An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors by Curtis CraddockMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Somewhere in the ether between Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn and Jim Butcher's Cinder Spires lies this unique spin on gaslamp airship steampunk fantasy, heavily inspired by days gone by in France and Spain in particular. It's a world that uses religion as an excuse to punch down on the other - as Isabelle, one of our protagonists, finds out the hard way, being a woman with a disability, and no magic even though she's supposed to be from a magical elite family. Luckily, she's got a powerful intellect on her side - this book is just as heavy on the math as it is on the magic, with the brawn represented by her protector, the smartass aging musketeer Jean-Claude. As a Spanish-style rival kingdom seeks to arrange a marriage for her with a romantically cursed prince, this book is loaded for bear with imperial intrigue, building to an ending that I really should've seen coming. Part one of a promising trilogy? Yes, I can see why one of the Vancouver library branches had this one on a special shelf for first installments in great series.
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