Scan barcode
A review by mweis
The Councillor by E.J. Beaton
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I had preordered this book and then let it wither away unread on my shelves for years, which tracks. What initially drew me in was the political intrigue combined with murder mystery plot and the bisexual scholar main character, all of which was present and done well in this book.
Lysande was such a fascinating main character to follow because she was an orphan, adopted of sorts by the Queen and became a scholar. When the Queen is murdered, she is charged with determining who the next ruler will be but not only does she have to deal with the internal politicking involved with that choice, there is an old enemy using the internal instability to her own advantage. This book is incredibly slow burn in its world building and politicking and I loved the slow drops of information that shed light onto the world.
That being said, there were a couple “big reveals” that felt incredibly obvious to me but were written as if they should be a surprise, which sort of let me down. Also, Lysande is incredibly horny, and while I love the idea of a historicalesque fantasy centering a woman who embraces her sexuality, I personally think grew tired of her constantly thinking about how beautiful everyone was.
While this wasn’t 100% a win, I am interested in seeing where this series goes if a sequel ever gets published.
Lysande was such a fascinating main character to follow because she was an orphan, adopted of sorts by the Queen and became a scholar. When the Queen is murdered, she is charged with determining who the next ruler will be but not only does she have to deal with the internal politicking involved with that choice, there is an old enemy using the internal instability to her own advantage. This book is incredibly slow burn in its world building and politicking and I loved the slow drops of information that shed light onto the world.
That being said, there were a couple “big reveals” that felt incredibly obvious to me but were written as if they should be a surprise, which sort of let me down. Also, Lysande is incredibly horny, and while I love the idea of a historicalesque fantasy centering a woman who embraces her sexuality, I personally think grew tired of her constantly thinking about how beautiful everyone was.
While this wasn’t 100% a win, I am interested in seeing where this series goes if a sequel ever gets published.