Gr 10 Up--Pale-skinned 16-year-old Odd Thebes and his cousin Errol live in a society that has no known name, in a city quarantined from the rest of the world. It is speculated about where they are from until Errol and Odd are presented with knotting spikes that do not seem to be made from any guild within their city. This discovery leads them on an adventure to uncover the city's secrets and the dark truths hidden within their own guild. Bertrand's novel is intricately plotted and extremely detailed. The languages of the guilds and the native tongue of the city can be difficult to understand in the beginning. Readers are introduced to numerous characters who play important roles in the emotional growth of Odd and Errol. World-building is a main feature of this novel: Readers will be deeply immersed in an imaginary world that contains its own history, culture, languages, and ethics. Folks may have trouble following the complicated story line as perspectives shift between Odd and Errol. VERDICT A dark, epic medieval tale. This novel is best for mature readers because of suggestive sexual language. Recommended for fans of Sabaa Tahir's An Ember in the Ashes and Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows.--Kharissa Kenner, Bank Street School for Children, New York

In this dark fantasy, a malevolent power lurks in the bowels of a nameless, placeless, timeless city. Runner Errol Thebes is handsome, heroic, talented, and charismatic; outcast Jamila Foundling is clever, fearless, selfless, and uncanny; bard Odd Thebes is brilliant, lazy, witty, and selfish. A mysterious pair of iron needles draws the three teenagers into a twisty web of magic and intrigue. This trio (and dozens of supporting characters) may be compelling, but the true protagonist is the city: Bounded by massive walls and 1,000 high towers tied together by an intricate net of fly-lines and rooftop runners, it's a city where no one enters or leaves. The rich, dense prose is studded with lists of names, products, artifacts, even smells, constructing a mosaic world from fragments of languages, a kaleidoscopic narrative from legends and myths, which dazzles, confuses, and exhausts--until suddenly the pattern shifts and coheres into a macabre marvel of a tale. Odd's sarcastic voice threads seductively throughout the labyrinthine structure, though he'd be the first to admit that he's a mess, consumed by jealousy, self-pity, and spite. The city's polyglot culture suggests ethnic diversity, but physical descriptions defy specific identification. While the society lacks racial or gender bias, there is an oppressive class system in addition to life under a brutal quarantine. Requires extraordinary patience and attention but pays off with an immersive reading experience that will linger. (maps; elements of clock and calendar; guild towers of Gallia district) (Fantasy. 15-adult) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Odd Thebes travels the aerial lines that connect the thousand towers of his ancient, long-quarantined city, running errands for each sequestered structure's inhabitants, who produce their respective guild's crafts. A hyperpolyglot and skilled storyteller, he works with the other teenage runners, who spend a few years traversing the roofs and lines before permanently descending into one of the mile-high guild towers. He feels like a shadow to his charismatic cousin Errol, future guildmaster and a hero figure in Odd's bardic stories. Then the theft of a pair of iron needles with miraculous powers pulls Errol from the sky and into the streets, where terrible truths about his city, his family, and his own identity await. In her YA debut, Bertrand (Granite Baby) creates a grim and wondrously weird city, unmoored in time and space, yet grounded in its physics-defying geography and in its people, for whom Homer and Ovid, Beowulf and Arthur are both cultural touchstones and personally relevant figures. The language, flecked with various dialects and idiosyncratic slang, requires acclimatization, but its memorable textures reward readers who persevere. While occasionally confusing, the labyrinthine plot is well paced and supported with strong internal logic, making for a strange, fascinating adventure in a singular world. Ages 14--up. Agent: Rubin Pfeffer, Rubin Pfeffer Content. (Nov.)