A Conventicle of Magpies is the first book in the Bloodskill duology by L.M.R. Clarke. It’s set in an industrial town of Stamchester in a unique world with factories, early automobiles, and even some telephones, but also magic called bloodskill that is available for all. The world is referred to as Victorian in the book description, but it’s not steampunk/gaslight punk—or very Victorian in general. Edwardian, maybe, if one absolutely has to utilise period descriptions from our world.

Stamchester is a hotspot of political tension. It has belonged to one set of people conquered by the Avanish, who have then brought in a different set of people, the Saosuíasei, to live there as cheap labour while they plunder the original country of the Saosuíasei. For some reason that isn’t given a very good explanation for, other than prejudice, the Avanish have now decided to empty Stamchester of the Saosuíasei, with violence if necessary.

Rook is a young Saosuíasei woman living in the slums where her people have been banished. She belongs to a gang of women led by Mama Magpie who steal to protect the Saosuíasei women. When the Avanish begin to move against the Saosuíasei, the women team up with another gang, Jaguars, to try to save their people.

The book took a while to get going, or decide what the story it wanted to tell was. Rook has a lot going on in her life. She has lost an older sister and father, and has to take care of her ten siblings practically alone. A serial killer haunts the slums, emptying the victims of blood to use it in blood magic—a storyline that never really moved the plot and seemed superfluous despite the importance of blood to all magic users. A childhood friend has chosen to side with the enemy, much to the sorrow of Rook and her adoptive sister Kestrel, another gang member. It isn’t until the gangs unite against the Avanish that the story finds a direction that holds until the end.

Rook is an interesting character who always tries to do the right thing despite the enormous pressure she is constantly under from every direction. She’s good with bloodskill and stealing, but not overly superior. She comes across as a bit aloof though, and apart from Kestrel, she doesn’t really connect with any of the side characters. And neither does the reader.

Side characters were the main weakness of the story. There were simply too many of them, and the focus never stayed in them long enough for the reader to form an attachment. At the beginning of the book there were one set of people with Rook, in the middle there was another, and then again a new set, none of which were properly introduced to the reader. They simply appear, do their part in that section of the plot, and then disappear.

The character most ill served by this was Kestrel, Rook’s stalwart companion and the main side character. She was clearly meant to give the book LBQT+ status, but she turned out to be a mere token. She’s a biological male presenting as a woman, but her main concern seemed to be her looks, and her only role was to save Rook from scrapes. I found it especially disappointing that she was pushed aside when the plot required infiltration to a women’s prison. The excuse was that she would have had to strip, but that didn’t even happen to the women who eventually participated, publicly anyway.

It’s an author’s job to put their characters in difficult situations, and then extradite them whilst staying true to their characteristics, not push them aside when they become incovenient for the story. There would’ve been plenty of ways to include Kestrel, but she wasn’t. So, instead of being inclusive, the message here is that she isn’t good enough as she is to have agency or a proper role, even as a side character in a make-believe world. I hope this is done better in the next book.

The book ends when the war with the Avanish finally begins. I find it difficult to imagine how the Saosuíasei will save the day against the far superior enemy who have almost destroyed them already. But, despite the issues I had with this book, I’m definitely going to find out how the story ends.

***I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.***

“How can anyone hate us just for who we are?”

A Conventicle of Magpies is set in Victorian era, a world where the Avanish have enslaved the Saosuíasei. It follows the story of Rook, a Saosuíasei and a thief with proficiency to use Bloodskill. Rook has grown up in a world that hates and discriminates against her race, the Saosuíasei. She's a member of the Conventicle of Magpies, one of one of the city’s most notorious gang. But when they learned that the the Avanish wishes to exterminate them all, it was time to fight for freedom and equality in an unequal world. To top that, there's a serial killer haunting the streets preying on Saosuíasei, draining their blood to satisfy the elite's demand.

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A+++ for the amazing cover! It's beautiful, detailed, and appropriate for the book.
The Conventicle of Magpies is action packed and fast paced. So much is happening! The sequence of events was well laid out and the scenes were rich with details. I enjoyed the entire book, especially the rising rebellion. The characters are likeable especially Rook! She's unapologetic, resourceful, and tough. I love how the magic system is based on blood and the mystery element. LMR Clarke's writing style is easy to follow and has a good mix of dialogue and description. I'm sure things will get even better in the next installment! Can’t wait!

First of all, I find the cover of this book appropriate, eye catching and clever.
I love reading books set in history and I love a good victorian fantasy/thriller. I enjoyed the writing style and thought it was more or less appropriate given the time setting. The author was also very descriptive throughout which really helped with keeping the visuals clear.
I liked Rook's character. She is tough and practiced thief in a gang of lady's, who are fighting to bring about justice to their society. Blood is a powerful and valuable source, "enhancing speed and strength and agility", and people are being killed for it.

"Billy Drainer stalks the night,
Ready to give you all a fright.
Seven swift knocks to your head,
Drains your blood and then you're DEAD!"

The elite want the minority gone, furthermore Billy Drainer is picking them off, so in order to take control and survive, they must unite with others.
This book is exciting, fast paced and keeps you wanting more.
My only criticism is, I found some of the formatting strange in parts and the newspaper text hard to read, but overall, I think it's an interesting story and I will be certainly tuning in for book two.

Set in a fantasy version of a Victorian city, Rook is a member of the oppressed minority of society. She is also a member of a all female gang that works undercover to bring justice and order to the women in their society. The ruling elite wish to wipe them out and in addition there is a Jack the Ripper type character killing them off. Rook and her fellow gang members must join forces with another gang to try to help their people overcome both the serial killer and the governing class.
This is a thrilling and intelligently written story. The characters are exciting, resourceful and adventurous. The plot is fast paced and diverse. Themes of the book are among others oppression, genocide, power and injustice.
A dark Victorian thriller but with a very modern take. I can't wait to read the concluding part.