City of Spells

—Dedication page, City of Spells

**City of Spells** or CoS is the direct sequel to **Into the Crooked Place** and the third book written by Alexandra Christo.

After the loss of **Wesley** and the horrifying reveal that **Zekia** is helping the Kingpin of her own free will, **Tavia**, **Saxony**, and **Karam** flee to Saxony's home to rebuild their rebellion. Meanwhile, trapped in **the Kingpin's** darkness, Wesley must fight against the deadly magic that invades his mind and find a way back to his friends before it's too late.

As the Kingpin's dark magic spreads and his army conquers **Creije**, these four unlikely friends have to decide just how far they’ll go―and how much they are willing to sacrifice―to win.

### **HERE’S ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE City of Spells...**

Sometimes, it’s hard to remember everything that’s happened in a series so far! That’s why we’ve got a handy recap to remind you of everything that went down in *Into the Crooked Place*, so you’re refreshed and ready to dive into the magic of *City of Spells*. Enjoy!

TAVIA, WESLEY, SAXONY, AND KARAM make their money in magic. But when the deadly Loj elixir sweeps the streets of Creije, they realize their Kingpin is off the rails. The elixir is mind control and Ashwood’s using it to usurp their political leaders and create a realm of dark magic. And he’s got Crafters (original magic creators who are all *supposed* to be dead)!

The gang decides to stop him, but they each have their own agenda: Tavia thinks the magic is connected to her mother’s death. Wesley wants to replace Ashwood as Kingpin. Karam’s part of an ancient order that protects Crafters (besides, even if she and Saxony broke up she’s NOT letting her go off alone with a couple of crooks). And Saxony wants revenge. Turns out, *she’s* a Crafter and Ashwood has taken her sister!

Together, they flee Creije and take a train across the world to Karam’s home of Wrenyal to find allies. When they get there, Karam is reunited with her childhood friend Arjun and the leader of his Crafter Kin, Asees. They (reluctantly) imbue Wesley with magic, and then Arjun and a bunch of others join their fight. Along the journey, Karam and Saxony rekindle their romance (finally!) and things seem to be going well. Until a messenger bat tells them that Asees and the Crafters they left behind have all been killed by Ashwood.

Also, Creije is being toppled as more people fall under the thrall of the Loj. Uh-oh! But the gang has a plan! They’re going to use time bombs to magically freeze Ashwood’s armies, so they can be easily killed. Let’s see him escape *that*.

They face a bunch of trials to get past Ashwood’s magical defenses, like reliving their worst memories. Wesley sees the Crafter girl he betrayed years ago to rise higher in Ashwood’s ranks and feels really crappy about his past choices. Also, Tavia and Wesley almost kiss! But then Tavia decides Wesley is too much of a bad influence. Damn!

When they finally get to the Kingpin’s island, they’re shocked to see Saxony’s sister, Zekia, is there willingly. And *she* created the Loj elixir. What?! Turns out, she’s also the girl Wesley gave up to the Kingpin, and so he feels responsible for her corruption. Oops.

A deadly fight breaks out and Wesley wounds Ashwood, making him flee through a magical gateway. Then staves— ancient Crafter markings—appear on Wesley’s skin and Saxony realizes he’s a true Crafter! His magic was hidden, even from him. Zekia then uses mind control to masquerade as Tavia and convince Wesley to leave with her. They escape through the gateway, leaving the *real* Tavia heartbroken.

Meanwhile, Karam and Arjun have set off the time barrels, freezing the Kingpin’s army and defeating his forces, including a living, if mind-controlled, Asees. Yay! Only, then the island starts to crumble and sink into the sea. Not so yay. BUT the gang manages to escape just in time, and they set off to assemble a bigger army of Crafters and criminals from across the world to defeat Ashwood. And Tavia vows to rescue Wesley!

## **Real World Stuff**

### **Covers**

US CoverUK CoverFairyloot Exclusive Cover

## **In Universe**

### **Characters**

* **Tavia Syn**
* **Saxony Akintola**
* **Karem Talwar**
* **Zekia Akintola**