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A review by mackle13
The Merchant of Dreams by Anne Lyle
2.0
I enjoyed the first book of this series, despite it's flaws, mostly because I liked the characters - even if they were sketched a bit thin. I was hoping that this second book would develop them a bit more but, instead, it's the character stuff - especially the relationship between Mal and Coby - which mostly knocked this down to a 2-star.
That's not the only issue. There's also the fact that it's kinda slow to get started, and there seems to be a lot going on, especially in the middle, that I'm not sure really needs to be there. Like,
I'm also not exactly impressed with Mal's spying ability. I mean, he's sent to Venice to find out what he can about a possible agreement between Venice and some skralings - but his entire plan seems to be to find a way to talk to Kiiren. He does kind of fall into other connections - rather quickly and easily, and I guess it's just lucky that he's a young and strapping dude (?) - but, I don't know, he just never seems to have to work for anything. Even when things go bad and things get quickly handled and we move along.
I think, maybe, part of it is the whole "telling vs showing" chestnut. We're told how Mal feels, and that he has nightmares, and this that and the other thing - but I don't feel like we're ever really immersed in his situation.
And that goes for everyone, really.
As to Ned - I thought it might be interesting (though annoying) to see Mal and Ned on an adventure and Coby and Parrish stuck with Sandy - but while Gabriel sort of shone through, I didn't feel like Ned contributed much to the story.
I sort of feel like him and Coby are in similar positions - a lot of their story is about their feelings for Mal, and their feelings about themselves, but a) these things aren't really developed/handled very well and b) they don't often add much of substance to the larger story (though I will say Coby seems to fair better in this last regard than poor Ned).
And, finally, there's the relationship with Coby and Mal. As I said, for much of the story they're apart and missing each other - but I felt like, once again, almost all of Coby's thought and feelings are about a) Mal and b) whether to give up her guise and wear female clothing. (There's this whole thing about how once she goes respectable and dresses like a girl apparently she can never disguise herself as a boy again.)
(Oh, I will say - in the pro column - they dealt with the issue of her monthlies a lot better this time, by
But, anyway, my real issues start once the two parties converge - and I can't really get into it without ranting and getting spoilery, so you've been warned:
He feels bad about betraying Coby and all - but he keeps doing it, rationalizing it, at least in part, that needs must as part of the job and all.
Ok, fine.
But then Coby finds out about this, and is jealous, of course, but is all like "well, it's no less than I deserve for pushing him away for a year", and I'm a bit irritated by this, but she's young and naive and stupid so I let it go... but then, like, a week or two later he's proposing to her and they get married and she's just like "Ok!"
I mean - so there's jealousy, but no real feelings of betrayal, at least none deep enough to have to be healed? I mean, FFS, even if you rationalize it to yourself that, well, you weren't actually betrothed or together or anything, and whatever other reasons you give - emotions don't fucking work that way.
I just... ugh... This whole thing just pissed me off so much. Nothing about their interactions and everything that happens between them at the end had a shred of emotional resonance.
And I coulda smacked someone for the whole comment.
So, yeah - until that last bit I probably would've still rated the book 2.5 stars for slowness and general "what's the point of this plot" stuff, but I would've bumped it up to three for enjoyable readability. But that last part just left me so flabbergasted with WTFness that I had to bump it down.
That said - I'm still gonna read the last book in the trilogy, but I'm gonna pray real hard beforehand that I don't end up wanting to burn the whole set by the end.
That's not the only issue. There's also the fact that it's kinda slow to get started, and there seems to be a lot going on, especially in the middle, that I'm not sure really needs to be there. Like,
Spoiler
Coby and Co getting waylaid by the skraling dude makes sense and is important, because it's relevant to the story - but I'm not sure how the long belabored bits with Mal and Ned on their boat and fending off pirates actually adds anything to the story?I'm also not exactly impressed with Mal's spying ability. I mean, he's sent to Venice to find out what he can about a possible agreement between Venice and some skralings - but his entire plan seems to be to find a way to talk to Kiiren. He does kind of fall into other connections - rather quickly and easily, and I guess it's just lucky that he's a young and strapping dude (?) - but, I don't know, he just never seems to have to work for anything. Even when things go bad and
Spoiler
he's captured and being tortured,I think, maybe, part of it is the whole "telling vs showing" chestnut. We're told how Mal feels, and that he has nightmares, and this that and the other thing - but I don't feel like we're ever really immersed in his situation.
And that goes for everyone, really.
As to Ned - I thought it might be interesting (though annoying) to see Mal and Ned on an adventure and Coby and Parrish stuck with Sandy - but while Gabriel sort of shone through, I didn't feel like Ned contributed much to the story.
I sort of feel like him and Coby are in similar positions - a lot of their story is about their feelings for Mal, and their feelings about themselves, but a) these things aren't really developed/handled very well and b) they don't often add much of substance to the larger story (though I will say Coby seems to fair better in this last regard than poor Ned).
And, finally, there's the relationship with Coby and Mal. As I said, for much of the story they're apart and missing each other - but I felt like, once again, almost all of Coby's thought and feelings are about a) Mal and b) whether to give up her guise and wear female clothing. (There's this whole thing about how once she goes respectable and dresses like a girl apparently she can never disguise herself as a boy again.)
(Oh, I will say - in the pro column - they dealt with the issue of her monthlies a lot better this time, by
Spoiler
having a skraling contraceptive method which basically halts your monthly. I can buy that, and I'm just glad they didn't continue the whole 'really late bloomer' thing.But, anyway, my real issues start once the two parties converge - and I can't really get into it without ranting and getting spoilery, so you've been warned:
Spoiler
Ok, so Mal, because he's been denied by Coby for the past year and some (which, btw, totally not believable, but whatever), and during the course of his "investigations", ends up sleeping with the courtesan chick, who's also a guiser and teaches him some magic guisery stuff.He feels bad about betraying Coby and all - but he keeps doing it, rationalizing it, at least in part, that needs must as part of the job and all.
Ok, fine.
But then Coby finds out about this, and is jealous, of course, but is all like "well, it's no less than I deserve for pushing him away for a year", and I'm a bit irritated by this, but she's young and naive and stupid so I let it go... but then, like, a week or two later he's proposing to her and they get married and she's just like "Ok!"
I mean - so there's jealousy, but no real feelings of betrayal, at least none deep enough to have to be healed? I mean, FFS, even if you rationalize it to yourself that, well, you weren't actually betrothed or together or anything, and whatever other reasons you give - emotions don't fucking work that way.
I just... ugh... This whole thing just pissed me off so much. Nothing about their interactions and everything that happens between them at the end had a shred of emotional resonance.
And I coulda smacked someone for the whole
Spoiler
"being tamed"So, yeah - until that last bit I probably would've still rated the book 2.5 stars for slowness and general "what's the point of this plot" stuff, but I would've bumped it up to three for enjoyable readability. But that last part just left me so flabbergasted with WTFness that I had to bump it down.
That said - I'm still gonna read the last book in the trilogy, but I'm gonna pray real hard beforehand that I don't end up wanting to burn the whole set by the end.