Daggerspell.

I am sorry, Henric, I hate it.

Or... I don't hate it, I just don't find anything to like in it. Not even the Wales inspired setting.

I hate the misogyny, I hate how... uh.

I like Jill. But I don't like the “their destinies are wound together and they can't escape” idea. That makes me afraid that she's going to get into trouble because of a forced upon love triangle and people are going to try to kill each other, just because they are stuck in this tangled web.

I don't like the incest part. I love my brothers but I wouldn't ever agree to have sex with them, not even to stop them from killing themselves. Frankly, on the contrary. If they wanted to have sex with me, they are obviously so insane and damaged, they'd do everyone a favor by ending it now. And, it would have been better had the brother in the book killed himself.

And why didn't the girl go after her beloved? sigh “I could have ridden anywhere, but I had no reason”. Yeah, you did. Your husband.
Anyway, all that made me think that her deep emotions were just a show.

It was very confused and stupid and... sigh disappointing.
So DNF.

I first read Daggerspell when I was around 13 years old, maybe a little younger. I loved the novel so much that I went on to read every other book by Katharine Kerr I could find. Starting with the Deverry series and moving on. I also never got rid of any the books, instead I boxed them up in my keepsakes, stored them and totally forgot about them. Fast forward another 13 years and those keepsake boxes were returned to me. I hadn't a clue what was inside them and spent a solid weekend going through everything. Imagine my surprise when I opened the last box and found all of my Katharine Kerr books. Joy!

I didn't recall the story line very well, just the fact that I loved the books. I remember feeling mourning the deaths of beloved characters so much that I had to leave grieving time in between books. Naturally, I was curious to see if the books held up over the years. I wasn't disappointed. Daggerspell is a classic sword & sorcery story following Jill, a young girl who grows up riding from city to city with her mercenary father. Jill's past life (well, lives) and future is tied to Nevyn, an ancient herbman who is more than he seems and Rhodry, a hot headed young nobleman.

Kerr's writing isn't flashy but she manages to weave an intricate web of stories ranging over 400+ years. Her characters are complex and their relationships are real. It is impossible not to get drawn into the many different lives that they live. I would also like to note though that I can't BELIEVE I was allowed to read these at 13. Seriously, there is quite a bit of incest. I must have completely blocked that bit out of my mind.

Anyways, I'm going to leave it at that. I recommend Daggerspell and the rest of the Deverry series to anyone who is a fan of fantasy novels of any sort. The books are a refreshing break from the vampires, witches and werewolves stories that fill bookshelves these days.