Walk on Earth a Stranger - Rae Carson

Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Walk on Earth a Stranger is excellent YA historical fiction with a bare dusting of fantasy and a hint of potential future romance.

Carson really brought the wagon trail alive. Actually, so much alive that I am only rating it 3 stars even though it's really well done. There was too much death, too much grim and gritty detail, too much reality about the attitudes of the time as well as the physical hardships. Too much for me, anyway. I'm thankful it's YA, and there are some even darker things it didn't explore.

But I care about the characters who survived, so I'm tempted to read the next book. It might be worth suffering through more of this vivid reality to see what happens to them.

Shades of Milk & Honey - Mary Robinette Kowal

Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

More for the historical romance fan than the fantasy lover, the magic here largely took the place of art. The main focus is country neighborhood drama with a definite Austen feel to it.

If you enjoy fantasy of manners, you should enjoy this. I thought the magic added a nice touch to the romance.

Bewitching Season - Marissa Doyle

Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Usually the London season is a backdrop, not the entire plot of a book. This may be the most boring Regency I've ever read, and that's with a kidnapping, secret magic, and a plot to take the throne. So much potential unrealized.

Tigana - Guy Gavriel Kay

Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I first heard about Guy Gavriel Kay shortly after joining Goodreads, and have just finally managed to get around to reading my first book. It won't be the last!

Tigana was a wonderful reading experience. Complex, nuanced characters captured my heart and I hoped against hope that everyone could somehow be saved in the end. It was beautiful and tragic, full of loss, hope and redemption. I wanted to spend more time in the aftermath and follow them all home. It finished too soon.

The Gathering Storm (Crown of Stars, #5) - Kate Elliott

The Gathering Storm by Kate Elliott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Gathering Storm seriously cut into my reading stats for the year! At almost 1000 pages, it took me a month to read (I did take a break around the middle). This series has definitely reached sprawling epic category. But if you like this kind of thing and have the patience for it, it's really brilliant. Not enough people know about this series.

There are a lot of characters and timelines to keep track of in this book. I'll admit to being a bit fuzzy on some of them, and on their locations at times. Travel through the crowns means that months and sometimes years pass in days for some characters, and it can be hard to keep track of who is when and where. That didn't really bother me, though, since it is all about moving players into position for the anticipated cataclysm, exploring varying goals for the event.

I am still enjoying many of the points of view, but there are a few that I find myself wishing would hurry along. Zacharias, the self-proclaimed coward of an apostate monk. Ivar and his band of heretics. Strong Hand, who is just so inhuman that I have a hard time relating to him or caring about his Eika empire consolidation. But I'm sure that'll be important at some point.

I do know some readers don't have the patience for such a character-driven story, but I still find myself savoring it. The world feels so real, and the characters are finely nuanced. The character development is a real strength of this entire series. You never know how fortunes are going to change in the blink of an eye, and how a character will react to their new circumstances. It's just so well done - great writing and insights into human and non-human natures.

One character in particular who I thought was fairly static was transformed throughout this book and their growth ended up being pivotal. And Alain - poor Alain just goes from misery to misery on top of being back in his native time and losing that other life (which I'm thankful gave him a reprieve for at least one book). I hope things start looking up for him now because he's suffered more than enough.

But most importantly, the moment all of this maneuvering is aiming at does finally arrive! The cataclysm occurs, and although I won't tell you whose plot succeeded, I can tell you that destruction on a massive scale was inevitable either way. I can't wait to see what happens In the Ruins because nothing will be the same. Except for human nature with all its resilience, its hope, and its less admirable qualities.

Heir to Sevenwaters - Juliet Marillier

Heir to Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was not quite as good as the books of the original trilogy, but that's such a high standard to meet. I still couldn't put it down. Sevenwaters is the same magical place, but this time a new foe appears, and another daughter of Sevenwaters rises to the challenge of defending her family and loves. I can't wait to see where the next one takes it all.

4.5 stars?

A Breath of Frost - Alyxandra Harvey

A Breath of Frost by Alyxandra Harvey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I love Fantasy of Manners, that sub-genre that blends Jane Austen-ish social settings and romance with a magical version of the 19th Century. A Breath of Frost introduces a Regency world with a magical society hidden beneath the surface of all the polite society balls and soirees. Three cousins, debutantes, discover that magic is part of their heritage, and begin to learn about this world. And it's kind of strange.

