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A review by elenajohansen
The Mirador by Sarah Monette
3.0
This entry in the series appears to be a jumbled mess for the first 90% of the book, with subplots springing out of every hinge and joint and dovetail, but then, at the end, everything comes together in one fantastic crash that resolves the vast bulk of the previously unrelated story threads.
I can admire the masterful plotting as a writer, juggling so many things at once, but as a reader, I was more often frustrated than not. I honestly couldn't see much in the way of foreshadowing that would let me put together some of the clues myself, and the slow-as-molasses pacing coupled with story threads being dropped and picked up again a hundred or more pages later made this a more challenging read to follow than either of its predecessors.
One thing I'm pleased that was dropped, though, was the will-they-won't-they incest angle between Mildmay and Felix. Rumors of that twist to their relationship are mentioned in passing by other characters, mostly as part of the complex court intrigue that carries most of the plot--but as far as Mildmay and Felix themselves are concerned, it seems to be entirely in the past for them. Felix's tumultuous relationship with Gideon was something I was glad to see carried over from the end of the previous book--given Felix's nature, I had no idea if that was going to last, especially when it became clear how much time had passed since.
And I did like how Mildmay's relationship with Mehitabel, in some key ways, mirrored Felix and Gideon. Mehitabel herself was a fine addition as a POV character, leading to some of my favorite bits of dialogue and twists of intrigue, and her absolute inability to take shit from people was a nice contrast to Mildmay, who basically does nothing but.
The end really does make the book, and I'm glad I stuck with it, though I would have preferred if the insane complexity of the plot that led me there had been toned down some.
I can admire the masterful plotting as a writer, juggling so many things at once, but as a reader, I was more often frustrated than not. I honestly couldn't see much in the way of foreshadowing that would let me put together some of the clues myself, and the slow-as-molasses pacing coupled with story threads being dropped and picked up again a hundred or more pages later made this a more challenging read to follow than either of its predecessors.
One thing I'm pleased that was dropped, though, was the will-they-won't-they incest angle between Mildmay and Felix. Rumors of that twist to their relationship are mentioned in passing by other characters, mostly as part of the complex court intrigue that carries most of the plot--but as far as Mildmay and Felix themselves are concerned, it seems to be entirely in the past for them. Felix's tumultuous relationship with Gideon was something I was glad to see carried over from the end of the previous book--given Felix's nature, I had no idea if that was going to last, especially when it became clear how much time had passed since.
And I did like how Mildmay's relationship with Mehitabel, in some key ways, mirrored Felix and Gideon. Mehitabel herself was a fine addition as a POV character, leading to some of my favorite bits of dialogue and twists of intrigue, and her absolute inability to take shit from people was a nice contrast to Mildmay, who basically does nothing but.
The end really does make the book, and I'm glad I stuck with it, though I would have preferred if the insane complexity of the plot that led me there had been toned down some.