Mueller brings together an epic cast of characters in this dark fantasy debut. When Charm finds out the emperor of Boren was killed, most likely by someone in his own inner family circle, she embarks on a tense mission to uncover motives and secrets. Mourning the death of the emperor, who also happened to be the love of her life, Charm encounters an even darker underbelly of Borengaurd than she knew existed. While Borengaurd grapples with the reality of a new emperor, Charm must come to grips with her own identity and assemble together all of the pieces of her past. Along the way, we follow her as she creates boneghosts to fill the void and the halls of Orchard House, which serves as a brothel for Borengaurd elite. These boneghosts are created from Charm's magical abilities and the bone trees she tends to outside of Orchard House. Mueller sets the scene in rich detail and allows readers to sink deeply into the gothic world she has created. With equal parts magic and mystery, Mueller weaves together psychological tension and character-driven plots that will keep readers guessing until the very end.

Political intrigue, necromancy, and identity struggles collide in Mueller's lush but overlong debut. A prisoner on an elegant leash, Charm runs the Orchard House, a brothel where the men of Boren mingle and talk politics, and where the workers are various facets of Charm's own personality, split apart from her and given new bodies. Charm herself is reserved for the Emperor's weekly visits--until the day she's rushed to his bedside as he lays suddenly dying. He charges her with discovering which of his terrible sons has murdered him, and keeping his kingdom safe by ensuring that the crown goes to someone just. The responsibility is immense and impossible, but the reward will be Charm's freedom and the freedom of her other selves. The mystery unravels like an interlocking puzzle, with a satisfying ending even the most well-read of the genre will struggle to guess. It's a masterfully woven plot with refreshing narrators in Charm and her other selves, a literally fractured mind, but the middle pages struggle to find their purpose, introducing myriad superfluous details. Readers will be a bit exhausted by the time they reach the cathartic conclusion. (Nov.)