I kept putting off doing these two book reviews, and now I have to do a mini-review because frankly they aren’t fresh enough in my mind for something more in-depth.
Jennifer Roberson’s Deepwood continues from Karavans, which I reviewed earlier. Like it’s predecessor, Deepwood is well-written. The characters, which I found a touch lacking last time around, have grown in the face of hardship. Unlike the last novel, a lot happens in this book. Since the entire karavan family and Rhuan got taken in by the Deepwood, they find themselves in a lot of danger, so the book is never dull. It’s a little on the dark side, but the book is interesting, and is a definite improvement over Karavans. If you like fantasy, I would say it’s worth your time.
Next up is Freda Warrington’s Elfland. I was admittedly drawn to this book by the lameness of its title. I mean, really? I saw that it won a fantasy award and had lots of praise, so I went ahead and got it. Readers should know that books featuring the world of fae in any way, shape, or form get an automatic bonus with me. I am besotted with the world of fae and the endless interpretations it receives. This book featured a race of people somewhere between human and fae, who could escape into the edgy world of fae at will… Except that the gate keeper has barred the doors. The plot centers on Rosie, her brothers, and her neighbors, who are mostly part of this odd race. Because the doors to Elfland are closed, she has grown up without learning about the world beyond those gates.
At first I really liked this book. The writing struck a deep cord with me, not so much by its skill, but by how it presented the feelings of feeling the world of fae on the edges around you. Unfortunately the plot seemed to be trying to outdo itself with “and then it got worse” moments. Frankly the stuff that happened in this book seemed aimed to shock for no reason. For instance, Rosie cheats on her husband, causing him to put her younger brother and half brother into his car and drive them into a tree at full speed because she loved them, and he wanted to hurt her. You’re left saying “Wait, what, really?”. Sadly that was just one of many weird moments in this book. Stuff like this, coupled with the constant string of stupid decisions involved, made me not really care about the characters and their fates. I just liked the stuff about fae. The bottom line is that if you have a taste for the world of fae, or for rather extreme drama, you’ll probably like this book well enough. Otherwise, probably not.
