Title:
Author:
Lilith Saintcrow
Release Date:
December 2011
Price:
$2.99
I got a trial
sample of this book on my ereader for free a while ago, and the
sample just sat there as I kept being distracted by pesky things like
real life. Finally, one quiet evening, I found that I had time to
take a look at this book. I began reading the sample. I continued
reading the sample. I couldn't put it down. In a style reminiscent of
Jacqueline Carey, Saintcrow created an alternate history set in what
appears to be Renaissance-era France. In fact, it was a bit too
much like Carey's work at first. But I really enjoyed Carey's novels,
so wasn't put off by the similarity.
The story is told in the first person past-tense. The main character,
Vianne, is a noble woman serving the princess and next in line to the
throne of Arquitaine. She's also a hedgewitch. At the start of the
book it isn't quite clear what this means other than that Vianne
spends a lot of time digging in gardens and running around in
something called 'garden boots' (I was picturing Wellingtons here for
no good reason!). But it is clear that there is a distinction between
two kinds of magic, 'court sorcery' and 'hedge witchery' and by the
very sounds of each name, you can guess that hedge witchery is near
the bottom of the pecking order in terms of glamour and importance.
So, the MC is a noble woman, but she's frequently dirty and running
around in boots instead of slippers, and she practices a type of
magic that is devalued by those around her. Translation; she's sort
of an outcast, or a geek if you will.
But this magical system isn't what grabbed me. In fact the magical
system is never clearly explained, though there seem to be some
important connections between Court sorcery and the monarch. No, the
assassination is what grabbed me. The assassination that pulls
Vianne's world down around her in the dark of night, leaving her
holding the dead bodies of those she cares about one moment, and
running away with a tall dark stranger the next. Enter the hero of
the book, Tristan. He's a dark, broody and secretive captain of the
king's guard, and is now all that stands between Vianne and death. It
was at this point that my free trial ran out and I hastily pressed
the 'buy' button on the kindle store website.
Now, looking back, I can fully understand why I selected to buy this
book for a measly $2.99, but I ended up dissatisfied. The MC spends a
large chunk of the next part of the book (in fact, about 50% of the
total novel) ill. She loses consciousness. A lot. She sleeps. A lot.
She is shivering and weak all the time, and she spends a lot of time
trying to get her sluggish wits working. The reader is told again and
again that Vianne has a sharp mind. Her companions report this, she
reports it, and even her own vague memories of unraveling unspecified
court intrigue are supposed to illustrate and support this facet of
her character. But it is very hard to believe these reports and these
memories when she is unable to get her wits working for about 50% of
the book. She misses things that are obvious to the reader (and also,
often, obvious to her companions) and frankly doesn't seem to have a
very sharp mind at all. That, combined with her constant illness and
weakness, and with the fact that the story is told in the first
person, results in a frustrating read.
I
tried to cut Vianne some slack. She did just witness the murder of
several people she cared about—that's gotta be a shock (to say the
least!). And she caught a flu or fever, so of course her wits aren't
working as sharply as they normally would. I recognize all of this.
But the illness and sluggishness just seemed to drag on too long. I
found myself losing interest in the main character.
And then there was the romance. I really wanted to like the romance.
I was in the mood for a good romance. For me, this wasn't it. Tristan
has all the characteristics of a good hero. He's brooding, secretive
(in a way Vianne never seems to pick up on—then again her wits are
sluggish) and occasionally has a precise, controlled violence that's
pretty appealing in a renaissance hero. He's a bit pig-headed, but
not too much. And (and this is a classic romance-move) he's been
pining for Vianne for a long, long time. Perfect, right?
Romance
is an individual thing. I think the Tristan-Vianne romance might work
for some, but for me it fell flat. I'm going to try to explain why: I
believed that he cared for her, and even loved her. I believed his
emotions entirely. But, I didn't believe hers. This is especially
odd, since the tale was told in the first person. Or maybe it was
because the tale was
told in the first-person that this was my reaction. Vianne never
tells the reader that her pulse quickened, stomach flip-flopped or
heart skipped a beat at the sight of Tristan. She never gives us any
physical indication
that she cares for him. In fact, for a while I wasn't sure whether
she did care for him. She admits that he's attractive, but that seems
to be the extent of her interest in him, almost as though he's merely
eye-candy. Rather, it seems that she comes to care for him only
because she recognizes
that he loves her. Sort of: “oh, he loves me. Well, I guess I
should be with him then.” Yes, she says
that she loves him. But it doesn't feel
as though she loves him.
By the time my ereader informed me that I was 80% of the way through
the book, I was determined to see it through to the end, but I was
pretty tired of the story. However, I will admit that, in the last
few pages, there is an interesting twist. I was glad to see it, and
it has left me mildly curious about the next book in this series.
But, since I'm not invested in the romance, I doubt I'll be buying
the next book.