Watch Officer Thea March protects Accanter while hiding a dangerous heritage in a city ruled by the proud beings, the Ageless. If you enjoy fantasy full of mystery and magic but not focused much on romance, this is an excellent series to dive into.
Title: Ageless Mysteries
Author: Vanessa Nelson
Genres: Fantasy > Urban Fantasy > Magic
Read Format: Kindle Edition
Total Pages: 1,627
Reading Date: 29th December 2025 – 18th January 2026
The reading order – How to Read Ageless Mysteries Series by Vanessa Nelson
- 1 Deadly Night
- 2 False Dawn
- 3 Morning Trap
- 4 Assassin’s Noon
- 5 Flightless Afternoon
- 6 Ascension Day
Deadly Night
Can she serve justice in an unjust world?
Newly-promoted Watch Officer Thea March is assigned her very first death investigation. Someone has brutally killed a young woman and dumped her body in an empty warehouse. The only real clue left at the scene points to one of the elite – the Ageless – as being involved.
The Watch might ignore one anonymous woman’s death, but when more bodies appear, killed in the same way, the deaths attract the attention of the ruling elite, and Mage Niath is assigned to work with Thea to hunt down the killer.
Having spent most of her life trying to avoid attracting the attention of the elite, the last thing that Thea wants is a prominent mage shadowing her every move.
But they will have to depend on each other and all the skills at their disposal to hunt down and stop the killer.
My thoughts…
Thea is Ageless-born and newly promoted to Watch Officer. She is posted to a station where she is not familiar, and her boss and colleagues are unwelcoming. She basically has to work alone, without any support from her own station.
When a murder case lands on her desk, she must solve the mystery while keeping a low profile because she hides a secret about her lineage, and if the Ageless find out, especially Reardon, something might stir.
Deadly Night is the first book in the Ageless Mysteries. A great introduction to a world where humans, magic users, Nairiad (sort of like merfolk), and several night-kind shapeshifters coexist under the rule of the Ageless, winged beings like Angels, and were once worshipped.
Reading this book, several similarities to Vanessa’s previous two series that I loved come to mind. Thea resembles Arrow from the Taellaneth series in terms of lineage and getting bullied. She is also like Yvonne from the Hundred series in her title, sense of duty, and struggle with PTSD.
Niath also reminds me of Guise, and I am curious to see how the relationship develops in this story and what other similarities I might discover. Perhaps the plot will venture beyond the territories, as it did in the other series, which I loved.
I enjoy the mystery, the world-building, the side plots, the politics, the discoveries, the allies Thea gains along the way, the secrets, and her strong personality. Her backstory is compelling, and I want to learn more about what happened before they left the Citadel. Most importantly, who saved her?
False Dawn
In the city of Accanter, forgeries can cost lives.
Someone is faking the ruler’s currency in her home city. And unless Thea can find out who is doing it, no one will be safe from the Archon’s and the Ageless’ wrath.
Thea just wants to do her job. Catch the criminals. Keep the people safe.
If only life were that simple.
Assigned to a new investigation, she has barely started her enquiry when Mage Niath appears, wanting her help at the one place in the city she does not want to go. The Citadel.
She wants to say no, but fake coins have been turning up, and unless Thea can prove otherwise, innocent people will be killed in the Ageless’ quest for revenge.
My thoughts…
Just like in the first book, there are cases to solve in the city of Accanter. This time, the investigation involves the Citadel, which brings Thea’s nightmares to life. She has to visit the place and deal with the Ageless she has been trying to avoid. To make things worse, there is a deadline to solve the case, and if she fails, the Ageless will take matters into their own hands.
I love the scenes where Thea and Niath work together. They make a great team, and taking down the big bad feels almost like a ritual for them. The rest of the group, Dina, Odilia, Iason, and even Sutter, are fun to read when they brainstorm and try to solve cases.
