Fourteen-year-old Marceau Leggett is a gifted but accident-prone apprentice artist living in the medieval seaside kingdom of Valemont. Unfortunately, his budding ambitions are often sabotaged by his clumsiness, leaving him in trouble more often than not (“Is that how you ended up with your hands covered in blue pigment? Watching girls instead of what you were doing?”). His younger sister, Delphine, is almost his polar opposite, a brave, adventurous girl who actively resists the restrictive expectations placed on young women. As Marceau’s 15th birthday approaches, Delphine sets out on a quest to find the perfect birthday gift. She ends up saving an elderly sorceress; in gratitude, the mage entrusts Delphine with the Firststone, a crystal of immense power. When Delphine gifts the stone to Marceau, he finds that everything he draws comes to life. At first, his drawings are able to be used for minor things, like chores, but over time, his creations develop a will of their own. Marceau and Delphine find themselves caught between family loyalty, royal ambition, and magical forces they barely understand—especially once King Perciless, an aging monarch searching for the key to immortality, develops an interest in them. Fink’s strongest passages are those centered on worldbuilding, detailing the dragons and the background of the city, the greater kingdom, and the world’s magic. The open-ended nature of the magic system allows for a wide range of narrative possibilities, even if the lack of clearly defined limits can occasionally raise questions. The novel’s principal weakness is pacing; the story takes time to find its footing, and the steady introduction of characters, storylines, and unfamiliar names can become overwhelming. Once the narrative gathers momentum, however, the imaginative setting and increasingly unpredictable twists imbue the story with an entertaining sense of discovery. Readers drawn to dragons, fantastical settings, and sibling relationships will find much to enjoy here.
