7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent!!!, September 13, 2011
This review is from: Blood Spirits (Hardcover)
I've had so many disappointments with my favorite authors lately, that I think I'm starting to develop a phobia when a new book in a series I've always loved is about to come out. Will it meet my expectations? Will it fall completely flat like its predecessor? Reading has always represented a temporary vacation from reality for me - being able to enter a different universe and follow the lives of interesting people for a short time - but lately it seems like most authors are just going for quantity vs. quality so even though there is an ocean of Urban Fantasy novels out there, it's becoming harder and harder to find a good read.
Luckily, Sherwood Smith is my refuge from bad authors. When Coronets and Steel came out, I read mostly through the night to finish that wonderful novel. Kim, Alec, Tony, Natalie and others were so realistic in my head that I really felt a part of their world. Ms. Smith managed to fuse modern reality with old world elegance and grace with such mastery that she created a truly unique story. Blood Spirits is even better, building on the cliff hanger ending of the previous book.
Here is a quick synopsis. Kim is miserable because she left both her heart and soul in Dobrenica, and her new life as a college professor in Oklahoma just doesn't measure up. An unexpected tragedy and impossible encounter set her on a peril filled path back to Dobrenica, but this time she finds herself in a lot more trouble that she could have ever imagined. Can she embrace her role as Aurelia Kim Dsaret, granddaughter to a princess, and fight for her heart and country, or will she run away again from the pain and the possibility that her presence can do more harm than good?
This book had so much more depth than its predecessor and we were able to get more insight into the characters introduced earlier. We saw a completely different side of the unflappable Alec, as his self-doubt and self-incrimination almost led to his ruin. Beka, Phaedra and Honore were better explored here as well, and we were able to see more of their personalities than the aloof disdain showcased in the previous book. Tony was the one that continued to surprise me right to the end. His ever shifting sense of morality and loyalty gave me a whiplash, but his wildness and total unpredictability made the book supremely entertaining. Kim yet again stole the show with her strength of character and complete fearlessness. She had to make amends with a lot of people for the actions during her last visit and come to terms with her status in Dobreni society.
Overall, it was a fantastic ride. I am hoping Ms. Smith will continue writing this series for a long, long time.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect story, well plotted fast moving likable people - good mystery, too!, September 24, 2011
This review is from: Blood Spirits (Hardcover)
I already liked the first half of this story - and mind, this is really one story over two books- Coronets and Steel.
Sense of Europe and sense of the place well done. A lovely background to an excellent, fast moving story that flows really well. No sudden slow parts, no totally unexplained jumps of perspective or revelations dumped in, an unfolding of information and of the characters that was convincing to me. Emotional development worked too, and - I love that!! - people are good at their job but personally unkind, or lazy or lying. I dislike it when every unkind person is automatically also sloppy, stupid or simply bad in their work. And good people are perfect all over. It makes for cardboard characters. No such thing here!
The idea of a totally modern young woman thrown into a very close knit large circle of noble families was carried through well - the arrogance, the exclusion, but also how she made her own decisions, and gained allies anyway, step by step, and how she stood her ground, without getting into total opposition or total imitation, a balancing that was difficult for her, but she was strong enough and did it. Also wonderful dialogues, really fun snippy exchanges and moments.
The heroine learned over time, she did ask questions and not just assume everything one of her weaknesses in the first book) and also ask for help - so others could be more involved and we saw more interesting people.
Finally, a good ending, with all majors questions answered, our heroes are in a good place. I walk away truly satisfied.
More stories in that world and with those characters would be very welcome, I found the place, the history and the ideas about vampires, ghosts and portals really original while fitting into history and known legends, the lovely way religion is present, Christian, and Jewish, and how a background of Central and Eastern European history was woven in without overwhelming the current story.
However, Sherwood Smith writes good stuff in any world, and I will read whatever she writes.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
hoping for more books in this series, September 13, 2011
This review is from: Blood Spirits (Hardcover)
I totally enjoyed Blood Spirits. I have anxiously waited for its release since I finished Coronets & Steele. Blood Spirits started off quickly and I was completely sucked into the story from the start. Fortunately, this story didn't end with a cliff-hanger like C&S, but I would definitely enjoy more Alec, Kim, Beka, Tony and family in the future. My only wish is that Sherwood Smith continues to follow-up on this series as I saw many threads that could be continued and I haven't had enough of this storyline.
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