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A review by naturalistnatalie
Fifth Quarter by Tanya Huff
4.0
Ultimately a good story, evidenced by the fact my mind kept turning back to the story when I wasn't reading it. However, I was very disappointed with the start of the book. It was expecting a direct sequel to Sing the Four Quarters, and this is not that kind of book. In fact, it's not until the fourth chapter, when the Bard is introduced, that I even could tell the books were set in the same universe. There are a few oblique references to events of the first book, but this is really a standalone book.
Like the first book in the series, Vree, our main character is bisexual. In this case, it's mainly because she doesn't want to get pregnant, but also because she's mostly attracted to her brother. While the sexual tension was believable, it was a little squicky since Bannon is her brother. Once Gyhard inhabited Bannon's body, it got even more complicated. There was still the physical attraction to the body, but is it OK since it is a different soul inhabiting the body? Even the mannerisms and how he held himself were different. I'm not surprised it was the sister who made space in her head and body for her beloved brother. If their roles were switched, there's no way Bannon would have done the same for Vree.
On a technical note, I'm always interested in how the author manages to describe the characters in a story. Huff had a great excuse to describe Bannon. When Gyhard jumped to his new body, it was a sudden thing and he didn't quite know what he was getting into. Therefore, after the fact, he had to examine himself so he could take stock of his new body and it was easy to describe himself to the reader as well.
Like the first book in the series, Vree, our main character is bisexual. In this case, it's mainly because she doesn't want to get pregnant, but also because she's mostly attracted to her brother. While the sexual tension was believable, it was a little squicky since Bannon is her brother. Once Gyhard inhabited Bannon's body, it got even more complicated. There was still the physical attraction to the body, but is it OK since it is a different soul inhabiting the body? Even the mannerisms and how he held himself were different. I'm not surprised it was the sister who made space in her head and body for her beloved brother. If their roles were switched, there's no way Bannon would have done the same for Vree.
On a technical note, I'm always interested in how the author manages to describe the characters in a story. Huff had a great excuse to describe Bannon. When Gyhard jumped to his new body, it was a sudden thing and he didn't quite know what he was getting into. Therefore, after the fact, he had to examine himself so he could take stock of his new body and it was easy to describe himself to the reader as well.