“Doom,” Madame Luna whispers, “but of the most beautiful kind.”

Destroy the magicians. Destroy all unnaturals.

New York City. 1926.

Demento, a young magician with a sinister past, becomes the target of a secret organisation when a string of bizarre murders leaves the nation perplexed.

Gwen Cavanagh, an agent of the October House, is sent to investigate the brutal crimes. She poses as an eager magician's assistant, wanting nothing more than to relish Demento's demise.

What both ladies discover not only shakes the very fabric of their realities.

It could bring about the end of the world, as their journeys take them through the crumbling nickel empire that is Coney Island, to the ritzy ballrooms of the American upper-crust, glamorous theatre halls, and the soulless alleyways of Hell's Kitchen.

General Information

Genre : Young Adult / Thriller / Fantasy
Kindle eBook
ASIN : B07NLBTL1X
Publisher : Sera Blue Publishing
Author : Jason Hes / Ilse V Rensburg

Review

• SPOILER ALERT * SPOILER ALERT * SPOILER ALERT*

Before I get into my review of Sleight of Hand, have a quick look at my review for a previous work by Ilse V Rensburg. (#PinkReads - Book Review #004 : Blood Sipper by Ilse V Rensburg & Mini Interview)

At its core, this is essentially a love story between an assassin and the woman she has been sent to kill: a love so deep that, even though it was love at first sight, it transcends everything else.

Mixing in elements of Thriller and Fantasy, Sleight of Hand is set in New York during the 1920's and the streets of Coney Island and Hell's Kitchen are brought beautifully to life under the pens of Jason and Ilse.

“Demento's laugh is wildflowers and bourbon on an autumns day just before winter comes to take it all away.”

Gwen's story is action packed, filled with graphic fight scenes and mind bending revelations; conflicting emotions and difficult choices overwhelm her at almost every point in her journey. But she overcomes each and every obstacle, becoming a stronger woman, both physically and emotionally.

The main character, Gwen Cavanagh, is a strong, independent woman who tries to please everyone all the time, until she realises that she actually has a choice; a decent well rounded, well written character. But I do feel that some of the characters could have used more of a back story, especially Demento, but overall, the characters are well written and interesting.

The combined writing of Ilse and Jason seems to just blend seamlessly together, so much so, in fact, that you can't tell who wrote what, creating a dynamic that is just oozing with potential.

There was one thing, though, that annoyed me beyond belief; the amount of times M1911 was used unnecessarily.

Overall, this is an enjoyable read, not too short or too long; so if you like spy thrillers, fantasy and romance, then you, too, will enjoy this book

GoodReads : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44026776-sleight-of-hand
Amazon : https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NLBTL1X/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07NLBTL1X&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2

I hoped you enjoyed my little review; please share your thoughts in the comments below! Until next time...

Keep smiling

Follow me :
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/mr.pink.ink/
Blog : https://mrpinkink.wordpress.com/

Member : @teamsouthafrica #teamsouthafrica