Cast In Secret - Michelle Sagara

Cast In Secret by Michelle Sagara
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

These books read like police procedurals with a smart-mouthed officer with a blinding weakness for children, but in a world overflowing with mysterious magic and cool species. So not really action-oriented, but gripping if you enjoy investigations that involve talking to witnesses and putting the pieces together. All of that builds to the end, when I find myself reading so fast I forget to blink. All without swords! (However, there are knives.)

The investigations are centered on crimes, but the more fascinating mysteries are the magic and world with its multiple species, and these really take center stage. Each book so far has illuminated a new aspect of the world and magic, becoming more intriguing as the picture clears. I don't always understand everything at first, but I get a general idea and carry on, and it becomes more clear as it goes. I love that it feels like there's so much left to learn in future books, too.

This book in particular illuminates the Tha'alani, one of the mortal races. I really enjoyed them much more than I expected!

Kaylin is still impulsive and driven mostly by instinct when it comes to magic, but she's learning. She's also learning to keep her mouth shut occasionally. To say anymore than that would be to spoil it, so I won't. Enjoy.

For the King's Favor - Elizabeth Chadwick

For the King's Favor by Elizabeth Chadwick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For the King's Favor is a worthy companion novel to The Greatest Knight. It takes place during the same time (during the reign of Richard II), and overlaps with William Marshal's story at a few points, so definitely read that book, and probably also its sequel, first.

It's great to see glimpses of William again from another perspective, but it's also great to learn more about the Bigods. William and Roger struggle in parallel to build their houses, but their obstacles are very different, and Roger's honor is just as fine as William's in his own way. We also get Ida's full perspective in this book - she is not just a prize to be won or given, but a woman doing her best to make a life in a world where she has no power and few choices.

This is written in the same style as the Marshal books, covering many years in a way that is somehow not boring. I love how Chadwick shows the capriciousness of kings and how it could make and break people's lives, sometimes more than once. I feel like I know the people who lived in those times, their ambitions, heartaches, successes through luck or hard work and loyalty, or their failures in spite of them. Chadwick makes the history come alive.

The Tea Rose - Jennifer Donnelly

The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Tea Rose was a really good book, and I'm so glad I persevered past the absolutely devastating first 200-300-odd pages. It's one of those books that starts off with everything going so well that you know it's not going to last long. I had a sense of foreboding, but the amount of tragedy and pain was really too much. It just kept coming in wave after wave. It wasn't just a bit dark or a bit tragic. It was crushing, suffocating loss and pain. That's going to stick with me for a while. I'm really proud of myself for pushing through it, because I usually hate reading books full of tragedy, and this was darker than I can usually tolerate.

I'm fairly certain I stuck with it partly because of the tea. I love tea. I drink it all day long. And I love Victorian stories, and this one was refreshingly focused on industry and shops, and factories - not something I've seen very often since packaging and selling tea is not as glamorous as taking tea in the parlor. The sense of place was very vivid, and it kept me reading, along with the hope that such tragedy couldn't continue for 700 pages without reprieve.

I was totally ready to walk away if Part 2 didn't start turning things around. But luckily it did. From that point on, even though there are still sad parts, the overall tone is more hopeful, and things start to go right. I was finally able to settle down into an enjoyable historical tale with more regular ups and downs. The strength of love and friendships and resilience of spirit began to shine through, and the memory of those will stick with me for a while too.

Then, for the last part of the book, I suddenly found myself glued to the pages. I couldn't read fast enough to see how everything would play out. I wasn't completely sure I could trust everything to work out how I wanted it to, but in the end, all of the resolutions were so completely satisfying. I can't believe I'm saying it, but it was worth it to persevere. What a roller coaster ride.