A review by effingunicorns
Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone

5.0

Imagine a world where magic is not just real but an exchangeable commodity, where pieces of soul are the day-to-day currency and a fire god can power an entire metropolis without breaking a sweat. Imagine the magicians of this world, lawyers and financiers who steal faces and reanimate the dead--pro bono, if they like you. It sounds like it could be either completely amazing or utterly boring, right? In my opinion, Three Parts Dead is very much the former. Tara is clever, just the right amount of ruthless, and fresh enough out of school that she needs every bit of help she can get from the other characters on her side, and the story's elements are woven together so subtly that, when the climax finally arrives, every beat feels both inevitable and surprising at the same time. If the other books in this universe are anywhere near as good, I can't wait to read them.