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A review by ablotial
Mortal Arts by Anna Lee Huber
3.0
Well, this one was not as good as the first, but it was good enough that I will continue reading the story. Or maybe, that's not quite true... it was maybe as good as the first but it was just ... more of the same and suffered from the same flaws that the first one did. The setting didn't seem central to the book - I didn't feel steeped in the era and it seemed to be more for convenience of storytelling: the lack of medical knowledge, the lack of cell phones and GPS trackers, the lack of regulation in mental institutions and the enforced class system all enabled the actual story to take place.
And then there is the relationship between Lady Darby and Gage... once again, she keeps referring to him as enigmatic, frustrating, exasperating, etc. But as a reader, I don't really get that at all. I rather liked the fellow! The only thing is, sure, he doesn't tell her everything all the time but like... no one does. She hasn't known him that long, why does she expect him to tell her every detail of his life, or even his work? Lady Darby herself is a drama queen, always expecting the worst of him when he happens to have something else to do, and always being down on herself oh no one likes me boo hoo (again, something we have almost no evidence for in this book, although in the first there was more).
And we get more than a third of the way into the book before we are even introduced to the actual mystery! Bah!
Whatever. The story was still interesting. And William as a character with PTSD was very well done, and especially the acknowledgement that even "normal" people can have small manifestations of PTSD-like symptoms from traumatic events in their life, even if they are not on the scale of survivors of war. I was fascinated by William's paintings and saddened by his treatment both at the hands of his father and in the institution, and found both believable. I enjoyed the parts of the story getting to know the past relationship between Kiera and William, and getting to know the girl's family and friends and trying to track down what had happened. I really wanted the old man on the island to. I liked the tension between those who were unwilling to entertain any form of guilt, and those who would prefer innocence but acknowledged that it's hard to know with people so affected and thus have to investigate every possibility.
The ending
Worth reading but again, if you're looking to be steeped in the historical aspects, maybe not for you. I'll continue at least one more book in the series and make a decision about whether to keep reading.
And then there is the relationship between Lady Darby and Gage... once again, she keeps referring to him as enigmatic, frustrating, exasperating, etc. But as a reader, I don't really get that at all. I rather liked the fellow! The only thing is, sure, he doesn't tell her everything all the time but like... no one does. She hasn't known him that long, why does she expect him to tell her every detail of his life, or even his work? Lady Darby herself is a drama queen, always expecting the worst of him when he happens to have something else to do, and always being down on herself oh no one likes me boo hoo (again, something we have almost no evidence for in this book, although in the first there was more).
And we get more than a third of the way into the book before we are even introduced to the actual mystery! Bah!
Whatever. The story was still interesting. And William as a character with PTSD was very well done, and especially the acknowledgement that even "normal" people can have small manifestations of PTSD-like symptoms from traumatic events in their life, even if they are not on the scale of survivors of war. I was fascinated by William's paintings and saddened by his treatment both at the hands of his father and in the institution, and found both believable. I enjoyed the parts of the story getting to know the past relationship between Kiera and William, and getting to know the girl's family and friends and trying to track down what had happened. I really wanted the old man on the island to
Spoiler
know more than he did and be more central to the plot... but alasThe ending
Spoiler
was really good, but horribly unsatisfactory. The reader, of course, wants William to be exonerated and walk free and be on his way to recovery. And while he was exonerated... obviously the castle's collapse and the resultant deaths preclude the rest. But at least his brother now inherits the estate and can marry as he wants? Bleh.Worth reading but again, if you're looking to be steeped in the historical aspects, maybe not for you. I'll continue at least one more book in the series and make a decision about whether to keep reading.