Just Finished Reading Age of Ash by Daniel Abraham

Back in 2014-16 I read Daniel Abraham's five-volume fantasy series The Dagger and the Coin.  It's been too long since then without me reading this writer's wonderful fiction...I think the main reason is that I had gotten away from the fantasy genre.  But recently I decided to try another Abraham fantasy series, this one ongoing: The Kithamar Trilogy, with the first two books already out.  I just finished reading the first installment, titled Age of Ash...published in 2020.  In this particular fantasy world, Kithamar stands out as the capital city of a kingdom with a mysterious cult of magic that plays a secret role in the succession of its royal leaders.  The prince in charge has just died and the cultists are in a frenzy because the new, young prince in succession has not taken to the "magic".  Just what is this magic and what role does a sinister knife play in it all?  Two girls from the city's poverty zone of Longhill, Alys and Sammish, survive by being instrumental parts of a thieving band, their chief source of income derived from performing "pulls", that is pickpocketing and burglary through intricate coordination.  Alys' brother has his own assignment, to recover a stolen knife and return it to that aforementioned cult, with the woman Andomaka being the instrumental character there.  When Darro turns up in the river murdered, Alys, succumbing to grief and desire for revenge, searches for the killer and, with Sammish...who secretly harbors romantic feelings for Alys...go through danger and intrigue to unravel the mystery.  Expertly written, I was once again impressed by Abraham's ability to draw out each character's personality.  I initially thought he was making Kithamar an unduly dreary and harsh place, but the story itself ends up explaining that to my satisfaction.  I'm looking forward to the next book in the series, titled Blade of Dream (it came out last year).  Hopefully, I won't have to wait too long for the final one to be released after I finish that one...