Blurb:

Luck is its own kind of magic, in this first book in an electrifying new contemporary fantasy series from the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Hollows novels.

Petra Grady has known since adolescence that she has no talent for magic—and that’s never going to change. But as a sweeper first-class, she’s parlayed her rare ability to handle dross—the damaging, magical waste generated by her more talented kin’s spellwork—into a decent life working at the mages’ university.

Except Grady’s relatively predictable life is about to be upended. When the oblivious, sexy, and oh-so-out-of-reach Benedict Strom needs someone with her abilities for a research project studying dross and how to render it harmless, she’s stuck working on his team—whether she wants to or not.

Only Benedict doesn’t understand the characteristics of dross like Grady does. After an unthinkable accident, she and Benedict are forced to go on the run to seek out the one person who might be able to help: an outcast exiled ten years ago for the crime of using dross to cast spells. Now Grady must decide whether to stick with the magical status quo or embrace her own hidden talents . . . and risk shattering their entire world.

Review:

It has been awhile since I picked up an Urban Fantasy, but the concept of dross, magical waste, drew me in. Plus the shadow creature on the cover made me curious to see if there was a way to harness it. The blurb of this novel made me slightly nervous with the mention of the “sexy and oh-so-out-of-reach” love interest. Yet, I was willing to give this book a shot. 

This novel is set at a mages’ university in Arizona, USA. I have never been to the state, but man could I feel the desert heat in between these pages. 

Following Petra we quickly see the class divisions among mages. There are the traditional spellweavers we typically associate with fantasy, the mages,  and then there are the Spinners and Sweepers. These individuals possess a unique ability to handle magical waste without it breaking and becoming bad luck. This is something mages cannot do. Essentially, they serve as magical trash collectors, crucial for preventing exposure of magic to mundanes—non-magical humans, akin to muggles—who comprise the majority of the population. They also ensure this waste doesn’t build and lead to major event. Despite their vital role, these dross collectors are deemed the lowest class among magical beings.

One aspect I appreciated about the concept of magical waste was how Harrison seamlessly blended science and magic. While such integration isn't uncommon in secondary fantasy settings, it felt fresh in contemporary fantasy. Once Petra begins working in Benedict’s lab, I found the description of research methods to be quite extensive. It was as if I was there with Petra learning the standing operating procedures. 

Overall, the story and characters were straightforward but managed to surprise me at the latter half of this book. I found this to be am enjoyable urban fantasy with the added charm of an adorable black labrador retriver, named Pluck. 

A couple of other important aspects to note with this story is the romance and technical magical system. The blurb is deceiving since it makes this appear as if romance is a strong element of this story. Its actually quite subtle and felt less developed.  I don’t have a science background so use your own baseline knowledge to guage how technical Harrison’s explanations are with how dross can be harnessed and transformed.  However, I still think this is important to touch on since these sections of the novel may distract. Personally, I appreciated this level of detail Harrison added to her magic system. It was almost as if I was learning about a new element int he periodic table and it only added to my enjoyment.