Genre: Fantasy
LGBTQ+ Category: Demi, Lesbian
Reviewer: Lucy
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About The Book
Kota, a sorceress who works as a detective with the Grimmani Detective Agency, is on her way to a new posting on the world of Proximus. She’s been charged with transporting a mystical artifact called a Keystone that will allow Proximus to build a magical gateway back to Kota’s homeworld of Emake Maa. When the Aethership transporting Kota is attacked by pirates, Kota helps fight them off, and finds herself taking care of a half demon woman, Nadani who was being held as a slave on the pirate ship.
When Kota and Nadani arrive on Proximus, Kota is injured in an attempted assassination, and finds herself embroiled in a plot involving cultists who want her dead for some reason. Kota begins to dig into the motives of the assassin while trying to navigate her growing feelings for Nadani. Something made all the harder by more attempts on her life and the emotional minefield that Nadani’s past as a slave left behind.
When Kota learns that the assassins may be after Nadani as well, she becomes desperate to learn what they want. Something that puts her on a collision course with a cult that wants to use Nadani and the Keystone to open a permanent gateway to hell itself.
The Review
If you haven’t read anything by Molly J. Bragg, this is certainly a good choice for your first experience. When you’re finished with this excellent story, you’ll most likely go looking for other books by her.
Bragg writes intelligent, precisely constructed stories that are populated by well-developed, complex, flawed characters. They are the sorts of people who you’d have a beer with, play cards with, fall in love with. They’re normal, everyday people who are just trying to get along. And use their magic to either do great or awful things.
The world building is pretty much seamless. so that you aren’t even aware that there is world building going on. Details are woven in that you didn’t know you were going to need until you have a lightbulb moment of, “Ohhhh that’s why…” The plotting is equally excellent, well-paced so that there aren’t dull moments where you’re wading through clunky details. The story moves along nicely, carrying you with it as you meet the characters and get caught up in the action.
I loved both Kota and Nadani. Kota is a sorceress with a lot of power and some odd skills who meets Nadani when pirates attack the Aethership that is taking Kota to her new assignment. Nadani has been a slave, and is shocked when Kota frees her. Their relationship develops as they try to figure out who is after them and why. And the bonus is Petyr, who is Kota’s absolutely adorable dragon buddy.
Blood of the Basilisk is another excellent story by author Molly J. Bragg. If this is your first story by her, I’m excited for you to have discovered such a wonderful new author. And if you’ve read her other work, you won’t be disappointed by this fabulous book. Either way, you’ll have a hard time putting this book down.
The Reviewer
I’m an avid reader who loves pretty much all genres except math textbooks. As a kid, my parents exposed me to everything from fairies, hobbits, and dragons to the biographies of interesting people around the world, interspersed with poetry, plays, and music. Into adulthood, I spent a lot of years with my nose buried in various textbooks. Now, I read whatever grabs my fancy.