The Ancients Game

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Age Range
13+
Release Date
October 29, 2024
ISBN
978-0063296435
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Alchemy and ancient spirits come to life in this debut fantasy inspired by African diasporic folklore and the 1920s World Fair, wherein sixteen-year-old Kellan DuCuivre, an orphan from a reviled class, must compete for a coveted apprenticeship among the nation’s elite in order to save her adoptive father from a twisted fate.
Sixteen-year-old Kellan DuCuivre is the descendant of traitors. She never knew her family members or which one of them betrayed the isle of Nanseau. But like all Du orphaned after the war, Kellan is forbidden by law from practicing makecraft, the trade of carving magic into metal that was perfected by the Guild of Engineers and their maker apprentices. No one can know that Kellan has been using makecraft in secret and that, in the wake of a tragic miscarve, she’s been helping her adoptive father, Edgar, run his celebrated makeshop.

But Edgar’s condition is worsening, and his shop is on the brink of ruin. On the eve of the Eighty-Fourth Annual Makers’ Exposition in Nanseau’s sparkling city of Riz, Kellan is thrust into the Guild’s twisted web of political intrigue and ancient secrets when she strikes a dangerous deal with one of its members to save Edgar and his shop. Now Kellan must compete in a rigorous gauntlet against the nation’s elite for a coveted spot as a maker’s apprentice.

But danger lurks at every turn. And as Kellan falls into a budding relationship with the illegitimate son from one of Nanseau’s most revered families, she’s put into the limelight when something sinister begins targeting the Gauntlet’s competitors and wreaking havoc on Riz. Amid a crumbling city and a ticking clock, winning the Gauntlet won’t just be a test of survival—it will mean pulling back the veil of secrets behind the Guild and uncovering the shrouded legacies of Nanseau itself.

Editor review

1 review
Alchemy and Ancient Spirits
Overall rating
 
4.0
Plot
 
4.0
Characters
 
4.0
Writing Style
 
4.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
What I liked: The Ancients Game is an inventive story involving alchemy, magic, and ancient spirits. Set in the 1920s, adding African dystopian elements with alchemical magic and magical trials gives you the ingredients for a creative tale. Our main character has lots of luck and can achieve opportunities that would not usually be available to her. Since this story involves some magical trials, a significant aspect of mentor/mentee interactions makes the trials more intense for the mentor, watching their mentee achieve the impossible.
I would have liked to see more of the trials. I felt they took a back seat instead of being the main aspect of the story. The main aspect ends up focusing more on the ancient spirits that are attacking the world. The trials felt rushed and slide-lined compared to the parts of the story focusing on the spirits. I wanted more about the trials and the position that Kellen was vying for.
Final Verdict: I think this would do better as a series than a stand-alone, as that would have allowed the trials and the ancient spirits to be equally fleshed out. There is a lot to like in this story, and who knows, maybe there will be another book. You never know.
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