Lynn Flewelling

A good book, but I liked it a little less than I did part one (The bone doll's twin). I got thrown out of the narrative a few times, mostly when the story focused on Niryn or on descriptions. Fortunately, this didn't happen very often, but when it did, it reminded me that although the premise of this book is quite original, the world is not. As a matter of fact, the world is very standard and felt a bit like old-fashioned fantasy, and Niryn is incredibly uninspired. Which is a pity, since the other characters are at the least engaging, and at best quite interesting. I'm not only talking about Tobin and Ki, but also about King Erius and Korin, his son. Clearly, they end up across from Tobin at some point, but they had good points as well, and seemed human. Niryn on the other hand is just The Bad Guy. The Nefarious One. The Evil Wizard.

Fortunately, the books focuses on Tobin, and her development, which remains very well done. Tobin not only struggles with her gender, but also with the fact that she is supposed to take the throne from her uncle and cousin, whom she mostly likes. The book shows a bit more of the two wizards, Iya and Arkoniel as well. The distinction between the two is very well done, Arkoniel young, innovative and warm, Iya driven, but further removed from humanity.

Overall, this was still a very good book, and I'm looking forward to reading the next instalment.… (more)