Tracing the Shadow

This book. This book!

This is one of the most frustrating books I've read in a long time. Don't get men wrong. The story is incredibly interesting and the characters are complex. However, it just around SO MUCH and the handling of time is terrible. The switching between character points of view so often made my head spin and at times I wanted to throw the book at a wall. Also, the romantic relationships in the book . . . Heartache for the reader is one thing but you don't even get to enjoy the relationship before it's ripped apart.

My feelings give this book a two but the story was so fascinating that it gets the extra star.

I'm not sure whether to recommend this or not. It has some compelling moments, and a couple of the characters are engaging... but it feels underdeveloped somehow. Perhaps it is because it is part of an upcoming series? It also feels like what should be the most intriguing parts - the author's original contributions to the genre - are less interesting than the tried-and-true stories about misfits, about boarding schools, about infatuation and rivalries.

Not quite as good as I remember her earlier books being (due to some simplistic characterisation and choppy narrative here and there) but still a fairly solid fantasy.

This is book one of two in the Alchemyst's Legacy Series. The story line weaves in with the previously published The Tears of Artamon trilogy telling the story from the perspective of several important characters that were previously only mentioned in passing. Since the author seems to assume you've read the other books she glosses over some major plot points while focusing more on thelimited perspectives of the specific characters.
I must admit I read Tracing the Shadow before the main trilogy not knowing how they joined together. Even without the information from the other books the story was very enjoyable and kept my attention engaged the entire time. Overall it's a good fantasy story but it's even better if you've read the main show more trilogy first. show less

Not very memorable but readable story about an alternative world with alchemy that woorks and a supression of alchemists and then has to deal iwth aftermaths and some alchemists going underground.
The map shows something that looks a little like France and Spain cut off from the rest of Europe and an amalgam of nordic countries along with a very small african shaped lace, but using European names just amade it more confusing for me, being a person who has read too much history. It left me vaguely curious about what happened next but not particularly driven to find them.