Unquiet Land

This is the fourth instalment in the Elemental Blessings series by Sharon Shinn, which I have been revisiting over the last few months, in anticipation of finally getting to the last instalment, which I haven't read before.

I really like the audiobook narrator for these - and this fourth book is a lot of fun. It follows Leah, who was introduced in Book Three and was my favourite character in that one. Here, she returns to her home country to build a relationship with the five-year-old daughter she abandoned. She also gets embroiled in some grisly murders that may or may not be connected to visiting foreign dignitaries, while running a shop as an agent of the crown.

I wasn't wholly on board with the romance aspect of this book, as I thought Leah's relationship with the romantic interest in question was presented more as a father-daughter connection in the last book (which may be me misinterpreting or misremembering it) so it was very jarring for him suddenly to turn up and there be a romantic connection.

Still, overall, it was a fun listen, with lots of intrigue, lots of time with characters I'd grown to love from previous books, and a very exciting climax. Leah's agency was rather lacking during that climax - but I guess the people who did act did so because of their connections to her, so she was pivotal, if not directly.

I liked where it ended up and I'm really looking forward to getting to the next one.