The Ruby Prince by Beth Brower - Book Two of Imirillia

 It was fun to fill in the middle part of the story, after having read the third book. I enjoyed this one, because it described the mythical city of Zarbadast, and we get acquainted with Prince Basaal's brothers and fathers. Eleanor continues to exhibit royal and noble behavior throughout, despite falling in love with the Prince. They agree their countries come first...Queen Eleanor's journey back to Aemgen is the beginning of the end of this part of the story. 

Quietly enjoyable, a little repetitive, not too much character development, and some beautiful descriptions of interesting landscapes. Not worth recommending, but a good foray into fantasy for me. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, and I only took this one on because of the author's other work. Still awaiting news about Book 9 of The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion!

The Wanderer's Mark by Beth Brower - Book Three of Imirillia

 This is something I have never done before. The library had book 3 weeks before book 2. So, I went ahead and read book 3! Next I'll read book 2, now that I know how it all ends. Of course I suspected that Eleanor would end up with Prince Basaal, and she did, even though it was a rocky road to get there.

This book had a lot more action and characters than book 1, since Eleanor was escaping from Imirillia and then defending Admogen. It was interesting and not as slow. Still, it was rather predictable, but I enjoyed the "Illuminating God" and the spiritual scrolls. It was neat to see Basaal purify himself, and wrestle with the impossible choices he had to make. I enjoyed it. But it's not my usual genre, although it was more enjoyable than any other fantasy I have read. Or tried to read! Now on to book 2! There are a few characters I need to learn the backstory of!

The Queen's Gambit by Beth Brower - Book One of Imirillia

 Beth Brower has won me over with Q and her Unselected Journals. I am dying to read Book 9, but it isn't out yet. So, I thought I would try out her trilogy called "The Books of Imirillia" in the meantime. It's very different from her other work, but I enjoyed it. I was able to check this out of the library and waiting for the other two books.

It was the perfect book to take on the plane and have in Sacramento during my recent trip to see Wren, Eli, Teal, Ann, and Jane. It was delightful and not exactly light, but rather ethereal. It moves along slowly, and the characters are interesting enough to pursue more of how this turns out.

The story revolves around Queen Eleanor and her lovely land of Admogen. We learn about this idyllic country and it's history through this committed young queen's eyes. She's a benevolent leader, and is loved by her countrymen. Enter Wil Traveler, who is secretly Immirillia's crown prince, and these two begin a relationship of testing each other. Their conversations and development feel almost child-like and superficial, but there are some interesting fables and beautiful scenes woven throughout. At the end of this book 1, Eleanor has been taken captive by the Immirillians, and Prince Basaal is trying to figure out how to get her safely back to Amoegen, rally his men against his father's men, and survive himself. He often loses his temper, and so does Eleanor. It's a simple romantic love/hate situation, but sweet. I'm interested enough to read on. Perfect summer reading; at least until the next Unselected Journal comes out~!

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

 This book was recommended to me by both Teal and Montana's mom when I was with them in November at the Orchard. Montana's mom was a school librarian, I believe, so I was interested in her book recommendations. And I knew Teal was into fantasy, but I kind of hoped this wasn't quite so fantasy-like. I was wrong. It was very true to the genre and why I find it so tough to get into it. Ann loves it too; and I keep thinking I may like it if I keep trying?

This one was so dark and cold that I almost quit reading it several times. I found it tough to keep the different characters straight. The imagined world with its weird inhabitants were mysterious and I couldn't unravel their purpose or their challenges easily. They were only gradually revealed.

However, about half-way through the book, I began to wonder how it would all turn out. Teal being Teal, I assumed the female characters would save the day...and I began to wonder how that would happen. And they did, and how they did it was interesting. Lots of magical powers and weirdness, but also a lot of clever world-building and fantastic environment building. Stoic characters and monsters inside of bodies...lots of unusual things. Not my favorite, but I did soldier on to the end. No, I will not take this author on again. But now I will have something to talk to Teal about in Mexico in April. What is it about this make-believe world that she finds compelling?