Author: Kate Elliott
ISBN-13: 9780316080859
Paperback: 502 pages
Publisher: Orbit, 2010
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Waukesha Public Library (inter-library loan)
drey's thoughts:
In this tale set in an alternate universe where Rome hasn't quite disappeared with the gladiators yet, the Industrial Revolution is threatening to unravel the control that the mages and princes have wrought on the people. Catherine Hassi Barahal and her cousin Beatrice are young women studying at the university when Catherine is summarily dispatched with her new husband to one of the mage houses, where everything she knows about herself is challenged and found wanting.
With a death sentence on her head, she runs away to try and warn her cousin Bee, even as she wonders if Bee has always known that her father, really wasn't. What follows is a classic fantasy adventure story, with new characters popping up every so often, danger threatening at every turn, twists and turns to make you dizzy, and a love interest who isn't showing much love or interest...
There was quite a bit in the book that I didn't think really contributed to the story--these were the pages my brain skimmed over--but overall, Kate Elliot has woven a story that I liked enough to want to read more of. Especially to find out what, exactly, Cat is.
drey's rating: 3.5/5 Very Good
Challenges: 100+, Support your Local Library
