Finally, a book review! I don't have much time for reading these days, and even less for writing reviews, but here's one I jotted down while on the train to DC a few days ago.
I picked up The Traitor's Daughter, intrigued by the fact that it was billed as "fantasy romance." I didn't know that was a genre! And since it's the genre I would write in, if it existed, I figured I ought to do some research and read the novel, seeing as the synopsis and review soundbites made it sound halfway interesting - kidnapping, revolution, ominous magical signs, all taking place somewhere called the Veiled Isles.
Well, for a couple days after I finished reading, I wished I was still reading it. That's a good sign, right? It wasn't just that the characters became real to me and the plot was pageturning. They were really likable characters in an intriguing world, and I enjoyed spending time with them and finding out about their world.
The story centers on teenaged Jianna, a nobleman's daughter who is kidnapped by rebels en route to her arranged marriage. Although she is indeed spoiled, she's far from an annoying brat - she is actually intelligent and witty, adapts quickly to her new situation, and turns her mental acuities to escape rather than wasting time whining.
Even the "bad guys" arouse the reader's admiration and sympathy. (**spoilers**) Aureste Belandor, Jianna's father, is a cutthroat schemer who betrayed both his family and his people to hold onto his title and fortune, yet one can't help feeling for him as he wages everything to get his daughter back. Yvenza Belandor, Jianna's captor, is similarly ruthless, but touches of affection toward her adopted son, of sorts, bring nuance to her character. It is also nice to see a strong female character who is not sexualized at all. (**end spoilers**)
In addition, beyond the fact that most readers will probably root unconditionally for Jianna, it's rather unclear who the good guys and bad guys are. From an objective viewpoint, Yvenza's cause has at least as much, if not more, merit than Aureste's and Jianna's. Add some subplots and a looming magical disaster that threatens to wipe out the whole society, and the story quickly becomes much more complicated than the standard romance novel.
As far as worldbuilding goes, the world is carefully constructed. It has the hallmarks of many fantasy worlds - nobility, magic, sword-fighting - but with enough novel elements to make it intriguing. The author has invented new titles such as "Magnifico" and "Magnifica" to replace the commonplace "Lord" and "Lady," and the characters' names show a strong Italian influence alongside the usual Celtic sound. The magic is more developed than in many fantasy novels, involving devices and learned techniques along with innate talent and magic spells, making it more reminiscent of alchemy or steampunk tinkering than the usual magic. Several other elements - such as amphibian creatures, the rebellion and a zombie-creating plague - also bring something fresh to the genre, although I have to admit I'm still on the fence about the amphibians and zombies. While they are skilfully worked in, their significance hasn't been revealed yet, which makes their unusual presence feel a little haphazard. I'm sure the zombies, at least, will be addressed in the rest of the trilogy.
The book is not without larger weaknesses, either. I actually found the romance to be one of the weakest points. Although I knew it was coming, I was kept guessing for a while - until a certain character was introduced, and I knew immediately from the special attention the author gave him that he was the one Jianna would fall for. (This was in stark contrast to the previous romance novel I read, where things were well advanced before I was sure who the lucky guy was.) Jianna's eventual feelings also quickly became clear in the way that she thought about him, even if by the end of the book, they still weren't clear to her. Perhaps this is conventional in romance, but everything else in the book lifts it above the limitations of that genre, so why should the romantic relationship be predictable, when none of the rest of it is? Sadly, it struck me as the way an amateur slash writer would write romance. But Paula Brandon is not an amateur writer - she's actually Paula Volsky, an established fantasy writer (albeit one whose books I've never read).
Still, I did enjoy the book enough and got enough connected to the characters that I plan to, and look forward to, reading the next installment in the trilogy. Just that I won't bother holding my breath about whether Jianna gets her man, no matter how suspenseful the ending to this first book was.
Next review: I'm about halfway through Caliban's War by James S.A. Corey (sequel to Leviathan Wakes) so that should be next!
Showing posts with label romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label romance. Show all posts
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Saturday, March 30, 2013
The Tailor's Daughter by Janice Graham
I picked this book up because it was next to Jo Graham's books. After reading the synopsis and the first page or so, I was drawn in by two things - the protagonist is deaf, which seemed an interesting and unusual premise, and the writing style is similar to my own (except ten times more polished). As I was reading the beginning, I thought, damn, if I was going to write about someone waking up and realizing that they're deaf, this is just how I would write! The honest and direct description of the girl's experience and the keen focus on her experiences and senses... It seemed too carefully and artfully crafted to be just a romance novel.