We also witness a family reunion, and it plays out exactly as I imagined. There are still mysteries surrounding why they missed each other’s letters, who pushed Thea and her brother off the cliff, and who rescued Thea. I am looking forward to learning more.
I have also noticed several mentions of her shoulder blades itching. Is it just a metaphor, or is there something more to it later on? Thea insists she is wingless, but I cannot help hoping she will grow wings in the future.
Another wish of mine is for Thea to be transferred to a better station, preferably the main station, reporting directly to Captain Watch Ware Handerson. That would remove one of the major sources of unhappiness in her life.
I am curious about what the next story’s excuse is to bring Niath and Thea working together again. How will they eliminate the threat posed by the goddess Alayla and her followers? Why is the pony at the Citadel? Could there be bad seeds within the Citadel itself?
Morning Trap
Beneath the unrelenting sun of Accanter’s summer, an ugly conspiracy is underway.
A desperate mother asks Watch Officer Thea March for help. Her daughter has gone missing. No one else at Thea’s Watch Station will help the mother.
More bad news follows when a body is found. A young man who had gone missing some time before, and whose death her superior officer wants to write off as natural causes. Thea realises that there is something else going on. Something dark and ugly and far more widespread than she could have imagined. There is corruption at the heart of the Watch.
Thea is determined to find the truth, but not sure who she can trust. And it looks like someone wants her and Mage Niath dead.
With their lives in danger and more bodies found, Thea and Niath must work together once more to stop the ugly conspiracy before more people die.
My thoughts…
Thea still endures bullying at the office, but handling admin work has actually benefited her this time, as she begins to notice a pattern. Either her colleagues are incompetent or something more is going on.
In uncovering the truth, she puts Niath and herself in grave danger. That danger, however, brings the truth about her to light. One that she isn’t happy about.
What a wonderful continuation story! We’re in the middle of the series, and the story is still engaging. I’m very pleased with the direction it’s going. Several long-awaited revelations finally come to light, and although they did not surprise me, the new developments still make me giddy.
I really hope circumstances change so Thea accepts her true self, learns magic, and takes revenge on the bully who tormented her in her youth.
Meanwhile, the two new characters introduce a fresh mystery. First off, the Trickster. I don’t think he is a villain, or he would have acted already. Plus, he said Niath will look after her! The other character, Mort, there is just something about him that nags at me. Could the brother Thea thought was dead actually be alive? Thea never mentioned burying him, and I can’t help but hope that is the case 🤞. It wasn’t, by the way.
Assassin’s Noon
One dead man. A fortified house full of innocent people.
One of the city’s wealthiest and most powerful residents is found dead in his own home. Murder is suspected, but the house was supposed to be absolutely secure against any intruder. Thea is faced with a hostile group of household servants inside the house and demands swift justice outside its walls.
Working with Mage Niath, it doesn’t take long to realise that it’s not a straightforward death, and the dead man has ties to opponents they have faced before.
Can Thea uncover the truth of the death before the tensions in the city spill over and more deaths occur?
My thoughts…
The power-hungry master merchant has been caught, but that is not the end of the story, as the fake goddess Alayla is still out there along with her followers, the Warriors of Alayla.
As long as the true perpetrator remains at large, there will be a trail of bodies. Could the deaths of the other master merchants be connected to the goddess, or is another power at work? Can Thea uncover the truth before more lives are lost?
More death, mystery, and unending trouble await Thea in this book. She is still nowhere near solving the identity of the fake Goddess of War. Her problems at home continue as well; her relationship with her mother is not improving, only tolerable.
From the hints in the story, it seems unlikely that Thea’s biological father, Reardon, will return to her life 🥲. Even so, I still dare to hope her mother and Reardon clear up their misunderstanding and rekindle their relationship. I would love to see Thea learn her other aspect😁.
I am also still waiting for the Trickster to make an appearance, but it seems that is not happening yet. The last chapter mentions she has two days off, and I feel like joining her and Niath at the festival. Finally, a first date.
