This is third in a series that builds characters and plots over time. So you definitely want to read them in order.
Having read in order, you know moreThis is third in a series that builds characters and plots over time. So you definitely want to read them in order.
Having read in order, you know more or less what you are getting with this one. So I'll mainly just say that Harris delivers on those expectations. I loved getting to know Eli's family and San Diego as Russia-in-exile held together well, I think. I liked how the politics couldn't transplant wholesale and that Tsar Alexei was painted with some depth, even if he is way more clueless than he should be as a ruler.
We spend a lot of this novel with Eli locked up, so Lizbeth is mostly on her own (though not without allies). My favorite was the relationship with her half-sister, Felicia and exploration of what it means to have family you care about and want to protect. Having Eli off-page for those sections helped highlight the emotional content of those relationships in all the right ways, I think, so I liked seeing that.
And I loved even more how things fell out once we get Eli free. I mean, it's non-stop action for a lot of it, but when things settle, they settle in exactly the right ways.
There are some squirrely bits and the plot meanders a bit so I can't get to a full five stars. But I'll round up to get there on the strength of seeing Lizbeth and Eli reunited in the best ways. And I'll pick up the next, should there be one (this would make a fine conclusion to the series).
A note about Chaste: There's no sex, though it's clear that Eli and Lizbeth are (sexually) intimate. There's a scene of sexual abuse that gets explicit, but Lizbeth interrupts before things turn actually sexual. So when I tag this chaste, it's with the understanding that I don't mean "has no sexual content at all". There's no steam. And nothing titillating. But it's a stretch of my chaste tag....more
This is fourth in a series that has the books loosely bound together. Bess showed up in Daphne's book, Abounding Might, and Daphne is mentioned a timeThis is fourth in a series that has the books loosely bound together. Bess showed up in Daphne's book, Abounding Might, and Daphne is mentioned a time or two here (as are Mr. and Mrs. Rutledge from Wondering Sight). So you likely want to read in order but don't really have to.
And my nonstandard disclaimer applies, as usual with Melissa's books. I have the great good fortune to share living space with her and am thus present at the creation, formation, and realization of her books. So if you wish to disregard this as a complicated form of foreplay, feel free to do so. I do strive for honesty as our relationship is founded on it, but won't begrudge anyone doubting it in practice.
Bess was always going to be a difficult heroine in what is largely an adventure series because she is practically blind and her talent is a passive one. I love how well her strength and fundamental resolve is shown in the events of this story! And it turns out that she is a fantastic action hero, though not without the help of her friends. And falling in love with a man without knowing who he is just hit me right in the feels.
I particularly love how Bess doesn't shrink from hard things and that she is always determined to do her best, even when things go so badly against her. The part where she is (view spoiler)[captured by Mendoza and has no choice but to help him find the lost Incas (hide spoiler)] is harrowing and keeps me on the edge of my metaphorical seat even when I know what is (and isn't) going to happen. So the pace is great, is what I'm saying, even with a story that zips back and forth across the world a couple of times on the backs of various Bounders.
And I think I'll draw up there, before I burble on tiresomely. Five stars for how much I loved Bess, and never more so than when she creates her own happy ending. I just love that whole final chapter so very much! (and so much for not burbling tiresomely...)
A note about highlights: I had a really hard time making the highlights I like to with Kindle reads in this one because many of the best pieces of dialogue happen mentally and are thus offset by italics—and italics don't come across with the crappy Kindle Notes & Highlights function of GoodReads/Amazon. I really wish they'd fix that because those sections just turn out confusing when you don't have any way to distinguish what's "spoken" and what isn't.
A note about chaste: Bess spends the entire novel not knowing the true identify of the man she has fallen in love with. So yeah, it's very chaste, indeed, with only a couple awesome kisses near the end....more
This is second in the kind of series that builds over time. So you definitely want to read in order.
Being a series makes this easier to review becauseThis is second in the kind of series that builds over time. So you definitely want to read in order.
