I enjoyed the first book in the Checquy series, The Rook, but I can honestly say I liked Stiletto. O’Malley seems to have settled into his story world in this novel. It’s a funnier read, well-paced and not as bureaucratically bogged down as the first novel. There are twists and turns aplenty and a few new faces added to the cast of Checquy regulars.
Stiletto picks up The Rook’s aftermath. Negotiations between supernatural centuries-old enemies the Checquy and the Grafters are under way. Felicity Clements and Odette Leliefeld, both sceptical about the intentions of the other, are forced to work together to save these negotiations from sabotage by a shadowy group known as The Antagonists – Grafter enemies keen to see the alliance destroyed. Monsters and mayhem ensue.
So, what’s the verdict?Title: Stiletto
Author: Daniel O’Malley (who I still assume is really Stephenie Meyer)
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (2016)
Rating: 4/5 (Goodreads rating, for comparison: 4.16/5)
The best feature of the book: Just in terms of writing it’s a big improvement on The Rook. It’s a quick, fast-paced read.
The worst feature of the book: I assumed the sequel would pick up Myfanwy Thomas’ story (or that there’s more to it than what we saw in The Rook), and while she features it’s in a supporting role. I still have questions about what happened to her and I’m annoyed that they’re either not being answered, or got bumped back a book. Also, maybe it’s because I’m Afrikaans and so have a reasonable grasp of Dutch, but some of the terms seem cheesy to me (for example: Gruwels. Horrors, really?)
Trigger warnings: Flesh cubes, impromptu surgery, the return of weirdly appealing Gestalt.
You’ll like this if… You like the supernatural genre in general.