Familiars that jump out of their witch's chests, gargoyles that animate to protect (or attack), portals to the underworld, earthy magic made with rowan berries, protections of salt and iron, stags in the forest, shifters, blood magic and evil warlocks back from the dead. This is not your average magical London. Or YA novel.

It did take me a while to get used to the strange assortment of magic and to the rules of the hidden society. But once I got into it and understood how things worked, I was intrigued, and I enjoyed the next book more.

Unfortunately, the publisher decided not to publish the third book, but the author kindly wrote a novella to bring closure to the series so don't let that stop you. There aren't enough of these types of stories out there, so if you enjoy Fantasy of Manners like I do, at least give this a try.

In A House Made of Bones and Teeth - Alyxandra Harvey

In A House Made of Bones and Teeth by Alyxandra Harvey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm so thankful to the author for wrapping up the Lovegrove Legacy. Since the publisher dropped the series, this novella resolves the cliffhanger at the end of book 2 very nicely. It really reads like an extended ending for that one, the action and intensity continuing without pause. I'm mostly satisfied, but I wish there were more!

I find myself wondering what we're missing since we didn't get a full length novel. What was Penelope's story going to be? There are a couple of characters that have slightly loose ends, too, even though the main story is all there.

I do also wish there were at least one more chapter in the aftermath of the battle. I needed to see everyone dealing with what happened and finding each other. In the turn of a page, it went from intense and desperate end of the world to the distance of an epilogue showing years in the future. My emotions are still trying to find their way back down!

I'm really bummed that the publisher didn't give us a chance to get a full book 3, but since the main story is wrapped up in this novella, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the series to anyone who enjoys Regency-era novels tossed with Fantasy. This Fantasy is full of strange magic of salt, earth and metal, and is centered on three fierce cousins, debutantes who - you guessed it - defy convention, but with a unique set of talents that made it seem fresh. I wish I could read more.

The Golem and the Jinni - Helene Wecker

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Golem and the Jinni is a slow builder, that's for sure. I was never bored, but there were a couple times when I wondered what it was building towards and when it was going to step it up. It's not action-driven whatsoever, so I'd only recommend this if you enjoy 19th Century historical fiction that is character-driven.

The fantasy element is there, a fine thread woven throughout that adds an exotic touch. But it doesn't play a large role until near the end of the book. And by the way, I really liked how that aspect came together.

I also liked how the details of day-to-day living allowed me to savor the particular flavor of the immigrant experience in New York, and how it subtly built into something much more. By about 60% I didn't want to put it down because I was so invested in the characters and had to see what would happen to them.

The ending was not a perfectly neat bow, but not a cliffhanger, either. I'm glad to discover there will be a sequel, although it's jumping time periods to WWI, so I'm not sure what to think about that. A large part of what I enjoyed about this book was the setting, so we'll see. I'll definitely check it out.

The Burning Sky - Sherry Thomas

The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the kind of Fantasy that I can just devour in a day. It's light, adventurous, romantic, and hard to put down. Soooo not epic. It's not that I don't enjoy Epic Fantasy, too. It's just such an investment, and you have to have patience, and often the characters are just a little too remote. Usually I have to take breaks from the Epics, both during and between installments.

Sometimes I just want to jump in and enjoy. I want a couple of characters that I can like, with problems that are a bit smaller so I can just enjoy hanging out in the world and getting to know them. It doesn't have to be impeccably detailed. It can have elements of what some people might call tropes, because - let's be honest - the tropes are the core of what I love about Fantasy in the first place. So although I do appreciate the grand, epic tales, I have to admit that I like this kind of Fantasy better. This is the kind I save up for days when I have plenty of time to read because the hours are going to fly by.

So, I really enjoyed reading The Burning Sky. It has fun magic (and plenty of it), romance (but not overwhelming), 19th Century London set alongside mage realms, British boarding school experience, a girl disguised as a boy, and magical training in a virtual reality type world. Oh yes, there are also wyverns! And just to keep it from being boring, there's overarching danger and a suitably detestable villain or two. But it's the development and interaction of the two main characters that really carries the story. Pure fun. I can't wait to see what comes next.

