Review by Booklist Review
Lukan Gardova is the disavowed son of a poor nobleman. He was kicked out of his country's prestigious school for dueling, which lead to his estrangement from his father. But when Lukan hears that his father has been murdered, he wants to find the killer to serve justice and to make a type of amends for past actions. Seeking answers, he travels to Saphrona, a rough city where money is mostly the answer. It quickly becomes clear that Lukan is in for a much more complicated and perilous adventure than simply identifying the culprit. The cross-genre appeal of this debut series starter is present in the constant question of who killed Lukan's father. Both fantasy and crime readers will enjoy diving into this immersive new world, working with Lukan to solve the mystery of his father's death while enjoying the well-done world building and fascinating rules of magic.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Positioned squarely in the tradition of fantasy caper novels, the winning debut and Last Legacy series launch from Orbit UK editor Logan pits a rogue with a heart of gold against a corrupt oligarchy. Lukan Gardova, disgraced ex-scholar turned card sharp, follows a mysterious note from his recently murdered father to the trading city of Saphrona, where his father's ally, the wealthy Zandrusa, is being framed for a different murder. Following his instincts ("Passion before reason"), Lukan, who has never met Zandrusa, entangles a motley crew including a clever street urchin, an all-knowing beggar, and a cool fixer to rescue his father's friend and squelch a coup plot. Logan has an evident fondness for both the choreographed crime of Scott Lynch's Gentlemen Bastards series and the underdog politics of Seth Dickinson's Baru Cormorant books, while adding hints of a deeper backstory of lost empires and legendary supernatural threats. Readers may be rattled by the occasional jarringly contemporary wording ("intelligence network"; "civil rights") but will be entertained by the sincerity of Lukan's quest. This promises good things to come. (May)
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Review by Library Journal Review
DEBUT After a murder strikes a little close to home, the young rogue Lukan Gardova is compelled to solve it. He's spent years barely scraping by after his downfall, but this goal fills him with a new sense of purpose. As a hotheaded hero with nothing to lose, he sets off for the city of Saphrona, where he teams up with the straight-talking street kid Flea. Money rules in Saphrona, and Lukan and Flea are swiftly swept up in a conspiracy involving the criminal underworld, corrupt merchant princes, and the mystical relics of a dead civilization. Everything about this swashbuckling adventure is sharp and secretive, and the pages fly by with every nail-biting gambit. It's a murder mystery in an epic fantasy setting, and Lukan's loose tongue and quick wits repeatedly get him into and out of trouble. The endearing characters, with their easy banter, dry humor, and defiant spirits, are the heart and soul of this novel. VERDICT There's never a dull moment in this instantly absorbing debut that offers effortless escapism. Perfect for fans of the "Mistborn" series by Brandon Sanderson.--Andrea Dyba
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Logan's debut novel--the first installment in his Last Legacy saga--is an adventure fantasy that revolves around a young man's search for answers to mysteries regarding his father's death. When Lukan Gardova--a disgraced heir desperately trying to outrun his past--discovers that his estranged father was murdered while clutching a mysterious note written with his own blood, he begins a quest that takes him around the world to Saphrona, the fabled "Mother of Cities." But answers aren't easy to come by in a city with a tumultuous history, corrupt government, and an underworld filled with myth and legend. Eventually joining forces with a street urchin named Flea and an infamous thief known as Lady Midnight, Gardova quickly finds himself entangled in a grand-scale conspiracy involving the existence of nightmarish beings from childhood tales, artifacts from a lost race, evil cabals, and a looming war that could put tens of thousands of innocents in jeopardy. Every discovery brings Gardova closer to the realization that his father, whom he thought was just a broken man obsessed with myths, was much more than he appeared to be. While many comparable narratives come across as stale and formulaic, there's a freshness and vibrancy to this tale, in large part because of the flawless execution of the various elements. The worldbuilding is exceptional--meticulously described and almost effortlessly immersive. The diverse cast of characters is insightfully portrayed and authentic. The storyline is filled with bombshell plot twists, the action is nonstop, and the pacing is breakneck. The precision of the writing is evident in seemingly minor details like the way every chapter ends with thought-provoking statements, revelations, or cliffhanging scenes that make it impossible to stop reading ("He unhooked the lantern, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open"). Even the conclusion is masterfully constructed, satisfying readers while also brilliantly setting up the second installment. An undeniable masterwork--and a blueprint for how adventure fantasy should be written. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
