One Good Book Deserves Another

Genre: Fantasy
Series: Raine Benares, Book 4
Rating: 4 Stars
Length: 384 Pages, 6060 Locations
Formats: Paperback, Kindle


Once a Seeker with modest magical talents, Raine Benares is now bonded to a soul-sucking rock known as the Saghred and got both a major power upgrade and a plethora of people out to kill her so they can steal it and use it for their own nefarious purposes. Fortunately, Raine's not dead yet, and neither are the people she cares most about. For Raine, that constitutes a good day. Unfortunately for Raine, that's all that constitutes a good day in the continuing nightmare that is life as the Saghred's bondservant.

Now she's racing around trying to catch the twisted, evil souls that slipped from the Saghred when the Demon Queen managed to open it. The megalomaniacal psychopath Sarad Nukpana is one of those souls, but Raine has a deep, sinking, terrifying suspicion that she won't have to hunt down that monster. She has no doubt he'll be coming after her. When the dessicated corpse of a high ranking elven general is literally dropped at her feet with a message for her from Nukpana, her suspicions are confirmed. And worse, he says everyone she holds dear is next.

Another fun day in the life of Raine Benares.

Bewitched & Betrayed is just as action-packed, just as teeming with lovable characters, just as wild a roller coaster ride as the first three books in the series. Told in first person from Raine's POV, she is the core of the series and I adore her. She's such a feisty, stubborn elf, and despite odds most surely stacked against her, manages to grit her teeth (mostly to stop the screaming), lock her legs (uh...mostly to keep herself from fleeing in terror), and fight back with everything she is and ever will be. The narrative, her internal monologue, is rife with sardonic and self-effacing humor that makes her ever so sympathetic and lends a lot of humor to a seemingly never-ending series of increasingly deadly situations.

She's not fighting alone, though. She's got the elven force of light that is Paladin Mychael Eiliesor, and the seductive darkness that is goblin Tamnais Nathrach, as well as her cousin Phaelan and her bodyguard Vegard, among others. In fact, the longer she's chained to the Saghred, the more genuine friends and allies she realizes she has. That's probably a good thing, because the number of her enemies sure aren't getting any smaller. As secondary and ancillary characters, they're all richly drawn and nicely fleshed out. Even the horrifying ones.

And holy cow, Mychael was given a bunch of fantastic character development in this book. He was included in more of the story than he's been in the previous books (more Mychael is always a good thing) and we get to find out a little about his past. I loved every minute of it. Not to mention how much I adored the resolution of the romantic triangle between Raine, Mychael, and Tam. My hat is off to Lisa Shearin for that, because not only was it finally resolved and done without a lot of needless angst, it was also done with aplomb and in the big picture, genuinely furthered the overall series arc. I love it when that happens.

There are still a few issues, and they've been issues throughout the series. This book suffered a similar excess of exposition as other books in the series. In fact, because both the episodic book plot threads and the overall series arc plot threads are so complex and layered, with each book Raine's "synopsis" segments get longer and longer. Because I've read each book in the series, those sections seriously bog down the pacing, even as they allow for new readers to catch up with what's been going on so far. I'd love to see a far more condensed version of the exposition in future books.

One of the biggest issues I had with the previous books was far less prevalent in this book. Repetition in the narrative has been a complaint of mine since the first book in the series, Magic Lost, Trouble Found. Information and phrasing in the narrative was oft repeated throughout the books. There's still some of that, but to a far lesser degree. And while Raine of course mentions being a Benares and all that implies more than once, it seemed much less frequent than in previous books.

A few other big positives for this book were the resolution of a few of the dangling plot threads, the introduction of a couple of intriguing new characters, and some absolutely delicious series arc plot progression. I felt at the end of the last book, The Trouble with Demons, that Raine and Co. weren't any better off at the end of it than they were at the beginning, and the problems just kept on getting deeper and deeper. In this book, though the problems are far, far from over, the characters have scored a few key victories and everyone seems to be ready to continue the fight more positively and proactively. It's like the gloves are off and the growing anti-Saghred and anti-Nukpana force is ready to not only up the game a notch, but blow their opponent right off the board.

Personally, I can't wait to see what comes next. Thankfully, I won't have to wait long, as Con & Conjure will be available 3/29/11. 

