The Spy in the Silver Palace by Jordan Rivet
Fantasy. 284 Pages. 4 Stars
Synopsis:
Blurs are fast.
Muscles are strong.
Shields have impervious skin.
Mimics can change their appearance.
And all of them are in danger.
One Mimic is about to discover that nothing is as it seems in the Empire of Talents. Capable of contorting her face to resemble anyone, Mica dreams of using her skills on daring spy missions in enemy territory. Instead, she’s sent to work for a frivolous young princess.
Infiltrating tea parties and collecting palace gossip makes Mica want to kill someone—preferably the princess herself—but she soon learns there’s more to this world than extravagant parties. She gets caught up in a web of courtly intrigues and treacherous secrets. When her fellow Talents start disappearing from the empire, Mica may be the only one who can uncover their hidden foe and save them all.
She can change her face, but can she play the game?
From the author of Steel and Fire comes a tale of mystery, romance, and courtly intrigue in a decadent fantasy empire.
My Review:
The characters were probably my favorite part of this whole book! I found them intriguing, engrossing, and quite complex. Each was unique and individual, and yet, they all played a very particular role in one giant tapestry. Caleb was by far my favorite. I just want more of him! He was kind and generous, and he had a deep, genuine personality. I loved seeing a few different sides to him, the strategist, the loyalty-earning leader, the brave fighter, the gentle gentleman, and the pensive lord. He was a very fun character indeed! I also really liked Jessamyn’s character development. I liked unraveling who she was and getting the rare peeks inside her mind. Mica is our MC and I enjoyed her. I liked the strong familial roots she showed. She sought adventure and was driven, but she messed up a lot. I enjoyed having a flawed MC, someone who had to deal with her errors and learn and grow from them. Her friend Sapphire I wish we’d seen more of. I really liked the cast of side characters. I liked the maids and the guards we met. They each seemed necessary and played a part in the story as opposed to just being fillers. I’ll be on the lookout for fantastic new friends and fantastic old ones in the next installment.
There was a vast array of backdrops for this book. We visited a few different settings, but primarily spent time in the capital of the empire. The story is set in a fantasy world with several sub-territories in a collective kingdom and a giant, foreboding enemy kingdom. We don’t see much of Obsidian–they enemy–but I have a feeling that will change at some point. There were people called Talents in the story, people who could be categorized into four differing Talents–super-strength (Muscle), super-speed (Blur), impenetrable skin (Sheild), and the ability to mold and shape one’s physical body (Mimic/Impersonator). The rules and cultural nuances of these abilities was pretty well-explained. It was clear some people revered these abilities, some abused them, and some looked down upon them. The cultural pods within the islands wasn’t really expanded on very much, so I kind of hope we see more of that in the future. The palace society was complex and is another area I hope we expand on in the future. The author walked toed the line of head-spinning complexity, but I don’t think she quite crossed it.
I enjoyed the plot of this book. I wouldn’t call it a page turner. I actually found it a little difficult to stay on task while reading, which is unusual for me. That said, what made me keep coming back and what hooked me in deep (besides the potential for a really sweet romance!) was the multi-layered plot. I felt like I was unwrapping layer after layer of plot and I really just wanted to know what on earth was going on! It was a mystery as much as it was a fantasy. Something was going down and I was very invested in figuring out what! It was a unique plot–at least to me–and I liked following Mica’s investigation and the political goings on. I do wish those had been laid out a little clearer, though I think some of that had to do with the MC’s perspective and some of the character development. Perhaps now that she understands more, we’ll get a deeper look into the politics. (As a sidenote, I am highly suspicious of the whole enemy kingdom and just how big, bad, and scary it actually is due to all of the hype the book throws at them.) I was pleasantly surprised by the villain reveal–believe me, I was upset by it, but I was definitely surprised. It was a good twist for sure. Overall, the plot was engaging and there was a dash of action and adventure to balance out the mystery and intrigue every now and then. Throw in a hint of romance, a brand new world to explore, and some really dynamic characters and I call this a win!
The book was well-written. I only found two boo-boos throughout. I do intend to continue in the trilogy. I’m excited to see what comes next and how everything plays out. The book wrapped up the main plot issues, but left enough of a dangling thread (and a bit of a cliff hanger) to assure the readers that there is more to come.
There was some mild violence, but it was brief and mostly non-graphic (there was a little allusion to some potentially graphic stuff, but it was very tactfully handled and nothing explicitly described.) The romance was a very thin trail (which made me want more!) and non-explicit. There was one foul word used about three times, but it fit well in the setting, so I had a very minimal issue with it personally. There are a few references to alcohol and drunkenness and one scene takes place on a rooftop bar, but, again, it was very well-handled in my opinion. I’d probably be okay with giving this to anyone over fifteen or sixteen.
More:
The Empire of Talents Book 2 is An Impostor with a Crown (4 Stars)
Book 3 is A Traitor at the Stone Court (4 Stars)
I have rated and reviewed the above on Goodreads. Click the links and scroll down to learn more and see more reviews; mine is among them.
This trilogy must be read in order!
On GraceBought
Check out my thoughts on the next book in the series below!