Being a series makes this easier to review because if you liked the first, you'll probably enjoy this one as well. I really like Lizbeth and I was thrilled when Eli showed up and they teamed up again. The Dixie setting in an alternate universe that is post US Civil War but with Dixie being its own country with its own political and cultural system means that we're deep in the era that produced Jim Crow and the story revolves around that deep-seated racial segregation and the struggle for equality.
While Harris does a decent job keeping that plot flowing and avoiding easy answers or trite characterization, the translation into alt-history made it still feel a bit removed or remote. At least for me. Maybe that's because Lizbeth and Eli are ultimately outsiders so Harris couldn't really go into the political and structural issues you'd need to know to feel like their actions had any lasting effect at all.
And it doesn't help me, personally, that the ending remained ambiguous on the one continuity thing that really matters to me ((view spoiler)[Lizbeth's relationship with Eli (hide spoiler)]).
So this ends up a wobbly four stars because for all my qualms, it's still a great action-adventure story in a fascinating setting and characters that I love. Also, I had such a difficult time putting it down I can't really justify a tepid "I liked it".
A note about Steamy and Chaste: Eli and Lizbeth do it. Like a lot. But there's zero explicit sex on page. There's some mild body-care when they're injured and that includes intimate body parts coming into it, but nothing that really fits "steamy", there, either. So there's enough that even I can't call it "chaste" but not so much that I can call it "steamy". So neither label applies....more
I picked this up when I realized there was a Sharon Shinn stand-alone I hadn't read, yet. And I'm glad I did, as it's a powerful story. I was a littleI picked this up when I realized there was a Sharon Shinn stand-alone I hadn't read, yet. And I'm glad I did, as it's a powerful story. I was a little concerned when I realized how deliberately it had been setup as a critique of imperialism (though with the labels rubbed off). Averie's country is an obvious stand-in for Great Britain though I wouldn't spend too much time looking for exact analogs from there.
Anyway, Shinn is wise enough not to paint the imperialist Aebrians as any more evil than was reasonable. Indeed, she stuck to a relatively benign depiction with Averie's father, the eponymous general, as the mostly-benevolent governor of Chiarrin who is happy to leave the natives to live their own lives so long as his country gets the resources they came for (mostly an open port strategically placed to oppose the Continental European analogs). So Chiarrin was stomped on for strategic reasons and the natives left mostly alone. So most of the book is Averie getting to know the Chiarrizi culture and learning to love it in her own way. And along the way she learns about life and love and other things that make this story a multi-layered feast, including a very charming romance that I enjoyed very much, indeed.
In the end, I think Shinn did a good job, though I quibble with some of the details of how she put the story together. Unfortunately, these are great, huge, honking spoilers so only go there if you have zero interest in experiencing this story the way it is meant to be enjoyed. I groaned when (view spoiler)[I learned of the "Broken Gods" of the Chiarrizi, for example, because if ever there were a belief system setup to throw off powerful imperialists they were these. And not because of anything supernatural. Rather, the values they embody and venerate are those that would see a people through great hardship and justify pretty much any action, any sacrifice, until they succeed or die (hide spoiler)]. And I don't think (view spoiler)[Jalessa holds together, either. Shinn wants us to buy her as having been the conniving spy all along with a deep hatred for the invaders. And in the heat of the moment, that almost works because we see her hot hatred in the end as the city burns. Unfortunately, Jalessa was such an active presence in the story that her motivation doesn't really hold very well. Why take Averie to her home (which was just the day before the uprising and a wholly unnecessary invasion of her private space)? Or teach her the details of her culture? Or draw her into the private areas throughout the story? Yeah, she was trying to deceive and invite confidences, but there were much simpler ways she could have done so without opening up such vulnerability (and, coincidentally, risking their plan had Averie put the few clues together correctly). This might have worked better if there had been any hint that Jalessa was even a little bit reluctant or torn. But her actions and vehemence in that final confrontation take away that possibility and that just felt way too unreasonably automaton-ish to me. (hide spoiler)]
So the spoiler stuff drags this down to four stars, for me. Still, this is an outstandingly subtle romance, a delightful heroine who is genuine and kind and courageous, and very deft (and mature) handling of some tricky personal interactions in the relationships we're shown.
