3.5/5

For fans of: found families, heists, YA fantasy, Paris

Premise: Set in an alternate universe where the source of magic in the world is powered by fragments of the Tower of Babel, a group of talented misfits must solve a mystery plaguing the great Houses of France. In return, they will each secure their futures and have a place to belong, but only if they can pull off the heist of a lifetime.

Review: Not gonna lie, it took me a while to get into this book. But to be fair, I have been neck deep in Harry and Meghan drama since for days. I will say though, when it finally did get my attention, I fell in love with this book. The cast of characters from far flung places all over the world with varied backstories, abilities, and personalities. The history lover in me adored the deep dive into history and artifacts. And the setting is one of my favourites, turn-of-the-century Europe at the cusp of so much change. The world building, however, felt a bit clumsy and I didn’t have full sense of the world until much later in the book. A lot of plot establishment and character development in the first half of the book just did not flow. By the second half, however, I was hooked. I actually missed my subway station by several stops multiple times because I was so enraptured by the action and drama. Each of these characters, Séverin, Laila, Zofia, Enrique, Tristan, and even Hypnos, had such great chemistry and memorable moments.