Release Date: 27/11/12
SYNOPSIS:
Archmage Planir and the wizards of Hadrumal have demonstrated their devestating powers and the corsair threat is no more. The mainland rulers' relief is overshadowed with fear of one day facing such a threat to their own dominion. Will Tormalin's Emporer make an alliance with Solura's wizards, who so openly covet Hadrumal's secrets? Will he seek out that other mysterious magic, Artifice, to counter Planir's magecraft? How will the aloof Aetheric adepts of the mountains answer such an appeal?
With many of the Wizard Council disputing Planir's chosen course, he must look beyond the island city for allies. To Suthyfer, the controversial haven for mageborn far away in the Eastern Ocean. To Caladrhia, where Corrain, Baron Halferan and Lady Zurenne believe they have finally won respite from all their trials. But absence of strife is hardly peace. The lull before winter's storms descend from the distant northern peaks will be a short one.
REVIEW:
Having followed Juliet’s writing for quite some time I was a little apprehensive about reading this book as I was wondering how so many of her threads were going to be rapped up as well as answering a fair few of the loose ends that I’ve wanted dealt with before.
Add to this a novel that doesn’t let up, has great pace as well as characters that I’ll be sorry to see the back of and all round it was a book that I was more than happy to spend my time with. Thank you Juliet.
Release Date: 01/03/12
SYNOPSIS:
In Halferan, Captain Corrain is hailed as a hero, but he knows all such praise would turn to anger if the Caladhrians knew what had really happened. The wizard who supposedly saved them has claimed the corsair island for his own. Corrain fears the worst, as he confides in Lady Zurenne of Halferan. But this disastrous turns of events cannot be concealed from Hadrumal's mages. Planir's leadership is openly questioned despite the best efforts of his confidante, the magewoman Jilseth and his other friends and allies. Surely he will enforce his authority by crushing this upstart? Unless the Aldabreshin warlords act first. That island lies on the outer fringes of their Archipelago. The warlords are watching the ominous skies as a once in a lifetime conjunction of the stars approaches. Will the warlords be content to drive this solitary wizard out of the Archipelago or had the time come for them to destroy all magic?
REVIEW:
When starting a new series, the first book sets the tone and key world building points that bring the reader to the authors layer, whilst for many this is seen as the key part of any series, for me it’s the foundations with the second title acting as the ground stone to keep you safely ensnared within the worlds believability as well as charms.
In this, the second book in Juliet’s Hadrumal saga, the tale not only gets more complex but the inter character relationships alongside political machinations really seek to keep you guessing as the story wends its way. What perhaps makes this even more fun is that for the reader the principle players are “pawns” within the overall world chess game being played by their political masters. Its intricate, the overall weave of threads is coming together nicely and for the reader there’s also those playing behind the scenes whilst our lead heroes seek to find ways to extricate themselves alongside staying alive.
It’s enjoyable, the pace ideal and the authors manipulations of the troughs alongside peaks of pace really keep you going throughout. Finally add some great prose and believable dialogue and it’s a solid tale all in.
Release Date: 04/08/11
SYNOPSIS:
The Archmage rules the island of wizards and has banned the use of magecraft in warfare, but there are corsairs raiding the Caladhrian Coast, enslaving villagers and devastating trade. Barons and merchants beg for magical aid, but all help has been refused so far.
Lady Zurenne’s husband has been murdered by the corsairs, and a man she doesn’t even know stands watch over her and her daughters. Corrain, former captain and now slave to the corsairs, knows that Zurenne’s guardian is a rogue wizard.
If Corrain can only escape, he’ll see justice done. Unless the Archmage’s magewoman, Jilseth, catches the renegade first...
Dangerous Waters is the start of a stunning new fantasy trilogy by highly-respected fantasy writer, Juliet E. McKenna.
REVIEW:
Juliet as an author can feel a little hit or miss to me as she takes some roads that I would have preferred that had been left alone whilst other less travelled tracks had my attention more. What this new series from the prolific author has to offer is a world of magic, a world of double dealing and of course a whole host of characters who, when not serving their own masters are serving their own selfish needs and desires which, all in make for the key ingredients to a successful fantasy novel.
The characters are crisp and strong enough to stand on their own, the world wonderfully descriptive and vivid and when added to Juliet’s own unique writerly voice makes this a title that was more than a joy to spend some time with. Add to this some wonderful prose and stand alone dialogue which demonstrates the authors own unique style and it’s a well rounded title that will more than satisfy. Great stuff.
