A Book of Spirits and Thieves

Rhodes, Morgan. A Book of Spirits and Thieves. Razorbill. 2015. 368p. ISBN 978-1595147592. Available at FIC RHO on the library shelves.

Crystal and Rebecca are not getting along. The two sisters have drifted apart over the years, with Crys spending time engrossed in photography while Becca works at the family’s bookstore. But when a magical book sends Becca into a coma, Crys must help her come back. Becca, meanwhile, is transported to another land where magic exists, and where an evil queen reins. Only appearing as a ghost, she meets Maddox, a necromancer, and becomes party to a conspiracy to overthrow the queen.

Crys discovers that the book is somehow tied to a secret society, called the Hawkspear. This society long ago consumed her father, but now she must infiltrate it to help Becca. She meets brooding Farrell, one of the most trusted members of the society, and she must maneuver carefully among the dangers for her very life, and that of her sister, is at stakes.

A news series based on the Falling Kingdoms, Rhodes tells the tale through multiple perspectives and two different worlds which connect together at the end of the book. Knowledge of the previous series is not necessary, however. The main characters are well developed and possess conflicting emotions and desires. The plot moves quickly, and the evolving relationships between Crys and Farrell and Becca and Maddox promise more conflicts in the future. Amateurs of fantasy will appreciate the mesh of our reality and a magical world, and will look forward to the next installment.

For a similar book, read The Accidental Highwayman.