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A review by hazeyjane_2
The Gates of Sleep by Mercedes Lackey
3.0
3.5 stars. The Gates of Sleep dragged a bit towards the middle, but in general it was still an appealing book. I loved the double twist on the fairytale and the villains were, if still somewhat eyeroll-worthy, then at least less so than in The Serpent’s Shadow.
Seeing the Water magic performed was interesting, and the love story was less in focus this time around. Everything was much subtler. I like Maya better than Marina, purely in terms of ‘colour’ - she has a stronger force of personality and a more distinctive role - but I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Marina as the country lady kept captive in the city. There was a real sense of domesticity and of Marina’s connection to her aunt and uncle and the local village people. All the characters were wonderful.
There were also none of the appropriation issues found in the previous book. So based on that alone, it would merit half a star.
Seeing the Water magic performed was interesting, and the love story was less in focus this time around. Everything was much subtler. I like Maya better than Marina, purely in terms of ‘colour’ - she has a stronger force of personality and a more distinctive role - but I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Marina as the country lady kept captive in the city. There was a real sense of domesticity and of Marina’s connection to her aunt and uncle and the local village people. All the characters were wonderful.
There were also none of the appropriation issues found in the previous book. So based on that alone, it would merit half a star.