A satisfying batch!
Title: Prince's Gambit (Captive Prince Book 2)
Author: C.S. Pacat
Published: Penguin Publishing Group, 2014 (2013)
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 390
Total Page Count: 272,875
Text Number: 883
Read Because: continuing the series, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library (and then it occurred to me that I ... own it on ebook)
Review: A direct sequel: Damen accompanies Laurent on an ill-fated border patrol. I'm surprised how much I liked this, given my ambivalence towards the first book. The move away from court makes for significantly less camp, and the plotting is more complex and therefore less predictable; it's a general maturation of tone which balances the tropeyness elsewhere. The heart of this series is its slow burn, and the adherence to Damen's PoV is a compelling lens for Laurent's evolving characterization and builds a sincere, complicated change of heart. I'm glad I stuck with this. It's still not perfect—the overlong ending is particularly glaring—but it has payoff, which is the true goal from a narrative of this type.
Title: Winter Tide (The Innsmouth Legacy Book #1)
Author: Ruthanna Emrys
Narrator: Gabra Zackman
Published: Macmillan Audio, 2017
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 365
Total Page Count: 273,240
Text Number: 884
Read Because: mentioned by![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sovay, audiobook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: A survivor of the Innsmouth internment camps returns to New England to investigate a dangerous magic. There've been numerous recent imaginings of Lovecraft which use interrogations of his bigotry to expand his worldbuilding; this is one of the more ambitious, long form historical fiction which places fictional prejudice against 1940s American politics. It's compassionate and thoughtful, with strong set-dressing: an evocative midwinter at Miskatonic University and a well-balanced magic system, distant enough to preserve the mystery, close enough to inform the protagonist's character. There's a strong bent towards found family tropes, and it's here where the book feels most like a debut: there's more good intentions than grace. Similarly, the climax, which is too far out of line from the preceding plot, could use some work. But this is a solid effort and I enjoy both the premise and the contemplative tone: the inward-facing view of a world of social conflict and profound magic.
Title: Think of England
Author: K.J. Charles
Published: Samhain Publishing, 2014
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 215
Total Page Count: 273,455
Text Number: 885
Read Because: recommended here, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: An ex-soldier investigates potential sabotage, only to find an unlikely someone else already on the case. I'm not hugely fond of the romance genre; this hasn't changed my mind—it shares the beats, the tropes, the pacing and language in sex scenes in particular; it feels cousin to fanfiction—but it was a pleasant exception to my general aversion. Characters are distinct and likeable, with a lived diversity, and their dynamic is a delight; the balance of romance to action to character growth is strong. Solidly enjoyable. (& it possesses a grade-A title drop.)
Title: Prince's Gambit (Captive Prince Book 2)
Author: C.S. Pacat
Published: Penguin Publishing Group, 2014 (2013)
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 390
Total Page Count: 272,875
Text Number: 883
Read Because: continuing the series, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library (and then it occurred to me that I ... own it on ebook)
Review: A direct sequel: Damen accompanies Laurent on an ill-fated border patrol. I'm surprised how much I liked this, given my ambivalence towards the first book. The move away from court makes for significantly less camp, and the plotting is more complex and therefore less predictable; it's a general maturation of tone which balances the tropeyness elsewhere. The heart of this series is its slow burn, and the adherence to Damen's PoV is a compelling lens for Laurent's evolving characterization and builds a sincere, complicated change of heart. I'm glad I stuck with this. It's still not perfect—the overlong ending is particularly glaring—but it has payoff, which is the true goal from a narrative of this type.
Title: Winter Tide (The Innsmouth Legacy Book #1)
Author: Ruthanna Emrys
Narrator: Gabra Zackman
Published: Macmillan Audio, 2017
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 365
Total Page Count: 273,240
Text Number: 884
Read Because: mentioned by
sovay, audiobook borrowed from the Multnomah County LibraryReview: A survivor of the Innsmouth internment camps returns to New England to investigate a dangerous magic. There've been numerous recent imaginings of Lovecraft which use interrogations of his bigotry to expand his worldbuilding; this is one of the more ambitious, long form historical fiction which places fictional prejudice against 1940s American politics. It's compassionate and thoughtful, with strong set-dressing: an evocative midwinter at Miskatonic University and a well-balanced magic system, distant enough to preserve the mystery, close enough to inform the protagonist's character. There's a strong bent towards found family tropes, and it's here where the book feels most like a debut: there's more good intentions than grace. Similarly, the climax, which is too far out of line from the preceding plot, could use some work. But this is a solid effort and I enjoy both the premise and the contemplative tone: the inward-facing view of a world of social conflict and profound magic.
Title: Think of England
Author: K.J. Charles
Published: Samhain Publishing, 2014
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 215
Total Page Count: 273,455
Text Number: 885
Read Because: recommended here, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: An ex-soldier investigates potential sabotage, only to find an unlikely someone else already on the case. I'm not hugely fond of the romance genre; this hasn't changed my mind—it shares the beats, the tropes, the pacing and language in sex scenes in particular; it feels cousin to fanfiction—but it was a pleasant exception to my general aversion. Characters are distinct and likeable, with a lived diversity, and their dynamic is a delight; the balance of romance to action to character growth is strong. Solidly enjoyable. (& it possesses a grade-A title drop.)
