I admit that I always found Lee's inability to believe Taro was genuine as annoying. I mean, it's not any different then most romances I read, but this is fantasy. I don't expect romance conventions to be followed. ( )

This one was a little disappointing---still entertaining, but a bit shaggy with loose ends that I can only hope will find resolution in the next book. I was also surprised to discover that the long-awaited consummation of Lee and Taro's relationship brought with it an abrupt cessation of all the fun almost-romantic moments between them. I'm sure that becoming lovers would change their dynamic, but did it have to eliminate the sense of tenderness and consideration that had come to characterize their partnership? ( )

Well, this book is a good example of how if we don't explore our own learned biases they'll show up in books without a single questioning review. No, I'm not just talking about Dunleavy.

Let's get this out of the way:
The story meanders as usual. The resolution of their reason for being on the island falls into their laps, thank goodness because they do nothing for most of the book.

Oh, to shippers: they finally have sex. Dunleavy is just as ridiculous as I feared and there's little time spent on any of it, including dealing with Dibleavy's continual ridiculous, short-sighted inability to look at her partner

Now, here it comes. The eye rolls. Why is it, that when fantasy characters go "south," especially to islands, the people there are superstitious, a little backwards in their bamboo huts and laws, and (drum roll please) brown skinned? Let's not discuss how they think white, red-haired Dunleavy is so pretty. How their own black hair is plain compared to her exoticness. How the white people are good omens and figure out the "curse" these backwards, superstitious, silly people have been living with, without question. Their clothes are so small, and they have no shame. They're tattooed. They're (I'm gonna say it) exotic. Now yes, some of this is Dunleavy's fairly unlikable deep bias. I often appreciate how Dunleavy is unlikable in a real way (let's be real she'd be that nagging friend no one invited out because she'd raise her eyebrows knowingly at your second beer). However, Dunleavy didn't select all these tropes.

Here's what really, really gets me. This book is sci-fi lite lite. I've been left with the inpression that these people are star farers who landed on this world and are coping. Why is it that the brown people are the ones who really went backwards in development, with their unpaved roads and tiny towns? And if I totally misread that, well it's still the brown people in these little southern islands, because that's where brown people in sff live.

Let's not discuss our MCs yanking a young girl from her home, to a place where even the food disagrees with her. Having zero thoughts about the dangers of plopping her into a frankly chaotic political position, and then ignoring her desires and self-identity to then drop her off where they've chosen for her. Cool. Cool.

Done with this series. I put up with and was interested in Dunleavy's frank stupidity when I thought it was artistic choice (if slow, slow character development could be imagined around the edges) Now? It feels less like a choice and more like a just blind view to Dunleavy's major failings. I don't think that's true, but it's hard to get around that reading now.

I could rant scene by scene. I won't, but I thought, after reading multiple reviews where apparently no one saw anything wrong with this harmful trope, that someone should at least mention it in passing.

( )

The more I read this series, the more I am invested in Lee and Taro. This was (so far) my favorite in the series. It was great to see them taken out of their comfortable, familiar environment and thrown on a difficult, secret quest for which they were completely unprepared. They are forced to rely on each other in new ways and their relationship begins to develop into something special. The pacing is perfect and the journey is fraught with peril. What's not to love? ( )

Another entry in the Sorce and Shield series. This time the heroes find themselves sent on an inappropriate quest by the queen and spending time on an island where the (gasp!) have to earn a living. Dunleavy tries on a new persona as a gypsy dancing girl with unexpected results.

Really enjoying this series and looking forward to reading on!! ( )