A note about Chaste: Being Regency-era Great Britain, the social norms are very much geared towards chaste relationships, so Averie and her paramour engage in some kissing, but nothing more. Which worked very well, I think....more
I'm an enormous fan of Charlaine Harris, though not really a completist about it. In other words, I don't jump immediately after she writes a book andI'm an enormous fan of Charlaine Harris, though not really a completist about it. In other words, I don't jump immediately after she writes a book and there are some I probably won't ever get to. I put this one off because the world didn't feel like one I'd enjoy much. It's kind of pre-apocalyptic in a post-apocalypse of a world that never was kind-of-way. In other words, things went to the bad place in the early twentieth century and it's limping along from there. Only, not everything fell apart. So stuff has familiar shadings, but the U.S. was torn apart and lots of bad things happen in the shadows of that destruction.
Lizbeth Rose lives in one of the areas devastated and in flux and is a "gunnie" or gun for hire. Her story has a very serious and penetrating tone that becomes clear in the very first chapters so if you're going to bounce, you'll probably bounce early. Personally, I was pulled in completely and had a hard time putting the book down. Structurally, it's a journey story but at least some of that journey is self-discovery and since I liked Rose so much, I found that beyond engaging. She's hard in that way strong determination manifests and yet as kind as she can manage in a world gone dark and with skills that make her ideal for killing folks. And since she's being actively hunted throughout the story, the body count is eye-liftingly high.
And I liked Eli and the secondary characters and that includes the world/setting as character as well. So while there was some hand waving around minor details (like how much gas did that car use/hold/carry/require, anyway?) I cared so much about the story that I hardly spared those more than a thought.
So the fast pace and engaging story make this a five-star read and I'm ignoring the wobbles of the minor detail-niggles. Incredibly strong story and I really hope the next carries the expectations such a strong origin engender.
A note about Steamy: There was an explicit sex scene or two and a rape and some sexual assault threats. None of it very detailed, even the ones that weren't horrible. So this is very low on the steam setting and that was exactly right for the story told....more
I love that Molly Harper takes these wild jags into genres she's never done before. That probably makes me some kind of super-fan, but I have yet to bI love that Molly Harper takes these wild jags into genres she's never done before. That probably makes me some kind of super-fan, but I have yet to be disappointed in following her into a new space. That holds in this story, as well. This is a YA historical fantasy with magic and an added mix of boarding school and it was a great deal of fun.
I'm not sure the era of this as the historical timeline diverged heavily in the early nineteenth century (after steam trains, but before the industrial revolution took firm hold) when the magical folks took everything over, discarded all that reform crap from the Magna Carta to the Declaration of Independence and instituted a reversion to a feudal system complete with non-magical serfs. That revolution is at least a century in the past, but technical innovation came to a grinding halt and magical innovation is highly concentrated on the utility of the elite (and since magicians are all elite, there's nothing like a magical industrial base that'd trickle any of that stuff down to commoners). So it's Victorian-ish but with a much more calcified social and class structure. All of which is challenged if/when commoners should develop magical powers, somehow. That's where Sarah/Cassandra comes in. Because she develops magical powers and right in front of the matriarch of the family that "guides" her family.
The plot hinges on Mrs. Winters (said matriarch) being bloody-minded enough to believe she can foist Cassandra onto the magical school for young girls but kind enough not to kill her outright. Cassandra's very existence challenges the embedded social structure and should her origins be discovered, the entire Winters family stands to lose a great deal—though not the ignominious death Cassandra would face. Around that structure, Harper weaves a very engaging story with the young Cassandra finding her way, finding friends, learning about her magic, and becoming a very special person when a magical book chooses to bind itself to her. I found Cassandra herself interesting and I loved her growth and the relationships she forges (not least with the indomitable Mrs. Winters). I have some minor quibbles with one or two plot aspects being a little too extreme (the mean-girl clique and Cassandra's non-magical sister, mainly), but those were very minor and didn't affect my rating at all.
