Laurie J. Marks

My thoughts on this installment are much the same as on the last: beautiful prose, rich depth of character, subtle but interesting magic, incredible pace and not one wasted word. When I used to try to teach my students how to write with intent, I wish I had access to this book to show them exactly how to do it.

Precision makes for dense reading (which I love) so I'll be reading a lighter series before I return to the last two books of this one. But I highly recommend you add it to your WANT TO READ list!… (meer)

I loved everything about this book, from the lyrical storytelling that made me feel like I was sitting around the fire, to the concise prose that didn't waste a syllable. This is a don't blink or you might miss a few days (or years) kind of book and the narrative voice took some getting used to, but the depth of character was intense and lovely and pulled me through just about every emotion I have. It normalizes gender queerness and though there is a soft focus on the magic, the true magic of the book shines through in character growth.

Definitely read this one. It's going on my favorites list!… (meer)

bit of a soft conclusion to the series, although the exploration of air magic was certainly fascinating, and the evolution of Norina's character over time is one of the strongest throughlines of the whole series. taken as a set, i loved this series, with the caveat that it's not the kind of thing you can just dip into, it's important to read it in order as otherwise you'd miss too much. the nature of the four elements was very clearly thought through and set out; in fact, once you've read the whole series, you can check your own elemental makeup with this nifty little quiz on the author's home page: http://lauriejmarks.com/shaftal/quiz.html.… (meer)

this one, third in the series of four, is a bit different. water logic is chaotic, and the story follows that lead by describing a lot more magic within a great deal of frenetic action. a trip to the past and back to the present is made, changing the world at both ends, because water magic is all about change. this lends the story considerable weight and propels the characters into unfamiliar pathways. they are now so dear and familiar, i'm truly going to hate to see this series come to an end. it's such an intricate tale, a tangle of story, best practice would be to read the four books in order, and all at once. this one's especially good, and that's a high bar.… (meer)