The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

 

I have two reading rules: firstly, to wait until the hype around a book has died down before picking it up. Secondly: to never read reviews until I've finished the book. Both rules have served me well, but this time, I sneaked a peek at the reviews and stumbled across some of the less favourable ones.

I know it would be a dull world if we all liked the same books, but I genuinely can’t understand how anyone could fail to like—no, absolutely love—this.

I fell for Nora from the beginning. Convinced life has dealt her one blow too many, she sees only one way out. Thank goodness for the library, the librarian...the wonderfully wise Mrs Elm...and the endless shelves of possibilities that help Nora realise what a terrible mistake that would be. (See About the Book below.)

Beautifully written, cleverly constructed and filled with heart, soul and emotion, this was an absolute joy from page one. Haig has shot straight to the top of my 'must read more of' list, and I fully intend to do just that.

The Library Suicides by Fflur Dafydd

 

Not my cup of tea at all. Firstly, there's no indication at all that this is fantasy/dystopian, and I'm not a fan of those genres. I spent the first few pages wondering why there were no temporal or geographical roots to the story. It just seemed in limbo. Could have been any country, any time.

Secondly, not one character is remotely likeable: not twins Ana and Nan, who are hell-bent on killing the novelist/critic, Eben, whom they believe sent their mother, Elena, to her suicide. Not Eben, not feminist Elena, not Dan, the ex-con porter working in the library where the whole plot plays out. 

There is no doubt that Dafydd is a skilled writer, but I found this to be laboured and over-intense and if I'm honest, rather tedious. I always finish a book but it was hard-going and not that enjoyable.

There's a long list of people to thank in the author's acknowledgements. Very nice. However, she seemed to have forgotten the most important people: her readers. I'm not impressed.

The Stars That Beckon by Kevin Simington

I'm not sci-fi's biggest fan, I'll be honest. I can't quite seem to gel with aliens or robots or whatever fantastical being the genre coughs up. But two things persuaded me to read this: I've already read a crime/mystery novel by the author, which I thoroughly enjoyed and which cemented him into my top-author list. The second thing was that this is 'hard science fiction': based on real science we understand currently. So none of those daft two-headed or six-legged or robotic aliens.

We've gone way, way, way into the future here. Quite a few thousand years, in fact. Planet Earth has been finally and monumentally ruined (by us), so what humanity has managed to survive and escape are off, in a starship, to find somewhere else in the universe that's habitable. If you thought Alexa was pretty nifty adding items to your supermarket trolley, tell you jokes, switching your lights on and off and telling you what the weather is going to be today, then Angie and Genni will blow your minds. (But are quite possibly as annoying as Alexa.)

I confess, an awful lot went over my head (geosynchronous, melataxane, echyons, anyone?) But that didn't stop me finding it very clever and very intelligent. And it didn't stop me thoroughly enjoying it. Simington knows how to construct a cracking plot. He also knows how to cast a story: the characters are diverse, engaging and fun (and funny). The dry wit and humour I so loved in Someone Else's Life is very much present in this, so despite my ignorance in all things scientific, there's much to enjoy and delight in.

Well, gosh. I might even read another one!

Valley of Secrets by Morgan Knight

Well now, this was a pleasant surprise. A tapestry of genres: paranormal, fantasy, romance, erotica, thriller, crime, suspense. The first four are my least favourite…not on my never-read list, just not my go-tos. But I'm weak and succumbed to the temptation of the latter three. My submission was well rewarded. 

When very young, Emilia was adopted by her parents' good friends when they were tragically killed in a car accident. Years later, as a college student, an attorney traces her to tell her that there is a family estate in a small village in Europe and that she needs to travel there promptly. A holiday in Europe with her much loved adopted sister, Amanda, is too good an opportunity to miss. And it might help distract her from some rather sensual dreams she's having, which feature an irresistibly attractive man, Massimino. Emilia and Amanda's jaunt turns out to be quite something. Little did they expect that Emilia would uncover some unsettling truths about her family, the village and that Massimino is a ruthless sorcerer. 

Good quality writing and a well-formulated plot made this very compelling, along with a striking contrast of well-portrayed good and bad (some evil, in fact) characters and an unguessable ending. Despite having to suspend my disbelief, I was transfixed till the end, which, although complete with no loose ends, left a door ajar for a sequel. I'll certainly be all over that.