Nearly affecting my rating was the atrocious copy editing. I've seldom seen worse. There are dropped words, wrong tenses, added words with a different tense to the sentence, and there's one paragraph that consists of the same two sentences repeated over again. It was so bad that I looked up the publisher and that became it's own delve into madness (as it appears to be a combination of self-publishing but with some very big niche names using it as a vehicle, including Ilona Andrews, Loretta Chase, Suzanne Enoch, and many other Molly Harper works).
Anyway, this ends up a solid five stars and I can't wait to continue with the next in the series (though that'll be mood-dependent as all my YA reading is)....more
I'm really late to this one, but that let me check out the audiobook from the library so maybe that's just as well. This story has a rocky start and iI'm really late to this one, but that let me check out the audiobook from the library so maybe that's just as well. This story has a rocky start and it was rocky enough that I very nearly dnf'd at about halfway through. The trouble is two-fold.
First, it's walking to its plot. The action/story/plot doesn't really kick in until nearly halfway through. I mean, sure, the core murder(s) happen early enough, but Charlotte doesn't become truly involved until much later in the story. Until then, we have her pfaffing about with her problematic home life and finding her independence. So there's lots of stuff about her scandal and her father being a giant monkey butt and her mother an abusive jackwagon with a vindictive streak. And then she runs away from home (because seriously, what options are left?) and we get pages and pages of how awful things are for Victorian women.
Indeed, I feel like the author had something she wanted to communicate about how awful things were for Victorian women or something because even Sherlock Holmes, the genius, couldn't make a go of it on her own, by gum! Which is the second big problem with this first half—Charlotte is kind of an idiot. Or at least seriously ignorant and naïve. Charlotte is learning fast, but not before being tossed out of places, conned(!) out of her funds, and failing at, well, practically everything. And it isn't until the intervention of a kindly Mrs. Watson that things finally look up. And I was all set to be just done because seriously? You need someone else to swoop in and save Sherlock bloody Holmes from herself?!? Only that turns out to be the saving grace of the story and a turnaround for all the stupid.
So for me, this book is saved by Mrs. Watson and that not least because this is when the Sherlock Holmes pattern starts to assert itself. Watson as the interface between Sherlock and the messy world isn't too terrible an interpretation. And I should make clear up front that I have only vague notions of the Sherlock Holmes stories and am, perhaps, too much influenced by Robert Downey Jr. because I pretty much loved that movie despite all admitted flaws. Anyway, Mrs. Watson as enabler and translator and enthusiastic observer worked very well for me and that opened me up to falling in love, just a little bit, with Inspector Treadles as her police force enthusiast/advocate and even with Lord Ingram for whatever role it is he's playing. Since his brother is the eventual "Mycroft" ("Bancroft" is close, right?) and he warned of a coming "Moriarty" the pantheon is about established by the end of this story.
Anyway, after the midpoint, the pace picks up and the plot thickens suitably and I discovered each new wrinkle with something akin to delight. Charlotte evened out a ton once she gained her feet and I'm even starting to enjoy drawing parallels to her role as Holmes. I have no idea if Thomas wanted to translate Holmes as exaggeratedly, purely intellectual "male", but Charlotte certainly works as exaggeratedly, purely intellectual "female". And if Holmes' mastery of the male space with his pugilistic excellence is taken as iconic, then Charlotte's mastery of the female space with her angelic face and fashion expertise is at least an interesting take.
And the plot turned out as horrifying as you could wish for in a Sherlock case, once all the details were revealed. I take some issue that it was solved by accident rather than a Holmesian plan, so it could have been better. But I'm willing to go along because by this time, I was thoroughly enchanted with the characters. So I'm going to give this a wobbly four stars that it likely doesn't actually deserve. Mostly because I was so hopped up on the potential by the end that I can't wait to see where it goes from here. Particularly now that all that establishing nonsense is out of the way.
