Honor RaconteurRecensioni

This was quite nice. The story meanders a bit, with the two main characters solving various problems. Most side characters are supportive, giving the book a good-natured vibe and the two main characters respect each other and get along.

Entertaining, story continues in a cosy fashion.

Lots of kudos to be given for this book. Male main character loves female main character being dangerous and brave. Female main character is good at math (as well as magic). Female giant. Open discussion of trauma and therapy after horrible events. Likable characters, no misogyny.

Is just that I thought the story didn't go anywhere in the middle. It was just sitting around, waiting for events to happen. And yes, this gave the time for therapeutic discussions and such, but it got a little boring and disjointed. Maybe I shouldn't have read 3 of these books in a row.

Somehow this didn't quite draw me in and I don't know why. The story is nice, characters as well, the relationships are healthy. I think maybe it was too much of a detective story for me, which I enjoy on TV but not so much in books. Because of that it was more of a 3.5 for me, but I'm rounding up because of the healthy relationships. At least in this book, everything stays platonic, and even if it's going to move towards romantic in later books, it's good to see respect and getting to know each other first instead of instalove.

Good.

Overall I had a good time with the book.
There were quite a few somewhat minor gripes I want to mention though.

First, the POV and worldbuilding. If you already start your story with one of your main characters being stranded in a new world, why would you not use this perfect opportunity to have the reader discover the new world together with said character?
Instead of using this perfect template for organic world-building, we end up with tedious and very unnatural dialogue which is clearly only there to explain stuff to the reader because most of the book is told from Henri's POV who is a native to this world.

Another problem I had was how perfect Jamie was. While it was far less annoying than it could've been it still was rather unbelievable especially because of the universal admiration she gets from everyone that has even half a brain. Mary Sue much?
Mary Sue is problematic because it makes a character uninteresting. Even a perfect character can be made interesting. With her superior scientific understanding in a 1900s world, the MC could've gone through lots of interesting and entertaining situations. In this case, the book mostly ignores this huge opening. That is not to say the actual Mystery isn't interesting, it is, but it's still a wasted opportunity.

A very specific detail that frustrated me a lot was CPR. CPR has a success rate of only about 12%. Even if you adjust that number for improper application as well as hopeless cases the number is still very low. The book makes it sound like: he drowned? no biggie, let's just CPR him back to life real quick. That is not how this works.

Something that worried me but wasn't yet a huge issue in this book is how carelessly the author is with the rules of magic. It very much feels like she just makes shit up as she goes. I don't have enough information yet about the magic to spot major inconsistencies but I feel like it's only a question of time before contradictions start to pile up.
One thing can be said for sure. A world with that kind of magic would never go through the kind of industrial revolution this world is currently in. So the whole premise is already very much flawed. It's a classic case of taking the real world and putting magic on top without any consideration of how that kind of magic would change society as well as technological progress.

After having read the initial setup I expected this to be much more interesting than it turned out in the end. I will probably try the second one but I am not too optimistic.

I love Jamie and Henri and their interactions. I love the world where Jamie finds herself in and I really love the story. Just bizarre enough to grap my attention and at the same time real enough to care about the characters and what's happening. I will bingeread this series. Already busy with book 2.

This is a really nice second book, so I am already reading book 3. Love this series so far.

This was an interesting story. It's set in the Victorian era but magic is accepted. Arwen is a magical retrieval expert and her job comes with some troubles and some adventures but she's also blind. Honestly I thought it sounded like a fun job. The relationships between the characters is one that i really enjoyed they are like a family. It's an adventure story with a fun magic system, interesting characters and a fast pace with a steam punk feel to it. I've read Honor Raconteur Deepwoods series so I was really excited to read this one and I wasn't disappointed! It will be interesting to see how the series progresses and what new adventures will come!

Very much like this series and I hope the author plans to write more of them. It's a great balance of magic, mystery and romance. The characters are very well drawn and the whole world building feels fresh.

I like this series and this was a very fun entry in it. The characters are interesting, the plot is fun and suspenseful, and the premise is pretty fresh for this type of book. The characters are not exactly authentic but in this type of book, who cares. There is a little bit of romance, just enough to add a sweet edge. one small negative, the book ended a little too abruptly for my taste.

I've liked all the books in this series, very light and amusing and interesting characters. I particularly like the partnership between Henri and Jamie. The mystery is good but the worldbuilding is excellent.

