Leah R. Cutter

I’ve always enjoyed my visits to Seattle - good people, good food and drink, and plenty to do, no matter your particular mix of urban or natural interests. And it’s a great setting for my latest read - my introduction to a hidden side, a hidden depth of the Emerald City.

Maybe I should have taken that “Underground Seattle” tour they offer. It might have prepared me for this read ... well ... maybe.

I prefer to start most things - especially books and book or film series - from the show more beginning, and proceed upward and onward from there. But it doesn’t always work that way ... which was the case for me, when I received a review copy of “The Princess Troll,” the second installment of the “Seattle Trolls Trilogy” by Leah Cutter ... a writer who was unknown to me until I received a copy of this book from LibraryThing.

“Princes Troll” is the second novel in “a new-adult, urban fantasy trilogy that turns the ugly duckling story on its head.” And while I did find myself starting in the middle, I did not find myself lost, constantly interrupting the narrative with “wait ... what?” moments. There was enough in this second installment to pique my interest, draw me into the story, and leave me looking ahead - and back! - for more.

Even without any tedious prologues, or digressions to the first novel, it didn’t take me long to realize that Christine is NOT your average girl. The realization of just how ‘not average’ she is grows, page by page, chapter by chapter. And it’s not just Christine, but a cast of supporting characters that are colorful and crazy ... even by Seattle standards!

There is magic, mystery and mayhem in this story. If it were simply a story of Christine dealing with the magic and mystery, the story would be alright. But then there’s that mayhem, and not just the stuff of fantasy. She has identity issues, family issues, relationship issues, and all that ... and so much more. Whatever Christine was and is, and whatever she may become, is not something I would call ‘average.’

There is some resolution to some of these issues, and some progress in Christine’s life and development ... SOME, but nothing FINAL ... well, this IS a trilogy after all. And like all good episodic tales, you sense there are some added, unknown complications, unexpected challenges lurking somewhere in the shadows, ready to spring out at a most-inappropriate moment.

Is Christine up to the challenge? I hope so ... but I’m not certain. Cutter has created a character and crafted a tale that leaves one hopeful but uncertain. I find myself rooting for that character, and wishing her success ... but I’m not sure. And if she does succeed, will it be in a way that she -and the rest of us - imagine? And what of those around her, sharing her life and her quest - or seeking to bring an end to both?

I’m looking forward to answering these question when I read the third installment of Cutter’s “Seattle Trolls Trilogy.” In the meantime, I also plan to get/read the first installment of that trilogy, “The Changeling Troll.”

Also in the meantime ... our ship docks in Seattle in a few days ... and I definitely plan to keep my eyes, my ears, and my imagination open when step ashore and enter the Emerald City.
__________

NOTE: I received a free e-copy of this work through LibraryThing, in exchange for a review. show less

Clever concept, imaginative world, well researched, and yet this book read flat. The main character, Tong Yi, has just taken up a job as a message courier that services various mythical creatures and immortals in modern day Taiwan. Traveling between realms he has to navigate a war, his budding magical abilities, and family struggles at home. Will all this conflict swirling around him you'd think this book would be rife with tension, and yet the plot was simply doled out to the reader in show more excessive amounts of telling exposition. This happens, then that and that and this, until the inevitable conclusion that surprises absolutely nobody.

Tong Yi exhibits not a single ounce of personal growth. He is the exact same person at the end of the story that he is in the beginning, with the exception of a few more magical allies. The entire narrative is people telling him how special he is and bailing him out of trouble so swiftly and easily that there is never enough time for the reader to feel any sort of page-turning crisis. There's no trust in the reader to figure anything out, as the author constantly explains every little thought, plot-twist, and emotion before we ever get a chance to connect. We're are hammered down by strained exposition page after page after page.

Ms. Cutter is clearly a skilled writer, but it seems like the characters in the book were only present as devices to expound upon the cleverness of this world- and it is clever. This makes it all the more disappointing to see its richness and uniqueness siphoned away by such boring characters.

(Thank you to Book View Cafe for an advance copy. Receiving a free copy did not affect the content of my review.) show less

The next installment of the Cassandra the prophetess, and friends, who save the world from the followers of rogue gods.

I could remember very little about the prior two volumes although it wasn't that long ago that I read them. But this is of a similar format. Cassie tries to get on with her life - running a PI firm, getting over her ex, rehabilitaging Hunter (fat chance, but at least he's out of jail now) - when one of her cases spirals much more seriously than it seems and suddenly she's show more got to speak to the gods again. This time it's a completely new to me (made up?) sect of some semi-christian methodology, where the priests have free will to choose between the One True god and the Deceiver. It quickly becomes apparnet that one of the True God's followers has become subverted and created a plan to burn the world through the medium of corrupted roses.

Although in some ways this is classic urban fantasy, it is also very reminiscent of the 'normal' Leah Cutter playing fast and loose with fantasy motifs, and very free with sequential logic, it's not about the details it's all in the grand and wonderful gestalt. I'm not sure Leah has a grand design for the series, but there is continuity throughout the books, with the presence of Cassie's mum and the political machinations of the Foundation an ever present distracting background to the investigation. It's not quite clear why Cassie's ex - Sam - gets a few chapters of her own, other than to keep the political sideplot turning over, presumably for another installment in the series.

Fun though - Cassie's very straight forward knows what she wants and doesn't take no for answer. However she is slowly learning that she also has responsibilities, and her constant fight against these is something that we can all appreciate! show less

A Sword's Poem follows the kitsune, Hikaru, as she attempts to rescue her husband, Norihiko, from an evil sorcerer's enchantment. Leah Cutter's novel blends kitsune folklore and Heian period gender politics with a traditional quest storyline.

Hikaru's tale is one of an immature young adult growing up. Each step on her journey to reviving Norihiko is filled with loss, including of her own magic. The price Hikaru pays to retrieve and then purify her lost magic is far greater than her immature show more self could have imagined.

As in most traditional quest tales, Hikaru and Norihiko are caught in events already set in motion, but their participation is required for the correct ending, one that has implications beyond their own relationship.

A Sword's Poem is a thoughtful, well-written novel with an interesting setting, likable characters, and a breezy storyline. It never becomes weighted by its cycle of loss and consequences for one's actions, and Hikaru is an interesting protagonist. show less