The Seat of Magic by J. Kathleen Cheney

[cathschaffstump]

Home with Con Crud? Yes. But it did give me a chance to finish The Seat of Magic by J. Kathleen Cheney, which is one of the tow major reads I had to accomplish before my write-a-thon that begins while I'm on vacation.

Here's what I wrote over at Goodreads.

The second in J. Kathleen Cheney's Golden City books resolves some issues for us and creates some more interesting subplots. In the book, the threat of using magic and weird science to blend supernatural and human creatures together takes center stage as Duilio, Joaquim, and Oriana try to unravel a series of bizarre murders. This makes the book pretty gory indeed, so be forewarned.

For me, a book is at its best regarding its emotional arcs, and here Cheney shines. Readers of the first book should be satisfied with the resolution of the Duilio and Oriana relationship, not too hurried, but not too slow. I wonder what will happen in the next book, as I expect it will be Duilio's turn to be the fish out of water, culturally speaking. Fastidious Joaquim even takes a romantic turn, and Oriana and her father finally get things sorted out.

Other interesting support characters include a revived Mrs. Ferreira and Raimundo, who is second in line to the throne. The return of the Lady and her special police officers was also enjoyable.

I really like and recommend this book. If you wonder why just four stars, I found the mad science just a little too intense for me, which might actually be a commendation of the writing. In short, it's a matter of taste. I was squicked out, although I enjoyed the book.

This will be out in July from Roc. Go get it.

I'm really grateful I had an ARC. I hope you all enjoy this book as much as I did.

Mirrored from Writer Tamago.