California Bones

When he was 12, Daniel Blackland saw the Southern Hierarch kill and eat his father to access the magic in Sebastian Blackland’s bones. Now Daniel lives under the radar as a petty thief, until his ‘uncle’ asks him to perform one last heist that would give Daniel enough money to leave the Southern California Kingdom and start a new life. Unfortunately, that heist involves breaking into the vault where the Hierarch keeps the fossils that power his magic, also known as the most securely guarded location in the kingdom. So much for avoiding attention.

 

This is a weirdly fun book, considering how dark the story begins. Part of that is the excitement of watching the characters plan and execute their heists, part of it is figuring out the world that van Eekhout has created, and some of it is the thought that Walt Disney is actually an immortal illusion mage. Because why not?