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A review by wealhtheow
Touchstone by Melanie Rawn
3.0
Cayden has enough wizarding power to do anything he wants in life, but his only love is the theater. After his troupe finally finds the perfect fourth member of their group--the rambunctious Meika, who is as sweet as he is wild--they're finally ready to take on the world. Despite rivalries, intra-group conflicts, and drug problems, they rapidly gain renown as innovators and artists. But Cayden has one more gift that he keeps secret: he dreams possible futures. Some he is able to avert, others he makes come true, but he's never sure what choice will lead to which future. And after dreaming night after night of Meika caught in a magically abusive relationship, Cayden is torn about interfering, which may just make things worse.
I quite liked this alternate world, which is a bit like Renaissance Europe. Women aren't allowed to hold memberships in some guilds, or attend the theater, which provides some of the tension in the first half of the book. But unlike our world, everyone in this country has some mix of magical blood and magic is used in the day to day. Wizarding magic was used just a few generations ago in a cataclysmic war, and the repercussions of that can be seen throughout society, from the restrictions on Cayden's magic to the innkeeper who won't serve elf-blooded Meika.
The story lacks a real plot; minor struggles come and go, but there's no big triumph or climax. This book seems to be setting up future plots: the bloodthirsty princess, the power-hungry Archduke, greater freedom for women, and the seductress enslaving Meika. I wish Rawn had spent less time summarizing everyone's genealogical backgrounds and the various villages the troupe performs in, and had used at least one of these plots in this book. And two, I wish Cayden's decision to not warn Meika about a bronze-haired enchantress had been more understandable. He's afraid that interfering in Meika's blooming romance will ruin his friendship with Meika, but if he'd told Meika to be wary before he met the girl he wouldn't have had to worry. And even after Meika started getting caught up in the girl's web, surely the horror of Meika's future with her would be enough cause for Cayden to warn him? I just don't get why Cayden refuses to warn Meika for two hundred pages, and will surely continue to not help Meika for most of the next book, as well. I have no patience for plots created because characters refuse to talk to each other.
Nevertheless, I intend to read the next book, not least because I hope Cayden and Meika get together.
I quite liked this alternate world, which is a bit like Renaissance Europe. Women aren't allowed to hold memberships in some guilds, or attend the theater, which provides some of the tension in the first half of the book. But unlike our world, everyone in this country has some mix of magical blood and magic is used in the day to day. Wizarding magic was used just a few generations ago in a cataclysmic war, and the repercussions of that can be seen throughout society, from the restrictions on Cayden's magic to the innkeeper who won't serve elf-blooded Meika.
The story lacks a real plot; minor struggles come and go, but there's no big triumph or climax. This book seems to be setting up future plots: the bloodthirsty princess, the power-hungry Archduke, greater freedom for women, and the seductress enslaving Meika. I wish Rawn had spent less time summarizing everyone's genealogical backgrounds and the various villages the troupe performs in, and had used at least one of these plots in this book. And two, I wish Cayden's decision to
Nevertheless, I intend to read the next book, not least because I hope Cayden and Meika get together.