Release Date: 24/06/10
BOOK BLURB:
A few stones falling in the right place can set a landslide in motion. That's what Lescari exiles told themselves in Vanam as they plotted to overthrow the warring dukes. But who can predict the chaos that follows such a cataclysm? Some will survive against all the odds; friends and foes alike. Hope and alliances will be shattered beyond repair. Unforeseen consequences bring undeserved grief as well as unexpected rewards. Necessity forces uneasy compromise as well as perilous defiance. Wreaking havoc is swift and easy. Building a lasting peace may yet prove an insuperable challenge!
REVIEW:
Whilst the original offering in this trilogy dragged a bit for me, the second seemed to really pick up the ball and deliver exactly the type of novel that I wanted. So upon hearing that the third title was available I really had to get my hands to see how Juliet would conclude what I hoped would be a pleasing series.
What unfurled however was a title that felt that it was a bit flat. It spent way to much time on dialogue and really didn’t feel that it accomplished much in the way of overall arc, almost as if the author was dragging their feet in order to make a certain word count. It’s slow in pieces and for me, the pace was off with the peaks and lulls never really getting past a flat ocean rather than building crescendo’s and Marianas trenches. A great shame to be honest especially when the whole thing feels a little too neatly tied up by it’s conclusion.
BOOK BLURB:
Lescar is a country mired in ancient grudges, with shifting ducal alliances persistently undermining any progress towards peace.
Those Lescari living in exile think they're helping by sending goods and money to their suffering kith and kin but that only sustains this on-going strife. Some exiles understand this, like the young scholars Tathrin and Aremil, in the distant city of Vanam.
Can they do anything to prompt change? Perhaps, if they can grasp the role of trade and finance in Lescar’s wars, as explained by Gruit, the venerable wine merchant who fled Lescar in his youth. If they can make common cause with the likes of Reniack the rabble-rouser, who escaped just before his own dukes’ militiamen hanged him.
Only if they can enlist the support of those Lescari nobles who turn to scholarship rather than risk politics, such as Lady Derenna. If they can contact those brave men and women still living in Lescar, who conspire to save the next generation from the worst of their own suffering.
Can magic be of any assistance, when the Archmage's edict forbids the use of wizardry in Lescar's wars, on pain of his extreme displeasure? But the elemental magics of air, earth, fire and water aren't the only enchantments in this world. There's Artifice, the ancient and subtle mental magic that intrigues some scholars. The Archmage has never claimed authority over that.
Scholarly debate is all very well but to turn such plans into action, they'll need soldiers and tactical information. Where will they find those?
REVIEW:
Authors either thrust the reader into the heart of the matter with their worlds or inevitably take their time to carefully build the world around the characters and its with this second option that Juliet has gone with the first offering in a new series by her for Solaris.
Whilst it is skilfully and beautifully created it is incredibly slow, plodding pace that is there to set the sequence of events within along with bickering politics that will unfortunately turn many a reader off from her writing style.
However, if you happen to love a carefully built plot that will lead up to events demonstrating that she plays for keeps then its going to be a series that will snare your imagination as you await the next novel in the series. With luck (and with most of the background established within this offering) the plot will pick up pace and the careful character creation will go on to prove a resounding success. But for me personally, I’m going to hold off either giving this a big thumbs up or a thumb across the throat (as the Roman’s did) until I get to see where the next novel leads.
BOOK BLURB:
Those exiles and rebels determined to bring peace to Lescar discover the true cost of war. Courage and friendships are tested to breaking point.
Who will pay such heartbreaking penalties for their boldness? Who will pay the ultimate price?
The dukes of Lescar aren't about to give up their wealth and power without a fight.They won't pass up any chance to advance their own interests either, if one of their rivals suffers in all this upheaval.
The duchesses have their own part to play, more subtle but no less deadly.
REVIEW:
After the first offering from Juliet I was a little apprehensive as to how this title would develop yet its clear within the first few pages that with much of the world building done, this title is there to bring it all to light as this intense offering brings the best of fantasy to the fore. Beautifully written, ideally descriptive this title really does take off at a pace that few will find hard to believe after the first novel. Not that the world building and careful construction isn’t required it really did set the tone and give the reader a deeper understanding of the world to which they were to enter but its all been carefully done.
I really am looking forward to the next offering and don’t be surprised if what you expect to happen doesn’t as Juliet really does know how to misdirect the reader and if some of the lead’s pan out as expected the whole world will be in upheaval as the politics lead them down a darker path.
