It was well received upon its release; Publishers Weekly gave it a starred review and called it "extraordinary".

[1] The story revolves around two characters: magician Felix Harrowgate and thief Mildmay the Fox, who live in vastly different parts of the city of Mélusine.

They are tossed together by fate when Felix is accused of destroying the crystal Virtu, an orb which channels the magical energy of the magicians in Mélusine.

When his sordid past is revealed to his upper-class lover, he retreats to his former master and mentor Malkar Gennadion.

When he accepts what he believes to be a simple job of stealing jewelry from a nobleman, he gets entangled in the magic and politics of the city.