Torn

February 12, 2018
Miller’s disappointing fantasy debut, first of a series, sets an initially promising scene but doesn’t live up to it. Sophie Balstrade, a young business owner in class-stratified Galitha, must choose whether and how much to support her brother, Kristos, who heads a rapidly growing movement of the working poor. Sophie is reluctant to rock any boats for fear of losing the business that provides for her and Kristos—especially since she is a charmcaster as well as a dressmaker, and her magic is unusual in Galitha. The different factions, ethnicities, and background details of life are clearly and carefully portrayed, and Kristos and Sophie are vibrant characters. However, the evenhanded treatment of class issues soon tips decidedly toward the nobility. The nobles seen on the page are all well developed as characters, genuinely hardworking, and devoted to everyone’s best interests, while the leaders of the democracy movement are cardboard-cutout villains. The humanity of Sophie’s romance plot (with a noble in line for the throne) is a bright spot, but readers excited by the thought of a fantasy novel about class struggle may be disappointed by this story’s implicit lean toward monarchism and apparent distaste for the messiness of revolution. Agent: Jessica Sinsheimer, Sarah Jane Freymann Literary.

February 15, 2018
In Miller's debut novel, political revolution threatens the livelihood--and the principles--of a seamstress who sews enchanted clothes.Sophie Balstrade has made a comfortable life for herself in Galitha City despite her common birth and her descent from "backwater" Pellians. Her success as a seamstress is due to her hard work but also her magic: Sophie innovatively combines the traditional charms of her people with the cosmopolitan fashions favored by the Galatine upper crust. Though the demands of running her own business have isolated her from everyone but her brother, Kristos, and her shop assistants, Sophie is happy chasing prosperity on her terms...but her world is changing. Anti-monarchist sentiment simmers in the streets, the flames fanned by poverty, frustration, and rival states. Even as Sophie's artistry draws royal eyes and earns her welcome into the homes of the elite--and an introduction to dashing Duke Theodor--Kristos is leading a budding class war. And in a war, no one gets to stay neutral. Good intentions lead to desperate measures, first by the revolutionaries and then by Sophie herself, as she's blackmailed into joining an assassination attempt. The murder plot threatens Sophie's newfound friendships and her ethics: She's never used her magic to harm others, but now she has no choice. Can Sophie's ingenuity undo the dangerous thread tightening around the throats of everyone she loves, or will there be a price to pay no matter which side she chooses? Strong research, moral ambiguities, and an innovative magic system distinguish the story from similar offerings. The off-screen resolution of a major confrontation is slightly disappointing, and Theodor is a little too perfect a Prince Charming, but there's still plenty here to enjoy.A well-executed historical fantasy debut whose author has a sharp eye for detail.

COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.