Stiletto by Daniel O’Malley

In this spirited sequel, The Rook returns to clinch an alliance between deadly rivals and avert epic—and slimy—supernatural war.

When secret organizations are forced to merge after years of enmity and bloodshed, only one person has the fearsome powers—and the bureaucratic finesse—to get the job done. Facing her greatest challenge yet, Rook Myfanwy Thomas must broker a deal between two bitter adversaries:

The Checquy—the centuries-old covert British organization that protects society from supernatural
threats, and…
The Grafters—a centuries-old supernatural threat.

But as bizarre attacks sweep London, threatening to sabotage negotiations, old hatreds flare. Surrounded by spies, only the Rook and two women, who absolutely hate each other, can seek out the culprits before they trigger a devastating otherworldly war.

STILETTO is a novel of preternatural diplomacy, paranoia, and snide remarks.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2024 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #3: More than 40 chapters)
2024 Finishing the Series Challenge
2024 Audiobook Challenge
2024 Library Love Challenge

The Reason

It’s the second book in the Checquy Files, and I loved the first one!

The Quotes

“Plus, anyone who wants to clone himself is usually an asshole. You don’t want any more of those running around than absolutely necessary.”

“You’re a tool, to be used and directed for the good of the people. Sometimes you’ll be a scalpel, cutting out disease. Sometimes you’ll be a sword, and you’ll take on threats with all the strength you can muster. And sometimes, Odette, you’ll be a stiletto, a hidden weapon that slides quietly into the heart.”

“I’ll tell you what, if, after fifteen years, you still think you hate her, we’ll do something about it.”

“We’ve had plenty of skeletons in our closets,” continued Thomas. “Hell, one of our Rooks was a skeleton. And he was in the closet as well, come to think of it.”

The Narrator

Moira Quirk. I liked this narrator more than the first, but the editing left a lot of empty space between chapters, which confused me a bit.

The Characters

Myfanwy Thomas is still one of the characters in this book, but she’s not as prominent. It seems like she’s more of a background character, with a few chapters that highlight her POV. I still love her, and I love seeing her when she appears in the book, but there are two other main characters in this book.

Odette, a member of the Grafters – a rival organization to the Checquy that’s been at war with them for centuries with a lot of bad blood between them. And Felicity, a pawn in the Checquy, who’s been tasked with being a guard/protector to Odette.

The Grafters and the Checquy were enemies, but Myfanwy is now trying to broker an alliance between the two organizations, and Odette and Felicity have to work together.

My Thoughts

I wish there was more of Myfanwy’s presence in this book, but I do love Odette and Felicity, and I find them both fascinating in each of their very unique ways. I enjoyed the history lessons about the two organizations and the bad blood between them, it wasn’t tedious for me at all. I also loved the background stories of both Odette and Felicity, and how they got to where they are. I loved how they each had their moments of shining with their very interesting talents and abilities.

My Feels

It’s complicated. I feel really impressed with the way each of the relationships are presented here. Between Odette and her former crew, between Felicity and her former crew, between Odette and her ancestors/the higher-ups in the Grafters, between Felicity and Odette. There are so many interlacing relationships and trust circles here, and I loved observing all of them and watching them evolve.

My Rating

5/5 stars. Different from the first book, but just as good in its own way!

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?