Henry and Cato

Having revisited my reviews of the previous Iris Murdoch books I've read, it seems as if Henry and Cato fits very well into her milieu, and evoked a similar reaction in me as the others did.

The book is populated entirely by unlikable characters (there were a couple I thought I might have some sympathy for, but that had changed by the end - though two of them did impress me with some of their actions), some of whom are downright repulsive. They drift about, having self-absorbed, existential crises, being mean to each other and doing pretty terrible things - and eventually some sort of resolution is reached.

And yet, somehow, it was really involving - so much so, that I found myself reading past midnight on more than one occasion. The writing is excellent, and the characters drew me in to their world, making me want to know what would happen to them, even though I didn't like any of them at all.

The violence of the climax was a bit abrupt and very unexpected, but perhaps necessary in galvanising some action on the part of several of the characters - and I was impressed by the length and depth of the aftermath, as the book went on for another 60 pages after the main crisis was over.

So, I remain baffled by Murdoch's ability to get me interested in her stories - but she consistently does.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

I loved Strange the Dreamer and Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor when I listened to them last year, so I thought I'd try her better-known series, starting with Daughter of Smoke and Bone.

And, for the first half, I was fully invested, even though the modern day setting took me by surprise, as I'd been expecting more second-world fantasy. It's about Karou, a girl who attends art college in Prague, but also runs errands for a chimera wish-monger, who has raised her in his magical shop between realms. The world-building is great, the range of characters (in both worlds) is engaging, and I was very intrigued to find out the answers to all the mysteries about Karou's background.

But then it turned into 'romance between teenage girl and much older supernatural being' and I lost interest. The writing was still really good, but that storyline and romantic focus just isn't my kind of thing. The flashbacks to what had happened previously in the other realm also really dragged, since the outcome of the situation had already been revealed, so there was little tension in the detailed relation.

Still, anyone who is into this kind of YA romance will probably love this - it's just not for me.