A review by stacielouise
Rusalka by C.J. Cherryh

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. The mystery was intriguing, and I liked the intricate wishing/wanting magic of the wizards, that seemed simple at first but slowly revealed it's incredible complexity. It had my thoughts all twisted on what could and could not happen, much like the characters themselves felt. There was a point when the story felt stagnant. The characters were repeating a lot of the same questions to each other over and over, as if the answer would conjure itself up or change, even though nothing had happened to change their situation. It could have been a part of the plot, because the confusion, misgivings and doubt of the characters is definitely a highlight of the story and part of the main conflict. It just seemed a bit too much at times. Not too much to keep me from really enjoying the conflict, though. The characters were really good. I liked Sasha and Pyetr's dynamic, and wish we could have gotten more of them just the too of them without the looming presence of the wizard hovering over them. Both characters felt like they grew a lot, and I really got to see that growth. The book is told in third person, alternating between Sasha and Pyetr's perspectives, so it shows a lot of their inner turmoil, doubts and worries. It slowed down in the middle, but the last third was definitely a page turner.