King's Dragon - Kate Elliott

King's Dragon by Kate Elliott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really loved this book. It was one of those rare ones that I took my time to savor without thinking about what I was going to be reading next. As with many books that I've loved, it's hard to explain why. I really just love Kate Elliott's writing. Her world is so vivid and real, with a deep sense of history and of hidden things that will be revealed. At the same time, she also makes me care about and fear for the characters so effortlessly, and because of the characters, the world feels very immediate rather than overwhelmingly epic.

I honestly had no idea where the story was headed for much of the time - this isn't a quest-type fantasy with a stated goal. It takes place in an alternate medieval kingdom teeming with heresy, hypocrisy, treachery, and violence. Kingdom politics and inhuman coastal raiders. Ancient magic, forbidden knowledge, reverence for learning, true piety, and evil sorcery. The feeling of the world is amazingly real with both awe and danger. I loved the sense of place. This was really great historical fantasy, both recognizable and foreign to our own medieval time.

Some people might find the plot slow, but I didn't find it dull. I enjoyed both of the main viewpoints. Two young, unrelated characters find themselves caught in the middle of affairs they don't understand. Both start out in very humble circumstances and have much to learn and sometimes much to suffer. Although they are important to events, they are not instantly transformed into saviors of the world. They have their parts to play, but they don't grow too far beyond themselves and their beginnings. I am really looking forward to seeing where this is going and what they grow into, and to having more of the world revealed. I have six more books to savor, and I plan to take my time.

I highly recommend this to fans of both historical fiction and fantasy - it's a fantastic blend of both.

The Paper Magician - Charlie N. Holmberg

The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The paper magic was really fun, but literally half the book is spent in someone's memories, which started to drag, and didn't seem to serve much of a purpose besides fostering a one-sided infatuation that I didn't care for much.

Then there's the blood magician threat, which an entire force of magicians and police have been fighting - but Ceony doesn't even get questioned seriously about what happened?

Towards the end, I also began to notice an increase in modern concepts and American words and phrases, when this is supposed to be set in London around the turn of the 20th Century. Needless to say, I found it jarring and irritating.

So it sounds like I didn't like this much. But I liked it well enough. The concept of paper magic was really interesting, and I enjoyed all the details of folding. It just had some distracting aspects and was not as developed as I like. I can see why some people are calling it YA even though Ceony is 18 and out of school. There's something too simple about it to be adult. I was hoping for it to be more than it was, that's all. I think I will probably still pick up the sequel at some point.

The Iron Wyrm Affair - Lilith Saintcrow

The Iron Wyrm Affair by Lilith Saintcrow
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I did not like the writing style of this at all. It was choppy and jumped all over the place. The changing POVs were confusing because I couldn't always tell at first that they had changed, and the world-building was basically non-existent. I feel like I missed an entire book that actually explained the world, the magic, and all the terms that were randomly thrown at me throughout.

There were many scenes that I had to go back and re-read because I realized that I had no idea what I had just read. They were garbled and confused, and re-reading didn't always help. That's when I started to skim. I skimmed until I found explanations and scenes that I could actually understand. And I skimmed until I had enough of a sense of the story that I was half-way interested in what was going to happen, and then I managed to care enough to finish the book (while still skimming the confusing parts!).

The thing is, I think there's a good story in there somewhere. I had to dig really hard to find it, and it was obscured by choppy and chaotic scenes. But it was enough in the end for me to give this two stars instead of one, if only because I'm a sucker for historical fantasy / steampunk settings like this.

Child of the Prophecy - Juliet Marillier

Child of the Prophecy by Juliet Marillier

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



This is such a hard review to write because I loved this book so much. There is something about Marillier’s writing that is completely absorbing. I’ve only read her original Sevenwaters Trilogy so far, but each of those books has succeeded in captivating me with a full range of real emotion. The characters are so real, and their trials so heartbreaking and rewarding that I can’t turn away. She combines tragedy and desperation with hope and love - romantic and familial love, love of the forest or the sea, love of the old ways that are dying out. They are all bittersweet, some more bitter than others. At first, I wasn't sure I liked being made to feel all these things, but the experience is so rich that this is now one of my favorite series of all time.

Each book has a unique story, and each affected me at a level that few books have touched before. I usually avoid sad books because the emotion often feels contrived, but these are not tearjerkers. I really care about the characters and what is happening to them, and sadness is just part of their experiences. It’s so real. I’m in awe of Marillier’s ability to make me feel it and not make it feel cheap or fake.

