Curtis Craddock’s debut novel An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors was an utterly stunning favorite of 2018, filled with magic and mystery. A Labyrinth of Scions and Sorcery was no less stunning and filled me with equal delight! Also you can see with your own eyes how lovely the cover art for both books are, so this series is practically everything I could want.

Isabelle has always struck me as clever and fairly sensible, so when she basically insta-crushed on one of le Roi’s guards I was kind of delighted. She never stopped being the clever, resourceful girl she’s shown herself to be and this added another layer to a character I already found likeable. The introduction of le Roi’s the mistresses, known collectively as the Trefoil, was another delight. Each is in charge of her own little domain of the government – spying, scheduling, managing etc. and are intimidating women in each their own ways. Funnily enough, Jean Claude’s relationships with each of them make the whole situation even more interesting and helps to illuminate his less than perfect past. Who would have thought he was such a lady’s man in his youth? There are a handful of other new and troublesome characters introduced here, but I don’t want to go into detail because it would spoil things.

There are a few major plot threads (I hesitate to claim one as the main since they’re intertwined) all of which kept me turning pages late into the night. First of all, le Roi’s disinherited son has appeared in the capital after a lengthy absence and he’s stirred up trouble and *gasp* talk of reform. Simultaneously, there are people displaying signs of magic that didn’t previously which should NOT be possible… and it’s being stripped from some that do have magic. It’s all quite the scandal and the city is in an uproar – no surprise really, since the presence of a bloodshadow or other magic grants nobility and power.

Overall, this was another excellent read on par with the quality of the first book and possibly with even more courtly intrigue! This is definitely turning out to be one of my favorite fantasy series and it just doesn’t get the hype that many less deserving books do. If you’re looking for a strong female protagonist and a lovable cast of characters you may just want to check The Risen Kingdoms series out before you’re late to the fun!