The combination of a police procedural type plot with a world rich in magic makes for fun reading. I’ve zipped through all five books in the series. I also like the way the narrative was laid out as reports from the main characters in the book. The only nit pick I have is that the books could use a better proofreader, e.g., using the word ‘recluse’ instead of ‘recuse.’ Just a very few issues, nothing that would stopped me from reading the books in this series. I think I will now also try some the author’s others series but I will be sorry if this one is the last in this series. This one ended with the romance between Jamie and Henri moving on to serious dating.

I like the police procedural aspect of these books. The element of magic makes it more fun and so do the interesting characters.

2nd book in the series and I'm still enjoying them. I like that they are police procedural but with a magic element added in. The lead character, Jamie, is a little too perfect but that is so much better than Too Stupid to Live.

New author for me. Even though I don't tend to like books in the first person (or first person(s) as occasionally happens in this book, this one was fun.

Interesting characters, an interesting mystery, in an interesting world. What made it more charming is the developing relationship between the main characters.

An FBI agent (and a pretty damn good one, too) gets pulled from our world by a malicious witch into another world to be fodder for the witch's experiments. She escapes and kills the witch, but remains stuck in that world. And then she starts to revolutionize it. If that were all there were to the story, well, yawn, there's several thousand other books just like that, starting with "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court." But that's actually not the focal point of the story; that's just background.

This story is actually told from the viewpoint of a detective in that world, a brilliant magical theorist who just happens to be paired up with this enigmatic FBI agent on an important case. (And why would this exile from our world be a detective in that world, when she is already makes tons of money porting technology? That's an insight into the enigmatic Shinigami detective right there.) What makes the book interesting is not so much the case (though it is a fine mystery) but the developing relationship and the unfolding character of the FBI agent. She's quite a hero, and not just in flashy ways: clearly bold and capable, but also has a pretty decent understanding of character and her own path of duty.

She's not the only interesting character. Henri Davenforth, the character through whose eyes we are mostly seeing the world, is the detective who happens to be paired with the ex-FBI agent, and is himself fascinating. He's a loner, a brilliant man with a sarcastic inner monologue, yet dapper and charming and non-judgmental to everyone he meets. And about halfway through the book we encounter another intriguing character, a very powerful magician who certainly doesn't quite fit the stereotype.

The world is fairly interesting, as fantasy worlds go; there's clearly a science to the magic, even though we only catch a glimpse of it. There's only a few minor places where my suspension of disbelief was broken by magic that's just too convenient; all in all, the limits are decently worked out. The author follows the mystery writers' rules pretty well: even though there's magic, the reader understands enough of how it works so the ending could have been anticipated.

This book didn't totally blow me away, and wasn't really full of heart-pounding drama. There are a few action scenes, but I found the quiet scenes to be more interesting (that's a sign that the characters and the relationships are very good). It was one book that left a very pleasant aftertaste with its gentle humor and good relationships, and that has not always been the case for me with other books by Honor Raconteur. I don't feel immediately addicted to the series, but I'll definitely get back to the other ones when I want to revisit these characters.

I'm about a third of the way through this book and I'm not sure I'm going to finish it. It just isn't grabbing me. At first I thought it was kind of interesting... the part about her stopping to change her flat tire was promising... but after that it kind of devolved into writing that kept forcing me out of the story and my suspension of disbelief. It just wasn't very good writing, imo. It didn't draw me in and felt childish in a way that is hard to explain. Disappointing because I have read other books by this author and enjoyed them. Oh well, too many books that do grab me and make me fly through the story wanting more to waste much more time on this one. Surprised it got so many 5 star reviews on some sites (which is what made me try it). Maybe it's just me and others will really enjoy it, but for me it just didn't cut it.

Novel

The plot arc hits its end...and then it keeps going to a new end you weren’t aware it needed.

Some of the elements are juvenile in construction, but everything moves well and the prose is inventive without being precocious. The world-building suffered at times. The characters were well written and helped to cover world-flaws.

A few proofreading errors, maybe one per chapter.

I will read the next novel in the series. Not a resounding recommendation, but a serviceable read with some potential.

Aggro? Really?

It’s never good when a pure fantasy novel starts pulling concepts from gamers without even filtering them a little bit. Add to that the occasional misuse of the English language (‘chaff’ when it should have been ‘chafe’, etc.) and a clumsy unrequited romantic plot that resolved with little more than a few kisses...I don’t need erotic bedroom games in explicit detail, but two mature adults who have been functionally engaged for two years should maybe indulge in a little off-screen hanky-panky when they finally admit their feelings.

The world building was fraying. Trains were in the first book, as were portals (that never seem to be used except as a plot device), but now we have ‘Mules’ - self propelled carts that follow a particular person and carry supplies.

