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A Spell of Winter and New Valdemar!
Nov. 22nd, 2022 03:25 pmA Spell of Winter by Helen Dunmore was part of my 'Women's Prize for Fiction' themed reading retreat last week, but I didn't finish it during the retreat.
It's the story of Cathy and Rob, a sister and brother living in a big house in the years before the First World War.
The prose is beautiful and the picture built up of their lives together is an effective one. There's also a very atmospheric sense of foreboding that hangs over the first half of the book.
But I wasn't keen on what happened in the second half and I didn't really connect that well to Cathy as a character.
On the audiobook front, I came across a brand new Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey! I've been a staunch Valdemar fan since the late 90s, though the more recent series have been a bit mixed. This, though, takes the reader back to a time before the kingdom of Valedmar was even created, charting the trials and tribulations of Duke Kordas of Valdemar, plotting an escape for his whole Duchy from the threat of an oppressive and cruel emperor. So, no magic horses yet, but a lot of very clever planning and misdirection. The climax was rather a shock, circumventing the expectations that were built up over the course of the book. The second in series is out soon and I will definitely look forward to what happens next.
It's the story of Cathy and Rob, a sister and brother living in a big house in the years before the First World War.
The prose is beautiful and the picture built up of their lives together is an effective one. There's also a very atmospheric sense of foreboding that hangs over the first half of the book.
But I wasn't keen on what happened in the second half and I didn't really connect that well to Cathy as a character.
On the audiobook front, I came across a brand new Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey! I've been a staunch Valdemar fan since the late 90s, though the more recent series have been a bit mixed. This, though, takes the reader back to a time before the kingdom of Valedmar was even created, charting the trials and tribulations of Duke Kordas of Valdemar, plotting an escape for his whole Duchy from the threat of an oppressive and cruel emperor. So, no magic horses yet, but a lot of very clever planning and misdirection. The climax was rather a shock, circumventing the expectations that were built up over the course of the book. The second in series is out soon and I will definitely look forward to what happens next.
