This book definitely reads as the first book of a trilogy. It is the first act, setting the stage for the other two. This also means it doesn't read well as a stand-alone novel. This isn't a bad thing, it just means it's difficult to judge the merit alone.

I enjoyed it, but I can see where others might not like it. You have a first-person narrative where the narrator is thrown into chaos not long after the book begins. There is a lot of questions to answer and not all of them are fully answered in this story and a lot of 'answers' that change as the story progresses because the heroine's knowledge changes. In some ways, this is good, leading to questioning the status quo. In someways, this is bad because it leaves the reader on shifting sands, but this also leaves the reader in the main character's shoes.

I really liked the world building, the changes that might have happened in Europe had the Roman Empire lasted longer (and there is some evidence that weather changes did cause the fall of the Roman Empire among other things) and how the intermixing of African and Celtic peoples happened. I liked how skin color was noted, but it wasn't a determining factor of someone's worth, just something that contributed to an understanding of their heritage. It was fascinating that people clung to things that happened thousands of years prior to the beginning of the story as tightly as they clung to things that were only thirteen years past and that both histories were used to justify actions that might be considered unethical on their own merit.

The romantic elements of the book seem to cover both the awkward and Stockholm arenas of improbability. The 'hero's' approaches are very much in the awkward realm of life and the heroine's responses seem to be a result of either magic or enforced proximity. The next two books will determine more what is actually going on. In many ways, I'm glad that their interactions did not progress past a kiss—it would have been far to weird in the story. I'm not even sure that the hero's feelings are the result of genuine feelings or a result of rebellion against the House he's beholden to.

I look forward to reading the rest of this series.

I've read Elliott before, I had an old battered copy of Jaran for the longest time (before it got lost in the Great Book Loss of 2001 aka we moved and they lost my box of books), but I haven't read much of her since. Not from lack of wanting to, but from lack of having her other books around. I haven't even read all of the Jaran books! This tends to happen with me however so I don't give undue thought.

The start to Elliott's new Spiritwalker trilogy held me captivated. To the point where I forgot to go to bed on time (my alarm kept beeping at me and I kept swatting it away until finally I shut it off entirely). From the start Elliott weaved clues and hints as to a larger picture, one none of our characters understood or saw. There's a key plot point involving Cat that is very, very misleading. Actually several, but there's one slightly more important than the others. As it unfolds a new sort of dread stepped in to chase away the feelings of unease.

In many ways this felt like a story about growing up. Neither Cat nor Bee--cousins, born only a few months apart--could be called spoiled, but they are so used to viewing the world one particular way that it astounds them constantly that their view was so narrow. Bee especially surprised me with how strong she became when confronted with the truth. I didn't expect it of her, but Elliott had laid out the foundations for the strength early on.

Cat's journey is harrowing. Ill-prepared for the life she was thrust into, by a contract she had no say in and that she was obligated to see through, she's even less prepared when the worlds spins again. The knowledge she learned from her father's journals serves her well and also acts as a way to confirm her instincts. When she is troubled or feeling indecisive she remembers a quote from his journals and feels reassured.

This is an altered history fantasy. The Empire of Rome lasted until 1000, there doesn't seem to be USA (at least not in the way we know it), trolls (not the kind you are thinking of) are common and no one thinks twice about magic. The Industrial Revolution is being opposed by the Mages, but if any of them are to be believed, its for good reason. Parts of the story grew confusing for me, since we are reading from Cat's first person POV we know what she knows. And it constantly is being changed. Alliances, friends, enemies, even cold hard facts changes from moment to moment so that my head was reeling.

The only surety in the entire book is this: Bee and Cat are bound by bonds of love, trust and friendship that nothing can sunder. The lengths these two go to, to help each other and be each other's strength, is nothing short of extraordinary. Only the briefest of doubts crosses Cat's mind about her cousin, but its immediately dismissed. They know each other, each other's quirks and habits. How to push each other's buttons and comfort when no words are spoken. It seems like such a rare thing honestly, to read about two girls' friendship that way. The last book I can think of is Sarah MacLean's The Season.

My only complaint is that Cat will often repeat things--traits other people have, cultural things or historical facts. Things she has mentioned at least once, probably twice and more than likely thrice. It got to be a little annoying, but not enough to aggravate me for long.

The next book is called Cold Fire, though I have no idea when its due out (according to a recent journal entry she hasn't finished the first draft yet, so I'm suspecting not until next fall at the earliest) and book 3 is currently titled Cold Steel (originally that was the title of book 2, but it was switched around). Can't. Wait. ( )

DNF at 10% ( )

I really liked this book, but I wish it wasn't part of a trilogy. There was more than enough action/adventure/story in this one volume. ( )

This book eventually snuck up on me. Initially picked it up over a year and three quarters ago. Put it down for many months. A thousand things happened in between. A dragon's dream turned the world over. Something compelled me to pick it back up again. And I'm so glad. It was worth the wait. ( )