Last year I raved about Kill Three Birds by Nicole Givens Kurtz and this year is off to an incredible start as I got to check out an early copy of the sequel to that novel: A Theft Most Fowl.
This book picks up right where we left off with Prentice Tasifa heading straight into another mystery to solve. This time a prized, holy artifact has been stolen and two guards have been left badly wounded. We get a deeper look into the religious views and structure of the world of Aves as power, jealousy and forbidden magic come together into the most dangerous crime Prentice has ever faced.
A gorgeous sequel to the first book, the mystery hits hard from the first page and kept me turning pages (digitally of course) until I finally reached the shocking ending. I devoured the book in a whirlwind 24-hour read on New Year's day and let me say, if this book is any indication of the joyful reading I'll have this coming year then I'm in for a great time.
What I really loved in A Theft Most Fowl is that we get to see both the structure of the Kingdom of Aves and learn a lot more about Prentince as she tries to solve a mystery set in her old school. Working with former classmates, mentors and teachers, Prentice has to navigate her personal feelings and attachments. It was great to see the truly badass Prentince embrace her past and the hurt that still lingered there. I'd love even more time learning about Prentince as a person behind the Hawk mantle.
The mystery itself is well-crafted and kept me guessing through every new piece of information revealed through the investigation. There's a wide-range of suspects, questionable witnesses, and personal ambition hiding the truth behind layers of deceit and manipulation that Prentince must work through by doing what she does best: seeing the unseen.
For fans of fantasy, mystery and magic, the Kingdom of Aves series is truly the best of all worlds.