Like a king. (Goodreads)

The story is of two main characters. The cheeky and wildly charismatic Eli, who also happens to be a wanted thief and Miranda the spiritualist charged with tracking him down and apprehending him.

Both characters are polar opposites, with Miranda being a total stickler for the rules and Eli very much enjoying flaunting them to see just how much he can get away with. Eli is such a fab character he’s witty, cheeky and clever and despite the fact he is a notorious thief and a bit of a rogue, I loved that intrinsically he was still a good person.

Eli is like that friend of yours who despite the fact is always up to mischief and drives you a bit crackers, yet you still can’t help but like him. His mission is to increase the bounty on his head to a million gold coins and he glories in his notoriety. So what better way to increase this than to kidnap a King and hold him to ransom? Eli’s madcap plans are just hilarious and I couldn’t help but delight in that fact that he charmed himself through most of them too.

However, I really liked Miranda also, disciplined, honourable and determined. It’s her essential goodness that makes her who she is, and the banter between her and Eli never fails to amuse. Of course, when the real baddie comes into play you know the inevitable has to happen and they’re just going to have to team up for the greater good.

We never really get to the bottom of what drives Eli, why he is so obsessed with increasing the bounty in his head and I think we’ll have to wait for subsequent books in the series to really understand him.

The sidekicks in the book are also an interesting combination. Eli has Josef the expert swordsman and Nico a young girl with a demonseed inside of her and Miranda has a ghost-hound, a giant dog who can jump buildings and run faster than a horse is the best way I can describe him. All great characters in their own right. I found I wanted to learn more about them, particularly Josef and Nico.

A part of me was hoping for a sneaky, unorthodox love story between Eli and Miranda. But in retrospect I can see now that it wouldn’t have fitted in with the overall tone of the book. I think I’m just too much of a romantic at heart!