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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Quieter and sadder than most of these novellas, which isn't criminal or anything. I enjoyed it and will always happily pay for a new book from this author. But it wasn't my favorite, both because of the subject matter and partly I think it just lacked some of the usual sparkle. I was glad Penric at least got to stay in his hometown for once.
Nice little mystery in this novella. We get to follow Penric in another strange twist about death magic.
It follows the occasion of 3 souls, mixed up in different bodies. The power of pain and despair- the call for justice. This one was a bit darker but Penric and Des even it out. It was nice to see his family again.
It follows the occasion of 3 souls, mixed up in different bodies. The power of pain and despair- the call for justice. This one was a bit darker but Penric and Des even it out. It was nice to see his family again.
It was OK… mildly entertaining, not particularly deep or interesting mystery. Plus frankly, it kind of makes the god of autumn out to be an ignorant, stupid and insensitive being… Apparently is a God but doesn't know that the soul of some poor terrified four-year-old kid is scared of dogs? And in being so stupid, literally puts the child's soul at risk for being annihilated.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Suicide
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This newest installment in the Penric and Desdemona series of novellas is a treat. I always like returning to Bujold's World of the Five Gods, where Learned Penric and his demon Des are asked to take on all sorts of issues. This time, the story is a sad one, involving denials of justice, death magic, and the death of a child. The tone is meditative and somber, and yet the mystery elements are a pleasure to read. Newcomers can probably read this without prior knowledge of the characters, but ideally readers will have read some of the previous books in the series.