Rating: 4⭐️
I enjoyed this book, picking it up first because of its author and then reading the description of an urban fantasy trio of magical grownups siblings caught up in their adventures.
It has imaginative world building, multiple worlds and intriguing characters that meet the main characters who, as adults, have built and life enormously successful and varied lives from each other. And from their beloved parents too. This isn’t a dysfunctional family, an element I enjoyed.
The main characters, Diana Smith is a half-fae elf and sword smith who has a shop in the stalls in the Marketplace in the World of Irilor. She’s a Walker, one who can walk the roads between worlds and the Marketplace is at the center of the hub where the intergalactic roads lead to.
Diana is the oldest of triplets, born to a father with a Smith’s magic and a mother of fae royalty. Once Diana saw the Great Marketplace at the Crossroads of the Worlds that’s where she decided she wanted to be. Her siblings had other plans. Her mirror image sister, Karina, became a scholar in an isolated place devoted to knowledge, while her brother, Bjorn, married a Queen.
When all three are attacked by assassins, Diana and Bjorn set off to their mother’s Fae realm for answers and a visit to the “family “.
This is entertaining but a little too lacking in any emotional connection. Either between the characters or within the storyline. It’s packed with fae intrigue and political treachery within the fae itself court. Plenty of murders, mystery, and bloodshed to go around. But any feeling of actual caring is lost or not looked for. Indeed, some very disturbing types of inter family relationships are noted here as examples of common practice or consenting behavior within the Fae community and culture.
It’s briefly mentioned and then onto other topics. I think that this is an issue here where there’s so much overlap of important information and too little exploration of the history behind all the regions and politics that the reader really has nothing to connect with.
We get briefly acquainted with Bjorn’s family and wife, the Queen. But again, no background on him other than one mention by Diana that he’s the most dangerous person she knows. But she says that at the beginning of their journey and we actually never see this side of him. He’s extraordinarily handsome and the fae women at court are all enamored with him, but the most dangerous man? Where’s he?
It’s too much “as told to”. And the actual action is fast paced but without any narrative context. Their journey and this entire aspect of the story is wrapped up way too quickly and the resolution happens “off page”.
The ending of the book returns to an entirely different aspect of Diana’s life. And it doesn’t really ring true.
I feel this was a fun read but I have found others that she has written more enjoyable. I may return to this series later on.
Cover art by Lou Harper
Crossroads Chronicles
Family Ties
Night Market
Ruby Road
Buy link
Book 1 of 3: Crossroads Chronicles
Blurb
Sometimes family is there to love you, and sometimes family is there to kill you…
When a man came into my shop in the Great Marketplace at the Crossroads of the Worlds and tried to kill me, it completely ruined my day. Not only did I have to clean up the blood, but disposing of his body made me late to meet my friends for drinks.
A nagging little detail kept bugging me, though. As he died, he said he was hired by my mother’s family—people I hadn’t seen for more than a decade. Then I discovered that assassins had made attempts on my brother and sister as well. As much as I didn’t want to, I decided I should find out who wanted us dead, and put a stop to it.
Talk about stepping out of the pan into the fire…
date
February 27, 2022
Edition
2nd
Language
English
Print length
280 pages
Book 1 of 3
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 