The first book in the Kingmakers series. I did like the cover.

Arrows of Change and Arrows of Promise are two books in the Kingmakers series by Honor Raconteur. I don’t know if the author has finished writing in this world or whether more books will be coming out. They are both ebooks and I actually spent money on them. Well, I spent money on the first book and got the second for free. However, I did pay more than $5 for the first book – and for me and a digital book that is not inexpensive.

Was it worth it? Well, I am feeling more forgiving now that I have finished the two books. But I would not describe the pair as good. They are not bad either. They are mostly boring. There is nothing offensively bad about the books. The idea is interesting enough, but the execution leaves much to be desired.

The greatest crime committed by the books is that they are flat and effectively lifeless. There is no significant character development. The good characters are all nice, hard-working, honest, upstanding, and righteous. The villains are vague, described as power hungry, violent, mad but mostly they are all in the background like some distant shadowy threat. They are just enough of a threat to unite the heroes and provide mooks for the justified killing.

While I find the concept of a dukedom pulling away from the larger kingdom to become independent an interesting topic, there was no depth to this story. The dukedom was perfectly good, with no flaws. The new King is organizing a modern government with elected positions, with laws made with input from the people and levels of bureaucracy to ensure there can be no tyrannical king. This also arranged haphazardly and seems like the characters are preaching modern morals. It is all presented as obviously good and the best option. But some of the ideas could use some serious scrutiny. Sure it is great that Rape is being treated seriously – but there is no consideration for why people do these horrendous crimes. However, if you ever felt that the death penalty was the best option for murder and rape then you will support this little utopia society quite nicely.

Sadly the daughter has redder than red hair. I could have lived without that cliche.

If however you are looking for some interesting conflict for discussion, don’t read this book. Everything is solved in the best case scenario. They magically work out for the characters. Conflicts are often minor or so big to be un-relatable. Even the premise for the separation of the dukedom from the larger kingdom is presented as something only good people would do and to argue otherwise would show you as evil. As such, there is no interest there, no development.

Further the style of writing, which flips between a father and daughter, is dry. It could be interesting. It could be new and fresh to have your primary leads as a father-daughter pair. But they don’t do anything with this. They characters are nearly the same to be almost interchangeable. They have no personal growth (at least not worth mentioning) and they tend to just tell the reader things. While both are expert archers, they are also good to grasp other tasks (a typical trait of primary protagonists). They are flat, lifeless creatures whose greatest trait is the manner of their speech which is clearly different from the rest of the main characters.

Oh, and there are wizards in this world. Wizards who become partners for this duo of most amazing archers (their skills are those of TV actors in amazingness). Wizards who can do anything with magic – literally anything. It is a terrible magic system as there are not clear constraints on the magic. If you can do it with your hands, wizards can do it faster and with magic. It makes them tired but that is about it. It is a lackluster system.

Could it have been interesting? Absolutely! I think looking at why one group of people would break away from the larger whole would be an interesting topic. Sure they are the underdogs, but you could also look at how that fracture would affect the larger kingdom. You could also look at the rebels as arrogant or greedy from one perspective, and determined and resilient from another perspective. It could make for an interesting story. But you need to look at both the good and the bad.

The problem that the main characters are stupid and didn’t have a plan for succession shows them as idiotic and creates some strange artificial utopian council where everyone works together to create some mystically appealing rules the populace will adore. It was unrealistic. If you want to look at the work going into building a new kingdom, then set it up as a political story and do justice to the problems involved.

If you want to focus on the amazing skills of your archers, then you might want to tell a different story altogether as this had little opportunity to showcase their skills. That said, it is difficult to explain how amazing an archer is from their perspective and the fight scenes were skimmed over rather than read.

Still, the Kingmakers books weren’t offensive in any regard. They were just lackluster = three stars out of 5 (if I had to put a number on it).

I realize it has been a long time since I have posted anything. It has also been a long time since I have read anything. However, it is Golden Week, here on the other side of the world. And that has afforded me some time to do a little light reading. I also splurged and actually bought a book.

The Air Awakens was written by Elise Kova. It revolves a young woman, Vhalla, who works in the Palace Library until she discovers that she is blessed or cursed with magic. Magic is the ability to manipulate one of the classic four elements. As it turns out, Vhalla possess the extraordinarily rare Affinity for Air. Unfortunately, Vhalla has been raised to fear and hate magic. Compound this with an uncertain relationship with the mighty and terrible Crown Prince and Vhalla’s ordinary and simple life becomes suddenly complicated.

