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A review by eirenophile
The Golden Key by Melanie Rawn, Kate Elliott, Jennifer Roberson
1.0
So I read this a number of years ago and liked it enough that I remembered it and wanted to read it again. Older and wiser now, it doesn't impress me as once it might have.
I like how it's all vying for political power in a fantastical historical Portugal type of place. But I don't love any of the characters and I'm not totally savoring the world. The main character really gets into his magical painting stuff, and learns and develops and becomes more ruthless, but it doesn't feel like a training sequence that I can really get into. Especially with a rather flat teacher.
What really got to me was that after hundreds of pages, I still have seen no real development or change in either character, and all of the plot movement seems forced. Halfway through and I'm returning it to the library unfinished.
I like how it's all vying for political power in a fantastical historical Portugal type of place. But I don't love any of the characters and I'm not totally savoring the world. The main character really gets into his magical painting stuff, and learns and develops and becomes more ruthless, but it doesn't feel like a training sequence that I can really get into. Especially with a rather flat teacher.
What really got to me was that after hundreds of pages, I still have seen no real development or change in either character, and all of the plot movement seems forced. Halfway through and I'm returning it to the library unfinished.