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hrjones's review against another edition
3.0
Imagine, if you will, a vaguely 19th century alternate Portugal inhabited not only by humans, but by sireia (sirens), selkies, and other non-human races, and swirling with magic. What starts as an ordinary social drama quickly turns tragic and laced through with crime and politics, both internal and external. The book is part romance, part police procedural, part political thriller. Both protagonists are complex, relatable characters with realistic motivations and reactions. The listings in amazon.com suggest that this is not Cheney’s debut novel, but possibly the first book of hers not self-published? It reads somewhat like a debut work. The world-building and fantastic elements are solid, well worked out, and very appealing, though introduced in somewhat larger informative chunks than is my preference. I have a strong preference for learning about a world simply by encountering it. I felt that the first few chapters would have moved more quickly and smoothly by simply describing the events and having confidence that the reader could work out the rest. (But maybe that’s just me.) I liked the way the romantic tension between the two protagonists developed slowly (given that they were distracted by, you know, people trying to kill them) though again I sometimes felt a lighter touch would have worked more effectively in telling the reader about their emotions and reactions. But the romantic thread is only one small part of the story. I came into this series knowing there are two more books after this, which helped in accepting the particular place the story ended. Definitely a “first book of a trilogy” feel. I have a few personal ticky-boxes that I keep track of for fantasy worlds, and one got checked off by reference to named characters who were not strictly heterosexual. Not quite a requirement for me, but an index that's always part of my evaluation.
cmdc325's review against another edition
4.0
*4.5 stars*
*GoodReads Giveaway Book*
I got this book from a giveaway in like October. I never got a chance to read it. I started this book in January and got about half way through the book, but the beginning is sort of slow so I decided to put it down and pick up something out. Now that I finished it I realize that the beginning was slow because it was world building and giving background info. This story was so interesting because it is historical fantasy set in Portugal and there was Portuguese through out the novel, which is a nice touch. I found out that she is writing a second book and it is supposed to come out this year. I look forward to reading it. I would recommend this for anyone who like fantasy or historical fiction with a twist.
*GoodReads Giveaway Book*
I got this book from a giveaway in like October. I never got a chance to read it. I started this book in January and got about half way through the book, but the beginning is sort of slow so I decided to put it down and pick up something out. Now that I finished it I realize that the beginning was slow because it was world building and giving background info. This story was so interesting because it is historical fantasy set in Portugal and there was Portuguese through out the novel, which is a nice touch. I found out that she is writing a second book and it is supposed to come out this year. I look forward to reading it. I would recommend this for anyone who like fantasy or historical fiction with a twist.
rachel_abby_reads's review against another edition
3.0
This book is set in an alternate Portugal of 1902. Oriana is a mermaid living as a spy in the capital of Southern Portugal, when someone attempts to murder her and her noble mistress. She is able to escape, but her friend isn't. She then decides (because of painful back history never clearly explained) that she will find the person responsible and make him/her/them pay. On her journey, she encounters Duilio Ferreira, a noble half-blood who is also hunting for the killer. They are brought together by fate and inclination to solve this mystery.
***Spoilers after this point***
It was interesting, mostly well-written, and perhaps a little longer than it really needed to be, with multiple conspiracies and side stories being woven in with varying degrees of success. She seems to have been influenced by Regency romance novels (Georgette Heyer style), for while she does describe feelings of arousal, neither of the main characters even kiss by the end of the book. She's set herself up for a sequel, and I'm interested enough in the story and what happens next to be annoyed that I'm going to have to wait for her to write it before I can read it.
***Spoilers after this point***
It was interesting, mostly well-written, and perhaps a little longer than it really needed to be, with multiple conspiracies and side stories being woven in with varying degrees of success. She seems to have been influenced by Regency romance novels (Georgette Heyer style), for while she does describe feelings of arousal, neither of the main characters even kiss by the end of the book. She's set herself up for a sequel, and I'm interested enough in the story and what happens next to be annoyed that I'm going to have to wait for her to write it before I can read it.
lbrick363's review against another edition
4.0
I have mixed emotions about this book. I guess I was expecting more dynamics between the main characters. I am not sure if I'll read book 2 yet.
bookstuff's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars. I got this as a free book from Goodreads giveaways. I wasn't sure what to expect, having never read any of Cheney's work before.
This is a alternate-history mystery fantasy set in 1905 Portugal which has been split into two principalities. The main character, Oriana Paredes, is a siren passing as a human in the The Golden City, which is closed to sirens because the ruling Prince believes in a prophecy that he would one day be killed by one. She is a low-level spy gathering any information that comes her way as a paid companion to a socialite debutante. The story opens with her helping her employer elope when they are abducted, which plunges Oriana into the middle of a mysterious conspiracy involving magic and politics.
The worldbuilding in this book is original and well-crafted. The story centers around the mystery, which is paced to keep you turning the pages. I was slow to warm to Oriana as a character, but her male counterpart Duilo very likable. There is a slow-burn romance subplot between the two, which I assume is set to continue in the sequel(s).
I enjoyed reading this, am really intrigued by the setting and supporting characters, and will definitely be looking for the next book.
This is a alternate-history mystery fantasy set in 1905 Portugal which has been split into two principalities. The main character, Oriana Paredes, is a siren passing as a human in the The Golden City, which is closed to sirens because the ruling Prince believes in a prophecy that he would one day be killed by one. She is a low-level spy gathering any information that comes her way as a paid companion to a socialite debutante. The story opens with her helping her employer elope when they are abducted, which plunges Oriana into the middle of a mysterious conspiracy involving magic and politics.
The worldbuilding in this book is original and well-crafted. The story centers around the mystery, which is paced to keep you turning the pages. I was slow to warm to Oriana as a character, but her male counterpart Duilo very likable. There is a slow-burn romance subplot between the two, which I assume is set to continue in the sequel(s).
I enjoyed reading this, am really intrigued by the setting and supporting characters, and will definitely be looking for the next book.
mtk_reads's review against another edition
4.0
This took me a while to get into, but once it hooked me I really enjoyed it. Fun, fast-paced, with a reasonably engaging mystery and characters who legitimately seemed attracted to each other. Onward to the sequel, where maybe they'll actually kiss!
wordnerdy's review against another edition
4.0
http://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2014/02/2014-book-43.html
emilybruce's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
slc333's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars. It is very slow paced and it took a long time for not much to happen, but I was interested enough to keep reading (although I did skim through a few bits)I kept waiting for particular things to happen such as progression of the romance, a meeting between Oriana and her father, some more explanation of the mysteries hinted at - in fact that is probably what kept me reading. Unfortunately very little was delivered on. It would have been much improved by a faster pace and more development of the romance. I expect a second book in which these things will happen, in fact without one the rating would be much lower. However this would have been improved by actually addressing some of these things in this book.