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I wasn’t actually intending on reading this second book of the trilogy
so soon after having finished the first, The Warlock. I found, however, the
tantalising pull of Carin’s unsure fate to be too strong to resist and I put
off my reading schedule for two days to allow myself to get caught up again in
the world of Ladrahdin (I hope I spelt that right).
Information:
Title: The Wysard
Author: Deborah J.
Lightfoot
Series: Waterspell #2
Publisher: Seven
Rivers Publishing
Target Audience: YA?
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 444 pages
Story: After
blundering into the last stronghold of magic, Carin discovers that she is right
to fear the wizard Verek. He is using her to seal the ruptures in the void, and
she may be nothing more to him than an expendable weapon. What will he do with
her—or to her—when his world is again secure? Or has he erred in believing that
the last bridge has been broken? The quest may not, in fact, be over … and Lord
Verek may find himself not quite as willing to dispose of his fiery
water-sylph, Carin, as he once believed himself to be.
Thoughts and
impressions: In the prologue
things pick up exactly where they left off at the end of the first book and the
reader is afforded some answers to their questions. As of the first chapter,
though, events jump forward a few weeks and the reader is fed any necessary
information to paint a clear picture of what happened in that lost time mostly
through dialogue.
In contrast to the
first book, which was almost entirely in the stationary setting of the manor
house, this second book sees the four characters (Verek, Lanse – his stable
boy, Carin and the woodsprite) on a long journey through the dead of winter. I enjoyed this new setting and the different
dimensions that it gave t the characters. Myra, one of my favourite characters
from the first book, was of course absent, but if I’m honest I think that this
book probably profited as much from her absence as there was no temptation to
allow things to get caught up in her endless inane prattlings. Besides, the
woodsprite prattles as well and I’m not sure that more than one such character
is really a good thing.
The Wysard felt more concise
than The Warlock. The author
certainly grew and it seemed to me that she had better control over what is
necessary to weave a really intriguing fantasy tale in this one. I found myself
more interested in events, though Carin’s inability to see past the end of her
own nose when it came to the riddles she was trying to unravel was just
infuriating. She latched onto all the wrong verses and completely ignored those
that really drew parallels between the texts she was trying to understand.
The characters all
grew in this book, each becoming more aware of certain shortcomings and
repenting them. Both main characters had difficult choices to make that are
like as not to come back to haunt them in the final book of the trilogy.
The promised romance
does come to a head in this book but in such a way that the exploration of it
has been left for the last book. I have to admit that I’m not entirely
comfortable with the age difference between the two characters: Carin is in her
mid-teens while Verek is in his mid-forties. It explained away by the fact that
Verek is a wizard, wizards are long-lived and so it’s like Verek is only in his
twenties… but he’s still lived for forty-odd years and Carin is still only
little more than a child. Having Carin just a few years older at, say, 20 would
have dispelled this discomfort, but at just 15 I couldn’t get over the feeling
that she was just too young. Beyond this, I didn’t actually feel her feelings
growing for Verek. She was still afraid of him fairly close to the end of the
book, but then when she goes to save him she’s accepting of him kissing her
without even questioning his actions. Verek I could sense, though, and I liked
the slow evolution of him coming to terms with his feelings.
I’m not entirely sure
where things are going to go in the next book, but I’m definitely interested in
finding out!
Style: There are not as many lengthy, unnatural spiels of
dialogue in this book, which I felt improved the style vastly. However, the
author picked up a habit of opening sentences with the indirect object, though,
which is something that I dislike in English.
Final verdict: A very interesting sequel that I felt improved on
the first book. 4.5 stars
Extra notes: Some invented bad language. No sex.
It sounds interesting, I didn't know this one. It's always great to have a story that begins just we it was left. I can understand the problem of the age, I don"t have often it, but I think you're right 15 is a little too young.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great review. I'll keep the series in mind when shopping for my next read. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rea, for the review. I’m glad you’re enjoying the story.
ReplyDeleteRegarding Carin’s age: I feel I should point out that her age is never definitely determined. Early in Book 1, Myra guesses that Carin “can’t have seen sixteen winters yet.” But it’s only a guess, and Carin can neither deny nor confirm it, since she does not remember her early childhood. You’ll recall that she’s very thin when Myra first sees her -- nearly starved, in fact -- and so she might appear to be younger than she actually is.
Then in Book 2, a definite element of time distortion accompanies Carin’s journeys. (This is one of those science-fictional elements that I deliberately included.) Remember that from Myra’s point of view, Carin has been away for a year and a half. And when Carin finds Verek, she tells him:
“I’ve traveled the void, and out there everything’s different. Time is meaningless. In some ways it passes quickly, and in other ways it doesn’t pass at all … I’ve been away from you for a time that I don’t know how to measure.”
Taken together, these elements suggest that, for Carin, time has passed. She’s had time to mature.
Part of my underlying purpose throughout the trilogy is to address certain ageist attitudes that I believe permeate Western culture. I do not accept that people are defined by their ages. Verek is not defined by his, nor Carin by hers.
That’s my take on their relationship, anyhow. Thank you for the opportunity to share some of my thinking. I’ve been hoping to engage with readers on the “age” question. I’m glad you brought it up. :-)