Review of The Duchess of the Shallows (The Grey City #1) by Neil McGarry

The Duchess of the Shallows by Neil McGarry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Writing 3.5/5
Imagination 4/5
Plot 4/5
Setting 4/5
Characters 3.5/5

My Overall Enjoyment 3.5/5

From Goodreads-

A game is played in the fog-shrouded city of Rodaas, and every citizen, from the nameless of the Shallows to the noblest of the Garden, is a player or a pawn. And no one is as he appears.
Not Minette, brothel-keeper and obsessive collector of secrets. Not Uncle Cornelius, fearsome chief of the gang of brutes and murderers known as the Red. Not the cults of Death, Wisdom, and Illumination, eternally scheming and plotting along the Godswalk.
And certainly not the orphaned bread girl known as Duchess.
Yet armed with nothing more than her wits, her good friend Lysander and a brass mark of dubious origin Duchess will dare to play that game for the most coveted of prizes: initiation into a secret society of
thieves, spies and rumormongers who stand supreme in a city where corruption and lies are common coin.
The Grey.

This was an enjoyable, quick read. It's a thief story, which has been popular the last few years but this one is done very well and worth the read. I found the protagonist interesting and unique for this type of story. It was a bit hard for me to relate with that particular character but it was still a pleasure to get to know her and her story. In a short amount of time, the authors create a very rich world. Some great background information is mixed in throughout the book which gave added depth to the world.

The strongest point of this book is that it is not overly ambitious. The main story is about a heist and the set up for that. If a reader doesn't want to get involved in another huge epic story, this is a great book to pick up. The writing is very good and the dialogue is strong and believable. There were very few unnecessary details which is always a plus for me. The ending was great and set up for what could be an even better second book.

This world is on the bleaker side which appeals to my taste. Recommended for fans of thief stories or if you enjoy exploring unique fantasy worlds.