Cold Magic (Spiritwalker, #1) in SpecFic Buddy Reads

Apr 24, 2016 Bradley rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy, 2016-shelf

First off, I really ought to say that there are a lot of very good aspects to this novel. Some parts, such as the dream of the dragon, the bits with the illusions and the cold steel, and especially the alternate history of Europe right up to the Regency era, with all of the Napoleanic (Camjiata) flavors built right in, even going far back for the world-building to the great empire of Carthage, the Phoenicians.

Like I said, there's a lot to love.

Unfortunately, there's also the bad.

Andevai has got First off, I really ought to say that there are a lot of very good aspects to this novel. Some parts, such as the dream of the dragon, the bits with the illusions and the cold steel, and especially the alternate history of Europe right up to the Regency era, with all of the Napoleanic (Camjiata) flavors built right in, even going far back for the world-building to the great empire of Carthage, the Phoenicians.

Like I said, there's a lot to love.

Unfortunately, there's also the bad.

Andevai has got to be one of the most atrociously horrible character I've ever read. Not only do I learn to hate him right off the bat, but there's almost no good points to latch onto besides a little illusion of Catherine in his hands or the fact that he apparently, grudgingly, did the right thing later in the tale. I did not get the feeling that he was supposed to be Catherine's love interest even if she told us, also grudgingly, that he was handsome. I was not sold. No. Nope. Nada. Nilch. Or zilch if you prefer. However you want to say it, he is No Darcy. I mean... "Oh goodie he loves me, now I can forget that he treated me like crap, repeatedly, hunted me, tried to kill me, was shamed by his family and betrayed his master, albeit for me. Woopie. He did the right thing and seems to hate me for it. Oh, yeah, of course he's my true husband."

Right.

That's just the worst of it, but unfortunately, I also had some problems with the flow of the text. I didn't mind how dense it was, in general, but when I start wondering why we're still in this scene and it seems rather directionless at the beginning and a good handful of times throughout, then I had to put the book down and read something else. I don't like doing that. I rarely ever want to, even.

There's a lot of good promise in the book, though. I just wish it had been written by someone else. Or with better editing. Or maybe a good couple of beta readers that could have sat down and said that a good deal of better foreshadowing might have fixed it or that a slightly less traditional wrap-up to the core story might have been quite, quite welcome after having us work so hard to get through the text.

I dislike being this cruel to a book. Seriously. It's nothing personal. I generally love to read. I just wish I could have loved this one more and not so sporadically. ...more

46 likes · Like · see review

May 26, 2016 Lindsay rated it really liked it

In an alternate history Europe an orphaned girl struggles for her family against forces that would use them as political and magical pawns.

The world-building here is intricate and rich, with a very geologically different Earth. There still appears to be enough of an ice age that the Mediterranean is small and there's no English Channel and the middle of Europe is still glacier-bound. Also historically, with no Christianity, and an extant Roman Empire that didn't defeat Carthage and didn't collap In an alternate history Europe an orphaned girl struggles for her family against forces that would use them as political and magical pawns.

The world-building here is intricate and rich, with a very geologically different Earth. There still appears to be enough of an ice age that the Mediterranean is small and there's no English Channel and the middle of Europe is still glacier-bound. Also historically, with no Christianity, and an extant Roman Empire that didn't defeat Carthage and didn't collapse so much as retreat. There's also a large population of people of African descent living in Europe because of a historical disaster that overtook the northern part of that continent (a ghoul plague). And of course, multiple sapient races including the owl-like Trolls who are the natives of the North American continent as well as elemental magic.

What this leaves in 1834 in this world is a racially-diverse version of Europe without racism and sexism greatly reduced from what we would think of in this time. (Women soldiers, women in universities, etc). Where there is some pretty extreme sexism, like in the mage society, it's seen as archaic and horrible. Society is also interesting, in that while it is superficially a lot like England in the mid-1800s, it is so with small groups of nobility and mage-houses acting almost feudal but with also a strong merchant class and a quickly rising industrial revolution.

I haven't talked about the magic system or the spirit world. Or the story. That's because the world-building is so dominant; it's basically kitchen-sink work. At every point you're learning more and comparing and contrasting with the history of our own world. It's probably at once the novel's greatest strength and it's biggest problem.

Catherine and Beatrice Hassi Barahal ("Cat" and "Bee") are cousins raised as sisters by Bee's parents because Cat's parents drowned during a river crossing. One day, not long before their majority at 20 a cold mage named turns up at their house and claims ownership of the oldest Barahal daughter, which is Cat. Bee's parents are obviously upset, but they acknowledge his claim and tell her to go with him immediately. Only cold mages are pretty much feared and despised and this one, Andevai, seems to live up to their reputation as cold, aloof and arrogant. But Cat has abilities that no one expects. Which comes in handy, because it turns out that Bee's parents have deliberately given the cold mages the wrong daughter and for them to get the right daughter Cat must first die.

I found the story compelling although not so much as the world-building. What I didn't appreciate so much was what I felt was some really clunky writing. There were numerous paragraphs where I had to reread because of clarity issues and mixed metaphors or just plain poor wording. I wish I'd taken notes on some of them so I could give examples, but frankly, there's a lot of book here and I was more interested on pushing through it.

Despite issues, I had the strong urge to start the next one immediately, so that tells me the things I liked about it far outweighed my problems with it. ...more

18 likes · Like · see review

Dec 12, 2014 Robyn rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2016

I really enjoyed this alternate world Regency fantasy - great world-building, characters, and peril. My main complaint is that I think it needed to be pared down - parts got a bit repetitive.

13 likes · Like · see review

Sep 23, 2014 Sarah rated it it was ok

Shelves: audio, sci-fi-fantasy-challenge-2016

This feels, for some reason, like it skims the surface of a story. It lacks density and heft. It is kind of cute at times. I like Cat and her relationship with Bea but so much of this is so light.

9 likes · Like · see review

Jun 21, 2012 Dawn rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, series-finished

This wasn't what I was expecting when I picked up this book. I was looking for a book like many of the authors others. More complicated, dense and detailed. Instead I got more of a typical steampunk genre book, with the young characters, simpler writing and romance.

It's still a good book, especially Elliott's world of ice and magic. And in the end it's that brilliant world that will bring me back to read the next book. ...more

Like · see review