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A review by monadh
Imitation and Alchemy by Elizabeth Hunter
5.0
Ben gets suckered (again)
After the travel arrangements Tenzin made for him after their last adventure, Ben should know better than to get involved in another one of her crazy schemes. He does, actually, but he just can’t seem to help himself.
Ben is kind of at loose ends; he does not know what he wants to do with his life once he finishes university. He could of course work for his „fake“ uncle Gio, tracking down and restoring rare books to their owners, but lately Gio and Beatrice are leading kind of an unexciting and dull life. So when Tenzin asks him to meet her in Italy to help her with a project he doesn’t need much convincing. Gio impresses upon him that he can go anywhere in Italy, except to Naples, because the vampire leader of Naples is completely crazy and unpredictable, and on top of that there is unrest in the vampire community, because a library in Naples, where many vampires had hidden their own books, has been robbed and naturally the vampires can’t go to the authorities, so Gio and Beatrice have been tasked to recover the missing books. After Ben has executed an assignment for Gio in Rome, he is not really all that surprised Tenzin wants him to meet her in Naples. Some valuable coins where also stolen (from nobody less than the crazy vampire leader), and Tenzin has announced that she has a lead on them. This leads them to Venice, where things are not quite as expected and Ben is once again embroiled in a scheme of Tenzin’s making. Though he is no slouch and well trained, he is only human and as such strongly disadvantaged vis-a-vis the vampires. On top of that, what started out as a straightforward recovery job has all the markings of turning into a political cluster-fuck.
This is the second prequel novella to the Elemental Legacy series, which will also feature Tenzin and Ben. We see Ben struggling with becoming a responsible adult and confronted with the decision of what he wants to do with his life. We also see the relationship between Ben and Tenzin develop further and though there is only the slightest hint of romance (the dance scene), Tenzin at least has given up introducing him as her human lover, but jokingly refers to him as her publicist, which people believe even less. But Ben envisions a completely different relationship with Tenzin, and I hope we are going to find out how he will accomplish this while Tenzin continues to manipulate him ever so subtly (or not). Great story, fun and diverting, with just the right amount of historical details and local color. Another 5 star read!
After the travel arrangements Tenzin made for him after their last adventure, Ben should know better than to get involved in another one of her crazy schemes. He does, actually, but he just can’t seem to help himself.
Ben is kind of at loose ends; he does not know what he wants to do with his life once he finishes university. He could of course work for his „fake“ uncle Gio, tracking down and restoring rare books to their owners, but lately Gio and Beatrice are leading kind of an unexciting and dull life. So when Tenzin asks him to meet her in Italy to help her with a project he doesn’t need much convincing. Gio impresses upon him that he can go anywhere in Italy, except to Naples, because the vampire leader of Naples is completely crazy and unpredictable, and on top of that there is unrest in the vampire community, because a library in Naples, where many vampires had hidden their own books, has been robbed and naturally the vampires can’t go to the authorities, so Gio and Beatrice have been tasked to recover the missing books. After Ben has executed an assignment for Gio in Rome, he is not really all that surprised Tenzin wants him to meet her in Naples. Some valuable coins where also stolen (from nobody less than the crazy vampire leader), and Tenzin has announced that she has a lead on them. This leads them to Venice, where things are not quite as expected and Ben is once again embroiled in a scheme of Tenzin’s making. Though he is no slouch and well trained, he is only human and as such strongly disadvantaged vis-a-vis the vampires. On top of that, what started out as a straightforward recovery job has all the markings of turning into a political cluster-fuck.
This is the second prequel novella to the Elemental Legacy series, which will also feature Tenzin and Ben. We see Ben struggling with becoming a responsible adult and confronted with the decision of what he wants to do with his life. We also see the relationship between Ben and Tenzin develop further and though there is only the slightest hint of romance (the dance scene), Tenzin at least has given up introducing him as her human lover, but jokingly refers to him as her publicist, which people believe even less. But Ben envisions a completely different relationship with Tenzin, and I hope we are going to find out how he will accomplish this while Tenzin continues to manipulate him ever so subtly (or not). Great story, fun and diverting, with just the right amount of historical details and local color. Another 5 star read!