The Raine Benares Series:

Genre: Fantasy
Series: Raine Benares, Book 3
Rating: 4 Stars
Length: 384 Pages, 5651 Locations
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle


Raine Benares was a Seeker with modest magical talents before donning a necklace that bonded her to the soul-sucking rock of unimaginable power known as the Sahgred. Now she's had a few weeks of fending off both the rock's insidious influences and the attempts of the power-hungry to use her or kill her for their own nefarious purposes. So far she hasn't found anyone able to separate her from her unwanted duty of being the Sahgred's bondservant - and she's been trying. A lot. On the bright side, she's also managed to not get herself or anyone she cares about killed. On the less bright side, that fact doesn't mean the forces of darkness around her don't keep upping the ante.

When a shopping expedition turns into a demon free-for-all, Raine knows that's just how her life is going lately. She's hardly surprised when she finds out the Saghred's protective wards are failing and demons are pouring out of a Hellgate someone opened on the Isle of Mid. Demons and the Saghred are definitely a couple of unmixy things, and Raine's up to her pointed ears in danger as she and her friends race to find and close the Hellgate and stop the insane goblin Rudra Muralin from forging an alliance with the Demon Queen before Mid becomes a demonic smorgasbord and the Saghred is forced to release its souls. And if that wasn't enough of a good time, there's always Sarad Nukpana, less crazy, more pure sadistic evil, who's only a whisper away as he manipulates from inside the Saghred.

Yeah, if it wasn't for the two gorgeous men who care about her, one a source of light, Paladin Mychael Eiliesor, and the other cloaked in darkness, goblin dark mage Tamnais Nathrach, Raine wouldn't be having any fun at all. Oh...wait...even with the two lovelies, she's not having any fun. Not that they wouldn't line up for it if she so much as blinked at them the right way, but a girl's got to have priorities, and staying alive while not corrupting the two men she cares most about is right up there on her list.

The Trouble with Demons is an action-packed thrill ride of danger that takes off fast and goes nearly supersonic as it races along towards its conclusion. Raine and her friends and family are in full sardonic form and the narrative, told in first person from Raine's point of view, is full of her dry, sarcastic wit. It's hard not to like the fiercely loyal but doubly stubborn elf who seems especially adept at stumbling into life-threatening situations. Supported by a rich cast of secondary and ancillary characters full of charm and personality with a backdrop of a wildly vibrant world that's been well defined, the strength of the series lies with the irrepressible Raine and it shines because of her.

That's not to say the series plot arc isn't good, or the individual books don't have intriguing plot threads - it is, and they do. The problem is that in this book in particular, there was tons of action but little story arc progression. A few new wrinkles were added, and a bit more information, but strip that away and Raine is almost exactly where she was at the end of the last book. She's still shackled to the Saghred with all the same nasty implications, still has no clue how to get free of it, still has enemies gunning for her (the same enemies), and she's still conflicted over her relationships with Mychael and Tam. In fact, instead of making strides forward, Raine and crew are actually slightly worse off than they were at the end Armed & Magical (Raine Benares, Book 2) courtesy of an old enemy that made a reemergence.

After three books of increasing conflict and badness piling up on Raine's head, I'm starting to wonder if anything is ever going to go her way, and questioning how soon before we start to see some resolution to the myriad of plot threads introduced so far.

Another issue I had with this book actually extends to the series as a whole. There is a lot of repetition of information and phrasing in the narrative and significantly more exposition than necessary. By now I'm more than passingly familiar with the fact that Raine is a Benares, and all that implies. In each book she mentions that again and again...ad nauseum...and as I'm neither suffering from memory loss nor any other cognitive malady, it's the least appealing aspect of the series for me.

The excessive exposition isn't what I'd prefer, either, but it's easy enough to skim through and I do appreciate the points that I do need refreshed. I just don't need nearly enough refreshing as is provided in each book. For readers new to the series, there's enough provided to get them up to speed without having to read the first two books, but honestly, I wouldn't recommend it. There's too much between the characters - the nuances, the emotions, the bonds - that can't be glossed over in condensed form and which add so much to the series.

I'm a big fan of the series, even with the issues I have, because I'm a big fan of Raine and the rest of the characters. I just hope that subsequent books in the series start resolving some of the many plot threads that have been piling up, including the romantic triangle between Raine, Mychael, and Tam. To be completely honest, though, while I normally have little tolerance for romantic triangles, the one between those three isn't bothering me too much. Of course that's mostly because there hasn't been time for Raine to breathe, let alone expand her dating resume.

