A review by octavia_cade
The Dawnhounds by Sascha Stronach

4.0

I seem to be on a roll of fungal reads lately! And I've enjoyed them all, which is encouraging. Weird botany will just never be unappealing to me. To be honest, for most of these types of stories, it's the setting and the creepy mushrooms that interest me more than the characters. (Well, what can you expect from a botanist.) But The Dawnhounds bucks that trend a little, because the characters are a big part of what makes this such an interesting read. Yat, in particular, is extremely likeable - which helps as she is the protagonist of the piece. Yet the supporting characters are nearly all likeable as well, and that's more unusual. More importantly, they feel like they have lives and motivations of their own, outside of Yat. I get the feeling she's a bit player in their lives, most of them, which of course she should be. (Rarely do I find characterisation more irritating than when the supporting cast seems not to exist when they're not interacting with the hero/ine of the piece.)

There are some beautiful passages in here too. I tend to read for prose, and there are some lovely turns of phrase: "The stars are in their houses, the seas are drawing back - the walls are coming down, and magic is again in the world." There's the odd hint, too, that the author is from New Zealand - the yeah nah yeah, the kaka birds... it gives it all a sort of skewed familiar flavour, and I smiled each time to see it.