A review by kblincoln
Flora's Fury by Ysabeau S. Wilce
4.0
4.5 stars
Flora Segunda is still in fine form in this third book of the series. Don't read it without the other two; you'll miss out on the accumulated relationships between Flora and her loved ones, possibly be confused by her parentage, and flounder in the plethora of characters (all of whom seem to have a name and a nickname).
If you haven't read those other books, there will be spoilers below.
But reading the whole series is by no means a chore. I love Flora Segunda and her alternate San Francisco world where Aztecs and their human sacrifices are threatening civilization. Flora is plucky and stubborn and tenacious, even when she's making the wrong choice for the wrong reasons.
In this episode, Flora is on a mission to find her true mother (revealed to be Tiny Doom and not Buck) somewhere in the wild west desert. But her mission keeps getting sidetracked as she faces a number of kidnapping attempts. Still, Flora wins out in the end, although not entirely unscathed.
Her supporting cast is slyly hilarious; Udo the dandy/Springheel Jack, the terribly threatening plush Pig, her loyal dog Flynn, and a ghost from her true House that gets accidentally turned into an octopus....you can see how a book such as this actually defies description.
Trust me, it all makes sense in the story.
But the biggest addition to the series is the introduction of Tharyn Wraathmyr, a courier and furry love interest who accompanies Flora on most of the trip. This sets up a bit of a love triangle as Flora experiences attraction in some deadly situations with (as another reviewer put it) FurryBoy while her lifelong friend Udo spends alot of the book offscreen getting into his own scrapes.
Sprinkle the non-stop action with bits of magic, spanish words, references to the flying dirigibles of Porkopolis, and the Pirate Queen of Barbacoa, and you've got a wonderful, PG-rated ride.
The only thing that kept me from wholeheartedly throwing myself at this book with 5 stars was that Flora's stubborness in not going along with secret plans because "Nobody trusts me!" felt a bit whiny by the second or third time it happened. Also, she ends up puking every chapter for one reason or another and that got a bit stale. These are just little complaints, trust me, this adventure is totally worth having despite these quibbles.
This Book's Snack Rating: Hand made tortilla chips and salsa fresca for the non-stop flavorful adventures and hilarity you can't stop gnoshing
Flora Segunda is still in fine form in this third book of the series. Don't read it without the other two; you'll miss out on the accumulated relationships between Flora and her loved ones, possibly be confused by her parentage, and flounder in the plethora of characters (all of whom seem to have a name and a nickname).
If you haven't read those other books, there will be spoilers below.
But reading the whole series is by no means a chore. I love Flora Segunda and her alternate San Francisco world where Aztecs and their human sacrifices are threatening civilization. Flora is plucky and stubborn and tenacious, even when she's making the wrong choice for the wrong reasons.
In this episode, Flora is on a mission to find her true mother (revealed to be Tiny Doom and not Buck) somewhere in the wild west desert. But her mission keeps getting sidetracked as she faces a number of kidnapping attempts. Still, Flora wins out in the end, although not entirely unscathed.
Her supporting cast is slyly hilarious; Udo the dandy/Springheel Jack, the terribly threatening plush Pig, her loyal dog Flynn, and a ghost from her true House that gets accidentally turned into an octopus....you can see how a book such as this actually defies description.
Trust me, it all makes sense in the story.
But the biggest addition to the series is the introduction of Tharyn Wraathmyr, a courier and furry love interest who accompanies Flora on most of the trip. This sets up a bit of a love triangle as Flora experiences attraction in some deadly situations with (as another reviewer put it) FurryBoy while her lifelong friend Udo spends alot of the book offscreen getting into his own scrapes.
Sprinkle the non-stop action with bits of magic, spanish words, references to the flying dirigibles of Porkopolis, and the Pirate Queen of Barbacoa, and you've got a wonderful, PG-rated ride.
The only thing that kept me from wholeheartedly throwing myself at this book with 5 stars was that Flora's stubborness in not going along with secret plans because "Nobody trusts me!" felt a bit whiny by the second or third time it happened. Also, she ends up puking every chapter for one reason or another and that got a bit stale. These are just little complaints, trust me, this adventure is totally worth having despite these quibbles.
This Book's Snack Rating: Hand made tortilla chips and salsa fresca for the non-stop flavorful adventures and hilarity you can't stop gnoshing