Sweep in Peace

I read ‘Clean Sweep’, the first book of the Innkeeper Chronicles, back in 2017 and was surprised by how much fun it was. I’ve been meaning to get back to Dina Demille and her sentient and magically powerful Inn that opens portals into other worlds and secretly hosts alien races ever since, but I kept ending up reading a Kate Daniels novel instead. I don’t have any more Kate available to me so I went back to Dina and her Inn.

In ‘Sweep In Peace‘ Dina has agreed to let the galactic arbitrators use the inn to host a peace conference between Space Vampires, the Hope-Crushing Horde, and the devious Merchants of Baha-char.

The opening of the book was a little clumsy and I wondered if this ten-year-old book had become dated and was show more going todeliver what now seems like clichèd video game characters in a static situation. There was a lot of visualisation of exotic architecture interwoven with briefings on the main parties to the peace talks and some of the issues involved. There also seemed to be an assumption that I hadn't read the first book so answers to the "What is an Inn and what do Innkeepers do?" questions had to be folded into the story. This got things off to a slow start.

The pace improved once the large cast was assembled.

Initially, I was propelled by the humour and my curiosity. If you're not interested in the choices an Innkeeper makes to match the interior design of a room to the character of a guest or the kinds of food that a first-class chef can produce then your attention may flag for a while.

Bit by bit, the emotional tone changed and I began to empathise with the terrible situation the warring parties were in.Their war was unwinnable, casualties were mounting and none of them could find a way to stop the slaughter. I admired how Ilona Andrews turned the abstract into the personal and, along the way, showed that the combatants, even though they were sworn enemies, had a lot in common. I was also interested to see how ruthlessly manipulative the Arbitrator felt he needed to be to bring about peace.

As always with Ilona Andrews, the magic systems in the book were carefully thought through and vividly visualised. I found the ceremony used by the Hope-Crushing Horde to remember their dead particuarly affecting.

Although this is a book with a lot of humour and a little romance, in the end, it is about what wars do to the people who fight them and the price that often has to be paid for peace.

I listened to the audiobook version, narrated by Renee Raudman. Her narration is something of an acquired taste. My first impression was that she sounded too old to be narrating Dina Demille's point of view. After a while, I was carried forward by the passion she brought to her narration and her ability to give characters distinctive voices. Her narration shapes the feel of the text so you'll either love it, or want to switch to a text version. show less

There were a lot less slipped-in world-building gems in this instalment, but there was a much more streamlined and focused plot with deeper character building across the board, so all in all, everything evened out.

Ah, yes, and there was much less of a sense of love-triangles and UFism as all the races began feeling like individuals with histories, loss, and actionable twisted motivations. This one felt like a traditional diplomatic-action SF, complete with a quirky chef, seating arrangements, and an asshole arbitrator. (Come on. You know that's a standard trope. No *real* spoiler.)

And yet, our MC's love interests aren't completely gone from the picture, so if you are pining, you *are* allowed to pine and swoon and whatever it is you show more paranormal romance types do in your off-time. That part doesn't interest *me* that much, but I can recognize good writing, interesting stories, and a delightful low-fever of humor running through these novels.

You Texans! You sure allow some interesting people to run some interesting intergalactic way stations in your state! Whew. :)

Btw, I can read this stuff all day long. It's very pleasant and easy and not at all boring. Bravo! show less

I'm not quite sure how Sweep in Peace works for me, with its long monologues and descriptions, but it totally does. The story kept me in suspense from beginning to end. It has some truly hilarious moments and a few deeply heartbreaking ones. I nearly cried towards the end. There are a couple of editorial errors, but nothing huge. Overall, Sweep in Peace only confirms (as if I didn’t know already) that Ilona Andrews rocks the house. The character development and world building are just outstanding. I love the inn concept - so different and creative! I can't wait for the next Innkeeper book.

In the next Innkeeper Chronicle, we have a new supporting character introduced to the household that immediately wins my (and Dina's) heart which is promising as I adore found family and supportive relationships. Interestingly, while the introduction was nothing mindblowing for me, this installment kicked me HARD in the feels.

It gets very dark as the pain of generations of war between factions makes resolution seem all but impossible. The finale throws us an unexpected twist and then draws on the pain and grief of war viscerally to bring about the impossible. I cried a fair bit through the last 50 or so pages making me resonate with this sequel in a way I did not with the first.

Caldenia blinked. "Who are the attending parties?"

"The Holy Anocracy represented by House Krahr, the Hope-Crushing Horde, and the Merchants of Baha-char. They coming here for Arbitration and they will probably try to murder each other the moment they walk through the door."

Caldenia's eyes widened. "Do you really think so? This is absolutely marvelous!"

She would think so, wouldn’t she?