I get the feeling that's something she'd like to see change. And really...who could blame her?

Raine Benares Series:

And Coming March 29, 2011:

Genre: Fantasy
Series: Raine Benares, Book 2
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Length: 304 Pages, 6185 Locations
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle


Raine Benares is on the Isle of Mid with hope that the powerful mages there will be able to free her from the Saghred's insidious influence. Since arriving she's been kept under constant surveillance and protection, Paladin Mychael's Guardians keeping her in their sights and within reach. When an assassination attempt forces her hand and displays her magical potential to allies and enemies alike, Raine becomes a political pawn and an even bigger target. Then spellsingers start to disappear and Raine discovers that a malevolent force is working to take control of the Saghred, and what protections and shields are in place may not be enough to stop it - especially when the soul-stealing rock seems to want to be used by every nefarious elf or goblin in the land.

The further I read into the Raine Benares series, the more I love Raine and her family and friends. There's something about her dry wit, her sarcasm and tongue-in-cheek humor, her willingness to risk her life - and her soul - for the people she cares about (and their willingness to do the same for her), and the likelihood that trouble will not only find her, it'll give her a big sloppy kiss and try to lift her wallet, too, that keeps me reading and wanting more. The characters are definitely the driving force of the series for me. There's a subtle romantic triangle - and I normally hate those, but it works well here, and Shearin keeps it from being a mess of angst and drama. Instead it serves to flesh out and add character dimension to Raine, Mychael, and Tam, and adds an emotional component to each of their personalities that is very appealing.

In the first book, Magic Lost, Trouble Found, I initially had some trouble warming up to the 'voice' of Raine and feeling connected with the story. Shearin writes the series from Raine's first person POV, and it's a lot heavier on narration than dialogue, so it took me awhile to get used to the limited emotional expression in the narrative and Raine's no nonsense personality. Once I did, however, that first book really worked for me, and that same sense of personality transferred very well to this book, with an added layer of emotional expression and intensity in Raine that I felt was missing in the previous book.

I wasn't as enamored with the plot of the story in Armed & Magical, however. It started quick and strong, but following an early action sequence that got the book off with a bang, it got bogged down a bit with excessive exposition, then segued into less adventuresome investigation and some political stuff that dragged for me. At several points, I could tell my attention was wandering from what was going on around Raine, and I didn't have that problem with the first book. I really liked the broadened understanding of the world and the societal structure, though, and I love the mix of fantasy and modern colloquialisms that pepper the dialogue and narrative. It gives the series a sense of hip freshness and a unique bent in the genre.

The conflict with the antagonist and the story surrounding it felt a little lackluster to me, though, coming together a bit too conveniently. And perhaps it's nothing more than perception, but it felt too close in nature to the plot of the previous book for my tastes - at least in broad-stroke generalities. Also, where I felt the danger to Raine and friends in the last book was gripping and intense through the whole of that story, in this one there were peaks and valleys, and even the most dangerous scenes seemed less visceral than the entire last quarter of the first book. For me, it made the flow of this story seem a bit choppier and less fluid, and the ending slightly anticlimactic.

There were a few points in the narrative that felt repetitive - one in particular that stuck out as being word-for-word duplication of a previous passage. I wasn't quite sure if it was a purposeful tool on the author's part to drive a point home, but regardless, the aspects of the narrative that felt repetitive - as well as the one that more than felt it - added to the drag in the narration through the middle of the book. I also have a tiny issue with how many times Raine mentions or draws on the fact that she's a Benares and speaks so often as to the many and varied reasons that's important for her or significant to her actions. I was well versed in that by the end of the first book and feel that point has been driven in a little too hard by now.

Despite being slightly less enamored with the plot and conflict of Armed & Magical, I'm completely committed to this series and look forward to spending more time with Raine and her family and friends. They really are the most thrilling and fun aspects of this series and I can't wait to see how things progress from here for all of them.

Raine Benares Series:

Genre: Fantasy
Series: Raine Benares, Book 1
Rating: 4 Stars
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle


For Raine Benares, standing around in a stinking alley isn't the least she would do to watch the back of her friend Quentin Rand as he gets himself into yet another scrape. As well intentioned as her Samaritan act is, by the end of the night, she's going to wish it had been less than the least. A sorceress elf with average Seeker abilities, Raine makes a living finding things. Doesn't matter if the 'thing' is animal, vegetable, or mineral, she can generally find it. It, along with one or two other skills, are modest talents for her modest power level. Thanks to Quentin's thieving, however, Raine's power is about to get a serious upgrade.

