I bought this book on a whim after seeing someone rave about it on Bookstagram. A heist with vampires? Yes, please! I wasn’t sure what to expect going in, and while it started off slow, it really ramped up in the second act. By the time the third act hit and all the twists and reveals came in, I was totally hooked.

At the center of the book is teen orphan Arthie Casimir, a criminal mastermind who runs a prestigious tearoom that doubles as an illegal bloodhouse for vampires. Arthie receives notice from the city’s powerful and mysterious king, known as “The Ram” informing her that her beloved tea shop, Spindrift, will be closed, jeopardizing her home and livelihood. Arthie, and her close friend Jin know they have to fight back. The pair are certain that The Ram is involved in some questionable dealings via ships that come in and out of the port near their tea shop. They also have a feeling that The Ram is behind the disappearances of several vampires.

Arthie devises a plan to expose and potentially bring down The Ram, but she needs help and pulls together a band of unlikely allies. Arthie and Jin team up with Mateo, a vampire, Felicity (also known as Flick), the daughter of a government official, and Laith, a member of the High Order. Together, they plot a daring heist, hoping to overthrow The Ram, but what they find is much bigger than anyone could have expected and puts them in even more danger than they were before.

Faizal did a great job of weaving together a tale of danger, intrigue, and unexpected alliances. Sometimes, when I read fantasy books, it takes me a while to settle in because I need to understand the world, but I didn’t struggle with this one at all. The world-building is rich and detailed. White Roaring (which seems very similar to Victorian London) was easy to slip into, and it didn’t take me long to get a feel for the city or its politics.

As far as characters go, this book is filled with many memorable ones. Arthie is a complex and compelling protagonist. She’s a young woman who experienced loss at a very young age when colonizers destroyed her homeland and killed her parents. She is a young woman who is not afraid to break the rules in order to protect what is hers – mostly because she feels she has nothing to lose. Jin was probably my favorite character. He, too, is an orphan, and while he and Arthie aren’t blood siblings, they consider each other to be. Flick is another complex character dealing with her own family drama, and Mateo is quite the charming vampire. I think the only one in the group that I felt a bit disconnected from was Laith. I wanted to know more about him.

While I ended up really liking this book, I must admit it took a long time for it to really take off. The first act was a lot of setup and not a whole lot of action. While it was important to settle us into the world and introduce all of the players, I found myself bored, waiting for something exciting to happen. By the time the second act rolled around, things were definitely put into a higher gear, and when the third act came around, I couldn’t read fast enough. That last act introduced some mind-blowing twists and reveals that pulled me back in. Until the second act, I wasn’t sure that I cared enough about any of it to continue with the series, but the third act definitely changed that for me. I’m very much looking forward to the sequel!

If you are a fan of fantasy novels with political undertones and a healthy dose of intrigue, I would definitely recommend this one. It’s slow to start, but once things finally take off, it’s a whole lot of fun!