Sweep in Peace is the second book in the Innkeeper Chronicles by Ilona Andrews. Dina and the Gertrude Hunt have been selected to host the Nexus Peace Summit. Nexus is a small, rugged planet inhabited by three factions. The Holy Anocracy and Hope-Crushing Horde are blood enemies who have been waging war for years with the Merchants caught in the middle. show more The war has carried on so long that all three sides feel they can't stop fighting yet they are so tired of watching loved ones die they will make the attempt anyway, even if things seem doomed from the beginning. Also in attendance are members from the Office of Arbitration to act as mediators for the talks. Dina definitely has her work cut out for her!

The story has a more serious tone than the first book though there are still bright and funny spots to provide balance. The wars impact on the characters involved is palpable. Everyone is worn out and on the edge of despair. You would think that would make things easier, but it doesn't. There is nothing easy about these peace talks. Dina has a lot of history and cultures to navigate through in order to sort out the mess.

Andrews have outdone themselves with the creativity of the species and characters. Each of the new species has their fun quirks and are all quite interesting. I loved that the Merchants are an anthropomorphic fox species and request a kitten as a pet! Caldenia is in her element as a bystander and revels in the change of pace and all the drama. One of my favorite additions to the cast is Orro, the Quillion chef. His species is like a humanoid sized hedgehog. He is over the top melodramatic, one of the top chefs in the galaxy and highly entertaining. I was sad to see what happens to Sean's character since we saw him last though I think things will get better for him. We also get to see more of the Gertrude Hunt as having a personality, which was fascinating.

This was a great sequel. I'm looking forward to reading the third installment. show less

Surprisingly, I liked this even better than the first novel in the Innkeeper series, Clean Sweep. I expected a paranormal romance direction and was pleasantly surprised to discover the plot surrounded the challenge of an interspecies summit at the inn.

Caldenia, ex-tyrant, and galactic exile, remains my favorite character. Characterization, of course, is where the Andrews shine, and her cut-throat political advice is the dose of strategy that balances innkeeper goodness and the violent tendencies of the species at the summit. Despite a host of delegates and a small group of Arbitrators to manage them, many of the characters feel well developed. Well done, Andrews.

“Let’s take down the gold leaf,” Caldenia said. “Elegance is never show more ostentatious, and there is nothing more bourgeois than covering everything in gold. It screams that one has too much money and too little taste, and it infuriates peasants."

World-building worked better for me than in the first book. Multi-world/verse fantasy felt more developed although I'm glad that they didn't stay with it long. Apparently there is also cross-over from The Edge series, but I can't speak to how that worked. It felt like mild fan service when I first read it, but improved the second time through.

"Judging by the small smile on her lips, Caldenia was reading something with a lot of smut or a lot of murder."

Writing was much smoother; not so much info-dumping, or at least it was integrated better than the first book. There's nice flashes of humor, but the last quarter of the book takes a particularly dark tone. I thought the ending particularly innovative, if a little uncomfortable emotionally. Overall, it turned into a solid read that should have appeal to Kate Daniels fans, or fans of urban fantasy who don't mind some sci-fi touches.


"Quillonians didn’t always want their problems resolved. They wanted a chance to shake their clawed fists at the sky, invoke their gods, and act as if the world was ending."


January 2020 update: I agree with 2015 carol. Weird. show less

This is the second book in the Innkeeper Chronicles and I really enjoyed it. I don’t enjoy this series quite as much as the Kate Daniels series but it is still a very fun series.

The plot was entertaining and basically involved Dina trying to keep three factions who have been at war forever from killing each other while they come to a peace agreement. In the midst of all this someone has stolen an emerald and someone else is out to harm Dina. The whole things turns into an absolute mess and Dina is desperate for things to work out so that her Inn can thrive.

I continue to really enjoy the whole dynamic of Dina and her Inn, Gertrude Hunt. When Dina is in the Inn she is all powerful and when she is out of the Inn well, she is a bit more show more powerful than a standard human but not by much. We get a bit more insight into how the relationship between Dina and her Inn works and this was incredibly interesting.

There is a lot of humor in here and I loved the addition of the overly dramatic chef. This series has been an odd blend of paranormal and science fiction elements that works very well. I enjoyed meeting all these new races of characters and getting a broader view of the universe through them.

The plotline involving the disappearance of Dina’s parents is still here, although not much (if any) progress is made. The story stops at a good spot as well. I think the only reason that I don’t like these quite as much as the Kate Daniels book is that there is less action and Dina just isn’t quite as engaging of a character as Kate.

Overall a wonderful addition to the Innkeeper series. I love the unique characters, the plot, and the interesting relationship Dina has with her Inn. There’s a lot of humor in here which makes the story a very entertaining and quick paced read. I would recommend to those who enjoy stories with a paranormal/sci-fi vibe to them. I am eager to see what happens in the next book. show less