Taq has come to a future Prague, where people called the Bohemians bring the city to vibrant life each day. They are entertaining the city, filling it with magic both literally and figuratively. Being Bohemian means being under the Magistrate’s dominion. As long as the person in question is part of the group, they are frozen at the age they joined, and safe from harm as long as they stay in the city.

Taq hopes to make amends for a terrible deed in his great grandfather’s past, against a young girl named Katia, who is one of the Bohemians. Though he finds her right away, he falls in love with her, and is afraid to tell her the truth of why he’s there. He longs to know more about her, but for a hundred years, Katia has not spoken. Not since a fateful night when she was tricked into the Bohemian pact. Even though it was done against her will, the Magistrate refused to break the bond, wanting to keep her safe. What could have been a great gift became her prison. Can Taq help free her after all these years?

I don’t fully understand this city, this future Prague, and how it works, but I don’t care. I fell in love with the characters, the story, and the city. All of it! I loved that the Bohemians seemed to bring such joy to those around them. We don’t get to see the outside world, the ‘Modern World’ up close, but Taq’s description make it seem so sterile and horrid. When a society forsakes art and music, it’s setting itself up for collapse. Art is humanity’s soul. We don’t survive long without it.

I liked all of the characters, but I think my most favourite was Kaspar, Katia’s adoptive brother. He seems so sweet, and clearly he loves her a great deal. At one point, Kaspar sacrifices his well-being for Katia’s. He’s a magician, and uses true magic and illusions to entertain the citizens. I even liked Yuri, except for his name. :/ I want to know what scarred him so. I want to know what magic must keep that mangled body functioning.

I did dislike the use of the word ‘fiddle’. Oh, I know that’s another name for a violin, but the way Taq played said ‘violinist’ to me, not ‘fiddle player’. Fiddle lacks a measure of elegance, to my ears, and conjures the type of people who would play accompanied by a banjo. Folk music a lá Ballad of Tom Dooley. I like folk music, by the way. I still prefer the word violin, though!

***Many thanks to Chapter by Chapter Tours and the author for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.