Cassandra Duffy

I had previously given up on two highly-rated lesfic fantasy books after just a few chapters in so I'm a bit wary of this genre. In both cases, there were too many characters for me to keep track of and too little going on to hold my interest. Fortunately, this isn't the third one. The author wisely focuses the story and action on the two main characters first. Once we're hooked, she slowly widens the circle until, by the end of the book, you get the usual smorgasbord of characters that is show more typical of epic-length fantasy.

The cast of characters is amazingly drawn: Forthright and true Harper, wily Calista, catty Brandine, snarky Ezra, roughly hewn Athol and Sven, stinky sweet Ogre, etc, even all the bit characters have their place and moment in the tale. There is a lot of humor--some dark, some droll, and some downright funny, but isn't forced or overdone. All the usual elements we normally expect from fantasy are there--spells, prophecies, great battles and of course, dragons. The author eschews the usual quest and good-vs-evil plot in favor of a unique and very unpredictable storyline, where the objective is unclear, where most characters' motives are suspect, and you just never know who's gonna end up getting offed next.

Romance readers will love the development of Harper's and Calista's relationship. Calista's seduction of the virginal Harper is deliciously sexy. But how they get from lust to trust, with all the lies, secrets and a tenacious rival between them--is what makes for a great, lesfic-quality love story.

There is a lot of moral ambiguity if you go by our modern day standards. Calista is an assasin, a thief, a spin artist and big-time trouble-magnet. The tempest she stirs up and the resulting dust-up can rival any of the major LOTR sieges in terms of body count. But no epic fantasy worth its salt will be complete without this epic final battle. In the book, it stretches over the final third of the book, in all its bloody and gory detail. Fantasy fans will love it. Personally, I found it rather exhausting.

I was planning to give this a 4.4 which is 4 stars but I loved the ending so much, I'm gonna bump this up a bit. I'd love to be the fly on the wall when she finds out her reward wasn't the untold riches she was expecting but to be 'penniless and pregnant' with the Goddess child, LOL

Again, thanks to all the GR peeps who took time to review the book and helped me discover this wonderful world. Now on to Book 2.

4.5 stars show less

In this second book, the seasons have ground to a halt, stuck in a never changing autumn. Hunger and want have driven people to desperation. And they find a perfect scapegoat in the strange baby born to two women--Bianca. Harper and Calista embark on a quest to bring the baby to safety. Meanwhile the other members of their adventure company embark on their own quest to solve the riddle with the help of long dead dragons.

I love the development of Harper and Calista's relationship. Like any show more other newlywed couple, when the blinders of new love come off, the real person behind the idealized image can be quite jarring. In this case it is rather extreme since one of them is after all, a liar/thief/assassin. How the author works this typical marital kink and other post-pregnancy issues seamlessly into the adventure narrative makes this book so much more relatable to non-‘fantasy geeks’. At the same time, it does not lack for detail, magic and epic quests that characterize the fantasy genre.

The lighter parts of the book have a campy vibe to it, making for an interesting contrast to all the death and destruction happening all around. The same style is also evident in the author’s Raven series.

We get to meet more interesting characters. Young, idealistic Sofea is still trying to find her way in the aftermath of the pyrrhic winter war that took the lives of most of her unit. She has joined up with Harper’s company of adventurers, ostensibly for lack of better options, though I think she’s just totally infatuated with Harper. ;) Wendy, their replacement witch, is another new member. Barely out of her teens, she nevertheless carries the collective knowledge of several witches before her. Like Calista in book 1, she is the mystery character in book 2. Her uncertain loyalties and secret agenda make her an intriguing figure. And then there is River, the resident tinkerbell.

Like Frank, Wendy is also my favorite character. Her surliness and snark play off well against the earnest but oblivious and oft-confused Sofea. Her verbal tussles with Sofea are the fantasy equivalent of YA teen spats.

There is a bizarre love triangle, which totally confuses Sofea. What exactly does she want in life? Is she even in love? Do the two other ladies even want her when their quest is over? And why does she feel so hot and tingly in the company of Harper still? Typical teen lesfic stuff. Except that she needs to figure out these things and more while lugging around dragon bones on a dire bear and lopping off undead heads.

A rich and fun romp this adventure has been so far. But something big and ominous happens at the end of this book. Stuff that makes epic adventure series feel...epic. We’re all awaiting the conclusion(?) with bated breath. Ms. Duffy?

