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| Of Charms, Ghosts and Grievances by Aliette de Bodard |
Aliette de Bodard’s Dragons and Blades is a spin-off mystery series set in the world of her Dominion of the Fallen series, and Of Charms, Ghosts and Grievances is the second book. It’s a short novella that despite its length contains a nice little story. I haven’t read the first book, but I’m familiar with the world and was able to enjoy this one.
Thuan the dragon prince and his fallen angel husband Asmodeus are visiting the underwater world of Thuan’s dragon family. For some odd reason, in a palace full of servants, they’re made to look after a bunch of children. All goes well, until a ghost of a child joins in their play.
The child leads them to a body of a murdered woman. Asmodeus and Thuan want to investigate, but before they can even start, they’re attacked. Forced to flee, they seek out allies who can help with the investigation, and with the ghost child they’re now in charge of.
Alongside the mystery, Thuan and Asmodeus go through a marital crisis. Theirs is an arranged marriage that has grown to a real partnership, but things aren’t always easy. In the end, the relationship drama dominates the story, and the mystery is solved behind the scenes by a secondary character. The final showdown helps Thuan and Asmodeus work out their crisis too.
If you like charming little fantasy stories where the world and characters are at the front, this is for you, but don’t expect a great mystery. However, I recommend getting familiar with the world before picking this one up. You can read it as a stand-alone, but you’ll enjoy it more if you already know the setting.
I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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