A note about Chaste/Steamy: There's the aftermath of a sex scene without much detail. So I'm not quite able to give this a chaste tag. But it isn't steamy, either, as sex isn't really ever on screen and even the details aren't, well, that detailed? So this doesn't earn either tag and I have some concern about a hinted relationship between Lord Ingram and Charlotte because, well, he's married. True, we're told that his wife is a scheming conniver only in it for his wealth, but we don't see that and he seems like the kind of guy who won't entertain the idea of a divorce because he's all about self-flagellation disguised as honor....more
This is the second in a series, though almost completely separate from the first. Fans of the first will find the same world, though with a story moreThis is the second in a series, though almost completely separate from the first. Fans of the first will find the same world, though with a story more set in place (London) and with completely different characters. So you can read this one before the first and not miss anything (and only vaguely spoil the first, really).
As usual, I will bravely protect your right to ignore anything I say in this review by admitting up front that I am closely connected with the author (having married her some 25 years ago). As always I will try to be as clear as possible and that includes admitting that I am very likely biased even as I strive for honesty.
Sophia is a different kind of heroine than is usual in Melissa's books. Oh, she's a strong woman doing her best to discover and achieve the things important to her. And she cares deeply for her friends and loved-ones and the principles she holds dear. But Sophia is also more driven than most and that includes a tendency towards pride and obsession. Since Sophy starts the novel having been greatly wronged, that means she is deeply wounded and looking to heal, yes, but also to bring down the one who manufactured her disgrace. Since he has followed her to London and continues to taunt her, this desire for vengeance only grows as the story progresses. That can be an uncomfortable protagonist, particularly as she has to decide how much she needs to hide her activities from those who care about her and how far she is willing to go to take out the man who brought her career at the War Office to an untimely end.
That's not to say that she is grim or that she doesn't make new friends or take pleasure in her life in London. Indeed, I love her new-found relationship with Daphne and her very strong commitment to Cecilia and Lewis (Cecy's husband). And I just loved seeing her friendship with Rutledge (that starts off so rocky) develop into more. The friendships in this book are strong and deeply relevant and I loved how Melissa showed both the care and the burden friends share with one another and how they work together to be stronger—including the subtle, but important, depiction of how even complicated problems become manageable when shared with those you love.
And oh, was Lewis a revelation. In the first book, you see the superficiality of (some? most?) Shapers (who can manipulate their own bodies and are thus very comely) and I admit to thinking that'd be a kind of useless talent. And then someone threatens Cecy and Lewis goes all Shaper in her defense and man was that a fun surprise!
Anyway, I'll leave others to evaluate plot and pacing. I've read this one enough times (often in fragments) that I can no longer tell how well it works. I didn't have a hard time reading it again in preparation for this review and I always have a hard time putting it down once I hit the 3/4 mark. Also, the ending absolutely rocks.
Which leaves me with five stars for a fun read and a lovely cast of characters. And I can't wait for Daphne's book (which should be next, muses willing)....more
I've taken to rereading Melissa's books as they come out, if only to refresh my memory about what made it in and what didn't. And yes, that means I'm I've taken to rereading Melissa's books as they come out, if only to refresh my memory about what made it in and what didn't. And yes, that means I'm unusually closely involved and you can safely discount my review as biased if you desire. I do try to be clear, if not precisely impartial, so I hope you'll give the review a glance and discover a story you can love.
In Burning Bright, Melissa sticks closer to the real world than she usually does by setting it in a Regency period much like our own, but with magic added for spice. The magic permeates society, so there are some strong differences (like women having a few more life-options as a result of not wanting to waste half the population who have useful Talents) as well as some more subtle (like taking long-distant communication, at least of important events, for granted). I love how these background changes are woven into a tale of adventure and self-discovery with hints of more to see in future stories exploring other extraordinary women.
