Andrea K. Höst

This is, if you want to understand just how different Laura's POV is, in no shape or form a stand alone from the Touchstone books.

Laura views Muina, the Setari, Selkie and the Taren society entirely differently then Cassandra (her daughter) because she has a very different place in it.

As much as I love Cass' style, Laura is probably closer to how I would react. Likely helps I'm closer to her age then Cass'.

Also dude Laura and her sister Sue would SO BE my sister Tegan and I.… (mehr)

I was surprised just how much I enjoyed this novel. Not for any real reason, I just didn't expect to find myself so drawn in with the character's plight(s). I felt so bad for Soren, and to a lesser degree Strake. Well to be fair I should have felt equally bad for Strake all things considered, but we saw how deeply the entire ordeal hurt and diminished Soren, Strake we got bits and pieces as Soren saw him.

This begins as a fairly standard fantasy--Soren finds out that she isn't as superfluous as she thought she was, a short quest is had, heroics are done and then she meets her Rathen (Strake). Thing is neither of them are quite what the other expects (or really wants) plus they don't know how to get along.

Her Rathen, the first in centuries I might add, is surly, bitter and angry. He was never meant to be King. He was never meant to be period. Unfortunately the Rose that has protected Darest since the earliest days has also become a problem that Darest can't control. Its become an entity unto itself and it will do what its programmed to do--no matter the cost.

I thought the twists that Host tossed in were clever. Soren and her Rathen are given a very real reason why they can not instantly become best friends and allies. Neither trusts the other, despite the imperative set upon them by the Rose and it creates a tension that effects everything. I also appreciated the menace of the Rose that slowly unfolded. In the truest sense of the phrase 'good intentions pave the way to hell', the Rose took its duty--to announce the next Rathen Heir and bring the Champion to the Heir to protect Darest--to the extreme.

Host was careful not to cross any lines, or if she did (one instance in particular comes to mind from the beginning when Soren traveled with Strake) she made it explicitly clear the feelings of all involved. In her fantasy world gender doesn't particularly matter as far as romance and love goes. Female/female, male/male, threesomes or more are all treated equally and are entirely the business of those involved. As far as anything goes the world is about gender-neutral as possible in all aspects.

I admit to hoping that Soren and Strake worked things out. I grew a bit frustrated every time progress was made and suddenly flung backwards for any reason at all. A lot of it could be laid on Strake's doorstep; he had a lot to come to terms with even before the Rose's machinations started to become more overtly sinister. This doesn't excuse Soren, she started to become irritating with her 'maybe if I change this way, he will tolerate me better' attitude, but Strake by far takes entirely too long to come to grips with things.… (mehr)

First off, I want to say that the attack on Medair in the first chapter I fully expected to happen in the first book. I was more or less predicting the person would strike out against her, for the reasons that Medair concludes (much later in the book) and was only marginally surprised by it. Well mostly that it was so sloppily handled considering the source, I really expected more from an assassination attempt orchestrated by that person.

I think that I enjoyed the book a bit less than the first one. Maybe because I read them back to back in rapid succession, a lot of the fears, doubts and insecurities Medair felt seemed to be the same as in the first book. Medair didn't really GROW in the first book--not as a person at least. She still held onto to the same fears, the same prejudices and same reactions when she didn't want to face the truth.

And quite frankly she spends a decent portion of the second book repeating those mistakes, even as she's rationalizing how ridiculous her arguments seem in the light of day. The book however had Princess Sendel and she was freaking awesome. She was a good counterpoise to some of the other characters--her life was pretty rotten by the time we meet her, but she doesn't let that steamroll her. She quickly understands the situation, the best route of action, and how to make it all happen as quickly as feasible to save the most lives. I really was hoping Medair was taking notes on how to react in a crisis situation from her because she really could have used that wisdom earlier.

Things go from bad to really bad emotionally and otherwise for Medair and her new (reluctant as she is to call them as such) friends. Wild Magic flares up again with...interesting results. Now not only Medair is stuck in a world she doesn't really fit in, but an entire city and the effects are not particularly encouraging at first. I wanted this to be explored a little more--the subtle shifts that turned a lot of people's lives inside out because of one man's insane wish. Even though its frequently referred back to and examined, its not really explained. What exactly changed that made the 'new' reality so different yet very similar? Why were some memories tweaked just a little, while others were shifted a lot?

Medair and Ilukar reach something close to an understanding after a lot of trial, error and earnestness. On the one hand I could understand why Medair was so reluctant to admit to anything--Ilukar is the closest she'd get to the 'White Snakes' of her time (being purebred) yet she spends an equal amount of time justifying that they are not the same. Even after a surprising visit while hanging around tombs, Medair finds it hard to have the two warring emotions co-exist within her.

The eventual resolution was...okay. I guess form Ilukar's perspective it is what it is, and he's fairly pragmatic about most things, but despite her confessions and why she ran from Isekar to hunt the Horn, I found it hard to reconcile that it would all work out. I wasn't convinced that Medair had moved past the anxiety and guilt she constantly felt. I would have liked that portion of the story to have a bit more time to grow, instead of the last chapter or so of the book.… (mehr)

"A ribbon so you know I'm here"

What the summary doesn't tell you is that along the way Ash saves half the cast from dire straits at various points (in person's case twice!) because she can not because anyone particularly tells her to. Seriously, she even says she can't help herself it just kind of happens. A lot. (to be fair she also is laboring under a pretty intense case of regret because of Genevieve's death).

Höst says that Hunting was in response to Regency Buck by Georgette Heyer, a story about a girl searching for her brother and getting into a wild amount of scrapes (considering how well to do she was) and constantly needing rescuing. One thing Ash doesn't really need is rescuing (though on occasion she does need help rescuing herself). Ash prepares for things and within reason can estimate how things will shake down to anticipate what she needs to do.

She's not infalliable; her mistakes tend to be underestimating people and their motivations however. Ash has a lot of street smarts--she can turn a phrase so its not quite a lie and adapts to situations quickly. She understands people to a point. Ask her why her peers are hostile towards her or why Genevieve helps people the way she does and Ash will have an immediate response. However despite witnessing cruelty and evil, Ash is at a loss to understand the motivations of the killer hunting the herbalists throughout the city.

And to be perfectly truthful I was a little sketchy on the reasoning as well. A lot is made of the Rhoi (Arun)'s life being put in jeporady...probably. The mystery of who is behind some of the attack's on Arun's heir is less complicated then Höst perhaps intended. I guessed the fiend fairly quickly though whether its because I watch a lot of detective shows or because Höst choreographed this person's involvement quite loudly is anyone's guess.

The attacks are only part of the larger conspiracy and this is when the mystery begins to break down for me. When we find out the "true" culprit things become a bit dicey motivation wise. Its not until late into the game that Ash and Co. make a connection between the culprit and what's going on now. And much of that is because of something said to Thornaster. If that phrase hadn't been said I'm not sure they would have made the parallels they did.

The best part of this book was the characters. Ash is a delight--sometimes a bit too arrogant of her abilities for her own good, but its justified. She's also not above a manipulation to get what she wants, which is good since its put to use throughout the book. Her banter with Thornaster is lively and makes their eventual mutual understanding much easier to see. Ash also keeps lively company with her "Huntsmen" and has some interesting conversations with a couple peers (though I'll admit they're given a much broader stroke of detail than the Huntsmen).

Overall I enjoyed Höst's newest work. Its not quite as defined as her other worlds, but there's an intriguing mythology at its roots and Ash was simply a joy to read.

… (mehr)