Twenty Palaces Books In Order

Publication Order of Twenty Palaces Books

Twenty Palaces Series
Twenty Palaces is an urban fantasy series by Harry Connolly. The series welcomes you to the Twelve Palace Society that is made up of sorcerers who identify as the good guys. Annalise Powliss is one of the prominent members of this gang, and she takes her job of hunting and killing rogue magicians very seriously. Sure, she does kill some innocent people, but this is all part of the job. Annalise’s driver, Ray, is one of the lead characters and narrator in the series. We follow him as he accompanies Annalise is all her assignments and get a firsthand account of all the action happening in their fantasy world. This fantasy series leans more to the dark side and is a perfect choice for readers who enjoy gore, action, and some bit of magic.

Child of Fire
Child of Fire comes first in the Twenty Palaces series. The book introduces Annalise Powliss, a sorcerer and member of the Twenty Palace Society, and her driver Ray Lilly. As a prominent member of Twenty Palace Society, Annalise is devoted to eliminating the rogue magicians that humans summon to their world. She is also secretly looking for a way to kill Ray for betraying her in a way she is unable to forgive. If only she wasn’t forbidden from doing so. When Annalise’s latest mission doesn’t go as planned, she is left nursing serious injuries. Ray has to complete the mission alone, even though he controls very little magic. Will Ray manage to stop the sorcerer sacrificing children so as to get supernatural powers?

At the start of this story, we see Ray and Annalise together as they hunt down a predator. When a passing car triggers Annalise’s sensor, the duo decides to chase the car and see what is going on. They catch up with the car on a campsite where they both watch a young boy get out of a car only to go up in flames a few seconds later. The boy’s body crumbles into worms, and the only other thing left is a smoke stain. Seconds later, the boy’s parents could not remember that they had a son. When Annalise and Ray follow the parents back to their little town, they see many more smoke stains on the ground, meaning that more children had disappeared in the same horrifying way.

Annalise and Ray have to work together to find the monster doing this to harmless children. It doesn’t matter that there is no trust between them. Things are going well until Annalise gets injured, and now Ray has to face a ruthless monster alone. Unlike Annalise, who has her enspelled ribbons, spellbook, and tattoos to rely on for her powers, Ray has minimal powers. How can he defeat a predator who is twisting people’s perceptions? What is he to do about the small-town prejudices and corrupt local police? What about his injured boss, who had threatened to kill him more than enough times?
Child of Fire is a dark story with a captivating storyline, interesting characters, and just the right amount of magic. Ray is such an intriguing character with his criminal background. Annalise comes off as desensitized to humanity, and, shockingly, she believes killing ten innocent souls to save millions is no big deal. The creepy little town the story is set in helps bring that eerie atmosphere that will keep you turning the pages. If you relish dark fantasy stories with some element of magic, you will love this book. It is amazing how the details come in bits, and the author slowly peels the layers, so you never experience an overload.

Game of Cages
Game of Cages is the second installment in the Twenty Palaces series. This book starts a few months where the first one ended. Some wealthy individuals are gathered to bid on a powerful enough predator to destroy life on earth. The Twenty Palace Society will do everything to stop them, and somehow, Ray gets caught up in the mix. When ray arrives in the small town where the sale is scheduled to happen, he has nothing but one spell at his disposal. This would have been enough if the predator hadn’t escaped and powerful individuals weren’t as anxious to capture him. There are more enemies to fight now, and with such limited powers, there is little that Ray can do.

Now that Ray has a clear picture of what is going on, he plans to wait until help arrives. However, this may be too late for everyone. With such a dangerous predator on the loose, there is no telling what will happen next. Will Ray choose to act and go against his boss’s orders? Just like in the first book, Ray’s morals will guide his actions. He will question himself a lot throughout the story but in the end, what is right wins over everything else. This is not to mean that things will be all smooth for him. Ray will make a lot of mistakes, but it is great that he learns quickly and at times makes the right decisions.
In this installment, the author gets deeper into Ray’s world. We get to know more about the alien predators, the society’s political structures, and the magic. This fantasy world is unique and nothing like you have read before. The magic system also gets simpler the deeper you go into this story. This, coupled with the authors engaging writing style, turn this into a page-turner.

Game of Cages is another exciting addition to this captivating fantasy series. Ray’s character continues to deepen, and you cannot help but wonder what the Twenty Palace Society has planned for him in the future. The action is non-stop, and it is hard to predict what will be happening on the next page. While world-building is not extensive, it is unique and will capture your attention and hold it to the last page. You don’t want to miss this intriguing book if you are an urban fantasy fan.