But, as always with Melissa's books, my main draw to the story is the strong heroine that I found easy to fall in love with. England doesn't have a lot of Scorchers and no Extraordinary ones, so Elinor finds herself with no existing options to use her talent as anything more than bait for a husband desiring strongly Talented children. Not liking the broodmare option, and not least because of the stud her father has picked out, Elinor decides to forge her own path. Fortunately for her, if not for the nation, England is at war and someone who can control great gobs of fire (and at a distance) can write her own check if she is bold enough to seize the opportunity. I love that she does so and that we see leaders desperate enough to give her a shot (as well as others that are like military leaders everywhere, getting in the way of the folks who get stuff done). From there, we get a great story of a woman out of her depth, but game to take it on even in the face of great danger (and potential, even likely, social ruin). Elinor is engaging from the start and she only grows more so through the course of the novel.
Which would be well-enough on its own, but there are lots of strong secondary characters as well. A sailing ship geared for war is a crowded affair and you can't help getting to know the officers and many of the men while at sea for so long. I loved the vivid details of ship life and the personalities that have to be forced to at least rub along while so confined. I loved the accommodations they made and the respect they learned for one another as they struggle with someone who is so foreign to their normal routines—and not just because she's a woman but because she turns out to represent the single greatest weapon the ship carries. I loved that this has all the emotional impact that implies. And that the action fully supports both the physical and emotional adaptations needed for Elinor to learn to not only survive but, as much as possible, to thrive there. I grew as attached to the crew (and especially Captain Ramsey) as Elinor and loved the trust built over time and forged in battle.
The story is a rollicking adventure, so I'm not going to tempt the spoilers it'd take to give any better idea of it. The pacing is quick (with the occasional lull as you can expect will happen in the age of sail), the action intense, and Elinor and her crew are right up in the action as they fight a pirate resurgence in the Caribbean. There are some real unexpected turns and some lovely confrontations and I must. fight. the urge. to. spoil.
Anyway, yes, this is a solid five stars for an engaging story with characters I came to love and admire. I really hope you'll find as much entertainment as I have....more
The book is serviceable, if somewhat light in plotting. Dawn and Madison were fun characters and I enjoyed spending time with them. The romance elemenThe book is serviceable, if somewhat light in plotting. Dawn and Madison were fun characters and I enjoyed spending time with them. The romance elements were a bit pat with an instant attraction and really no bar or impediment to their relationship. Indeed, possibly the biggest weakness of the book is that things seem to be too easy for the situation. So it was entertaining and with a vivid depiction of the early 20th century West that was engaging. I am glad, though, that I picked it up on a one-day-only sale for much cheaper—I might have resented paying full price for such a light story.
A note about Steamy: There's some sex, and some of it is explicit enough to warrant tagging it. Very light, though, honestly, and nothing terribly racy....more
The more I hear about Proctor's infatuation with Emily, the less I can take the stupid piling up in this book. It'd be one thing if I didn't suspect tThe more I hear about Proctor's infatuation with Emily, the less I can take the stupid piling up in this book. It'd be one thing if I didn't suspect that he's going to spend the remainder of this book fixated on her. It's just so clumsy, really. I mean, when a girl repudiates both what you are (a witch) and what you do (fighting for the minutemen) and is horrified by both, that relationship is completely over unless you plan on repudiating them (and probably not even then). She isn't going to be talked around if only because the two of you obviously don't share the same values. Duh. Meanwhile, we've just met Deborah who it is clear will be his "true" love, but so clumsily projected as to take the fun out of finding out how it will happen (because you can see that it will most likely involve every tired trope the author can lay hands on).
I'm struggling between one and two stars here. The writing is well-enough on the micro-level (sentences, grammar, description, etc.). But it's pretty poor on the macro level (narrative, story elements, character building, etc.). Since I haven't finished the book and have no plans to do so, I think I'll err on the side of generosity and go with two......more
Though typical of Höst's work (and those who have read my reviews at all know I mean that in the best possible way), I wouldn't recommend this one to Though typical of Höst's work (and those who have read my reviews at all know I mean that in the best possible way), I wouldn't recommend this one to start. The reason for that is mainly that this one has a lot more to digest up front from her usual—not just names of important characters, but entire cultures and a remapped England and magical terminology and, well, stuff. It was maybe the first third before I felt I could read with confidence (and even then I still had to remind myself what some of the special terms probably meant).
