A Shadow in Summer by Daniel AbrahamMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
There are books I enjoyed a lot more than this one that I also gave 4 stars to. But I'm waffling between how much did I like it? scoring and how well was it done? scoring.
It's well done, so 4 stars. I could see others going all the way to 5. I just didn't like it that much.
Okay, this is an excellent fantasy in many ways. It's a well-realized secondary world, revealed a little at a time through action without any ugly info-dumps. The characters are all round and messy and interesting and complex. (I most enjoyed Amat, the old businesswoman with a bad hip who makes herself into something of a hero despite her limitations.) The plot is clever and tricky with complexities that almost but not quite lose me. And the author is really good at making those tiny observations (or letting his characters do it) that make the reader go yes, I know what you mean!
On top of all that, the prose is excellent. It really is.
But it's slow. I didn't care enough about the stakes. It was almost a DNF for me.
So, maybe a book that someone will love. It leans literary, and I don't, but other readers...?
For those readers, this book is recommended.
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