I read the 10th Anniversary revised edition of this republished novel, and I think the author’s writing has matured somewhat—glad I waited to get into this series. But now that I’m in—I’m all in. 

The politics are too real, a bit too real for me, and I’m very interested to see where this is going… I can understand how some of her fellow Brits weren’t keen on the story based on the subject matter. But, if you take it as fantasy or alternate-world based politics, it’s far easier to swallow. For both sides. 

 

The settings are familiar, which adds to our ability to relate to the places and characters, and the main characters are vibrant and complex, (though some of the flatter lads need further development to become well-rounded). I am sure that these complexities will only mature over time and the course of the next 6 novels (I think she’s set to write 7 in the series). There is the tease of a romantic relationship, but the story is not overly obsessed with it—a subtle yearning, for those who need it. 

 

The twists along the way were nothing I expected, and after the first 20% of this world-build and character development, I was frantically reading to see what would happen next in this hairpin plot. 

 

I can see how some might have related the setting to other novel series, though beyond fleeting reference to similar settings, I don’t think it does any favours to this unique piece of work by relating it to anything else; this is a dark rain-drenched world of futuristic fantasy I can’t compare to much else I’ve read. And that cover is gorgeous… 

 

Loved it. I know the 5th has only just been published, so I might wait a while before proceeding with this series, letting the cliffhanger ending of this first one sit with me for a bit before gobbling up the rest…