Gutter Mage, by J.S. Kelley

4 A whole lotta kick ass female protagonist stars!!!

Fantasy and hardboiled noir in this fast-paced, twisting tale of magic, mystery, and a whole lot of unruly behavior.

In a kingdom where magic fuels everything from street lamps to horseless carriages, the mage guilds of Penador wield power equal to the king himself. So when Lord Edmund’s infant son is kidnapped by the ruthless Alath Guild, he turns to the one person who’s feared by even the most magically adept: Rosalind Featherstone, a.k.a. the Gutter Mage.

But as Roz delves into the circumstances behind the child’s disappearance, she uncovers an old enemy from her traumatic past and a long-brewing plot that could lead to the death of countless innocents, as well as the complete collapse of Penadorian society itself!

My Review…

I feel so bad because I received an ARC of this book and am late reviewing it. It was a really good book too, the main character Roz aka the Gutter Mage is one kick butt character, she’s crass, no holds barred, goes head first into trouble without thinking. In most books I’ve read recently its the male character leading the charge and the female character not being so forward in language or fighting. Roz was almost a breath of fresh air compared to most main female characters you don’t see them like her in most books.

I loved the world building in this book, the magic system was so unique, especially as more of it unraveled throughout the book. Different Mage class systems, that Roz doesn’t want to be a part of, and they use spirits to power everything including magical items. I enjoyed almost all of the characters even the smaller characters like the inn keepers or people she met along the way. I won’t mention my favorites because there may be spoilers in that. This doesn’t say book one but I feel like it might be a book one. Either way I really enjoyed it and would definitely read more from this author.