Jessica Piro delivers a compelling steampunk action mystery with Thieving Shadows! We join Genevieve, a master thief on a heist to steal an automaton gone awry. Genevieve then awakens three years later with no memory of what happened, leading her on a quest to reclaim lost time and stop a conspiracy that could doom all existence. Piro masterfully builds a compelling world with all that steampunk grit we all love, from a gritty city powered by strange machines, to a class struggle between elites and thieves, to a more mysterious magical side of things. I really enjoyed the characters and the dynamic between tough talking and morally ambiguous Genevieve and the much kinder Matthew. The story honestly reminded me (in a very good way) of Arcane, but it held its own with its own unique look at magic and worldbuilding. If you love steampunk, books where the setting is very much a character, or mysteries, definitely come steal a look at Thieving Shadows!
