A weird book. It's awfully choppy - I suspect because the two authors wrote separate parts and then they figured out the connecting bits. It's not even as "simple" as Tiger Burning Bright - there are more viewpoints here. Every other person seems to be planning to betray someone (the plots within plots get seriously ridiculous at a couple points), and the ones who aren't planning to betray behave very stupidly (Ok, Jay-jay and Sophie have a better excuse than most, their behavior is almost reasonable for a couple female tourists in a (very) strange land). And despite all that, it's a good book and one I think I'd like to reread, later on. Jay-jay and Sophie both find a way out, past the disasters that have bound them - Jay-jay finds someone (lots of someones, actually) who wants her for herself and respects what she is, while Sophie finally moves past the grief and guilt that she was hiding in and finds her way back to her proper life. Their reactions to the magic are really amusing. And so is the book, when it starts being a smartass. Overall - not a favorite, but a very rich story; I suspect it will reward rereading. Preferably before I've entirely forgotten it, this time (I did read it before, but didn't remember anything - not the plotting, not who was on which side, not the end...). ( )

This was actually a pretty good book considering that I just gave it away. We have a decent protagonist- nothing special, but she's spunky, who goes to an interesting world, and, though she doesn't have the faintest idea what's going on at first, goes on a decent adventure, and hooks up with a great male protagonist. It's a good read, and I'd recommend it, but it's not an absolute must-read. ( )