The Gift of the Quoxxel by Richard Titus

Weird. Totally weird. Bonkers…about as nutty as a fruitcake and mad as a box of frogs. Quirky, odd, mystifying. But...utterly unique and very enjoyable.

I'm not so sure I made total sense of this tale, and after a few pages, I did wonder what I'd let myself in for. But then you get totally sucked in by the king of Nibb and, of course, Yill.

I really have no idea what it's about. Actually, not quite true: it's about the land of Nibb, the pirates on the Blaggard, and the Quoxxel, of course. It's whimsical, magical, with some very dry wit. It's brimming with imagination and fantasy and at the same time written with intelligence, articulately and with humour.

I may have started the book with some misgivings, but by the end, I was totally topsy-turvied in a very pleasant way.

I'm off to my baker now to tell him that doughnuts, cupcakes and custard slices are so very last year and that he should start to make some gwinberry quffs and blanderberry bitquicks.

Told you. Totally bonkers.

Ethan and the Key by Dennis Canfield

Having enjoyed everything I've read by this author, it comes as no surprise that he’s written another wonderful fantasy novel. It’s impossible to slot it into an age group because it would entertain anybody between nine and ninety. 

Fantasy isn’t my first love when it comes to genres, but I’m more than comfortable when there’s a foot on either side of the line, between normal and the not so normal. In this novel, Ethan is a twelve-year-old boy, his parents’ only child. He goes to school, plays baseball, prefers not to bump into a particular peer, has some good mates he likes to hang out with. And that’s it. Nothing strange there. Until a green puddle appears in his house and when he steps into it, he’s transported to the kingdom of Abentur. The king of Abentur has the means to ‘send’ him back to his real life whenever he wishes, but when Abentur’s future is threatened by invaders, led by Draykik, Ethan discovers he and Smoke, the dragon, are key to saving the kingdom.

It’s all just great fun, gallops along at a breathtaking pace, and I found it hard to put down. Canfield writes with fluidity and ease. It’s quite simply a wonderful, effortless read.

Read it yourself, read it to or with your children or grandchildren. Any which way is guaranteed to entertain you all!

See Also:

Reverse Santa Clause
Silent Night - A Christmas Story
South Pole Santa - Back to Christmas
The Robin and the Sparrow

Demon Walk by Melissa Bowersock

Sixth in the Lacey Fitzpatrick and Sam Firecloud series, the private-investigating duo are asked to get to the bottom of a menacing evil threatening the lives of the San Jan Capistrano mission. A tough nut to crack, this one, as some of the usual methods aren't enough to combat a killer force.

It’s so easy to slip into this duo’s adventures. They’re like old friends, their tales like a comfy sweater or slippers. Better still, their personal relationship is heading in the direction us fans want. 

As always, Bowersock strikes the perfect balance, careful to make this a compelling supernatural mystery without overdoing the romantic elements between Lacey and Sam.

I’m about to do something I very rarely do: dive straight into book 7. I’m not ready to take off those slippers just yet.

See also:
Being Travis
Burning Through
Dragon Walk
Dream Walk
Finding Travis
Fleischerhaus
Ghost Walk
Queen's Gold
Skin Walk
Star Walk
Sonnets for Heidi
Stone's Ghost
The Man in the Black Hat

Ghost Walk by Melissa Bowersock

Let me start with the end of this book and the closing words: Coming soon: Skin Walk, Another Lacey Fitzpatrick and Sam Firecloud mystery. Surely the best words to read when you’ve enjoyed a book so much, you want more, and thankfully, there's the promise of a sequel!

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all Bowersock’s novels…she’s an author who can turn her hand to an eclectic array of genres…but I have to say this probably earns the title of 'my favourite'…or, at least, one of my favourites. It’s a whodunnit with a difference: an ex-detective, Lacey Fitzpatrick, who can’t get crime-solving out of her blood, joins forces with Sam Firecloud, who has a gift for communicating with ghosts. Lacey is more used to dealing with facts and physical evidence, so probably not her typical choice of partner, but when he manages to solve an old case, she’s confident that together they’ll be able to solve their latest tough case. Tough because there’s no evidence to suggest a murder has actually been committed.

As ever, Bowersock’s style is spot on: her words are carefully chosen. There’s no over- or under-use: the picture is efficiently painted, yet you feel that no expense has been spared. Lacey is a strong, well-rounded character…and Sam…well, Sam couldn’t be more different: mysterious, quiet, intense, deep. But they couldn’t be a more perfect match, and it’s going to be great fun accompanying them on their crime-(ghost)-busting journey. I can’t wait!