But oh, the payoff is worth that struggle in the start. And here's the thing: I can't think of any way to have gotten this world out there without that difficult adjustment period. Pyramids has a lot of weight behind it. By which I mean not just the fantastic world building but the way the characters inhabit that world is fantastically well-integrated. These are not modern (or semi-modern) transplants into a world slightly changed from our own. Not only is the world a fantastically altered historical re-imagining, but the characters who inhabit it fit naturally and organically into both the world and the plot they hatch trying to solve the murder or their family members.
Which makes this book an amazing achievement because Höst can't afford to info-dump without losing the urgency her plot requires. So I don't begrudge a little effort tracking the characters. At least, not when doing so is immediately rewarding and with the plot driving me forward with a fast pace and natural flow that hooked me from the start and kept me hooked until I finished.
I think I'll leave it at that. Good story, an unbelievably complex world that is conveyed without losing momentum with an engaging plot and characters I fell effortlessly in harmony with. Plus, bonus, this is part of a series so I look forward to more to come. And kudos to Höst for pulling together an ending that was exactly enough closure to feel complete and yet leave me eager for more. I can hardly wait for the next (though I fear it may be some months, or years, away)....more
I suppose that it is natural to compare any competently written book featuring Regency-era gentry and romance to Jane Austen. Inevitable as it is, I kI suppose that it is natural to compare any competently written book featuring Regency-era gentry and romance to Jane Austen. Inevitable as it is, I kind of wish it weren't so common. This book isn't anything like Jane Austen except in the above surface aspects. The thing is, the book has a charm and grace of its own that I deeply enjoyed and appreciated and the fact it does so without cribbing noticeably from any of the Regency greats (most notably Austen and Heyer) is a really remarkable achievement.
Jane Ellsworth is a wonderful character. She's extremely kind, even in the face of great provocation, but without being a complete doormat. She's remarkable for her lack of beauty and that has bothered her throughout her life—and this isn't one of those "doesn't see her own inner beauty" deals, either, and is confirmed intertextually and without compromise. This is particularly painful for Jane when her sister, Melody, is an acknowledged beauty.
Kowal pulls us gracefully into Jane's life as she suffers the petty jealousies of her sister (I know, right?) and the inevitable loneliness of a sensitive, intelligent woman with a constrained social circle and little prospect of improvement. With all the excuse to despair, I was glad to join Jane as she channels her energies into the magic of glamor and into the people around her.
I'm still not sure what to think of the magic in the book. It was an interesting setup with a good mix of constraint and freedom but it also felt a little unexplored as well. Glamor seemed to be solely artistic and glamorists much like any other artist at the time—dependant on generous patrons and employed as much as status symbol as for any intrinsic value in and of themselves. Personally, I don't buy that. Even if glamor is all illusion and no substance there's a lot that can be done with even just that much. And a society with that ease of access to illusion would be more fundamentally different from our own, I think, than this story admitted to.
Still, since the magic was only an ancillary part of the story, the fact it didn't penetrate as well as I'd have liked didn't detract from my enjoyment of reading it. Kowal is good enough that the wit, dialogue, and manners of that era flowed seamlessly and realistically and the period feels right, otherwise (with only really minor details out of step with historical accuracy). It could be that broader changes from the magic weren't pursued in order to maintain that more accurate Regency feel.