I wasn’t sure if the first two books were just flukes, but with the third, Marillier has made it onto my favorite authors list, and books 2 and 3 are solidly on my favorites shelf. (Book 1 was still a bit too dark for me, in spite of everything I just said). I am now greedily hoarding everything else she has written, and am glad there are so many left for me to read. I just hope they are half as good.

Enough general raving. Now to the specific review. Child of the Prophecy was often not an easy book to read. I was frustrated at Fainne, at her naiveté and the weakness that led her to betray herself and everyone else who mattered. I wanted to shake her at times! I wanted to reach in and prevent her from making terrible mistakes, or do something to help her find her way.

But Fainne's growth and discovery from beginning to end was a journey that I found totally worth it. 100%. The last third of the book had me completely glued to the pages, hardly breathing. It had me fearing, grieving and hoping all in one. And the ending was perfect. It was magnificent. I had to go read it over again immediately. I want to do it again right now. I still don't want to move on.

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January 4, 2015

Loved it - review to come hopefully later when I have recovered my senses.

Darker Still - Leanna Renee Hieber

Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This started out kind of insta-lovish and cheesy, but the puzzle of the curse and the haunted painting were really interesting and I ended up liking it mainly because of that and the Gothic atmosphere. I was happy enough with the ending that I'm probably not going to pick up the rest of the series, though. I don't really need to see where else this goes.

I do enjoy this author's writing. Everything I've read by her has had great atmosphere. But I liked her adult series better, and I think I'll wait until she goes back to writing for adults again. This was too YA for me.

Review: Cold Fire

Cold Fire by Kate Elliott

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I said about Cold Magic that it somehow got under my skin in spite of the very heavy world building at the start. Now it has gone from being under my skin to being a world that I am dreamily living in and don’t want to leave. The atmosphere is fantastic, the writing beautiful at times, the sense of place rich and layered. Regardless of characters and plot, being in the world is a feeling to savor.

This book takes us out of the frigid north that is still ruled by princes and mages into the Antilles, where a sort of democracy exists, and where you can almost smell the ocean and taste the fruit. The world building is done with a much lighter hand, expanding your view at just the right pace. Issues of independence, slavery, democracy, women’s rights, class, power, magic and fate - all are interwoven with an immediacy that makes a spellbinding tale. I love how complex the world gets with the growing unrest in multiple nations and the spirit world on top of that. It keeps me from getting bored and keeps me wondering how it’s all going to tie together. Let me just say it was worth the effort the first book took to get into.

And the plot itself is such an adventure! The action starts immediately, and takes completely unexpected turns, keeping me on edge. You know when you read a book that annoys you in some ways, frustrates you in others, and yet you are completely into it and enjoying being in it, and it wins you over by the end? That's this book. It’s an elusive feeling, hard to describe exactly why it grabs you when it may not grab someone else. I’m happy just to enjoy the fact and not over-think it.

One thing I’m really coming to appreciate about this series is the complexity of the characters. They are all flawed, sometimes making stupid decisions, or decisions they believe are right but end up being poor choices once they have more of the facts. Sometimes they’re just plain immature and regret it later. Everyone has their own agenda, not necessarily good or bad, but their goals are not all the same, and there are betrayals, small and large. No one is trustworthy all the time, but most of them are likable some of the time.

I should mention that there is romance, more in this book than in the first. But it’s not the whole story, and I’m enjoying this aspect of the series as well (once Catherine stops being stupid, that is). I’m amazed at how much I ended up liking Vai. He was such a pompous, arrogant, cold prick in the first book, but turns out being much more than he seems. When I found out more about him my opinion did a complete turnaround. Now I’m attached to both him and Catherine, and I’m afraid of what they’re going to have to go through in the last book. Whatever happens, I’m going to try not to rush through it.



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Review: Cold Magic

Cold Magic by Kate Elliott

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Cold Magic is an alternate history fantasy, but unlike any I’ve read before. It takes place in England in the 1800s - I think, since there isn’t really an England or a Victoria as far I can tell. Some aspects of both Regency and Victorian society are there, including an alternate Industrial Revolution. All of Europe is still frozen in an extended ice age. There are mage houses and princes in conflict with serving classes and technology, and there is just a tiny bit of steampunkishness to it - there’s an airship, but that’s about it so far.