See also:

Being Travis
Burning Through
Finding Travis
Fleischerhaus
Queen's Gold
Sonnets for Heidi
Stone's Ghost
The Man in the Black Hat

The Man in the Black Hat by Melissa Bowersock

Ah, the enjoyment-sure experience, courtesy of Ms Bowersock, who always manages to put a glint in your eye for her leading man, somehow. It's Clay Bauer this time, an actor who doesn’t have a pretty enough face to get good-guy roles. But, he has bills to pay, so villains it is. After the final shoot at the end of yet another B-rated movie in Sedona, Arizona, he wanders off on his ‘stage’ horse to find the vortices he's heard so much about. He finds himself passing through a vortex to a Sedona a hundred years earlier. 

Having not long read Bowersock’s Being Travis, another time-travel novel, I was having a bit of déjà vu. But I should have known that the very talented Ms B would have something up her sleeve. And she did. But I’m not telling, I’m afraid.

Clay’s become a bit Hollywood-superficial, but his experiences in early-twentieth-century Sedona and a certain Ella reveal a warm, caring, decent man, who ultimately makes a decision that turns his life around dramatically. And by ‘around’, I mean…no, sorry, shan’t. Read this and find out. Wonderful.

Being Travis by Melissa Bowersock

It was such a delight to get between the covers with Travis again. And you can take that smirk off your face because I know you know I mean the book covers!

I thoroughly enjoyed Book 1 in the Travis series, and was thrilled to find I didn’t have long to catch up with him again in Book 2. 

Two years after finding himself 140 years in the past, in the nineteenth century, Travis is now married to Phaedra, with a baby on the way and building a home and life…a happy one. His striker, the enigmatic Riley, is still with him. But Travis is finding it increasingly difficult to hide what he knows of the future, afraid that if Phaedra finds out the truth, his happy new life will be shattered. 

It’s very hard not to be completely invested in Travis. He continues to be so…wholesome and, well, nice. Bowersock presents the reader with wonderfully developed characters, whom you can almost imagine being in front of you, in person. As for Riley…I don’t think he needs words. His expressions say it all. That’s how good Bowersock is…she can make a character come to life without actually having to say anything very much at all.

Despite the progress that 140 years have brought (some of it good, some of it…not so good), Bowersock portrays a simple, cosy, unencumbered and dare I say, almost desirable community life, despite some of the disadvantages of not having the as-yet-to-be-available medical and technological advances…the lack of some of which are a cause of exasperation to Travis. 

A trick of time transported our lovely Travis to 1877. The same trick could just as easily transport him back to his own time and he would lose more than he could bear. I do so hope there is a Book 3…I desperately need to know what happens!

If you haven't read Finding Travis, then do and then waste no time with this sequel.  Delightful.

See Also:
Burning Through
Finding Travis
Fleischerhaus
Queen's Gold
Sonnets for Heidi
Stone's Ghost 

Finding Travis by Melissa Bowersock

Another wonderful and compelling story from the prolific and talented Melissa Bowersock. Axl Rose of Guns 'n' Roses has, I gather, one of the widest vocal ranges. If Melissa was a singer, she would be Axl Rose, such is her talent and flair for penning a wide range of genres.

What I love about Bowersock’s books is that you always seem to like nearly all the characters. She has a knack of making them so very likeable. The Travis of the title is especially so. Poor chap…he can’t settle into a job and his marriage is a bit kaput. Whilst he’s trying to sort himself out, he volunteers at the historic Fort Verde, donning a cavalry surgeon’s uniform (I like him already) for the visitors. Not the most stimulating of jobs, he settles into a chair for a bit whilst on his shift. And wakes up in 1877. His authentic uniform gets him mistaken for an actual surgeon. Not only does he have to bluff his way through medical procedures of which he has no knowledge, but he has to play the part of a nineteenth-century cavalry man for real; no room here for iPhones and LOLs. One thing doesn’t change though: love. Despite desperately hoping he can get back to the twenty-first century the same way he found himself in the nineteenth, a certain Miss Welles stops him in his tracks. Well, what's so wonderful about the twenty-first century, anyway?

Oh, I did like Travis. I think I might have fallen in love with him. He’s what can truly be called, a jolly good egg...a handsome one. Corporal Riley, his right-hand man, was a superb character: virtually inscrutable. He never gave away what must have he thought when he saw a set of keys (car) and a mobile... The very lovely Phaedra Welles reminded me of one of Jane Austen’s heroine’s: determined, independent with a smattering of assertiveness.

