A Great Deliverance - Elizabeth George

A Great Deliverance by Elizabeth George
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

First the superficial. I'm having a hard time getting over how annoying a couple of the characters were. The horribly caricatured American tourist was too much - I ended up skipping any passage with him. And felt he was completely unnecessary to the plot. It's difficult to enjoy a book when you have such antipathy to ridiculous characters.

I did like Lynley, but his partner... I'm sure that she will get better as the series progresses, but did she really have to shriek and shrill so much? And shouldn't a police sergeant have a bit more control over herself?

To be fair, it was written in the 1980s, and suffers some from the trends of the time. It dwells far too long on psycho-babble and torturous interpersonal relationships and family problems, and moves onto fairly explicit descriptions of sexual abuse, which didn't come across as that much worse than everyone else's psychological turmoil. Everyone's internal struggles seemed highly exaggerated, except for the actual victims of crimes.

Ok, so maybe I didn't like it all that much? But I liked Lynley. Keep Lynley and ditch the rest, and we might have something I don't cringe to read.

The Shock of Night - Patrick W. Carr

The Shock of Night by Patrick W. Carr
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

With dark books like this, it's the ending that determines whether I rate up or down. The key element I need is hope. Without it, my imagination can't expel the sense of doom and gloom when I return to real life.

This book was dark enough that I'm struggling with it today. I was upset about some of the character losses, as well as the narrowing path that Willet is being forced down. I probably won't continue the series because I'm afraid of how much worse it can get and who else will die before it gets better, assuming it ever does. Reading reviews for book two, it looks like hopelessness continues to be a key element. Grim, gritty, dark... these are all key words that don't bode well for me.

If you don't have the same issues, this is an absorbing medieval-ish fantasy with an interesting magic system, characters that are easy to know and love, and a mystery to solve. It's a good story, but the tone is much darker than in the more traditional fantasy by Carr that I enjoyed (A Cast of Stones). Too dark for me, I think.

Although marketed as Christian Fantasy, I haven't found this or any of Carr's other work to be obviously Christian. I'm sure the themes and inspirations are grounded there, but he's not hitting you over the head with it. Most obvious is the lack of gore (but not violence) and other adult content that is common in other dark fantasies, which I don't mind at all.

Murder at the Brightwell - Ashley Weaver

Murder at the Brightwell by Ashley Weaver
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I found this a wonderful historical mystery that surprised me several times. I love it when I don't guess the murderer, not from lack of clues but from not seeing how they all fit together until the end. It lets my mind stay busy with suspecting everyone, and I don't feel cheated when I'm surprised by the pieces of the puzzle clicking together.

I also very much enjoyed the drama of Amory's marriage troubles, which gave it more emotional depth than is often present in these types of mysteries. Those who prefer their mysteries without any romantic distractions may not enjoy it so much, but I tend to prefer mine with a good dose of character development outside of the mystery itself.

Another positive for me is that although there was romance, it was not about people just meeting and falling in love. Instead it dealt with the much more complex issues of an established relationship on shaky ground. I found Amory's state of mind to be realistic in the circumstances and was completely engrossed in her struggles to find the truth of her own heart. I want to know what happens to her next, and that's what will drive me to pick up the next book.

A Useful Woman - Darcie Wilde

A Useful Woman by Darcie Wilde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Useful Woman had a bit of a ponderous start and was in serious danger of getting bogged down in too many details of propriety and drawing room niceties. The Regency era is one of my comfort settings, but something needs to happen within that setting for me to stay interested, and that needs to happen pretty quickly. Here, it did set the stage for the tightrope that Rosalind is walking, but I wish the touch had been a bit lighter and the action had started sooner.

Thankfully, a murder did change all that. Once Rosalind focused on plumbing the depths of the currents around her, watching her try to hold together her own social position as well as that of her friends and charges was much more interesting. Who knew what could be hiding under that veneer of respectability? I found the answer satisfyingly shocking in the end.

I loved the premise of Rosalind as an unprotected woman trying to stay acceptable to the ton after her father's financial disaster years ago. I loved her cleverness at eking out a living from them, and her strength under that intense pressure. I definitely want to see more of the characters who appreciate her intelligence instead of using her while forcing her to hide it. One in particular was very intriguing...

I do have one more minor quibble. I was irritated a couple times when Rosalind realized something about the mystery and it was not shared with the reader. She suddenly knew what had happened, but I had to stay in the dark until the end. I appreciate the suspense that kept me in, but I would rather have followed her thought process more. That's one reason I like to read mysteries, so I can be working it out in my own mind. If I don't have all the same information the sleuth has, I can't do that.

Still, I felt this was a strong start to a new historical mystery series, especially as it's the first mystery by this author. I'm definitely looking forward to the next installment. I just hope we don't dwell on the correct order of paying compliments for too long before the next murder breaks.

Royal Airs - Sharon Shinn

Royal Airs by Sharon Shinn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A lot of reviewers were disappointed in this sequel to Troubled Waters, and about half way through I realized why. It was missing the magic, the elemental magic. Neither of the main characters had any, so we only saw it peripherally. This made it much less of a fantasy and more of a historical romance with some political intrigue thrown in during the second half.

As a historical romance, I enjoyed it. I liked Josetta, and I liked Rafe. I also liked how their stories ended up. I did wish there was more magic, but I think having lowered expectations rescued this book for me.

Assassin's Fate - Robin Hobb

Assassin's Fate by Robin Hobb
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I don't think I've ever been rendered such an emotional mess by a book. I am completely wrung out. I'm actually not sure how to move on with my life.

It was a perfect ending on so many levels, so many things from all the previous series tied together and brought to a rightful conclusion, but I still can't accept that it's the end. Maybe it won't be, although some things are without a doubt finished.

My initial reaction still stands. There really are no words.

Oath of Fealty - Elizabeth Moon

Oath of Fealty by Elizabeth Moon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed every moment of reading this book. It had a cozy feeling of homecoming to it that I didn't want to rush through. I enjoyed the multiple viewpoints, and was disappointed every time the viewpoint switched, but then got sucked into the new one very quickly. I can't think of a time that I was bored. It's very much a 'setting the stage' novel, but I felt no impatience. I just really enjoyed the experience of following the characters as they figured out their new roles and set things to rights wherever they could.

I love that all the main characters are honorable and deserving, even though they still have a lot to learn and plenty of growing to do. Some readers may think they're too good, but I find it so refreshing in these days of grim and morally gray fantasy. These are characters that I can like and root for.