Soon several big, evil bad guys in Mermeia are hunting for Raine and the necklace she's wearing, and they're wielding the sort of power that doesn't leave anything alive in its wake. That necklace sure isn't a style she'd pick for herself, but as much as she'd love to get rid of the damned thing, she can't. Quite literally. Now she's got to keep herself alive, but more important to Raine, keep her friends and family out of the path of a legendary evil intent on world domination. All in a day's work for Raine. She hopes.

Raine's predicament thrusts her and her friends into sticky situation after sticky situation, forcing her to deal with everything from bloodthirsty fire fairies to goblin politics. I enjoyed it. Lisa Shearin has created a rich, textured world of varying beauty and danger well populated with what I'd consider true characters - individuals who practically leap off the page with their vibrancy. Even the erstwhile thief Quentin, more of an ancillary character than anything, is imbued with a very three dimensional presence, so the heavy hitters in the character pool feel very much like living, breathing - and sometimes terrifying - people.

Shearin presents Magic Lost, Trouble Found in first person POV with Raine as the narrator. For two thirds of the book, I appreciated the subtle world building and development of mythos, introduction of characters, and definition of conflict that Raine's dry, sardonic, and occasionally self deprecating wit offered me as a reader. The first third of the book, however, wasn't included in that. I spent that third feeling at turns overwhelmed and confused by what felt quite a lot like exposition overload. I could tell that Shearin tried to temper that admittedly necessary information dump with the action of Quentin's theft and the danger of the goblin forces and more, and it's entirely possible that a reader who is more familiar with fantasy novels might be used to the necessary world building and set up, but I don't read a lot of fantasy and it seemed overwhelming to me.

That sense of being squished under the weight of a world being born lessened, though, and by forty percent in, I was so invested in the story and the characters that the rest of the book passed quite quickly (too quickly...though, that may be my new addiction talking) and as pleasantly as possible, considering the happenings. I admit, it took a little longer for me to come to terms with what felt like a nearly unemotional Raine Benares. Because the book is told from Raine's POV, her thoughts and impressions dominate the direction and plot of the book. Whether it's writing style or character trait or author's choice, those thoughts and impressions were quite devoid of any and all emotional expression, no matter how dire the straights or how intense the situation. A descriptive narrative painted pictures, defined characters, outlined - then fleshed out - the world, but not once did I get a sense of how Raine felt about what she was 'explaining' for the reader. Don't get me wrong...I appreciated her wit, I was impressed with her devotion to her family and friends - even the friends she doesn't totally trust...or only trusts so far. I was more than impressed by the fact that Raine is intelligent and intensely likable for that very fact alone, but she's also no one's victim, even when in peril, and I just love that about her. Get a sense of how she felt about things, though? Not so much.

That's an important distinction, actually, because knowing what a lead character thinks is absolutely vital to understanding that character and the world they're in, and it's vital to the story they're telling. It's imperative, period. But it's finding out how they feel that allows me as a reader to really connect emotionally to a character and their story. I can appreciate a story with my mind. I can like and admire authors who tell comprehensive, imaginative, original stories. I'm often quite dedicated to stories that I think are well told on a technical level. But all of that is strictly mental.

Make me feel as a reader and you own me. That's when characters do more than come alive, they grab me by the throat - ignoring my kicking and screaming - and drag me into their world, forcing me to feel with them, experience with them, all the joys, sorrows, triumphs and losses. That's when my enjoyment of a book transcends such academic terminology as 'appreciate' and 'admire' and becomes more like 'maniacal and devotional worship to characters and story and series.' Magic Lost, Trouble Found didn't quite get there. Maybe the series won't ever get there, but I mention it because towards the end of the book, I started to feel tuggings in that direction. Something about the last twenty to twenty-five percent of the book gave me a better understanding of Raine's emotional state and feelings about what was going on. It was still a bit dry emotionally, but less arid than it had been for the majority. I'm looking forward to seeing if that's a trend that continues into the next book, Armed & Magical. Not to mention, I can't wait to spend more time with characters that I really came to enjoy, even with their propensity to fall into trouble.