I won’t need any convincing whatsoever to read the next part of Travis’s story (Being Travis) which I really, really hope will be available soon.

See Also:
Burning Through
Finding Travis
Fleischerhaus
Queen's Gold
Sonnets for Heidi
Stone's Ghost

Life Swap by Carol Wyer

I suppose we’ve all wondered at some time or another…especially after yet another unaffordable bill lands on the doormat, or another long hard underpaid day at work or another tedious confrontation with belligerent teenage offspring…what it would be like to trade places with that friend who made good and is now a millionaire or the client whose daily to-do list consists of salon treatments, personal trainers and high-end shopping. I’m sure a little piece of us wishes we could swap our lives for better different ones.

What if, like Polly and Simon, the opportunity to do just that presented itself? Polly’s dismal track record with men and a lawsuit that’s about to ruin her are about as much as she can take, and Simon…well, he’s the typical middle-age-crisis male. Polly would so much rather have Stephanie’s charmed lifestyle and Simon would gladly swap with Tony’s jet-set living. The temptation is just too much. But no one reminds them that you should be ‘careful what you wish for’…

I’m no stranger to this author’s work. She is always very funny, witty and writes a cracking story. Her books come with a guarantee: that they will amuse, entertain, delight and have you craving for more. 

You will have to suspend disbelief just a little with this one…but that’s what makes it all the more enjoyable. It’s a very welcome break from reality. It almost has you skimming the yellow pages for 'Mission Imp-ossible'. (I guess you’ll just have to read Life Swap to find out why…)

See also:

Grumpy Old Menopause

How Not to Murder Your Grumpy

Love Hurts

Surfing in Stilettos

Beyond The Milky Way by Aithal

I should point out straightaway that this is a ‘to be continued’ book. Now, I’m really not too fond of books that don’t ‘end’. I don’t mind the hint of sequel, but I just don’t want to have to read another book to get to the conclusion. A personal bug, but if you like books in a series to stand alone, perhaps you'll want to know that this one doesn't!

That aside, the book was a rather compelling read: a sci-fi adventure but a story with social commentary. One that has you feeling a little uncomfortable (because you know it's true) at the message being conveyed.

Three astronauts are on an important mission. It’s the last for one of them and the first for another. They are heading for a planet that may have water, and if there’s water, there may be other discoveries to be made. The journey is bumpy. Very, very, very bumpy. Loss of contact with control is beyond distressing, but they manage to land, albeit unconventionally. They've landed somewhere. Not back at base—it’s obvious from their surroundings—but terra firma at least. American terra firma. Or is it? All they have to do is find some people, some civilization, some means of communication to let base know the mission was incomplete but that they are safe. That’s all. Can’t be too hard, can it, despite the unfamiliar terrain?

Despite the fact I couldn't engage with the characters—they were a little bland—it wasn't hard to be drawn into the story. The author has obviously thought very hard about something he needed to say and used his creativity and imagination to do so.  It worked.

And of course, it perpetuates that ever-present question…do we really know what's out there?

See also:

India Was One

Queen's Gold by Melissa Bowersock

Melissa Bowersock has featured frequently in my reading list…and managed to very deservedly find her way into my favourite-authors list.

Her stories flirt with fantasy/paranormal in a way that makes you think twice about things of which you might say, ‘Nah! No way!’ And in this particular story, one of the main characters says exactly that: it’s a tale in which both reader (well, this one!) and protagonist find themselves in agreement.

Widower Hal Thompson’s two children strike a bargain with him: fervent believers of hypnotic regression, they promise to stop trying to convince him that there really is something in it if he will just agree to one session. If it doesn’t ‘happen’ for him, then Brian and Wendy promise they’ll never raise the subject again. Backed into a corner, Hal agrees. The experience proves to be unsettling for Hal when he ‘remembers’ not only the whereabouts of some ancient Aztec gold, but also…disarmingly…a long-lost love. Reluctant to admit to his children his scepticism might have been misplaced, he is soon shocked into shedding his misgivings when things get gravely personal. His 'memories', it appears, are of crucial importance to some ruthless people.

This story changes gear dramatically after the first few pages: it starts off at a very pleasant, leisurely pace, and suddenly, it’s ‘sit up and take notice’. 