The elegant writing, which conveys so much in a simple way, captivated me to the end. This description blew me away:
"I left Rushcross Grange just after dawn, crossing through a quilt-work of pastures before turning north into the rise of fells beyond which lay Blackroak Hall. There, I left the ridge and struck straight into the heath, wading knee-deep through the scrubby grey growth down to the narrow hollow which I held as far as New Mill, after which I turned away from the beck into high moorland heath. All morning the sky was dark, and ominous clouds threatened rain that never fell, although the wind smelled strongly of it. I passed a farm at which I had lodged only the previous month and caught sight of the Kertons and their children on the slopes above Moor Close cutting peats. Farther up the vale, a row of men moved along the hillside scything bracken at a languid rhythm that belied the tremendous power behind each stroke. Their old bearded sheepdog froze and kept me fixed in his sights until I passed by on the path below. In the shaded vales, black-faced sheep grazed in folds cut out by low drystone walls, but farther up in the open moorland they seemed but isolated fixtures on the vast treeless landscape. Even in the early summer, with the bleak fells fleshed out in soft hues of greys and greens, and the hay meadows rich with wild flowers and grasses, it seemed an unlikely place for human habitation." (page 340)
The verbs! The conciseness! The way it carves out an image in the mind! I only hope my writing is half as good.
Although I enjoyed reading the book, I have a big gripe with its title. Part of that is probably due to having read an article on "How not to title your novel" at the start of November, because unfortunately, the title falls squarely into its net of "samey titles." To me, it's a boring title that doesn't capture at all what the book is about or excite or attract the reader (to be honest, I picked it up with the faintest of faint hopes that it might be fantasy novel). In my opinion, a novel's title should capture or at least hint at the theme, but there is nothing profound in this title. There could at least be a reference to the fact that the main character is deaf, never mind to the way she struggles against class and gender restrictions to pursue her heart's desires.
For most of the novel, the plot progressed in synch with the elegance of the writing - at a very measured pace, with much attention given to all the various experiences of the main character from her teenage years onward - family tragedies, her own illness and deafness, her friendships and romantic interests. For most of the book, things moved slowly and nothing happened suddenly - which I didn't mind, because I was captivated by the main character and the little excitements of her life (*SPOILERS*) such as having a slightly scandalous portrait painted, cross-dressing in order to work as a tailor for gentlemen, and pursuing a seemingly hopeless love interest. (*END SPOILERS*) A review quoted on the back called the book's pace and style "Victorian," which certainly fits. Near the end, however, the excitement amped up, some melodrama ensued, and (*SPOILER*) everything worked out in the end in an almost magical fashion. (*END SPOILER*) The sudden melodrama and fortuitous ending proved that the book really was a romance novel, no matter how much I would like to think otherwise. But it was definitely a romance novel worth reading. I learned much from Ms. Graham's style, and I was entertained and touched by the story along the way.
The elegant writing, which conveys so much in a simple way, captivated me to the end. This description blew me away:
"I left Rushcross Grange just after dawn, crossing through a quilt-work of pastures before turning north into the rise of fells beyond which lay Blackroak Hall. There, I left the ridge and struck straight into the heath, wading knee-deep through the scrubby grey growth down to the narrow hollow which I held as far as New Mill, after which I turned away from the beck into high moorland heath. All morning the sky was dark, and ominous clouds threatened rain that never fell, although the wind smelled strongly of it. I passed a farm at which I had lodged only the previous month and caught sight of the Kertons and their children on the slopes above Moor Close cutting peats. Farther up the vale, a row of men moved along the hillside scything bracken at a languid rhythm that belied the tremendous power behind each stroke. Their old bearded sheepdog froze and kept me fixed in his sights until I passed by on the path below. In the shaded vales, black-faced sheep grazed in folds cut out by low drystone walls, but farther up in the open moorland they seemed but isolated fixtures on the vast treeless landscape. Even in the early summer, with the bleak fells fleshed out in soft hues of greys and greens, and the hay meadows rich with wild flowers and grasses, it seemed an unlikely place for human habitation." (page 340)
The verbs! The conciseness! The way it carves out an image in the mind! I only hope my writing is half as good.
Although I enjoyed reading the book, I have a big gripe with its title. Part of that is probably due to having read an article on "How not to title your novel" at the start of November, because unfortunately, the title falls squarely into its net of "samey titles." To me, it's a boring title that doesn't capture at all what the book is about or excite or attract the reader (to be honest, I picked it up with the faintest of faint hopes that it might be fantasy novel). In my opinion, a novel's title should capture or at least hint at the theme, but there is nothing profound in this title. There could at least be a reference to the fact that the main character is deaf, never mind to the way she struggles against class and gender restrictions to pursue her heart's desires.
For most of the novel, the plot progressed in synch with the elegance of the writing - at a very measured pace, with much attention given to all the various experiences of the main character from her teenage years onward - family tragedies, her own illness and deafness, her friendships and romantic interests. For most of the book, things moved slowly and nothing happened suddenly - which I didn't mind, because I was captivated by the main character and the little excitements of her life (*SPOILERS*) such as having a slightly scandalous portrait painted, cross-dressing in order to work as a tailor for gentlemen, and pursuing a seemingly hopeless love interest. (*END SPOILERS*) A review quoted on the back called the book's pace and style "Victorian," which certainly fits. Near the end, however, the excitement amped up, some melodrama ensued, and (*SPOILER*) everything worked out in the end in an almost magical fashion. (*END SPOILER*) The sudden melodrama and fortuitous ending proved that the book really was a romance novel, no matter how much I would like to think otherwise. But it was definitely a romance novel worth reading. I learned much from Ms. Graham's style, and I was entertained and touched by the story along the way.
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