The Unbearable Taste of Fruit and Wine

A young woman uncovers the secrets of her past in this disappointing series opener from Nebula Award winner Garcia (The Nightward). Iris knows little of the world beyond the Citadel, where she lives with her adoptive father, the Archmagus, and their birdlike guardians, the Aello. For years, Iris has stolen magical artifacts on behalf of her father, missions that serve as her sole glimpses of the outside world. During one such retrieval operation, Iris meets the clever thief Meri, and learns some disconcerting information about her father. Newly aware of her own history and the Archmagus’s lies, Iris must decide whether she’s brave enough to claim her power and finally leave behind the only life she’s known. Garcia packs a lot of worldbuilding into the limited page count, tossing out names and concepts with little explanation until a lengthy exposition dump toward the end. Though this mirrors Iris’s journey from knowing little about her world to finally understanding the truth, it makes for a frustrating reading experience. Still, there are kernels of good ideas, including the hint of a polyamorous romance. Readers will hope to find the second installment on firmer ground. (Apr.)