Vallista by Steven Brust

Vlad Taltos is an Easterner-an underprivileged human in an Empire of tall, powerful, long-lived Dragaerans. He made a career for himself in House Jhereg, the Dragaeran clan in charge of the Empire's organized crime. But the day came when the Jhereg wanted Vlad dead, and he's been on the run ever since. He has plenty of friends among the Dragaeran highborn, including an undead wizard and a god or two. But as long as the Jhereg have a price on his head, Vlad's life is...messy. Meanwhile, for years, Vlad's path has been repeatedly crossed by Devera, a small Dragaeran girl of indeterminate powers who turns up at the oddest moments in his life. Now Devera has appeared again-to lead Vlad into a mysterious, seemingly empty manor overlooking the Great Sea. Inside this structure are corridors that double back on themselves, rooms that look out over other worlds, and-just maybe-answers to some of Vlad's long-asked questions about his world and his place in it. If only Devera can be persuaded to stop disappearing in the middle of his conversations with her.

This is also a 3.5 star book, but I am willingly giving it half a star more for the opening line and the chapter titles.

I enjoyed this book, despite it being annoying. Annoying only because the previous book ends on a cliffhanger of sorts, and I desperately want the continuation of the main series. This book, annoyingly, takes us to a time right before the previous book - Hawk. Explaining the manor at the end, and the very specific room they meet in.

I think this book blends a murder mystery with the haunted gothic home tropes really well. It brings back Devara, an absolutely delightful character introduced few books ago, and gives us more about her story. We also get more about vlad's past lives and about Verra.

This book does a fair job of adding few more puzzle pieces to the overall story. It only makes me want the next in the main series even more.

Yes, I know the next book takes place even further past in the timeline, and I'm annoyed at it already. But, I love Vlad Taltos so I will read it anyway.