Flightless Afternoon
With one of their own dead, the ruling elite want answers.
The unthinkable has happened. One of the Ageless has been killed, their body left in a public space, displayed for all to see.
The Archon is furious and threatens to burn the entire city unless the person responsible is found and turned over to her for justice.
Thea March is called on to investigate again. As little as she wants to turn anyone over to the Archon, she also knows that the Ageless could burn the city to the ground and not care about the death and destruction they cause.
Working with Niath, can Thea find the person responsible for the Ageless’ death? And, if she finds them, can she bring herself to turn them over to the Archon?
My thoughts…
Heart‑wrenching, tense, and a page‑turner, Flightless Afternoon is beautifully written and offers a closer look at the customs of the proud beings, the Ageless.
I’m glad the story picks up right where book four left off: two days off, a chance for Thea to be a normal person and step out of the dark red uniform she always wears. But the peace and happiness do not last long, not even a day!
Even on holiday, trouble follows Thea. This time, the stakes are higher! One of the Ageless has been killed. You know how serious the Ageless are when it comes to their own. Edris, the leader of the Ageless, gives Thea two days to catch the killer, or Thea will be executed.
The story remains engaging in book five. My tip: when you reach about 60 per cent, stop! Because in the final 40 per cent, you’ll be so engrossed! So, only start the remainder when you have enough uninterrupted time.
As for my personal storyline preference, if I could change one thing, it would be that the Ageless who died was not Lucan. Friendly Ageless are rare, and Lucan is one of the friendlier ones. He would have been a welcome addition to Thea’s growing circle of allies.
Anyway, we are so close to wrapping up the Ageless Mysteries! The biggest threat does not appear in this book, but an old enemy, the one connected to Thea’s brother’s death, whom she has not yet brought to justice, will make an appearance.
There are still many unanswered questions, and I am still puzzling over a few facts from the previous book. If the Ageless are so powerful, the false goddess and her followers should not be a serious threat, so why are the eminence so concerned? And why was the thing Edris was trying to find at the dead Merchant’s house so important to her?
Before the series wrap-up, I so wish that Thea would get to learn some magic and be open about her Ageless status. Spread those wings, will ya!
Ascension Day
Caught in the middle of two powerful forces, can Thea find a way to survive?
The Archon has ordered a day of celebration to mark her ascension to power. While most people in the city are looking forward to a day off and an excuse to drink and eat too much, Thea and the rest of the city’s Watch are on high alert.
The Archon and the Ageless might be the rulers and the most powerful beings in the world, but they are not well-liked. And there’s a human faction that wants to see them fall.
After a difficult few months, Thea just wants to do her job and keep the city as safe as possible. The Archon and the human faction have other ideas, and Thea finds herself in the middle of their conflict while trying to solve some apparently unconnected murders.
Neither the Ageless nor the humans care who else might get hurt in their power struggle, so it’s up to Thea and her allies to try and stop the coming disaster.
My thoughts…
OMG! I read this book in one sitting! I was so engrossed in the story with the twists and turns, the adventure, the dangers, and the mysteries that I completely forgot to sleep!
This final instalment delivers the justice we’ve been waiting for, and I absolutely love how Thea’s story ends. It feels perfectly aligned with her personality, her goals, and her determination to stay true to herself. She remains fearless right to the end.
I only wish I could follow Thea into her next adventure, whether she’s exploring the wider worlds or handling the more mundane tasks in Accanter now that a new beginning is on the horizon. I’m really going to miss this world. 🥹
There is just one thing we never get a clear explanation for: the “Shadow.” We know what it can do, and that Niath can find Thea if she’s in danger, but how is the connection formed? And why Thea? I would have loved a deeper look into that.
All in all, the Ageless Mysteries are engaging and action‑packed, filled with likeable characters and rich world‑building in a fantasy setting that feels truly unique. If you enjoy fantasy full of mystery and magic without a heavy focus on romance, this is an excellent series to dive into.
