I received an advance reader’s copy (ARC) of Devious Prey by Scott Reintgen. Since this version is just a proof and not the final version, I won’t quote directly and will keep my comments general.

In Devious Prey by Scott Reintgen, Pearl Trask boards an airship with her aunt, determined to make this latest smuggling run a success, even if it’s the most dangerous cargo they’ve ever been tasked with transporting. However, for all their planning, they didn’t expect for a contingent of guards to be accompanying a captured wizard on this same airship. And then, the trip gets even worse when the magician handling the winds drops dead—and the airship drops from the sky. Pearl finds herself one of the survivors of the crash, now having to deal with being stranded on an unknown island with few supplies… and their cargo, a fierce dragoness, having escaped into the trees. Worse still, there’s every chance that the dragoness will start hunting the humans, and that Pearl’s fellow passengers will learn that she’s the one who brought the creature along. So Pearl has to harness all her wits to survive, even if it means teaming up with a potential treacherous wizard.

I’ve mentioned often that I prefer standalones to series, and I stand by that. It’s so nice to get a complete story in one volume and not have to wait for the next installment. So I was delighted to learn that Reintgen’s next book would be a standalone. I’ve read several of his more recent books (though I intend to eventually read his earlier published works), and I’ve liked them all. So I was very eager to dive into this new one, and I’m so glad I did! It’s really good! However, I’m going to contradict my usual self, because I find myself wanting more of this universe—either in a longer version of this book, or a sequel.

The world of Devious Prey is pretty cool, involving airships and magicians, dragons and politicians. We learn a decent amount about all of this, but I kind of find myself wanting to have dug deeper into it all. There are such cool concepts, especially the way that wizards can do magic—there’s a give and take to casting spells that I don’t see often in fantasy novels. Basically, when a wizard casts a spell, they have to draw energy/life force from that which they’re tethered to (such as a specific tree or other natural, living thing[s]). Thus, their power is somewhat finite, or at least limited to the life energy of their tether, and if they use up all of that tether (therefore killing it), then they can no longer use magic. This is such a fantastic idea, easy to understand but still with enough flexibility that there is variance to each wizard’s powers.

I also thought the abilities of the dragoness were cool. She’s not a typical dragon, all scaly and fire-breathing (though sometimes she does appear in that typical form). Rather, she’s a shapeshifter, able to mimic environments and even other living forms. How cool is that?! I sort of wish we’d learned more about dragons, but even so, she’s a formidable foe, a constant looming presence threatening the human cast. Even when she isn’t present, there’s the anxious knowledge that she’s never far away.

(Minor quibble, I question why she must be referred to as “dragoness.” Dragons are too awesome and non-human to be constrained by gendered terminology, in my opinion, so this distinction is slightly pointless. But oh, well. She’s still a great antagonist.)

The other forces that come into conflict with Pearl’s survival are equally compelling. There is, of course, the issue of finding a way back home after crashing on this island, and then there’s a couple other survivors who pose a threat. The whole situation reminded me of a combination of the arena from Catching Fire, the social dynamics of Lord of the Flies, and the overall concept of Lost (a show I’ve never actually watched but know a bit about). This makes for a gripping story that’s hard to put down.

I also thought the characters were pretty decent. Pearl sometimes reminds me of Ren Monroe, Reintgen’s protagonist in the Waxways series, but Pearl is much less self-assured and ambitious. She’s determined and capable, but second guesses her decisions, as this is a situation she never imagined being in. Her intelligence and level-headed attitude makes you want her to succeed, especially when some of the other characters are far less likable. However, I think my favorite character is Marken, the captured wizard with whom Pearl teams up. He has a fascinating backstory, and I just generally really like him as a character and second POV.

And then there’s my most favorite element of this book: the twist. Obviously, I cannot explain what it is, but I loved it! Once this… uh, thing is revealed, it was like I saw things in a whole new light. In fact, I went back and read a few certain scenes over again, just to soak in how well Reintgen planted the seeds all along. Perhaps other readers will figure it out, but I’m not great at such things, so the reveal really worked for me. And then I flew through the rest of the book, which has a fast-paced and compelling final act.

In the end, Devious Prey is great. It’s not perfect, as I honestly think it would benefit from being a bit longer, but what’s there is super entertaining and intriguing. The worldbuilding is solid, the characters are interesting, the stakes are high, and the action is intense. This is definitely better suited to older teens, as there is a decent amount of violence that might be a bit much for younger readers, but fans of series like The Hunger Games will be able to handle it. The sort-of romance between Pearl and Marken isn’t the strongest love story I’ve ever read, but it doesn’t bring the book down in my estimation at all. And this book really shines in terms of the thrilling survival narrative, magic system, and dramatic revelation that drives the last act. I greatly enjoyed this, and will certainly reread it when I get my finished copy. Do I like it more than the Waxways books? It’s too soon to say, honestly; I’ll have to consider that. But is this worth a read? Absolutely.

Devious Prey will be published on March 31st, 2026!

(PS I read this so early because I got to meet the author at a book signing recently, and wanted to have this finished beforehand—which I did, barely two hours before he arrived. When he asked what I thought of it, I incoherently spluttered something like “holy crap the plot twist!” which hopefully was good feedback.)