The Obsessive Bookseller Reviews: “An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors” by Curtis Craddock

Book Review: “An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors” by Curtis Craddock

Series: The Risen Kingdoms #1 Genre: Fantasy The Overview: Goodreads

“An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors” is such a cool book! It has interesting character profiles, totally immersive world-building, and an abundance of drop-in details that I found totally original. When I first received the book for review and saw cover quotes from Brandon Sanderson and Lawrence Watt-Evans (two of my all-time favorites), I knew I was in for a good read, I just didn’t know how good. Curtis Craddock did not disappoint!

Right off the bat, I was impressed with the unique setting for this story: a gas-giant planet where the only way to travel between floating rock “islands” is through use of airships. The author describes the science of how things stay aloft within the first few chapters as “A vast downward-pointing cone of rock bristling with an upside-down forest of salt-encrusted, aether-emitting cloud-choral stalactites that kept the Skyland aloft.”

A mouthful for sure, but technical jargon aside, his world-building goes well beyond setting. Craddock also infused multiple blood-inherent magics, a few carefully placed steampunk elements, and an elegant culture borrowing from French influences. I was truly dazzled by the combination of all of these components, and the unique atmosphere they created is easily my favorite aspect of the book. If you pick it up, you’re in for a bombardment of cool ideas. Left and right they’ll hit you, and the discovery process of so many minor aspects of this world is a lot of fun.

The book also offers an interesting plot line filled with court intrigue, intelligent characters, and an unraveling mystery. I enjoyed every aspect of the characters and thought their relationships and individual developments throughout the book were highly satisfying. Especially Isabelle. Her academic mindset and struggle to acclimate to situations well beyond what she ever thought she’d have to face were especially compelling. Compounding her already great character profile was a second POV from her faithful Musketeer, Jeane-Claude, who was every bit as interesting and savvy as Isabelle. I did wonder a few times if their insights were a tad unbelievable, but for the sake of plot advancement, it didn’t bother me too much. The constant intrigue in the book kept it a page-turner and even surprised me with a few twists. It astounded me how such a slowly paced book could still be totally immersive and exciting. It did take a bit for the book to find it’s stride, but once it did, I couldn’t put it down!

Overall, “An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors” is a delightfully original start to a series that has the potential to be among my favorites if it continues on with the same gusto. If it isn’t already on your radar, it should be. Especially if you love fantasy. And great world-building. And Musketeers.

I want to thank the publicists at TOR/Forge and Curtis Craddock for a chance to read and review an early copy of “An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors.” I enjoyed it thoroughly!

Want more book reviews? Check out my website at nikihawkes.com.

Other books you might like:

Articles related to “The Obsessive Bookseller Reviews: ‘An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors’ by Curtis Craddock”

The Obsessive Bookseller Reviews: “Kings of the Wyld” by Nicholas Eames

The Obsessive Bookseller Reviews: “Old Man’s War” by John Scalzi

The Obsessive Bookseller Reviews: “Steeplejack” and “Firebrand” by A.J. Hartley