Where I Esteem the Author and Admire the Series

Without a Summer by Mary Robinette Kowal
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am enjoying this series by Mary Robinette Kowal, and I like each book more than the last. (It doesn't always work that way, you know.) So, obviously, this is my current favorite. And I really hate Vincent's dad.

This is not a gritty series, but for a Jane Austen-type novel it presents us with a surprising amount of the real world--more romance and sex, more awareness of poverty and injustice, more action and danger. (Plus fantasy elements!) It is a mix that works well, even with the gentle tone that pervades the whole, like sitting down to a charming tea with finger sandwiches that bite back.

Of course, it is an interest in characters that makes it work. That's also what makes each book a little more engaging, IMO; I care about them more as I know them better. I enjoyed seeing the younger sister get involved in this story, and I was very indignant on her behalf when family and other forces tried to hold her back and disregard her feelings. That's how the author gets ya--she makes you care. :)

I am fond of the author's style. (I admire it; I highly esteem it. Austen joke.) Her prose has a bright clarity that makes reading effortless while still evoking a Regency flavor. As with so much art, the hard work is making it appear so simple and elegant.

Recommended for those who think Regency fantasy sounds like a good idea.

I mean, who doesn't? Come on.

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