It was short but entertaining. I was really pulled into the story and enjoyed it a lot. Only thing that irked me was the ending. It felt so rushed which, I suppose, makes some sense since the book is her talking about that one adventure but it still felt really, really weak. I still liked it enough that the end didn't ruin my opinion of it though. ( )

wasn't feeling it.

What a strange mix of reality and fantasy. In this story, Caroline Stevermer combines elements of Catholic Christianity, black magic, Renaissance Europe, and her own imagined realm of kingdoms to dish up an unusual take on Arthurian legend.

I loved the writing. I've read the three books in the Sorcery and Cecelia series that Stevermer co-authored with Patricia Wrede and enjoyed them quite a bit, but in this novel Stevermer really shows what she can do as a prose stylist. Other reviewers, quoted in the first couple pages of my paperback copy, rightly praise the "economy and grace" of Stevermer's prose.

Unfortunately, the story itself is somewhat lacking. Many things go unexplained and the reader follows the characters without really understanding their motivations and goals. The narrator Hail Rosamer is well developed, but she's pretty much the only one. The plot feels disjointed and is not particularly memorable.

I found the inclusion of real-life saints and religious references pleasant and not at all jarring, but unfortunately the simplistic Roman Catholic notion of "be a good person to get into heaven" is very much present and Hail takes an arrogant stance: "If honest repentance is required, St. Peter will turn me away. Fair enough" (236). It soured the ending for me; Hail is basically saying, "God, I'd like to get into heaven on my terms, but if You won't let me, it's Your loss." Unattractive, to say the least.

In some ways the story reminded me of Robin McKinley's The Hero and the Crown—and not many fantasy stories can boast a comparison to that favorite of mine. Ultimately, however, Stevermer's story is far less cohesive and compelling than McKinley's, and I'm not sure I will ever revisit Stevermer's novel. But I'd say When the King Comes Home is somewhat better than the usual run of short fantasy novels, if only for the prose. Nicely done, but there's no need to dash out to find this one. ( )

One of the blurbers on the back of my copy describes the world in this novel as 'an angel's wing away from our own' and it's a good description. Though there is an element of fantasy or magic, this is a book firmly set in Renaissance Europe. I enjoyed Hail's tenacity and intuitiveness. The storyline seemed a bit of a paradox - the magic was strong enough to make people do things against their will, and yet when it was ended, the actual conflict was quickly resolved. I did like the exploration of will - how the binding of it is horrible, and how it is tricky. Enjoyable entertainment. ( )

I liked this book better than I expected, given that I really did not enjoy A College of Magics. I could like the protagonist, even though it did get the point where she's going around with these people for no particular reason and also seems to be an adjunct to the actual goings-on. She does actually do things and has at least one important thing to do.I think I picked this book up for a promised threesome. That is, a love triangle that's not at odds with itself. There might be another word for this? Love triad? Anyhow, there is one, but you have to read into it a little bit. And it doesn't involve the main character, though it is central to the story.So, in short, it's pretty good.(I'm not sure why it says A College of Magics in parantheses on goodreads. This may take place in the same world, possibly, though I'm not too sure about that. Otherwise it has nothing to do with it as far as I know.) ( )