Series: Edinburgh Nights #3
Release date: July 27 2023
Publisher: Tor Books
Pages: 336
Find it: Goodreads Waterstones
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 4.25/5 stars

Synopsis

Ropa Moyo is no stranger to magic or mysteries. But she’s still stuck in an irksomely unpaid internship. So she’s thrilled to attend a magical convention at Dunvegan Castle, on the Isle of Skye, where she’ll rub elbows with eminent magicians.

For Ropa, it’s the perfect opportunity to finally prove her worth. Then a librarian is murdered and a precious scroll stolen. Suddenly, every magician is a suspect, and Ropa and her allies investigate. Trapped in a castle, with suspicions mounting, Ropa must contend with corruption, skulduggery and power plays. Time to ask for a raise?

Review

The third installment in T L Huchu’s thrilling Edinburgh Nights series follows ghost talker Ropa Moyo as she’s sent to help out at a magic convention at Dunvegan Castle on the Isle of Skye. Hoping she’ll get the chance to rub shoulders with the magical elite, Ropa finds herself in the midst of a dark mystery when a magical scroll is stolen and a librarian murdered. Can she uncover who’s behind it all in time to recover the scroll and help her mentor before its too late?

This is the third installment in this series and I’ve enjoyed each one immensely. I really enjoyed that this one was set on the Isle of Skye and it was interesting to see Ropa in a different environment. Trapped in the castle, this is a fast paced mystery and I definitely did not guess who was behind it all. Huchu’s writing is compelling and the story is clever, complex and entertaining. The Mystery at Dunvegan Castle features much more politics and scheming than the previous novels and it was really fascinating seeing the different magical organisations and schools attempt to out manoeuvre each other.

Ropa as always is a brilliant protagonist and you can’t help but root for her. She’s so full of attitude but she’s also determined to succeed and do what’s right. This installment sees quite a bit of character growth in Ropa as she sticks by Callender and has to deal with her anxieties. One of the things I love about this series is the unique approach to magic and I loved getting to explore that a bit more in this book. I definitely feel like I could read lots more books about Ropa’s adventures and I can’t wait to see where Huchu takes the story next.