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coris's review
4.0
This book has an oddly low rating for what it is -- an almost-cosy fantasy romp told first-person by Dunleavy (Lee) who is a Shield -- a magical protector of a Source, someone who can magically defuse natural disasters. It has a Pern-like setup, wherein centuries ago, spaceflight dumped people on a planet with many violent natural disasters ... and magic is the solution to that problem. There's no sci-fi explanations, just roll with that premise. The world setting is generic medieval, but has clearly been thought out well in the impact of this magic system on society.
Lee's problems, and our story, begin when she Bonds with Lord Shintaro (Taro) Karish, a Source widely renowned for his brilliance, arrogance, bed-hopping and shallowness. She is now required to work with him in preventing natural disasters, which are happening increasingly often in a particular town ... and obviously stressful workplace tension makes for a fun time for readers.
I suspect the low rating comes from readers who don't click with Lee, who is a naïve & judgemental 21 year-old, and has a lot of growing up to do, which could be annoying. (I'm undecided if she's also meant to be autistic-coded, but there's resonant traits included.) Or perhaps, because it's pretty predictable in places. I found it fluffily readable and told well enough that I was happy to read along anyway. First of a seven book series, and I'm well into book 2 already!
Lee's problems, and our story, begin when she Bonds with Lord Shintaro (Taro) Karish, a Source widely renowned for his brilliance, arrogance, bed-hopping and shallowness. She is now required to work with him in preventing natural disasters, which are happening increasingly often in a particular town ... and obviously stressful workplace tension makes for a fun time for readers.
I suspect the low rating comes from readers who don't click with Lee, who is a naïve & judgemental 21 year-old, and has a lot of growing up to do, which could be annoying. (I'm undecided if she's also meant to be autistic-coded, but there's resonant traits included.) Or perhaps, because it's pretty predictable in places. I found it fluffily readable and told well enough that I was happy to read along anyway. First of a seven book series, and I'm well into book 2 already!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Confinement
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Toxic friendship, Violence, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcohol
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