The Summer Tree - Guy Gavriel Kay

The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Well this was a disappointment after Tigana. If you haven't read Tigana, don't judge Kay by this. I think it could have been interesting, but the style is so flowery and pompous and full of info dumps that my eyes glazed over far too many times. It read like an attempt at being Tolkienesque, with the tone like when Gandalf sets up the back story before the quest, but liberally throughout, and with so much meaningless detail because I didn't know any of the names that were being thrown about.

There were some interesting things in the actual story, even if the entire book read like a prologue. Unfortunately, the distant tone made it hard to connect with the characters, even with some huge things happening to them, and then came the rape and torture. Before that, I would have probably given this 3 stars, but it left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Now I understand why reviewers are always talking about 80s fantasy as being overly flowery and full of rape.

I might still have to give the second book a chance, since it ended right where things are really just starting, and on a cliffhanger.

In the Balance - Patricia Wentworth

In the Balance by Patricia Wentworth


This was a chilling story of emotional abuse. If you've been in an emotionally abusive relationship, you might want to steer clear. It affected me a lot. If you've ever wondered why people stay with partners who abuse them, this might give you some idea. There's lots of lies, gaslighting, manipulation.

I'm sure a lot of people might think the victim is too passive, trusting, etc. Perhaps she is, but a big part of that is the confusing situation she finds herself in. I found it far too realistic, way too close for comfort. I'm not talking about the more obvious traumatic situations like almost getting killed. I'm talking about the much more subtle undermining that occurs in ordinary, everyday events like eating breakfast. And the way that you grasp at any sliver of positive to believe that everything's not so bad. Wentworth captures the paralysis you feel when you're the object of this kind of abuse and can't even trust your own feelings or judgement. Disturbing, and very real.

Faro's Daughter - Georgette Heyer

Faro's Daughter by Georgette Heyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was beginning to think I had already read all the best Heyer romances. This was a nice surprise. It had me laughing several times, too.