Murder, magic, sex, and humor e first installment in Kristoff's new fantasy series is off to a rollicking start. Ten-year-old Mia, after watching the very public death of her father and the imprisonment of her mother, discovers she has a powerful talent, and a mentor to help her control it a trained killer. Six years later, she sets off to join the Red Church to continue her lessons and ultimately be chosen as a Blade, an elite assassin. Of course, the path to one's goals is never free of obstacles. Kristoff has created a rich, vibrant world for readers, borrowing heavily from historical Italian political structures, which provide a base of stability and familiarity to the new creations. Footnotes accompany the story, at first on nearly every page and then slowing as the action increases its pace, embellishing and further developing the world, and providing a welcome and often biting wit. Dense and measured, this will appeal to fans of traditional and political fantasies.

At the age of 10, Mia Corvere was forced to watch as her father was hanged from the city scaffold, her mother and baby brother were marched off to prison, and her precious cat's neck was broken by the man who was planning to kill her. Mia has wanted nothing but vengeance from that day forward, and now she is finally ready to train as an elite assassin for the Red Church. Her unique affinity with the shadow world gives her an edge. But competition is fierce, only a small number are chosen, and notwithstanding her deadly skills, Mia is not the sociopath that many of her fellow students seem to be. Murder, she believes, should be deserved. Kristoff has created a medieval-style world lit by three suns, where true night is a rare occurrence, magic is shunned as evil, and religion is derived from belief in a family of gods whose love has turned to hate. The first in a new series, this violent, nonstop science fiction/horror story is an intense read from start to finish. It's hard to imagine that Kristoff didn't intend this as a young adult book, but a few graphic consensual sex scenes explain the adult designation. VERDICT Older high school and college fans of speculative fiction will appreciate this addictive title.Cary Frostick, formerly at Mary Riley Styles Public Library, Falls Church, VA