So, what did I think? Well, the book was engaging. I read it one sitting – which is generally a good sign. I did not skip ahead either, another good sign. I liked the story. And I especially liked that it was a story. Yes, this is book one in a series. And there is no doubt when you reach the ending that it is just starting some large war arc.

However, I didn’t feel cheated by the end. Sure, the story was still going and certainly there are threads left dangling to entice the reader (particularly the Bond between Vhalla and the Crown Prince – which the author tries to leave vague). Still, Vhalla did change over the course of the story. Other characters came more into focus. And the world itself developed. While there is still much going on, I feel the book was complete enough.

Parasitic plant in the forest. It has no chlorophyll!

Was this book perfect? Of course not! I confess there were moments when it dragged a little, as it retread old ground. Occasionally it was difficult to relate to Vhalla’s reluctance to join the Tower of Sorcerers. Especially as their lives were clearly not evil and they lived in far better condition that she did as an Apprentice in the Library. A good attempt was made to show the progression of thoughts that bound Vhalla to her old life and how those changed with time. Most authors would have written the story in the first person perspective to cover this concept. I am grateful that Kova did not. It was a nice change not to have to listen to every rambling thought of the main protagonist.

The trail tossed in at the end was certainly forced. Politics should have been introduced earlier, though would have helped to ease this transition. Really, the last third of the book is rather discontinuous with the earlier style. The end portion was obviously written to set up the next books in the series. Where as the first part was more of a character study, the second part was the introduction of politics and obvious villains sent to test the fortitude of the hero.

The other problem I have with the book is the magic. Magic is linked to the very boring four element theory. We learn that mages ‘Awaken’ to their powers as we see Vhalla do. We know that mages need to study to master their skills, again we start to see this process with Vhalla. But just what are the restrictions and limitations. Just what skills does the heroine possess? That is made even less clear by the end of the story when suddenly Vhalla not only accepts that she can do magic, but that she can kill powerful people at a distance. This was not entirely unexpected, but it was a bit awkward. Once again showing the disconnect between the start of the book and its conclusion.

So, the story was not the most original tale. It was written with enough interest and pacing to engage the reader. While it does raise some interesting questions about war and empires, I am not holding my breath for an actual discussion about either one.

I suppose that leaves one other obvious question: will I buy the sequels (as that is the only way to read them)? The answer is a mixed yes and no. Yes, I can see myself buying the next book in the series. But not immediately. I will wait to see if I can get it at a cheaper price. Also, the story is setting a very predictable plot line, so it is not a priority. Still, if you are looking for a fun, light fantasy than this is a good book to try.

Well folks, it is nearing the end of June and the beginning of my Grand Adventure. I will shortly be flying off to Japan to soak up the  cultural differences while pretending to teach English to children. It will be … different from my normal job. But this is post is not a speculation on what is to come in my uncertain future, rather it is (likely) my last book review – for a while at least. I don’t know how much I will be reading in Japan – nor do I know when I will once again be connected to the internet…

Book Cover – taken from the internet.

I digress. I placed my order over a week ago for a book entitled Charming by Elliott James. If I wasn’t so suspicious about the Main Branch of the Public Library, I should have known their reluctance in lending me the novel came not from malice but a desire to spare me the necessity of reading it. Charming is not a deliciously bad book, but is a long way from good.

My problem started early with the first person narrative. I am not fond of first persons who talk to their audience. I am not fond of lengthy exposition that is written in the most mundane manner.

John Charming was trained as a Knight to hunt and kill monsters from fairytale (and every other sort of mythical legend). Sadly, (for him) he was kicked out of his order when it became apparent John was also a werewolf (one of the abominations to be hunted). His name reflects his families link to all the Prince Charmings of Fairytales.The book begins with John working in a pub when a stunning blond and Vampire enter. The author tries way too hard to be cutesy with his quips, clichés and chapter titles. Sadly, the writing lacks enough depth to produce anything beyond bland.

The narrative commences with a bold declaration that all magic is real and around us we have just been spelled into not seeing it. As set ups go this is neither terrible nor original. Unfortunately, I have read better. Free Agent does a good job of the Fairytale world – playing with Fairy Godfathers (and Godmothers), wicked step-mothers, Charming Princes, the whole works. The world has everything – every monster, mythical creature and fey to have been imagined. As such, there is nothing defining about this world. It works very hard at being grounded in reality, while dealing solely with the supernatural aspects – a contradiction perhaps? There is nothing particularly wrong with writing about werewolves and vampires (besides being ubiquitous). I have certainly read any number of ridiculous supernatural fluff. Perhaps this is why I found Charming to lack any real charm.

