The Treasure Keeper

February 16, 2009
This fantasy of manners, set in the world of 2007’s The Dream Thief
, wears a layer of Regency romance like a corset that doesn’t quite fit. The love triangle builds quickly between three drákon, magic-users hiding in plain sight in 1766 England: Zoe, who hides her gifts to keep other drákon from using her as a pawn; Hayden, her fiancé, sent to investigate a rumored group of European magicians; and Lord Rhys, Zoe’s childhood sweetheart turned insufferable womanizer. When Hayden’s letters cease and Rhys is captured, Zoe sets off to the rescue. Since drákon are essentially monogamous and classless, the charming upper-class rake motif falls flat, but having the heroine unapologetically save the hero is a welcome move, and Abé neatly evokes the adolescent frustration of fending off overcautious elders and feeling distant from one’s society.