Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Journeyman's Ride by Marie Harte

Spyders and cannibals and pissed off gods, oh my!

Duty-bound to journey across the Damned Plains to rescue her cousin, the Princess of York, from ruination, Miranda Anvers makes her way to Endville where she hopes to enlist the aid of Danner, a journeyman well known for his guide skills. Miranda is counting on Danner to get them to the fabled Crystal Palace where her cousin is being held.

Journeyman’s Ride was a fun, exciting and sexy adventure where in this world of godbolts, blessed lightning, cannibals, mechanical spyders and really angry gods, anything can happen – and usually does!

I have to admit, it took a couple of chapters before I was able to get the flow of the writing and understand the way the world worked, but once I did, I couldn’t wait to read more. I enjoyed the unique mix of Regency England and Old West, and found the contrasts in cultures often amusing. All in all, the world that Marie Harte created really worked for me. There was nothing on the author’s website to indicate whether or not there will be a sequel, but the world was so complex and interesting that it has the makings of a great new series.

While I enjoyed the story quite well, I was surprised by these two quotes because the words are spoken by a goddess, and the gods and goddesses in this story seemed very shallow and selfserving:

Demise smiled at them, her bright eyes so white it hurt to look directly at her. “You, Danner, are a true son of Odin. You seemed to flourish all on your own, forced to forage for yourself while Odin fixed the problems of men and gods alike. Sound of mind and body, you were traveling through worlds from the time you could walk. But we hadn’t paid enough attention. Your spirit withered without affection, because praise without care only means so much.”

“For all our immortal flaws, Danner, the gods love. Sometimes we love too much and our darker passions cloud our judgment. But not to love is the greatest sin.”

Journeyman’s Ride is my first taste of Marie Harte’s writing and I’m definitely looking forward to reading more by this author. 4 of 5 stars.

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