Tag: Daw

Review: Unnatural Issue by Mercedes Lackey

On By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations
The particulars: Historical Fantasy, DAW, available as e-book and in print
The Source: Purchased at Books on Board, I think.
The Grade: C+
The blurb:
Richard Whitestone is an Elemental Earth Master. Blaming himself for the death of his beloved wife in childbirth, he has sworn never to set eyes on his daughter, Suzanne. But when he finally sees her, a dark plan takes shape in his twisted mind-to use his daughter’s body to bring back the spirit of his long-dead wife
 
The Review:
I have had this book for years, but never got around to read it until now.   
It was nice to revisit the world of the Elemental Masters. The alternative Europe that Ms Lackey has created felt very believable to me. From the moors of Yorkshire to the battlefields of Europe, it felt like I was there.
I liked Susanne and Peter. Susanne was smart, down to earth and had a good dose of common sense. Peter played the gentleman to the fingertop. He was used to a certain level of comfort. It was fascinating to watch how he used other peoples misconception to coax out clues.
It was also interesting to see how Susanne’s father changed from the Earth Master he was at the beginning, and how he started to use darker magics. ( I’ll admit that he gave me the creeps.)
The fantasy part of the plot was well crafted, if a bit predictable. I liked read about Susanne’s journey from the moors of Yorkshire to the battlefields of France. I liked how they managed to thwart her father through pure ingeniousity, but that they also realised that Susanne had to leave England. I liked how the war made life harder for Susanne, and how it gave her life a direction. I liked how she and Peter kept on trying to stop her father, and how it was Susanne who came up with the plan that finally succeeded.
What pulls down the grade is the romance. It felt.. unbalanced. Not in the way that Susanne is a Squire’s daughter and Peter is the son of an higher ranking noble. But it stems more from the fact that Susanna spent a big part of the story being infatuated with another man. While Peter was gradually falling in love with her. They did get their HEA, but Susanne’s part felt very rushed.

ARC Review: The Grass King’s concubine by Kari Sperring

On By MikaelaIn Uncategorized2 Comments
The Particulars: Fantasy, DAW, available in print and as e-book
The Source: ARC from the author
The Grade: B
The Blurb:
Kari Sperring’s first novel was a finalist for the Crawford Award, a Tiptree Award Honor Book, a “LOCUS “Recommended First Novel, and the winner of the Sydney J. Bounds Award for Best Newcomer. Now she returns to the same amazing and atmospheric world with an entirely new story set several hundred years after the earth-shaking events of “Living With Ghosts.”
When a wealthy young woman, obsessed with a childhood vision of a magical Shining Palace, sets out with her true love to search for a legendary land, she discovers the devastated WorldBelow – the realm of the Grass King – and the terrifying Cadre, who take her prisoner, and demand she either restore the king’s concubine… or replace her.
The Review:
The first time I heard about this book was when Kari Sperring read from it at Eurocon in 2011. I have waited for it to be released ever since. Did it live up to my expectations? Yes.
The setting felt believable. In fact, at times it felt like I was reading a historical fantasy. Because while the Brass City is imagined,it reflects the uncertainities of life   in the mid 1800’s in European Cities. But it wasn’t just that. It was the clear contrasts between the wealthy in the Silver City and the poor in the Brass City, and how that affected the relationship between the cities.
But if the Worldabove was believable, then Worldbelow was chilling. That was enhanced by seeing how the World Below looked in it’s hey day.
The plot wasn’t fast paced, but it was well paced. The story switched between past and present, between World Below and World Above. It should have been confusing, but it wasn’t. The main reason for that was because it was easy to follow the characters logic. Well, maybe except for the Cadre.
The characters felt unique. I admired Aude for her mix of curiosity and pragmatism. Which showed in a lot of ways through the story. And then there were the twins… I think this is the first time that I have read a ferret’s POV. I felt for Jehan as he chased after Aude.
The only problem I had with this book was the budding romance between Aude and Jehan.   I felt that it was buried behind Aude’s search for her family’s history, and it wouldn’t have hurt if it was a little bit stronger. 

(Just a tip to DAW: If you write a blurb for a book, use ALL of it online. Not a third.)