As I said the world has anything and everything, so there was nothing original about it. The explanation for why we normal humans don’t see the supernatural is a bit silly. There is a spell woven over all humans to ignore anything that doesn’t fit with our conception of reality. A spell that is apparently breaking down, while the supernatural elements grow stronger around us. I have read explanations along similar veins before – some done more successfully. By picking up an urban fantasy, I am already committing to the idea that weird and unexplained things could be happening around me. I don’t need my author to explain why I haven’t actually seen any of this with my own to eyes – it detracts from the story and breaks my suspension of disbelief. In fact the author has just done the opposite of his intended – he has made me even more aware of how ridiculous his world is.

Many people would surely enjoy the very light, mindless read that is Charming. I thought it would be good fun. Instead I found myself working at finishing the book (and skimming more and more as I rushed towards the promised end). Not surprisingly this is book one and as you can guess from my lack lust review, I will not be looking for the next novel in the series.

Oh, two this of interest did cross my mind as I was reading. 1) Apparently there is a lot of interest in old Norse mythology as the Blond was yet another Valkyrie to pop up in my readings. 2) The author really is fascinated by women’s hips as a defining physical character trait (at least for the first few females we meet).

So, Kevin finally wrote a post. Don’t count on mine being as long, we will see. Also, watch out – this ramble is full of spoilers.

Book cover from the internet.

Jaime Lee Moyer wrote a book called Delia’s Shadow. It is about a woman you can see ghosts. She leaves her home in San Fransisco to avoid seeing ghosts – cause that is crazy and she doesn’t want to be insane. weirdly, New York doesn’t seem to have ghosts at least for the first two and half years of her self-imposed exile. Then, one particularly strong ghost finds Delia and latches on, effectively driving her back to San Fransisco and the world of crazy people. San Fransisco is currently plagued with a serial killer and Delia’s ghost was one of his victims.

Back in San Fransisco Delia returns to her adopted home, where her adopted mother is dying and her adopted sister, Sadie, is about to be married, to Jack. Naturally Jack’s best man, Gabe, is single – as our female lead must fall in love with someone suitable by the end of the book. Of course, Gabe with his tragic history and dead first wife will match Delia’s own tragic history with two dead parents – being an orphan is sad. Both Jack and Gabe are lead detectives on the current serial murder case – which is theoretically the focus of the plot.

The story is set in the late 1800’s or early 1900’s – I don’t think a date was give. It is simple and logical in its set and competently written. I was going to say it was good, solid book – not brilliant as it lacked that indescribable spark that elevates good writing to inspired writing – until I started thinking about it.

The plot is simple – there are two detectives, a mass murderer and a city full of victims. The murders resemble those that occurred nearly thirty years earlier, down to the same brutality used on each victim, the same signature on the letters sent first to the newspaper and then to the lead detective. Threats are made against the city and then against the detective and his family (in present time, this includes Delia and Sadie). At the same time the Pan-American Fair is taking place in the city – oh and Sadie and Jack are planning their wedding.

Ghosts and emotional auras are the magic in the world. Technology includes cars starting to replace horse-drawn carriages, electric lights and cameras.

All the usual points seemed to happen. The ghosts try to threaten Delia. Delia and Gabe start off trying to be polite but indifferent to each other, but fall in love. Sadie is kidnapped by the murder towards the end and it is a race to save her life. Only, the story struggled in several key areas.

The main character is Bland. She is colourless, weak and while she defends her ghost from being sent away Delia doesn’t want to use her ghost to solve these murders. Delia’s sections are all written first person, which means a long steam of internal dialogue and a lot of ‘telling’ rather than ‘showing’. For example, we get a couple paragraphs of Delia reflecting on the stupidity of her decision to leave San Fransisco in favour of New York – because as she points out in the most high-handed fashion, that move did not change her ability to see ghosts, the way Sadie felt/looked at Delia and only meant Delia spent three years away from the people she loved. Thank you for that moral lesson.

Gabe’s sections are written in the third person – for contrast I assume. Though each time we have a change in perspective that character’s name in is written as the header. Gabe’s perspective is to show us insight into the workings of the police as they hunt down the killer. The police seem to act like those on TV; there is nothing rich or interesting about the manner in which the police are written.

