Review - The Uses of Illicit Art by Wendy Palmer

Kit is an Artisan, a person with magical powers. His rather unusual gift is locks. He can open almost any door, safe, or vault. After he registered with the Artisan's Guild, which is supposed to protect him, his information was leaked, and the young man became the target of unsavory characters that coerced Kit into helping them with their illegal activities. Of course, that got him into trouble with the very guild that was supposed to keep him safe, so now he's in hiding. For six months, Kit has been living in a small village near Bristol, where he has become friends with the villagers. There's been no sign of criminals wanting his services or guild enforcers trying to arrest him. That all changes when Alexander Locke and his sister show up. Now Kit is on the run again, with or without Alex's help.

“The Uses of Illicit Art” is set in mid-nineteenth-century England. The time of Dickens, who gets mentioned a lot in the story. Only, in this alternate historical, there are people with magical powers. The magic conforms to much of the common canon about where the energy comes from that artisans use, so the story doesn't spend too much time building this alternate world.

The book also doesn't waste too much time setting the scene or letting us get to know the characters much before the action starts. The first third or so of the story is mostly one long chase scene involving Kit and Alex. Even after Alex catches Kit, the pair spends much of the book on the run with their two sidekicks.

We do get to know Kit and Alex quite well over the course of the story, which is told from their points of view. Kit is a very complex character. He deflects a lot with humor, but you can tell there's some childhood trauma underneath the mask. It all comes out bit by bit as the plot unfolds. Alex is perhaps a little less complicated but has his own story to tell.

There are two significant secondary characters in this book as well: Alex's sister Lulu and Kit's friend from the village, Edith. Lulu, in particular, has a few surprises for us as we get to know her. Edith is largely a catalyst but is still a very well-defined character in her own right.

Despite what feels like a fast start, the book has a very measured pace. The relationship between Kit and Alex is definitely a slow burn, despite the obvious attraction. It's so on-again-off-again that you may wonder if the two will ever get together.

“The Uses of Illicit Art” is available from Smashwords or Amazon (commissionable link).