Unerman's prose is a delight to read. This first novel shows great
promise for future works. It also shows a few typical weaknesses of
first books. The plot is not quite as tight as I might like, characters
not fully developed, and the ending somewhat disappointing (it seemed
almost as if Unerman was having trouble finding a resolution so she just
stopped). The main character, Jane Fairchild, is compelled by a
magician, Lucian Hunter, to walk to the magically protected island
Spellhaven. He selects her based on her musical gifts. Magicians from
Spellhaven travel the world to find gifted artists to fill Spellhaven's
needs. Much of the plot of the book is a detailing of the history of
Spellhaven and its genesis. The other plot elements are the attempts by
various magicians and their families to obtain Jane's services and use
her gifts for their entertainments. There is also a larger plot pulling
all together but in the interest of avoiding "spoilers" I'll leave that
to readers.
The book is enjoyable, but ultimately a bit
unsatisfying. I'm not certain whether the book should have actually been
an trilogy so that Unerman had time to develop the characters more
fully or if it simply need more ruthless editing to reduce the lush
details about Spellhaven and focus more on plot and character.
I hope Unerman continues to keep writing. She is clearly talented.
No comments:
Post a Comment