Both of the above are more style points; writing. The other aspect of the writing was the error I found in one passage. The author has gathered five people for a séance and she carefully and precisely tells us where each person sits, then changes the location of two characters. It really stood out.

The biggest problem, the must unforgivable problem the book has is with motivations. Two people in particular were not well thought out. Jack appears to be irrationally angry with his family. His father, Jack discovers later in life, lied to him. The father told two lies: the first we learn is that the woman Jack knew as his mother was actually his stepmother. Though, if the woman raised him as her own, then I don’t understand why Jack was so angry. And I must have missed something because I don’t remember why there was any conflict between Jack and his stepmother – it seemed like forced conflict. The second occurs when we discover that Delia’s ghost, the woman who was killed in the murders 30 years ago and has been haunting Delia for the past six months, is Jack’s biological mother. Jack’s father told him his mother died of cholera (not that she disappeared). Of course the police at the time didn’t know the ghost’s name, so they could never actually inform the family. Again, I don’t know why Jack was so vehemently angry.

Bigger than Jack’s irrational anger, was the motivation of the killer. So, apparently the murder, Ethan, spends two years with his crazy uncle when his own mother dies and his father can’t cope. In those two years, normal young Ethan (about six when he leaves) because a crazed, death hungry psychopath. As he grows up he starts torturing and killing people in order to have their souls judged by the Egyptian gods. Really, really doesn’t make any sence. There is nothing inherently evil about the plethora of Egyptian gods associated with death. So to claim that Ethan kills on their behalf is bizarre and requires more of an explanation than ‘my uncle told me to’. What was wrong with the uncle? How was he able to brainwash and corrupt a child so thoroughly. I know the story was trying to say something about how even the most brutal people can appear normal with wives and children. But that Ethan, so depraved in the killings, so thoroughly obsessed had an innocent wife and child seems far beyond likely. The book tries to say that Ethan never stopped killing (during those 30 intervening years – he was a youth when he first terrorized the city and would now be late 40’s) but why did the ghosts suddenly take an interest in stopping him? Why did Ethan suddenly return to San Fransisco and start sending letters to the newspaper & police. The letters were not apparently a thing for 30 years (did he forget how to write for that length of time?).

Oh, and finally, how did the police manage to keep the entire city from knowing there was a serial killer on the loose? Someone, almost anyone associated with the crimes would have leaked the problem. This is not something you can covered up for months on end.

In the end Delia’s Shadow is Ok. I reads well at first glance, a little slow and colourless, but it does not hold up under further consideration. Passable, I suppose – if you want to discuss the psychology of crime and complain about how this killer is unrealistic.

To begin with: Happy Canada Day! May you enjoy some delicious BBQ and Fireworks on this the first day of the seventh month. I am not certain I am going to actually make it out to watch the fireworks, but I am sure some of our neighbours will do the honours anyway.

This is the book cover taken from the internets.

The book: Shadows.

The author: Robin McKinley

The plot: Magic doesn’t exist in the Newworld, only science. Genecor has excised the gene from those living in the Newworld. Instead the populace realise on technology to deal with the weird and dangerous warps to the fabric of reality. Maggie, however, is starting to suspect there is something wrong with her new stepfather. When she looks at him, she can see them: the Shadows. An undulating mass that wriggled free of his own logical shadow. She is not happy about this new development, though she is determined her weird new stepfather is not going to ruin her senior year at highschool.

I am not sure I am doing that good of a job selling this book. Of course, that would fit perfectly with my first impressions. I want to start this review by saying that I like Robin McKinley. I have read most of her novels and enjoyed many of them. She is, or can be, one of the more artistic writers I read. Which is to say there are long expositions of description, perhaps some internal dialogue and very little action. I would, to my brother’s frustration, describe her work as leaning towards watercolour – a little washed out and hard to see. Perhaps more impressionistic?

That said she has some very beautiful prose and I do quite like a number of her other stories. This one was a challenge to get into. It felt like a slog to read the first half-dozen chapters. It was the style, not the story, that was my stumbling block. The narrative is told in the first person (not my most favourite) and it was rambling. It lacked a clear, clean, direct timeline as it tried to provide the reader with a lot of world building. Unfortunately this made for a very tedious start to the book. I had thoughts of putting on my shelf and ignoring its uncompleted being, except I had nothing else to read last night. Fortunately things do start to pick up, the narrator meanders less as she focusses on the present problems. There are still a number of reflective sections when we are told about past events, but those are skimmable.

