Plucked from an orphanage when he was ten, Kel now lives a life of luxury as Prince Connor’s sword catcher. To the outside world he is Connor’s cousin, but to a select few he is Connor’s bodyguard and, when the need calls for it, his body double. When a situation is deemed too dangerous Kel dons his magical amulet, alongside Connors clothes and Connors personality, to take the prince’s place. When a new threat rises, Kel must identify it and put a stop to it before Connor gets hurt. But it’s difficult to protect someone when they, and everyone around them, are keeping secrets.
Lin has spent her whole life fighting for the chance to heal people, working twice as hard as the men in her field and still with half as much recognition. Now she is the most skilled healer in the city, but it still isn’t enough to cure her best friend of her lifelong disease. Even the small magic of her people is not enough. When she learns of a new magic that could heal her friend, Lin must decide how far she is willing to go and how many rules she is willing to break.
Connor, Kel, and Lin present as interesting characters, all holding unique positions and existing both within their societies and outside of them. Connor is at the centre of everything, constantly surrounded by people, but his precarious position of power means that he can’t show weakness and so can’t be his true self around anyone. Kel’s entire identity is fake and he knows he would be rejected by everyone around him if they knew the truth. Kel and Connor are the only true friends each other has, but it becomes increasingly clear throughout the book that their friendship is based on circumstance and their outlooks on the world are vastly different. Lin defies the expectations of her people, making her an outsider in a community that she cannot leave. She has both friends and enemies within the community, but is keeping secrets from all of them.
The magic in this book is extremely subtle, rarely used and barely explained. Yet there is an undertone of suspense as though this is only the beginning; as though the whole world has been lulled into a false sense of security which is soon to be shattered. Multiple characters are mentioned to be searching for new magic. Other than Lin, who only wants to heal her friend, these are largely unknown characters. This makes it impossible to tell what they will do with this magic when they find it, creating a level of mystery that sets it up nicely for the second book where I hope we will learn more.
In fact, this whole book is a slow burn, filled with in-depth world building and character introductions. Its purpose is to set the scene of conflict for the second book, building the tension and raising the stakes and making us fall in love with the characters that are now standing with their toes dangling over the edge of the precipice of destruction.
Escape to the Bookshelf 
I loved this one and really enjoyed the character and world setting up. Ragpicker King was brilliant too.
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