Birth of a Ped Mall presentation at Big Grove Iowa City

Among thieves

by M. J. Kuhn

SCIENCE FICTION Kuhn M. J.
Fantasy

"In just over a year's time, Ryia Cautella has already earned herself a reputation as the quickest, deadliest blade in the dockside city of Carrowwick--not to mention the sharpest tongue. But Ryia Cautella is not her real name. For the past six years, a deadly secret has kept her in hiding, running from town to town, doing whatever it takes to stay one step ahead of the formidable Guildmaster--the sovereign ruler of the five kingdoms of Thamorr. No matter how far or fast she travels, his servants never fail to track her down...but even the most powerful men can be defeated. Ryia's path now leads directly into the heart of the Guildmaster's stronghold, and against every instinct she has, it's not a path she can walk alone. Forced to team up with a crew of assorted miscreants, smugglers, and thieves, Ryia must plan her next moves very carefully. If she succeeds, her freedom is won once and for all...but unfortunately for Ryia, her new allies are nearly as selfish as she is, and they all have plans of their own"--Amazon.

This novel falls under the dark fantasy and adventure genres--one I haven't read much of, usually sticking to urban or paranormal fantasy. And it's a heist novel! A plot style I've only read in Janet Evanovich's co-authored mystery books. So that checks off three appeal factors from my list that I don't usually gravitate towards. And what did I get with this exploration? There's a whole lotta brutal killing in this book--with hatchets--but the protagonist only kills bad guys, so it's not too different from Luke blowing up all those Stormtroopers left on the Death Star. All that is a far cry from my usual rom-coms and women's fiction stories. But it's good to get out of my comfort zone! Especially during summer, when adventure can loom on every horizon. -Melody