I must confess, however, of all the books I've read by this author, I'm not so sure I'd put this one at the top of the list. I fell in love with the wholesomeness that was the Thompsons, but parts of the plot were just a teensy bit unsubstantial, hurried even. That said, the ending is climactic and gripping.

Notwithstanding, this was an enjoyable read and a very welcome addition to my collection of this author’s books.

See also:

Burning Through

Fleischerhaus

Stone's Ghost 

A Fate Worse Than Death by Jonathan Gould

It saddens me to say that Jonathan Gould just can’t deliver………………………fast enough! No sooner have I finished one book by Gould, I'm eagerly waiting for the next.

A new book by this author is one I have to get on to my Kindle at lightning speed, and it always comes with a guarantee: I know it’s going to be well written, entertaining and an utterly satisfying read. This is the seventh book I’ve read by this author and is equally as quirky, imaginative and witty as the others. 

Here we have a second-rate, not always ethical, private detective, Jimmy Clarenden, whose last case goes slightly awry, and he finds himself in the queue at the Pearly Gates. He discovers an underlying reason for his ‘rushed’ admission into heaven. God’s got a little task for him: his second son, Phil, is missing. Jimmy’s job is to find him, but he has to battle with an obtuse angel and other unhelpful heavenly residents. 

The dialogue and Jimmy's first-person narrative was smart and snappy, and I loved how Gould normalised the permanent occupants of angelsville…just one or two naughty little vices so that we don’t think it’s all golden harps and halos. And who would have thought that the Devil pops into heaven for the occasional meeting?

Gould’s creative genius never fails to captivate, enthral and delight. If you want never-fail enjoyment and no-disappointment assurance you're going to pick up a brilliant book, here it is.

Doodling

Flidderbugs

Magnus Opum

Scrawling

Scribbling

Thomas and the Tiger-Turtle

Burning Through by Melissa Bowersock

I love Melissa’s books. Her stories tiptoe into the paranormal; they don't burst in with a fanfare. There you are, ambling along, happily engrossed in her solid, credible characters and all of sudden you’ve stepped seamlessly into a tale of the unexpected. Brilliant.

Jennifer and her husband, Robert, move to a Victorian house in a new town: an enforced relocation because of Robert’s ‘sideways’ shift by his employers, making him rather disgruntled. It’s the perfect house for Jennifer who has a passion for renovating old furniture. However, their promising new start is tainted by fires, which seem to start quite unexpectedly. And there’s this ghost… Robert, who is short-tempered, disillusioned by his new position and afraid of being burnt to death, has no desire to hang around and is adamant they have to move; but Jen is more tolerant and inquisitive. She’s much more interested in finding out who the ghost is and why it is starting fires. Their differing attitudes to their new situation is threatening their marriage. Thank goodness for that nice, understanding, fire captain…

Ms Bowersock draws you into her characters; so much so that I was rather gutted when the book came to an end. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a perfectly structured plot. I’m just greedy…I wanted more!

This is a gripping book that will have you planning a couple of sittings to finish it. Since this is the third MB book I've read, you can safely assume I’m a fan.

See also:

Stone's Ghost 

Fleischerhaus

Class Action by Chris James

This is my second rendezvous with this author, my first with The Second Internet Cafe - Part 1 The Dimension Researcher. My opinion of him then was that he's an excellent and intelligent writer, one who can make you turn pages faster than you ever thought possible. Class Action was, in fact, his debut novel and my goodness, he certainly knew how to make an inaugural splash.

The story is set in a Warsaw courtroom. A man is in prison for the murder of a young woman, but it falls upon a young Polish litigator, Alex Moreyl, to prove that he committed the murder after seeing a violent film: that a powerful message during the film was relayed to the culprit, telling him to commit the crime. The proof? Advanced technology that enables every thought that’s ever entered a person’s head to be extracted and read. With convincing evidence from an expert in the field, the case looks as if it will be done and dusted in no time. But a catastrophic event throws Alex into a dangerous, ruthless, political battlefield between powerful entities, one in which he almost loses his life and those of his wife and family are in grave danger.

This is a futuristic thriller, brilliantly written. It’s original and clever; clever, because although the process of compulsory brain scanning is an almost unthinkable eventuality, the events of the political arena and dangers and threats of terrorism, however, are not so far removed from the present day. Technology, it seems, may advance in leaps and bounds, but nothing changes in politics or in the fight for supremacy between major states. This is a book that takes a glimpse into the future but touches base with present-day reality.