The world itself is a rather interesting alternate earth. It is very science-fiction, despite the heavy inclusion of magic. The Newworld (as opposed to the Oldworld, Farworld, Midworld or Southworld) is science/tech focused. It is trying to rid itself of magic. It is also facing the regular problem of rips in reality (or some such thing) just like the rest of the world.

The expletives are largely tech focused: ‘hot wire’, ‘dead battery’. It is everyday slang for the characters of the story and a good detail in the world building. Though, it can feel a bit confusing, especially at the start of the narrative when everything is new and odd sounding.

I also really liked the inclusion of Japanese phrases. They were added for world building flavour as one of the secondary characters has a Japanese background. It just so happens that I am currently studying Japanese, so I was tickled to be able to read these inclusions.

So, to sum up this review. The story is rambling, particularly at the beginning. However, if you continue forward there are some excellent world building elements, solid characters and interesting story to be discovered. It is a good read, just not as smooth as some other stories.

Strawberries are delicious – especially those you have picked yourself.

Also, I just finished reading After the Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn. It is a superhero novel, that I probably wouldn’t have chosen based on the ugly cover or the title. I in fact found it on someone elses recommended list. It was a good recommendation.

Image of the cover from the internet.

The story follows Celia West, the daughter of two prominent superhumans (superheros): Captain Olympus and Spark. Unlike her talented parents, Celia is not gifted with amazing powers. She is thoroughly normal. Unfortunately that makes her an easy target for all the villains of Commerce City. I think she has been kidnapped some half-dozen times before the story starts and she is kidnapped nearly another half-dozen times before the story ends. She is very good at being a victim.

Celia rebels against her famous family and strikes out on her own. She goes to college, studies hard and becomes an accountant. Yup, that is the excitement of her job. However, despite efforts to live her own life, Celia is drawn back into the world of superhumans when the super-villian Destructor is brought to trial. Celia is called in as a forensic accountant. All the things she thought she had left behind suddenly come back into play.

I thought the book was very well written. The moments of going back in time do a good job of showing, rather than just telling, some of the incidents bringing the characters to their present point. The motivations of the heroes and villains are compelling – always a good thing in a story.

The book has a lot of comic book superhero influences. Warren West, aka Captain Olympus, is the head of a massive corporation (like Batman). He has a generic superpower of strength and invincibility (like Captain America – I suppose, with a little of the Hulk’s anger thrown in). Suzanne West, aka Spark, has a fire ability. Together they formed the Olympiad vigilante group that came to include the Bullet (super speed) and Mentis (telepathy). Naturally they operate out of West Corp. huge skyscraper, complete with impressive penthouse, and secret operations room. The asylum, where Destructor is residing during the Trial of the Century is reminiscent of Arkam Asylum. Commerce City is a sufficiently generic city filled with people, gangs, cops and superhumans.

I do like the trial aspect of the book, which seemed to pull from Al Capone’s own history. Simon Sito, aka Destructor, is brought to trial for tax evasion and other accounting illegalities. Even Captain Olympus is incredulous that the evil super-villain will be tried, not for his heinous crimes of destruction, but for tax technicalities.

That the emotionally scarred and very normal Celia is the protagonist makes this book. It is an interesting dive into a world where superheroes exist. I like the way it protrays the rather obsessed vigilantes. I like the way it looks at the negatives of being a superhero or being related/involved with superheroes. The story feels real, rather than cartoonish in its portrayal of the world and characters. In the end, superheroes aren’t that spectacular and just like other people super-villains have to stand trial.

In a world saturated with the glory of masked men running around in skin-tight suits and claiming they act in the name of justice, this was more interesting and believable way of looking at that world. I would recommend this book. It was a good and compelling story, even if it was a little fluffy.

Can you buy a book if it is free?

Bored (but don’t tell anyone or they will want me to do things), I went to peruse the fantasy section of amazon. This is not an advertisement for the store. However, I have discovered amazon will have ebooks (kindle version only) on for $0.00. Well, I like free stuff. It makes taking a gamble on unknown authors and their novels risk free.

So I bought(?) The Emperor’s Edge by Lindsay Buroker. It was surprisingly good.

It is not a bad cover – it would look quite nice on a book shelf. But it does make for a rather uninspired picture. Image from the internet.

