Read as part of CBR17 Bingo: purple cover. See photo.
I haven’t done much fantasy this year but as the season changes into fall, I’m starting to get the itch. This was a recommendation from Max Read, who as I’ve said before is my personal Oprah and who I’m more hit than miss with. This one was a hit.
A murder mystery, a trial for an emperor-ship, a compelling fantasy with fun tales all rolled into one, this is a creative yarn from Antonia Hogdson who is able to remix some familiar tropes in ways that felt refreshing. It’s a readable book, with a fantasy world that is complex enough to not be simple but not so complex as to be incomprehensible. And it’s got oodles of court intrigue, which is always a favorite of mine.
I do wish I liked the main character more. Neema originally struck me as yet another book-loving anti-social Wednesday Addams type. It’s overly-familiar and a lot of her earlier descriptions made me roll my eyes. Gradually, Hogdson expands her role beyond that but I’d some day like a bookish character who is socially well-adjusted, has friends that don’t just live in a library, is popular in court and/or the real world. She grew on me but it took time.
I was under the impression that book two of what is supposed to be a trilogy was gonna be published next year. It’s not and now I’m kicking myself wondering if I should have even started this in the first place. Here’s to hoping Antonia Hogdson doesn’t pull a GRRM/Rothfuss and instead gives the people what we want. She’s a talented writer.