"Gilded in Vengeance" by Lyssa Mia Smith

 

Gilded in Vengeance by Lyssa Mia Smith is a high-stakes revenge story reminiscent of The Count of Monte Cristo. I loved that classic, so the blurb caught my eye immediately. Think The Count of Monte Cristo, but with magic—how cool is that??

Set during the Gilded Age in an alternate late-1800s New York, magic—known as conjury—exists but is hidden among the elite few. Emmy Vallillo is betrayed by her best friend and framed for fraud at the Society of the Charmed’s ball, an exclusive event for the city’s wealthiest—and most magical—citizens. She’s sent to Grimsbane, a prison from which no one escapes alive.

Two years later, fellow prisoner Jack Fontaine, helps her escape. They form an uneasy alliance and, with help from their friends Jimmy and Caleb, use Emmy’s transformation magic to create new identities and re-enter society, intent on destroying those who wronged them.

Their path isn’t easy. The weakening of Brum, the source of magic, stirs unrest. Society turns suspicious of newcomers, blaming immigrants for the weakening of magic. Emmy soon finds herself torn between love and revenge.

I found this a highly entertaining read, filled with rich world-building, vivid characters, and a compelling magical system. The twists and turns kept me engaged throughout. While I enjoyed the various aspects of magic, I wasn’t entirely clear on how the bridging conjuries worked.

The characters, setting, and dialogue felt authentically Victorian, with an enchanted twist. The author captured the period well, especially the political and social dynamics of the elite. The main characters are well-developed and engaging—I truly cared about their fates.

There’s a lot I loved here: the complexity, the intrigue, the magical retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo. The dynamic between Emmy, a naive immigrant’s daughter, and Jack, the spoiled son of wealth, was compelling. Grace, the ex–best friend, made an excellent villain—selfish, ruthless, and cunning, willing to step over corpses to survive in a bigoted society.

The book explores themes like found family, betrayal, trust, revenge, deception, classism, racism, and immigration. I appreciated the inclusion of the Chinese Exclusion Act, though the repeated focus on immigration sometimes felt more like an agenda than an essential part of the story. LGBTQ+ representation was present in the side characters, handled with care and subtlety.
 
The steady pace kept me turning pages, and the suspense ramped up nicely toward the final third. I liked that the story stands on its own and found the ending satisfying. That said, a moment near the end pushed the suspension of disbelief a bit too far—even for fantasy.

Overall, I loved the book and rate it 4 out of 5 stars. I deducted one star for that over-the-top moment and the feeling of being fed a bit of an agenda. Still, I highly recommend this to fans of slow-burn romance, high-stakes adventure, revenge plots, and The Count of Monte Cristo vibes. Even if you haven’t read the classic, you’ll likely enjoy this one.

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc.  All opinions are my own.

* For more info about the book: "Gilded in Vengeance" by Lyssa Mia Smith