Lost Covenant, by Ari Marmell
Book Review by Joshua Palmatier
Have you read this book?
Lost Covenant is the third book in Ari Marmell's Widdershins series. I really enjoy this series, possibly because the set-up is similar to my own book The Skewed Throne, with a young rogue-ish girl with morals living in the slums of the city who gets caught up in events far beyond her standing. My book is a little darker in nature (aimed for the adult crowd), while Ari's is aimed more toward the YA market though.
In any case, the premise of this book is that Widdershins has fled the city of Davillon after her last altercation and its consequences, afraid that her presence is endangering all of those she loves. While away, she stumbles over a plot to destroy the Delacroix family. Since Alexandre Delacrois was the nobleman who took her in from the slums and cared for her, she attempts to unravel the plot and save the remnants of her adopted father's relatives. Except none of them trust her. She'll have to convince them her intentions are good while at the same time stopping the criminal underground from killing her . . .
As I said, I enjoy Widdershins, mostly because of her character and especially because of her relationship with the god Olgun. The banter between these two keeps the pace moving along swiftly and brings lighter elements to some of the darker parts of the book. I will admit that it takes some settling in to get used to Widdershins and her conversational style when you start one of her books, but once you adjust, she invariably makes you grin. There are darker moments in the books, as Widdershins deals with the darker side of human nature and how ugly it can get, but her basic morality keeps the reader grounded.
This book was interesting in comparison to the previous two, because the bad guys weren't all that supernatural in nature. The biggest nod in that direction was the alchemy (which I haven't spoiled because they mention it in the cover copy of the book). The criminals are just that--criminals, with no real supernatural element to them. This non-supernatural aspect made this book less terrifying than the previous one (where the bad guy was damn creepy), but it was also refreshing. I found the final twist as to what they really intended gruesome and believable and a cool twist on alchemy.
And there was a subplot woven through everything that is not resolved here and is obviously intended as a hook into the next book. I won't spoil that, but it certainly makes me wish the next book were out now.
Overall, a solid book. Not as good as the previous one (but mostly because it wasn't as dark, and I like dark). Widdershins continues to grow, and I feel that this book was a nice breather in her adventures, before she returns and faces what was so obviously set up as her next challenge in the next book
Joshua Palmatier/Benjamin Tate
www.joshuapalmatier.com
www.benjamintate.com
In any case, the premise of this book is that Widdershins has fled the city of Davillon after her last altercation and its consequences, afraid that her presence is endangering all of those she loves. While away, she stumbles over a plot to destroy the Delacroix family. Since Alexandre Delacrois was the nobleman who took her in from the slums and cared for her, she attempts to unravel the plot and save the remnants of her adopted father's relatives. Except none of them trust her. She'll have to convince them her intentions are good while at the same time stopping the criminal underground from killing her . . .
As I said, I enjoy Widdershins, mostly because of her character and especially because of her relationship with the god Olgun. The banter between these two keeps the pace moving along swiftly and brings lighter elements to some of the darker parts of the book. I will admit that it takes some settling in to get used to Widdershins and her conversational style when you start one of her books, but once you adjust, she invariably makes you grin. There are darker moments in the books, as Widdershins deals with the darker side of human nature and how ugly it can get, but her basic morality keeps the reader grounded.
This book was interesting in comparison to the previous two, because the bad guys weren't all that supernatural in nature. The biggest nod in that direction was the alchemy (which I haven't spoiled because they mention it in the cover copy of the book). The criminals are just that--criminals, with no real supernatural element to them. This non-supernatural aspect made this book less terrifying than the previous one (where the bad guy was damn creepy), but it was also refreshing. I found the final twist as to what they really intended gruesome and believable and a cool twist on alchemy.
And there was a subplot woven through everything that is not resolved here and is obviously intended as a hook into the next book. I won't spoil that, but it certainly makes me wish the next book were out now.
Overall, a solid book. Not as good as the previous one (but mostly because it wasn't as dark, and I like dark). Widdershins continues to grow, and I feel that this book was a nice breather in her adventures, before she returns and faces what was so obviously set up as her next challenge in the next book
Joshua Palmatier/Benjamin Tate
www.joshuapalmatier.com
www.benjamintate.com
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