Magic is incredibly poorly defined in this series. At one point, Rena is supposed to kill a bunch of pink slugs because nobody else could do it. Then, suddenly, the other party members are making a game of squishing them. Why weren’t they doing that all along?!?!?

I don’t think I can continue in this series. The characters are amusing, but the world is so slap-dash and ill-conceived it leaves a bad taste.

Novel

The plot arc hits its end...and then it keeps going to a new end you weren’t aware it needed.

Some of the elements are juvenile in construction, but everything moves well and the prose is inventive without being precocious. The world-building suffered at times. The characters were well written and helped to cover world-flaws.

A few proofreading errors, maybe one per chapter.

I will read the next novel in the series. Not a resounding recommendation, but a serviceable read with some potential.

If you like DD Barant's Bloodhound Files or Log Horizon, I think you'll like this too.

It begins with Jamie Edwards of modern California's FBI, who is brought to a foreign world by an insane rogue mage. After a bit of acclimation, and no means of return, she joins the local police force.

The story is mostly told by her erstwhile partner, Dr. Henri Davenforth, a magical examiner. In this first book, they are hunting a group of theives working with a very creative rogue mage who is organizing impressive heists.

It's a fun read as Jamie shows the locals how competant women can be, introduces them to ideas of more modern inventions, and adjusts to a new world of magic. The characters are very well fleshed-out and distinctive.

The writing has a few minor technical difficulties-- the most glaring being that it was established that the world has no cats, then in one instance, Henri described a person's movement as cat-like. The author uses amiable when she means amenable, but if those little bits don't bother you, you can enjoy this story without reservation.

This book has an intriguing opening theme: the lead general and strategist extraordinaire of the most powerful empire of the world kills his king and consigns himself to certain doom or at least the life of a fugitive to keep his oath. The main character is well-portrayed and undoubtedly a soldier, albeit one with very modern beliefs about ethics, gender equality and fair play. The secondary characters are stereotyped but fitting and humorous.
The world building is very light but not lacking, the desert-spawn country of Niotan and the roman-empire-flavored Brindisi Sovran are contextualized as needed. I approached this book knowing it was a self-published work of an active author, it ended up resonating well with my most girlish sensibilities and although the story is quick-paced and engaging and the focus is war (so expect warfare, strategies, battle scenes, politics and courtly intrigue), the tones are gentle and not much gets in the way of the hero. As downsides, there is a love story a bit on the cheesy side, a linear simplistic plot line, and some aspects conveniently overlooked or timed (the lack of intelligence in Brindisi or the conflict with the other generals of Niotan). And the hero is a bit too perfect, bar being directionally impaired.
The editing is good, I noticed just a few repeated pieces of info and the author is partial to words like wryly, drily and ruefully, but the prose is flowing and the writing style pleasant. In the afterword we learn the book was written in two months, hats off.
I wasn't expecting a a mind-blowing war story but I was looking for a smooth and enjoyable book, and I was not disappointed. I liked the ride and would recommend it for an easy, neat read.

First off I have to say I enjoy the story which have some really interesting ideas, and I will read book 3 as well when it comes out. There are some old and some borrowed ideas, and prolly some blue somewhere. But its a good enjoyable story. Targeted towards the young adult crowd, but can be enjoyed by adults alike. But its a nice simple story a la Eddings, but do not expect epic grim fantasy like Eriksson. That said the book suffers under being published independently (I assume), and could really have improved if a good editor had been over it. Hopefully this will get better as the author gets more books written. I know it can be hard to get the fast pace in story (which is good here) without forgetting the realism of the story (which is the problem). Ghart makes friends very quickly with people, and often its simply so fast it looses all credibility. It could probably work for one or two people, but its pretty much a constant issue with each new character, they meet, and next day they act to each other like year old friends....Again a promising author and I will keep reading, but I really hope for a good editor for book 3.

First off I have to say I enjoy the story which have some really interesting ideas, and I will read book 3 as well when it comes out. There are some old and some borrowed ideas, and prolly some blue somewhere. But its a good enjoyable story. Targeted towards the young adult crowd, but can be enjoyed by adults alike. But its a nice simple story a la Eddings, but do not expect epic grim fantasy like Eriksson. That said the book suffers under being published independently (I assume), and could really have improved if a good editor had been over it. Hopefully this will get better as the author gets more books written. I know it can be hard to get the fast pace in story (which is good here) without forgetting the realism of the story (which is the problem). Ghart makes friends very quickly with people, and often its simply so fast it looses all credibility. It could probably work for one or two people, but its pretty much a constant issue with each new character, they meet, and next day they act to each other like year old friends....Again a promising author and I will keep reading, but I really hope for a good editor for book 3.