Red Reviews: Chime + Entwined

[idiosyncreant]

You all *loved* Chime, so I felt bad to not fall in love with it. In fact, I'm pretty sure I should have fallen in love with it, but I'd just read the very different Folk Keeper by Billingsley and loved THAT, and for some reason, the overall scheme of the book was reminiscent of Among Others, so it got unfairly compared.



I am going to try it again sometime, because I skimmed over the first half of the book after the first chapter, and got caught up in it several chapters out from the end and actually read that carefully.

It's gorgeously set, with intriguing characters, and a fascinating world. I know I like it, it was just bad timing.

***

Entwined was rhinemouse 's recommendation that languished in my in-box until I was trying to find some gem of critique or something in our correspondence and came across it again.



This book suited me better, though I still didn't fall in love as much as I wanted to. I loved the family dynamic of all the 12 sisters (sure enough, when I read the back flap copy, Dixon cops to being one of many siblings--six sisters and then four brothers) and how we meet some of them at different points to get to really know them.

I did find it a bit uneven, evident of a new though talented writer--the dancing details were lovely, but it didn't really have a connective tissue with the poor, small country society in worldbuilding. (This is a nitpicky thing that didn't make me stumble at all while reading, but was realized when I was thinking about it later.) The denouement was a little hectic.

Overall, though, it was both charming and deeply felt. A good balance. There was dark magic, but light society scenes, in the vein of Regency-styled fantasy though not at all identifying as such.
(Forget the lovely (clockmaker!? SILAS, YOU LAYABOUT, you've been one-upped!) love interest, I want to marry the king and give him a couple of sons...)

Her blog, likewise, is charming with a dash of dark magic. ;) I do look forward to seeing more of her work! And...is it fair for her to be great at drawing as well as writing?
Just a point to ponder...

Comments

[rhinemouse.livejournal.com]

Haha. YOU AND FICTIONAL FATHERS.

I'm not from a big family myself, but the sisters dynamic in Entwined still rang very true to me.

And yes, multi-talented people are NOT FAIR. :-P

[idiosyncreant.livejournal.com]

oh ye stars

you're right, I'm developing quite a list, aren't I?

They're...they're all widowers and single, I think? DOES THAT MAKE IT OKAY?

What can I say. You get to see what men are really like when they're not there as a young love interest. I sympathized very strongly with the King from the beginning, even when he was being a mule.

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

CHIME it's okay I had a similar reaction of "not really interested in the beginning" and then slowly getting more drawn in. I owe it a reread, because I somehow completely missed all of Briony's psychological underpinnings the first time around.

[idiosyncreant.livejournal.com]

I really liked the beginning, in a detached way. Again, the Among Others comparison was dogging it unfairly. A similar theme, but in a completely different vein of literature.

Anyway, yes, I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one. I will have to return to it sometime I need that kind of read...