The Plot Summary:

Amaranthe Lokdon is an enforcer (police) in the Emperor’s (northern and winter locked) capital. She is female, a new trait for the city’s enforcers and looked down upon by nearly everyone. She is also dedicated to the throne. When Amaranthe is brought to the Emperor’s Chief Advisor’s (and previous Regent) notice she is offered a chance to prove her skills and advance her position in the force. Obviously, when the mission is to kill the most notorious assassin, the job is less of an opportunity for her career and more of an attempt on her life.

Sicarius is credited with numerous kills, escapes and other assassin credentials. He is deadly. He is also in the city.

Amaranthe goes in search of the assassin, only to have entire life turned upside down. While she is not killed (cause we wouldn’t have a story otherwise), she is also not successful. Sicarius points out the obvious trap the Chief Advisor had set and Amaranthe starts to put together the notion the Emperor is not safe. In fact, the Emperor is being poisoned by his Chief Advisor. This is the problem that pulls Amaranthe and Sicarius together. They must protect the Emperor and dispose of the Chief Advisor.

Our feisty heroine my not have all the deadly skills of an assassin, but she is able to devise crazy plans and recruit a rag-tag team to carry them out.

The selling feature of the book was the humour. It was a lark. Amaranthe is amusing the way she charges forward, sometimes blindly, but always with the best intentions. She is the moral compass for their small band of criminals, who are trying to do the right thing by protecting the Emperor. Of course, since they are operating outside of the law as fugitives with wanted posters, some of their methods are questionable at best.

The tone of the book reminds me of Ocean’s Eleven. There is just the right balance between serious moments, potential death, successful fighting and quips to keep the story rolling forward. The pacing is strong the story is solid and the characters are entertaining. There is not a lot of character growth, but then apparently there are some 7 books in this serial, so hopefully character growth comes over time.

Finally, a quick note on the world: it is cold – at least it is winter when this first story takes place. I get the feeling of some fantasy Scandinavian/Russian-esq world. Obviously it is not our world. But the Empire has a long history of war and culture built around war. They clearly have deep, cold, frozen winters. There is an element of steam punk or early mechanized technology with trolleys, clinkers and factories. There is also magic (mostly foreign) or as some might say: Mental Sciences. The world is fine, felling more modern than medieval. But it was not the world that held my attention throughout the story, it was the interactions between the characters and the entertainment of the situations.

Over all I enjoyed the Emperor’s Edge; it was a good romp with an engaging female lead. I may even purchase the sequel to see if it holds up.

Book cover found on the internet.

Ok, so my brother has been nagging me to post on the website. Apparently he feels sad he is the only doing work.

I would argue that I haven’t read anything lately, hence the lack of posts. However, that would be a lie. Rather, I have not read anything remarkable. Do not expect much from this review.

The book is entitled A Turn of Light. The author is Julie E. Czerneda. My overall assessment: it is good with a rating of 8 out 10.

A Turn of Light is a very traditional fantasy novel. The world has been entirely and competently created in a mix of monstrous and magical creatures, swords and wild elements. It has a pioneer/settler vibe in a world that is not stuck in mediaeval fantasy land. Elsewhere in the world tracks are being laid for trains while distant large cities are busy with politics, learning and religion. Our story, however takes place in the wild lands at the very edge of the inhabited land. I liked the way the author incorporated magic into Marrowdell. I also feel the connection between the magical world of the Verge and the physical world of Marrowdell were nicely woven together.

The story is restricted to the small valley village of some eight homes and few interconnected families. Yet there remains a greater sense of world beyond the sheltered wilderness. The village and its inhabitants are important characters. They generally get along, yet each has its own personality and faults.

When boiled to its basic components, the story is a coming of age for a protagonist Jenn Nalynn. She is not an orphan, but has a loving and capable family: father, older sister and visiting Aunt. I like that the family is involved in Jenn’s life and she in turn is a part of theirs. This is not a story of an isolated individual setting out on their quest. This is adventure found in the shadowed nooks of the valley and the Verge overlapping it.

To shake things up there are also two newly arrived strangers. They add different points of view and a connection to the world beyond that helps to transform Jenn’s world view.

My biggest complaint is the length. The story in paperback is 800 pages. There is a lot of description, a lot of slow character building, a lot of words. It is slowly paced, plodding even. As much as the author works to weave different threads of story together, the narrative is long.

Close-up of the cover – there is not a lot of image choices on the internet.

Still, the story is solid. The characters are reasonable. The world itself is beautiful crafted, making it the best part. Over all it was good.