So I enjoyed the novel quite a bit—mainly for the characters and relationships. The plot was fun and well-paced, and even if I yearned for more in some aspects, it wasn't enough to detract from a really fun read....more
This book started out okay. Ethan is a mildly interesting pseudo-noir detective in an alternative Boston pre-American Revolution. There's anger and moThis book started out okay. Ethan is a mildly interesting pseudo-noir detective in an alternative Boston pre-American Revolution. There's anger and mobs in the streets and lots and lots of political intrigue around home rule vs. loyalty to the king. Jackson does a decent job of invoking the times and the region feels solid in a way that bespeaks excellent research and a love of the city.
Unfortunately, it turns out that the protagonist, Ethan, is a blithering idiot. I'm not sure what I should expect from a "thieftaker" but somehow I thought he should be able to reason from clues to find answers to basic questions. Or even be able to ask reasonably intelligent questions. And now I face a conundrum: give spoilers and risk coming off like an arrogant jerk trying to prove how much smarter than the author he is or settle for vague, uninformative generalities that won't mean anything to somebody who hasn't read the book. Let me attempt a middle ground.
A girl is murdered. She was an uptown girl and was engaged to a wealthy merchant's son. Ethan gets so fixated on this fiancé that he completely fails to follow-up any of the half-dozen other angles practically screaming their significance in his face--some of them literally pounding his face into the pavement. But instead of pursuing any of those alternative avenues of inquiry, he wastes simply grundles of precious time trying to badger the fiancé for more "answers" (scare quotes because Ethan isn't even really sure what he wants to ask half the time).
Okay, I can't resist. I have got to get this out of my system. Spoilers because... reasons(view spoiler)[
1. Please tell me why Ethan never, ever takes steps to find the other conjurer? You know, the bad guy. The one threatening to kill him. The one who obviously committed the murders he's investigating? Several times he thinks "the guy has to be close" and once or twice he even notices approximately where he may be. But he doesn't ever bother to follow-up on that. He doesn't return to the scene later to look for clues. He doesn't ask around to see if anybody else might have noticed anything. He doesn't see if he can't craft some kind of spell to reveal magic that was cast while the guy wasn't masking his "signature". It's like he doesn't really care about the conjurer so much as he just really has one more question to ask the fiancé.
2. How does he not think of death magic right off? I mean, I was wondering about the possibility and I didn't even know such a thing exists. Hmmm, died by magic, but with no obvious cause... so maybe it's a byproduct of a different spell aimed somewhere else? Kind of an obvious one to miss, yes? Particularly if you know such a thing exists.
3. Lessee, you have how many deaths, all right around times when revolutionaries are doing big things that people hate? And you know that big magic was cast each time. And you have even surmised that some kind of compulsion magic was being used and you somehow fail to think "oh, hey, maybe someone wants the revolutionaries to look bad." It isn't until the bad guy tells Ethan that's what he was doing before he catches a clue. Gah. That was practically screaming "I'm a significant coincidence" from the start of the story.
4. Finally, I have a really hard time with Ethan's interactions with Sephira Price. She beats Ethan, steals from him, repeatedly threatens to kill him and at one point actually gives the order for her people to pull the trigger. She is, frankly, actually evil and his outright enemy. This is way beyond rivalry. She is a direct, existential threat. And yet Ethan ignores her throughout the story, even though she has to be in league with the bad guy (and know who he is). It makes no sense that he is ignoring her. He should have been dogging her every way he could think to. That he couldn't think of a way is just further proof of his unmitigated stupidity. The last straw was in the end, when she comes to the inn and makes empty threats and leaves. And Ethan seems to think everything is hunky-dorey. I don't know about you, but she seems kinda like the type to hold a grudge. Or even an irrational blinding hatred. That Ethan isn't making plans to end her as a threat (I don't mean necessarily killing her. Killing her is only the sloppiest way he could do so) is all the proof you need that he is a complete, blithering idiot. (hide spoiler)]
Okay, I feel better now. So anyway, it's an evocative time and place. There are revolutionaries and Tories and sympathetic representatives on either side. And a magic system that is fascinating and that I was eager to explore. There are a lot of things that should have been entertaining... if you can get past a protagonist that needs to be prompted to ask where the bathroom is when he has to take a leak......more
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