kalventure
Written on Mar 6, 2018
Dangerous Talents is the first installment of the Vinlanders' Saga and follows Celia Montrose, Cele for short, who is on a quest to photograph some rare hieroglyphs in the Arizona desert. When she falls off the cliffs, she awakes in a different desert and lost. She finally comes across Lord Dahleven and his party in the drylands, and it appears that she has fallen into a new land at the brink of war. Cele must navigate the customs of the new land, deal with magic in the world, and reconcile the feelings she develops for Dahleven. She wants to find home, but is told there is no way... except by one person. But can she trust him?
I found the characters rather flat, and I think that I have grown tired of the "rush to conclusions misunderstanding" trope in fiction - but given that it is a popular plot mechanism in fiction I cannot hold it against the book. I really enjoyed the Norse mythology and the care that Robertson took to craft such an imaginative tale, but I found that the book was told to me rather than shown. I don't know if that will make much sense to you, but this particular writing style wasn't to my liking as I don't feel engaged with the book. This is a personal preference.
The pacing of the book also seemed to drag in some parts, which really only became evident to me when the last 20% of the book picked up the pace. Unfortunately it was during this time that I found myself irrationally frustrated with Cele and her choices that led her to that point. The driving force for her choices is that she wanted to go home so badly, but her actions in the book outside of these choices don't really point to someone missing home. She didn't seem to want anything that she left behind other than movie nights with her best friend. This disconnect for me is likely connected to the "tell rather than show" writing style of the book, and likely won't be as frustrating for others.
I suppose that it is worth mentioning that the first time I read this book in 2016, I rated it 5 stars and did not leave a review. As such I do not have any notes as to why I didn't find the book as enjoyable this time around, perhaps my preferences have changed, or perhaps it was merely because this was my "fluff read" after reading [b:Children of Blood and Bone|34728667|Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïsha, #1)|Tomi Adeyemi|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1516127989s/34728667.jpg|55911580].
Overall this is an interesting story and I appreciate the weaving of Native American and Norse mythology. As someone who has been obsessed with Vikings for most of her life, this is the type of story that I want to love and will be enjoyable to those that enjoy mythology-infused fantasy.