful and the story is very easy to engage in and read. This was a book I struggled to put down and I really enjoyed how dark and magical it felt. I would recommend to those looking for an effortless but magical, dark fantasy romance read. I have already picked up the next two books in the series through Kindle Unlimited to read. ( )

I loved this and I’m excited for the rest ( )

The Thief Kingdom is a place hidden within the world of Aadlior. Many whisper of its existence, but few have found this place, where magic and pleasure abound. There, the mysterious Thief King reigns supreme with the help of the Mousai, a trio of revered and feared sorceresses.

Larkyra Bassette may be the youngest of the Mousai, but when she sings her voice has the power to slay monsters. When it’s discovered the Duke of Lachlan is siphoning a poisonous drug from the Thief Kingdom and using it to abuse his tenants, Larkyra is offered her first solo mission to stop the duke. Eager to prove herself, Larkyra accepts by posing as the duke’s potential bride. But her plans grow complicated when she finds herself drawn to Lord Darius Mekenna, Lachlan’s rightful heir. Soon she suspects Darius has his own motivations for ridding Lachlan of the corrupt duke. Larkyra and Darius must learn to trust each other if there is to be any hope of saving the people of Lachlan—and themselves.

Welcome to the world of Aadilor, where lords and ladies can be murderers and thieves, and the most alluring notes are often the deadliest. Dare to listen?