4.75 stars show less

After the reptilian Slark’s attacked Earth, civilisation as we know it ceased to exist. In a post-Apocalyptic world, society seems to have reverted back to the old West. When Gieo is shot down from the skies, she finds herself in Tombstone; a town full of crazy Cowboy’s and blind cultists. The Wild West rules are in full effect but amongst the chaos she finds herself undeniably attracted to ex-model and current Gunfighter Fiona. Their passion is apparent to all, but their relationship show more hits many bumps along way as Gieo struggles to come to terms with both Fiona’s present and her past. When a civil war starts to heat up in the area between the Cultists and the residents of the town, Fiona has to do something quite drastic to tie Gieo to her and keep her safe. When all the fighting seems to stimulate the war with the Slark, things become quite perilous for all the residents of the town. Will all the external stresses mean their fledgling relationship ends before it really has a chance to grow into something deeper? When it becomes clear that there is an external agent driving all the friction to achieve his own personal agenda, the situation in Tombstone deteriorates to never before seen levels. Things will never be the same again, but will they throw away something that has the potential to keep them warm on the cold nights to come?

I had to read this book a couple of times before actually sitting down to review it. Please don’t misunderstand me, this isn’t because I didn’t enjoy it, it’s because there is so much going on. Action packed doesn’t quite cover this tale so I wanted to make sure I had it sequenced properly in my head. There are no wasted sentences; every word has its purpose but, I will admit, that although this made this book quick to read but harder to digest in one sitting. It is a fun, imaginative read that is certainly unlike anything that I have read before. Fiona is an ex-model forced into the life of a Gunfighter. When the Slark’s attacked Earth, the deadly situation reverts Human civilisation back hundreds of years. Isolated Towns run themselves, people settle arguments with guns rather than the Law and people battle constantly over the ever dwindling necessities. When we meet her she is looking for Slark’s to behead simply because their heads are worth fuel. She doesn’t really fight her attraction to Gieo, she simply ignores it. She is a tough cookie, has done things that others would find distasteful to survive, I don’t think that she wants to feel weak. When she finally does give into the temptation, things from the past start to reappear that have the potential to cause problems. Veronica, her ex-girlfriend, appears in her town with the Ravens, an all-girl outfit. Fiona ran away from them, leaving Veronica behind without a word. Once she reappears, old feelings are stirred up and Fiona struggles with closing that door to her heart. When the Cultists start a war with the town, tensions start to run high and she is forced to collar Gieo to keep her safe, forcing the relationship to a different level.

Gieo is the polar opposite of rough and ready Fiona. A delicate yet feisty genius, she charms everyone that she meets within seconds. I loved her cute little robot and her quirky ways. Unfamiliar with the rules of a town such as Tombstone, I was glad that she hooked up with Fiona as she needed someone to keep her safe. She struggled with the way of life that Fiona had chosen for herself but I willed her to accept it. She was attracted to the image of Fiona, to the woman who had graced the cover of many magazines. In accepting Fiona’s choices, I felt a bit happier about them as a couple. She did, however, lose quite a lot of my respect with an act that happens about 60% in. This is an area of the book I never give spoilers for, but she crossed a massive line. I’m all for people getting second chances, and people making mistakes in the lead up to a HEA, but, to me, this happened when they were an established couple and not a work in progress. I struggled after this as it isn’t something that I can usually deal with in a romance. However, the sex between them is very hot and very imaginative (this is helped by the fact that Gieo is involved :D). Once they begin having sex, it is clear that the chemistry between them is truly potent…..there are definitely some clammy hand scenes.

Alongside the love triangle, the crazy cultists (who by the way are blind by choice as they realise that the Slark’s don’t like blind things), the reigniting of the battle with the Slark’s and the Wild West Rules, there is also the crazed town leader who seems to be trying to make sure his hold on the Town can never be removed. As I say, there is a lot going on but it certainly makes for an interesting read. I couldn’t process it all in one read, but this is probably because I’m used to reads with only a few plot threads happening at once. I enjoyed the fact that this one was so different and that it made me work a little; Cassandra Duffy is certainly a woman that knows how to write. On a side note, there were some beautiful little illustrations throughout this fairly lengthy book and they really did enhance the story. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

A Sci-fi/Wild-West/Lesbian tale with a lot of action, a lot of sex and a lot of well-written characters that grab you from the off-set. Give it a go, you may just love it. show less

I bought this book with high hopes. I love steampunk and the book sounded really interesting...that was before I actually started to read it.

The main problem I have with it is that the author CONSTANTLY, past the point of annoyance, force-feeds you the fact that the two main characters are lesbians. I have zero problems with people's sexual preferences, doesn't bother me one bit. BUT...the author is so insistent that you know these characters are lesbians that she destroyed a novel that show more could have been REALLY good. Example...the two characters meet for the first time and they get in the vehicle together and one of them immediately starts to fondle the other one...REALLY? Then the whole collar/leash thing gets old REALLY quick.

The author's writing style is pretty good and I feel this could have been a great book. As of right now, I am not sure if I will finish it...sitting at 25% on my kindle. I promise, if I EVER finish it, I will update this review with more info. As of right now - 1.5 stars. show less