I read both the kindle and combined the audio in as well

This was brilliant. Superb.

Sebastian de Castell is back in the world of the Greatcoats, and honestly, I just love everything about the world and stories within it.

This really is nothing like the previous Greatcoat series in terms of the story telling or even the story itself. It does, however, have enough links and connections to the Greatcoast series to make it feel a connected series. I love that we didn't just get another book with the same characters (despite loving Kest, Basti, and Falcio) and that we got to explore events through a new main character.
We got to live through our new hero?!? 🧐 Damelas


Damelas Chademantaigne, is the grandson of two Greatcoats but a rubbish sword hand, and his story starts when he escaps the wrath of the Vixen, the most feared duellist in the entire city, by tricking his way into the Operato Belleza and its company of actors.

The story then takes some unexpected turns, and because I want to avoid the spoiler of what drives this story, I'll say no more.

All I will say is that this is more than an honourable inclusion to the Greatcoat series. Deep characters, phenomenal world building, politics and intrigue, and what we have come to expert from SdC incredibly written prose, full of sarcasm, wit, and humour

The main character is a words smith with a gift of the gab. Witty and funny. The story begins with him in a tight situation, and then follows him through his time while he stumbles into an unplanned career.

“Full grown man, getting his arse handed to him by a ten year old girl.” A quote I will keep with me for the rest of my life!

This is a well written story. A little slow to begin, however I always enjoy a good world building.

I got my ARC from NetGalley.. Thank you Sebastian De Castell for letting me listen to the audio book…

This was over all an amazing book.. it just wasn’t a book for me I think it’s great if you like old timey themes that are in the book but it was still a great book!!

‘Rest, Rabbit, rest. It's really for the best! There's nowhere left to hide - besides, It's long past time you died!'

O, what wit. What depravity. What deceit. What plots.
3.75🌟

Damelas Chademantaigne, the grandson of two Greatcoats but a rubbish sword hand, only escaped the wrath of the Vixen, the most feared duellist in the entire city, by tricking his way into the Operato Belleza and its company of actors.

However, it appears that there is long-buried truths regarding the current foreign Duke who has commissioned a play that can only be described as treasonous by portraying the duchy's most notorious usurper and child-killer as a hero.

De Castell has a magic with words. A genius with beautiful prose and cutting wit. His main character is always a multitude of emotions, conflict, and tension. He writes drama with such thrill, he describes battle with such vigour, he describes human nature with pessimism sprinkled either hope.

’I can never quite tell if you're a timid person who pretends at times to be brave, or a brave one who's been trying to convince himself for far too long that he's a coward.'

You can feel the absolute passion de Castell has for performance, for all kinds of art.

Sometimes his prose can feel pretentious, out-of-place, indulgent. But this isn’t my first rodeo with his adult fantasy, so I went in knowing what to expect and was delightfully bemused.

’Love is an onion, my boy. Leave it too long and the heart of it will rot.
So you've got to carefully peel back the layers until you find beneath something so beautiful it brings you to tears.'

Thank you to Quercus books for providing the arc in exchange for a review.