Reviewed by inlibrisveritas on
Thistle and Thorn is by Ann Aguirre, the author of the Razorland series. As far as I know this novella is not connected to any storyline she has going right now, which is a bit of a disappointment because this story was really awesome. I’d love to see a full length version of this run down and battered world. I was actually impressed that she fit what could have been a whole book’s plot into about 33% of this over all anthology, and managed to pull it off. Mari, is a rather tough young woman who is struggling to survive and keep her family safe in what is known as the Red Zone. It’s a gritty area where crime is an everyday occurrence. She’s strong and fairly resourceful. Thorne is an emotionally and physically scarred guy who is sick of the corruption and the killing, and he finds himself dependent on Mari to help bring it all down. These two are fiercely independent so it was nice to see what they could do working together and I liked the subtle growth of emotion between them. I loved that their pasts were explained and that they were given needed depth to truly understand their struggles. It’s also fairly action packed and the pacing of the novel is deliberate yet quick. The way this one ended has me wanting more and I hope she revisits this world in the future. Individually this one gets 4 stars as well.
Sun Storm by Karen Duvall, author of the Knight Curse series, is another free standing novella with a ton of potential. For me this was the weakest one of the three because it didn’t really work for me as a short story. I would have preferred to see this one played out in a full length novel, where everything can really flesh out and wouldn’t feel as rushed. The concept is really awesome. Earth is dying and it’s all because the Sun is bombarding it with solar storms, the humans that have survived do so at great peril because not only is the temperature rising it’s deadly to be caught in one of these storms. The lucky few who don’t die from exposure end up as Kinetics with some amazing powers. Sarah can predict Solar storms and she uses it to warn people before they hit, and Ian Matthews is just as powerful as her though his gift is very different. There is a lot going on in this one from the fact that Earth is dying, to people gaining powers from the radiation, to having the government involved. As I read this I couldn’t help but feel it was a tad rushed because there is so much detail proved and yet at the same time it feels a bit glossed over. I wanted to know more about everything and I wanted to have the characters fleshed out a bit more. If Duvall ever writes a full length story in this particular world I’d definitely read it. Individually I have to give this one a 3 star rating.
I received this from Netgalley and Harlequin in exchange for an honest review.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 17 January, 2013: Finished reading
- 17 January, 2013: Reviewed