There are still Romans running around and Latin is still a spoken language, although their empire was defeated about 800 years earlier. There are also Carthaginians who have become a clan of spies, and a Napolean-like liberator who is imprisoned on an island. A version of America is hinted at - oh, and there are trolls! Trolls are apparently sentient descendants of another species that didn’t die out, just as there are still wooly rhinos in this world. It is fascinating, and also cold. You can really feel the cold.

Honestly, the world-building was one of the worst info dumps I’ve read in a long while even though the world is an imaginative one. I had to concentrate so hard for the first half to try to absorb all of the altered names and altered countries, wars, history, etc. It was almost harder having slightly familiar events than a completely new world would have been because my mind was trying to translate everything and register all the changes. And it was mostly conveyed through conversations. It was rough, but there was just enough atmosphere and interest in the main character to keep me ploughing through it, and I was glad I stuck with it in the end.

Once things started really happening, I kept being surprised by the turns events took. My expectations were constantly challenged as the story went off in new directions and unexpected adventures. I also started to put together how the world - and magic - worked in real situations and what parts of the history were important for understanding the immediate story.

I don’t know how, but once the plot started moving, this world got under my skin and I found myself wanting to get back to it while I was at work, and wanting to pick up the sequel without taking a break. Strange. It's not easy to get into and is not without its faults once you do, but I do recommend it if you enjoy a bit of a challenge, as well as alternate history / steampunk sort of fantasies.

If only the world-building had been less like being buried under a mountain of foreign terms! This is why I'm struggling with a rating, because I think I would give the story itself 4 stars, but the massive info dump is dragging it down. It was way more work to get into than it needed to be. 3 stars it is.

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Initial Review 9/27/2014:

I'm going to have to think about this one for a while. I ended up liking it, but have no idea how to describe it or even rate it right now.



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Review: Alias Hook

Alias Hook by Lisa Jensen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



4.5 Stars. I didn't love this quite as much as some of my other 5 star books, but it was so much better than many that I’ve rated 4 stars. Days after finishing, I'm still looking back and thinking, wow that was good, so I'm going to round up to 5 stars.

Alias Hook was a fantastic re-imagining of Peter Pan. I absolutely loved it. It's not just a retelling or a fleshing out of the original tale, but completely turns the whole legend on its head. Jensen turned everything around in such a believable way. I feel like she thought of everything, the picture was so complete. I felt like I was in Neverland, and this was the true story of Peter Pan. It's so well done, so realistic, and the flipped take on the old story makes so much sense when you're looking at everything from an adult's perspective.

Neverland still feels magical, because it's still a fantastic place full of magic and legends like mermaids, fairies, and pirates. But it also feels real, treacherous and sad, with everything subject to the whim of a cruel boy who can never grow up. I can still see many of the scenes in my head, the world is so lushly described.

The story is told from the perspective of Captain Hook. He is a weary, desperate man under a curse that forces him to play his part as the adult villain in Neverland. He has been killed by Peter many times, but can never die, never find release from this endless childhood and endless parade of children who consider killing him and his men the best kind of sport. Now something in Neverland is finally changing, and Hook may finally have a chance to escape the curse if he can only figure out what the chance is before it's too late.

The idea of how Neverland works, with the Lost Boys and Wendies always changing, but Hook and Peter staying the same, was intriguing. I instantly felt sympathy for this man who may have started out a real pirate and a ruthless rogue, but who never deserved the 200 years of torment that he's endured under Peter Pan's tyranny. The story of how Hook got to Neverland, how his hand was lost, and of all of the losses over the years that gradually wearied him of this game of war and death, appealed to me right away. And I hated Peter immediately too, that ruthless, almost insane goblin of a child. I’m happy to say, I got exactly what I wanted for Hook out of this tale, and actually gained a measure of pity for Peter by the end, rather than just hating him. There’s emotional complexity to it, and it’s not all just black and white like fairy tales and retellings often are.

There is some romance in the book, and there are a couple of more explicit scenes so that I would only recommend this to adults. Those scenes and the romance are probably what bring my rating down from the full 5 stars. I felt that matters turned to the physical too suddenly. I prefer emotional and sweet romances where you see how a couple falls in love rather than them deciding to jump in bed all of the sudden. So that aspect didn’t appeal to me so much. At least the two people involved talked to each other and got to know each other first, and the romance doesn’t take over the story. It does fit as part of the whole, even though it brings a more modern view of relationships into it - a minor complaint that is completely based on my preferences in this area. It’s saying a lot that this one aspect didn’t detract from my appreciation of the book much at all.