Action, intrigue, excitement, thrills, complexity, vision. This book has all those things.

Oh, and authorial genius.

Seasons of the Fool by Lynne Cantwell

One of the most frustrating things about reading a new author is realising you’ve stumbled across a very good writer and wondering why the heck you haven't read any of his or her books before!  However, in this case, the frustration is very short-lived because Ms Cantwell is now on my 'favourite authors' list!

This book hinted at fantasy, which is a genre I approach with a bit of apprehension, as I'm not overly fond of hard-core fantasy. Seasons teeters on the edge. The reader is led along a path of reality for the most part, but just takes a left turn into a magical world from time to time.

A failed marriage, a failed subsequent relationship and a call to testify against her fraudulent husband pushes Julia to flee to her deceased grandmother’s house in an idyllic lakeside location. It’s an escape hole that holds many memories and is where her former teenage sweetheart, Dave, also lives. He’s riding his own rollercoaster of a marriage. It’s loveless and his children hate their mother. Julia and Dave’s old feelings for each other resurface. But there are many obstacles in their way. Thea and Elsie down the road, however, might well have the answers. Their labyrinth is the key.

I was sucked into this story from the get-go. Julia and Dave have different journeys and different decisions to make, although they want the same thing. Julia requires courage and strategy. Dave needs…more distressingly…to do the right thing for the sake of his children. What we have here is a pot of romance, crime, suspense, peppered with magic and quirkiness (in the form of the rather adorable Thea and Elsie). It’s an excellent story, masterfully written. 

Highly recommended.

Fleischerhaus by Melissa Bowersock

This was a superb little package. I really enjoyed it.

Julia Martin decides a long holiday in Europe, visiting her best friends in Germany, will be just the ticket to help her get over her divorce after her cheating husband’s infidelity. The Bavarian chocolate-box countryside is just what she needs. One afternoon, when out cycling with her friend, they come across a concentration camp. Insignificant in terms of notoriety, but just as significant in terms of the well-known atrocities that took place in such camps. A tour round the museum-converted camp turns out to be a shocking experience for Julia. Horrifyingly, she realises that, in a past life, she was murdered there as a young girl. With the help of her good friends and a very handsome doctor, she tries to unravel the mystery of who murdered her. As the facts slowly reveal themselves, the truth is quite shocking.

I don’t believe in the concept that we all have a past-life. As far as I’m concerned, we’re the product of an egg and a sperm, end of. This didn’t make a scrap of difference to my enjoyment of this book, however. It’s a story well told with a balanced mix of elements: the developing relationship between Julia and Theo, the doctor, was tender and endearing and provided a mellow contrast to the horrors of the Holocaust. There are also some surprises: in Julia’s love life and in the outcome of the research into the events of her past life.

There’s passion and emotion in Melissa’s writing. You can feel it both in the romantic part of the book and in the portrayal of events in a war which will never be forgotten.  Talent, indeed.

Highly recommended.

See also:

Stone's Ghost

Through Kestrel's Eyes by Yvonne Hertzberger

This is the second in the Earth’s Pendulum trilogy. The first (Back from Chaos) was a book that nudged the fantasy genre into my reading list. It was a genre I really hadn’t explored that much. 

The kingdoms of the One Isle are still plagued by corruption. If that's not enough, the harvests are threatened by drought and famine threatening Earth’s balance. Liannis, with her power of seeing, is bound to apply her newly acquired ‘qualification’ to help redress the balance and aid her ruler rid the kingdoms of evil. 

This second book follows on seamlessly from the first, despite the seventeen-year gap. I think, of the two, I enjoyed the first book the most…this one was a little slower. But I was really looking forward to meeting my favourite character, Klast, again, an older man now with a daughter, Liannis, who has taken on Liethis’ heavy mantle as Earth’s seer. I also enjoyed the growing—albeit wobbly—relationship that develops between Liannis and her helper, Merrist. It’s a relationship that walks a tightrope, as such liaisons are forbidden to seers. But the author shrouds this with tenderness and an air of ‘maybe’. 

The main element of fantasy is an author’s imagination, and I continued to be impressed by Yvonne’s creativity, and, very notably, the way she threaded a fantasy tale with a modern reality. Her characters, although from a different world, are believable in context, and by the end I found that Merrist could well be ousting Klast from his place in my heart.

The lack of action in this sequel is more than made up for by its mellowness, insight and magical charm.