Urchin's Gambit

Resonant Saga #0.5

by Levi Jacobs

To get out alive, Aelya has to go from prime suspect to lead investigator.

When Aelya woke up this morning, she thought she was going to pick up the score of blackmarket yura her gang needed to escape the streets. Instead she finds her dealer dead and herself arrested as prime suspect. To save herself she'll not only have to figure out who did it, but convince the Councilate investigator holding her chains he can trust her enough to get the job done.

A novella set in the Empire of Resonance universe, twelve months before the start of Beggar's Rebellion.

Genres: Fantasy

71 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2019

About the author

Levi Jacobs was born in North Dakota and grew up in Japan and Uganda, so he was bound to have a speculative take on modern life. Currently marketing his epic fantasy series The Resonant Saga and at work on three more, he runs a small fruit company to pay the bills.

Reviews

[Franci · Rating 4 out of 5]

#41 of 2021

Action packed novella.

[Julia Sarene · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5* I quite loved this!

It's definitely on the easier side and YA suitable, but I loved the main character so very much.

She's only got one hand left, and a stump. While that definitely hinders her and gives constant pain, she still manages to be a full person and hold her own, in a really hard environment. Her tone and voice were wonderful, and I simply loved her banter and sarcasm, whole never being cruel.

There's a murder mystery, adventure, magic, betrayals and maybe a budding friendship as well.

My only complaint was it being really rather short. Some bits felt a bit too quick and I would have preferred a bit more depth to it.

Overall though, this was a whole lot of fun!

[Pufflekitteh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook (on Scribd, but it GR doesn't give me the option to select the audiobook as having been read). I wanted to try the author's writing without any pressure, so this novella seemed to be a great place to do so. I liked this enough that I'm curious as to how the rest of the series fits in. It's only short (like an hour long), so I got enough of a feel for the author's writing and worldbuilding, without being spoiled anything of the rest of the story this series tells.

[Miriam Michalak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this wee taster of the Resonant Saga, looking forward to reading the rest and spending more time with Aelya.

[Misty Dawn Emmerton · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Extreme New World

This world is created so well, so completely; their way of life and even their language is original and still so real. The story touches on topics that are hard and serious, which again, makes his characters more real.
I love a fantasy that can make me believe it!

[Patty Root · Rating 5 out of 5]

Urchins Gambit

What a refreshing surprise. I loved this book. It kept me incredibly intrigued throughout from beginning to end. The main
Character's go from protagonist to friends. Figuring out how to solve a murder. Just so well written.

[Richard Goodrum · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 90-minute science fiction & fantasy short read. Aelya wants to better herself and the children in her town. A town full of greed, corruption, and gangs. Unfortunately, circumstances are not in her favor. A Councilate investigator found her over the body of a recently dead man. Now, she must work with him to solve the crime or end up dead or in the mines.

The story goes at a moderately fast pace and yet bogs down from time to time. Overall, it's a pleasant introduction to a rather unpleasant world. Worth the time to read.

Action-packed. Easy-to-read. Entertaining. Great world building. Inspirational. Scary. Tragic. Unpredictable. Wonderful characters.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aelya is accused of murdering her dealer so she takes it upon herself to actively clear her name and find the real killer. This is a cosy mystery set in a fantasy world as well as a quick read introducing Aelya and Conret. The story follows Aelya's perspective as she investigates the murder case.


I received a free copy and am leaving a review voluntarily.
Thank you to Hidden Gems Books and author.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook: I enjoyed this novella a lot. I liked Aelya and the Councilate Investigator. I liked their relationship. The story was fast paced and quite a fast read. I'm looking forward to more with these characters. Levi Jacobs' narration was fine and kept my attention. I was given a free copy of the audiobook, and I have voluntarily posted this review.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well definitely a short story. It was a good story as well. I thought it was a standalone, I didn't realise that this was a prequel/series. World building is essential in all fantasy books and having not read the others in this series, there were details I felt were missing... But overall good book.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable short read. A good little taster of Jacobs writing and the world that has been created. An interesting concept and I hope to continue someday. The characters were compelling and the mystery/investigation was fun.

[Yvonne Eliot · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the world-building. The plot was interesting and the characters engaging. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in the rest of the series.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intriguing. Now I have to add another series to the list to read.

[Artavazdah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, I actually liked this, pretty neat I'd say.
If the main books are as good as this, well guess this will be one of my favorite series.

[Phyllis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The heroine has begun an interesting journey.
Meet Aelya, a survivor.
Her story sets up the rest of the story, I think.
I'm looking forward to reading the series.
Enjoy !!

Phyllis S.

[Jason Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice short story. I enjoyed the action and the world building.

[Zachary Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10

The world Levi portrays here really hooked me with this novella!

[aem · Rating 4 out of 5]

entertaining

[S.D. Reeves · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quick, fast paced little read. It has some engaging characters, and solid world building. Look forward to seeing where the author goes with this.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Urchin's Gambit is a very enjoyable read and Levi Jacobs never disappoints. He has an incredible gift for creating amazing fantasy stories. An excellent start to a very promising series.

[OldBird · Rating 4 out of 5]

A stellar little companion piece to the Empire of Resonance (formerly The Resonant Saga) series. While it technically is a prequel, I'd recommend reading it after at least book one to get the most out of it; it's short, sharp and to the point, so while it does involve a little world buidling (my favorite bit being the descriptions of New Aguyen that I don't remember being in the series itself) it won't get you fully up to speed on everything the complex setting has to offer. You likely can read it as a stand alone and enjoy it, but it depends on your preferences; it's not going to spoil the series for you either.

(Also, having read book 2, Pauper's Empire, prior to reading this I can say there are some other little Easter eggs... But also a feeling that it's not 100% canon.)

This is the tale of Aelya, a former gang member who's moved from working with the big boys down to a close-knit group of child moss-sellers; in the city of Aguyen, moss or "yura" is big business as it's the key to people using the power of their resonances (that's magic to you and me). Angry at having seemingly been ripped off by a moneylender, Aelya's quest for restitution instead lands her along for the ride in a murder investigation lead by an imperialistic "lighthair" who believes in the integrity of the law. Ha! He's got a lot to learn about the edges of the Empire...

A really great structured plot paced to short story perfection, this companion novella held me from the word go. The writing is as strong as the main series - if not better - and getting to see Aelya in different circumstances (only marginally less dire) was great fun. I'm not sure how her attitude and character arc in this matches up with what happens in the main series (as in, does it? When we meet her in book 2 there's no way she'd ever call a lighthair a good person the way she does here, so I'd kind of expected something else to happen to her before the end to make her hold these rigid anti-lighthair beliefs...), but in this stand alone context it was well done.

Great twists, , great fights, mecking great characters (yes guys, beware the fake swears, for there are many and you'll be using them too if you aren't careful); just all together great boyish YA fantasy.

-I recieved a free copy of this e-book in a giveaway. This does not influence my review-

[Travis Poole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fast paced and entertaining read. Part mystery, part fantasy and part action adventure. A dealer of questionable goods is killed and a member of law enforcement works with a street beggar to solve the crime. This is a fast read and I finished it in one sitting.

[Suki Rickey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gambit novella

This book was fun and had a few errors. The plot and characters where interesting. The characters have been well done and fits the plot well. The overall was a little slow for a novella but overall was fine.

[Steve Martinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good start to this series! Good world and character building, in basically a short story. Lots and lots of action and at times comical. A fun read.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now that was very short. Saying that it still left me with the anticipation of the next (first) book. This novella is the nitty-gritty!! I Like!!!