Highly recommended, especially to those who enjoy classic tales retold. This one’s a gem!

**Received free arc for review through NetGalley.com. Many thanks to the publisher for a book I probably wouldn't have picked up otherwise.



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Review: His Majesty's Dragon

His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



His Majesty’s Dragon is a historical fantasy set during the Napoleonic wars in the early 1800s. There isn’t really any magic in this alternate history, and there is really only one difference, which is - obviously - the existence of dragons. I love the way that Novik interweaves dragons with what really happened, giving them a place in history as it played out. It’s such a subtle change, really. Humans use dragons in war. They have entire units of them to supplement naval battles. They are not a rarity that gives one side a huge advantage over the other, so the war is pretty much the same, just with dragons as an added factor.

Captain Laurence is a naval officer who finds himself attached to a dragon and having to give up his naval life for a life in the dragon corps. A lot of time in this first book is spent on him and Temeraire training together and learning about aerial maneuvers and battle strategy. They do get to see some real action later in the book, but it takes a while to build up to. Some people might find it slow-moving, but I really enjoyed the pace and getting to know the culture of the dragon corps in training mode.

The dragons are used in much the same way as ships, with rigging and harnesses that host an entire crew for shooting at other dragons. I really felt like I was reading about naval battles, just in the air and with a ship that can think and act for itself.

One thing I should mention is that although this is a Regency era novel, there are not many women at all. It is not a Jane Austen-esque novel, but focuses more on the men (and yes, a couple of non-typical women) in the military and their concerns. There is the typical era stuffiness about manners and etiquette - who can talk first at the dinner table, etc - but without the courtship aspect that many Regency readers are familiar with and may be wishing for. Captain Laurence is one of these stiff, very correct and honorable men, but unlike with his naval experience, his new aerial unit does not “stand on ceremony” and he has to learn that ceremony is ridiculous sometimes. I like this angle that critiques the culture of the time, showing how over-politeness can be a hindrance to sincerity and truth.

The women that do exist in the book are not at all the genteel types that Laurence is used to, which also challenges his concept of what is acceptable. I love that the story takes a typical Regency captain out of his element and gives him a unique view of his own society that he can’t help but begin to criticize. He begins to realize there’s a difference between affecting manners and true honor. As he questions the norms, he brings the parts that do make sense with him into the dragon corps and sparks changes there.

The main thrust of the story plot-wise is the friendship that develops between Laurence and Temeraire as they train for active service. Dragons occupy a low place in this society, and are not respected as sentient beings. They’re treated more as animals - like a horse that needs to be trained and cared for, but never gets brushed down or has its saddle removed. But as the captain gets to know his dragon, he begins to question that aspect of his own society as well. The dragons have wonderful personalities, some of them very intelligent, and the way the humans treat them ends up making them look like animals instead.

All-in-all, I really enjoyed this. I love books set in this time period, though, and am partial to Comedy of Manners as well as Fantasy genres. The combination of the two here is a definite win for me, especially with the satirical critiques of the society. I found the lack of domestic concerns a refreshing change from the usual novels of the period, and didn't even mind the lack of magic, which is usually a 'must' for me in Fantasy.

The 9th and final book in the series is due in 2015, and I’ll be slowly making my way there whenever I get a hankering for this very particular flavor.



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Review: Newt's Emerald

Newt's Emerald by Garth Nix
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Newt's Emerald really is like a Heyer novel with magic and adventure. I loved it. The tone was so Heyer-like - witty and not taking itself too seriously. But unlike Heyer's, the focus was more on the mystery of the emerald than on the etiquette and balls and romance, which were there but in the background.

It also reminded me of Victoria and the Rogue by Meg Cabot but with less romance.

The magic is not a huge player throughout - mainly referenced but not experienced, so although I'd call this a Fantasy of Manners, it's not too much different than an ordinary Regency period novel. And since it's more modern than Heyer, there's less Regency jargon to get bogged down in.

A quick read, lots of fun, not too serious. I'll be keeping my eye out in case Nix decides to write more in this vein (please!).

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