When I started this novel I wasn't quite sure where it was going because there seemed to be several different genres happening at the same time. After a couple of chapters though, I'm glad I kept reading.

The story takes place on an arid, war-stricken world where natural magic is slowly being supplanted by mechanism and oil production. Capra Jorassian (a very well-drawn, tough, flawed female lead) is an armed forces deserter who is brought, against her will, into an il-fated mission across the scarred and blighted desert known as "The Hex". She is being pursued by rival armed forces, who are on the same mission but have past personal grudges against her.

The different sets of intrigue takes place against a very well-constructed world at the beginning, but then as the book progresses the descriptions get more intense as events get more and more bizarre. Clock towers, metal giants, plains of shattered machinery, armies of shadow warriors ... the stakes just keep getting higher.

Throughout the novel, the characterization and storytelling are both solid. Some of the dialog sounds a little bit like 21st-century formal conversation, but maybe that's just me. All in all, an intriguing work of speculative fiction and I'd like to know if there's going to be a sequel. ( )

...Blightcross is an action packed novel and quite impressive for a debut. While I felt it lacked a bit of detail in some areas, and failed to properly explore the depth that is obviously present in this secondary world, it is an entertaining tale. One that shows a powerful imagination on the authors part and opens plenty of opportunities to further explore the setting. There are no easy answers or black and white situations in this novel, Capra is as flawed as any of the people who surround her and the author isn't afraid of showing the reader just that. In short, it is a promising novel. I wonder if the author means to write more stories in this setting.

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