Liar's Moon

Liar's Moon by Elizabeth C. Bunce
Arthur A. Levine Books, 2011
349 pages
YA; Fantasy; Mystery
4.5/5 stars

Source: Own

Looking at my order slip, it appears that I placed my order on May 22 and received it the day it came out. But silly me, I forgot to include it on my calendar so I had a bunch of review books to get through first before I could dive into this personally highly anticipated sequel to StarCrossed.

I began in a bit of a panic because while I remembered main character Digger alias Celyn, I didn't automatically remember any other character. Now some of the characters were new so that explains why but the other characters were cleverly reintroduced and integrated into the story such that my memory was jogged. And the part I remember best from StarCrossed was Digger's slow attachment to the people she met; although she had tried to keep herself separate, she couldn't stop becoming involved. Similarly, she is attached to people in this book including a romantic interest and a wide network of people who aid her in traitorous activities. How lucky is she?!  I kept fearing a sudden but inevitable betrayal but no one stabbed her in the back like that. They were good people.

As for the plot, this focused on the mystery of the death of influential businesswoman Talth Ceid, the wife of Digger's acquaintance Durrel Decath who happens to be the obvious suspect.  Someone believes in his innocence and Digger is dragged into a complicated web of business contracts, trade, greed, force, and magic. Although everything seems tangled, she knows that she can dig up an answer (okay-sorry for the bad joke!)

While I liked this book a lot and had trouble putting it down, I still didn't find it to be a perfect book. I did think it dragged a little in some places and would have liked some things to happen more quickly.

Then there is the ending. While the central mystery is tied up (we know who killed Durrel's wife) and progress seems to have been made on the political front (in favor of the side Digger supports), something totally out of the blue comes our way. I can see some people guessing but I was surprised...and now I'm even more anxious for the third book to hopefully tie everything up.

StarCrossed

StarCrossed by Elizabeth C Bunce

Arthur A. Levine Books, 2010

351 pages

YA; Fantasy

4.5/5 stars

First in series (Sequel to be called Liar's Moon, probably out later this year)

Source: Library

I enjoyed Bunce's A Curse Dark as Gold so I knew that I'd want to read this book by her.  I didn't know know anything about the story going in, beyond what's on the book flap so I was caught by surprise about everything.  It starts with Digger running from a bad situation and she falls in with a group of young nobles who rescue her and bring her home.  The two men in the party leave the story but the two women Lady Merista Nemair and Phandre continue as the family of the former welcomes Digger, now known as Celyn, to go to their estate to prepare for Merista's entrance into adulthood.  This part was somewhat confusing and slow as many characters were introduced but nothing really happened.

It was at the estate that the story kicks in to gear.  Digger attempts to steal an item from Lord Daul but he catches her and makes her become his informant so he can spy on the people at the estate, who incidentally were all collaborators in a rebellion against the king to restore some freedom of religion.  As Digger searches for secrets, she finds much more than she had bargained for and the sequel is perfectly set up.  

One of the most interesting aspects to me was the history, politics, and religion of the land.  The current king outlawed anything but Celys for worship, especially the magic of Sarists.  He also has two nephews who could be heir.  One is even more extreme and fanatical while the other is more tolerant and is the hope of the Nemairs and other Sarists.  While I found it fascinating, there were some difficult parts as I struggled to follow the names and relationships of everyone-there are a lot of characters but by the end, I knew them.

I also liked that there was very little romance.  Digger/Celyn did have feelings for Tegen, a mysterious shadow in her past about whom I want to know more and there were some other relationships but romance was not the main focus, allowing me to focus fully on the mystery.  Lord Daul wants Digger to uncover many secrets and bring him a lot of information; because of that experience, she leaves her professional shell behind and begins to become attached to people and to become concerned with politics.  She becomes more of a hero instead of a creeping thief, a pleasant transformation to see.

Overall: Rich world created, lovable main character, and an engaging mystery!

Cover: This picture is a little blurry but I like the design-that is a seven-pointed star which is important to the story. While that girl is pretty, she's not gorgeous and thus is less likely to be noticed suiting Digger's profession.

Goodreads page

A Curse Dark as Gold

A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

Arthur A. Levine Books, 2008

395 pages

YA; Fairy Tale Adaptations

Source: Library

Summary: A retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. Charlotte Miller, along with her younger sister, is the last of the Millers and she is desperate to protect the mill which is the lifeblood of their small town. She figures out one way out of debt by taking gold thread from the mysterious Jack Spinner. She falls in love and marries but later makes an awful bargain with Jack Spinner, her son or her mill? Does Charlotte have the courage to save all she loves?

Thoughts: I love retellings of fairy tales so I thought I would check this out. I especially enjoyed the author's note at the end mentioning how Rumpelstiltskin's name has become so well-known and powerful while the heroine is anonymous. That was the starting point for this version. Admittedly Rumpelstiltskin is not my favorite fairy tale but I mostly enjoyed this version.

Charlotte is a very determined main character; in some ways she reminded me of Jena in Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier. They both are bent on saving their homes and are working in their father's male-dominated business despite being female. I definitely admire her. I also really liked the supporting characters especially Charlotte's husband and Jack Spinner (the Rumpelstiltskin character) who receives a back story.

I also found the story somewhat scary. Now I may be a wimp or it may be genuinely terrifying that the mill seems to have a mind of its own. Additionally there is all sorts of magic flying around. But this terror I felt made the book even more gripping despite its length (Am I correct in stating that 400 pages is rather long for a YA novel?)

My biggest problem was Charlotte and her inability to trust her husband. She kept secrets from him, lied to him, and seemed to be trying to drive him away. *NOT SURE IF THIS IS A SPOILER BUT BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY* And when she does tell him about the curse and how she needs to fix it, he is totally supportive making her seem completely crazy for not confiding in him earlier. What is wrong with her?! *END SPOILER* .

Overall: 4/5. Good; I would definitely recommend it to people who like fairy tale retellings and I want to read more of Bunce.

Cover: I'm not sure about the girl's outfit but I love the font and I like her hands tangled up in gold thread.