Thief-turned-wizard Conn has escaped from prison but has nowhere to go. His home is a pile of rubble since he blew it up doing magic, and his master, the wizard Nevery, is not happy with him. Worst of all, Conn's been exiled and staying in Wellmet will mean his death. But the city is in danger from an evil predator coming to destroy it and Conn has no choice but to set off on a quest to find something that will help him defend Wellmet. Face to face with a power unlike any other, Conn discovers what being a wizard really means. Is he brave enough to answer magic's call, or is he really just a thief at heart?

Gutterboy no more, Conn is apprenticed to the wizard Nevery, and is using explosions to attempt to speak to magic. Though thief-turned-wizard Conn may only be an apprentice, he KNOWS something magical is trying to talk to him, to warn him. When his experiments to communicate with magic literally blow up in his face, Conn is banished. But there is evil afoot in Wellmet, an evil that isn't human. Conn sets off on a quest to protect all those he has come to love and joins his good friend Lady Rowan, the duchess's daughter and skilled swordfighter, on a dangerous expedition to the mysterious city of Desh, where he comes face-to-face with the evil sorcerer-king and must conquer treachery beyond even Conn's vivid imagination.

Conn should have dropped dead the day he picked Nevery's pocket and stole the wizard's locus magicalicus, a stone used to focus magic and work spells. But for some reason he did not. Astonished and intrigued, Nevery agrees to take Conn on as his apprentice, on the condition that the boy find a locus stone of his own within a month. But with his wizard lessons and attempts to help Nevery discover who — or what — is stealing the city of Wellmet's dwindling supply of magic, time is running out for Conn to find his stone.

"I couldn't put it down. Wonderful, exciting stuff."
—Diana Wynne Jones, author of Howl's Moving Castle

"Sarah Prineas has created an incredible city, powered by magic, where danger lurks in every dark corner. Her vivid descriptions made me feel as if I was walking through this wonderland of mystery and shadows right next to Conn, her young resourceful hero."
—D.J. MacHale, author of the Pendragon series

"Thief-erific! Magic-tastic! Biscuit-tacular! The magic may be mysteriously draining from the city of Wellmet, but Sarah Prineas's captivating first novel has plenty to spare."
—Ysabeau S. Wilce, author of Flora Segunda

"An uncommonly engaging young narrator kicks this debut fantasy ahead of the general run."
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Delightful. Readers will particularly enjoy the way Conn often knows just a little more than his master, and they'll look forward to seeing how much more he learns as the series progresses."
—Booklist (starred review)

"A delight to read...sure to draw avid fans back for more."
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)