Elizabeth

This was just ridiculously good. Impossible to believe I haven't read it yet, but now I want to call in sick to work until I've read the rest of the series. Rich, complex, stunning.

For me, this book was about the choices people make when all their options could lead to disaster. It was about the situations in which good people are left with horrible decisions. And, sometimes, the ways that good is accomplished, almost in spite of itself. Recommended.

Okay, there is A LOT going on in this novel. Elements of Arthurian legend, Faust, mermaids, Greek myth - there is a lot to keep track of, and there were moments in the novel that I could feel some of the threads slipping away from me. But I have to say that I was completely entranced by this story from the very beginning. Even when I wasn't quite sure that I was keeping track of all the fantastical bits, I was always eager to see where Gavin's story was going to take him next. I loved the writing, and I definitely plan to read the next in this series.

I think perhaps Francisco Cantu' has an interesting story to tell about why he chose to join the border patrol and why he later chose to leave it - unfortunately, for me this book wasn't it. To me this felt a bit like a rough draft - like an author just starting to organize his thoughts, waiting for an editor to help shape it into a cohesive narrative. I wish I could have read THAT story, but what I was given was this one. I picked it up because I was interested in why someone with Cantu's Mexican-American heritage would choose to enter service as a border patrol agent. I never felt like we were given the real answer to that question. The narrative certainly had interesting moments, but as a whole it never came together for me.

Holy craps, the Red Wedding! Books don't usually blow my mind, but this one certainly did. I can't imagine where we are going to go next, but I know I am going to love the ride.