The Rook by Daniel O'Malley

The Rook (The Checquy Files, #1)

by Daniel O'Malley

'The body you are wearing used to be mine.' So begins the letter Myfanwy Thomas is holding when she awakes in a London park surrounded by bodies all wearing latex gloves. With no recollection of who she is, Myfanwy must follow the instructions her former self left behind to discover her identity and track down the agents who want to destroy her.

She soon learns that she is a Rook, a high-ranking member of a secret organization called the Checquy that battles the many supernatural forces at work in Britain. She also discovers that she possesses a rare and deadly supernatural ability of her own.

Filled with characters both fascinating and fantastical, The Rook is a richly inventive, suspenseful fantasy. An astonishing debut from a brilliant new voice.

Reviewed by MurderByDeath on

4 of 5 stars

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Ok, I did as Darth Pendant suggested; I read the book then I watched the trailer for the new Starz series.  She's right - the trailer makes absolutely no sense.  Or, at least, based on what I saw in the trailer, has very little to do with the book itself.    I also agree with DP that the book was good overall, but omg, the rambling backstory.  I swapped back and forth between the printed book and the audio, checked out from the library, and the audio made the rambling backstory feel, at times, interminable.  The narrator was good though.   Overall, I enjoyed it enough* that I immediately checked out the follow up, Stiletto.   *Imagine my surprise when I discovered Daniel O'Malley is an Australian author.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 27 November, 2019: Finished reading
  • 27 November, 2019: Reviewed