I KILLED THE KING

Six young people race to solve the murder of the king who was killed in front of them.

On the night of the ball celebrating the end of a war between two magical kingdoms, Avendell and Istellia, King Costis of Avendell gathers five people in secret: Oak, his personal guard; Ellion, a failed healer turned necromancer; Clove, a skilled beast handler; Melarie, a princess from Istellia; and his own son and heir, Kellam. Also lurking in the room is Vesryn, an assassin tasked with murdering Costis. Suddenly, the lights flicker off, and in the darkness, the king is killed. Each of those present had the means and motive to slay him—but which one did it? With a snowstorm confining everyone to the castle and more bodies appearing, the six must work together to find out who the murderer is and avoid becoming the next victim. This locked-room murder mystery switches among the points of view of the central characters, but their voices aren’t fully differentiated. The authors convey the complex mythology and worldbuilding through large chunks of exposition, backstory, and infodumps. Still, readers seeking an action-packed thriller in a magical setting will enjoy this duology opener that explores power, belief, and taking charge of your fate. In this world, which evokes a fantasy Europe, the main characters present white.

A twisty, plot-driven magical murder mystery that struggles to show rather than tell.