Oof what a sparkling, witty book that plays in a different sandbox from Seven Days in June but shows a different (and I would argue, better) way to approach the trope of “we met when we were young and are re-meeting years later.”
Whenever I read books, I’m always thinking about what I think should happen next. It’s not always good from a literary perspective (e.g., I want characters to just talk and clear up some lingering confusion, but then we’d lose dramatic tension) but what feels right and natural?
Every so often, a book comes along (in all genres, all lengths, all seriousness) that does exactly that. The Last Hellion is a great example of that, or The Well of Ascension (after aforementioned dramatic tension). This novel is another one of those! I found myself constantly nodding when characters reacted in ways that make utter sense.
FOR EXAMPLE, we start the novel after Vivienne has had her heart broken by Rhys. Well, okay, she’s 19 and met him for a summer. And while she’s really upset she also gets that it was a fling, and she’s really moping because it was fun. She’s not devastated for life and unable to ever move on…nine (ten?) years later when she meets him, she’s saucy as you’d be with an ex who left you under bad terms but also has a full life, and relationships that mattered, and a healthy perspective on what their relationship was (and what it wasn’t!).
Does the magic system make sense? *waves hand* I mean, it’s good enough to give some character and flair to the entire world, but this is not where you come for methodical world building. Not to undersell it though–there are just enough interesting tidbits to keep you engaged (e.g., Rhys’ exasperation with his father’s insistence on using the term “warlock” when the proper term these days is “witch”).
All in all, definitely recommend!