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Collegia Magica #2
The Soul Mirror
By order of His Royal Majesty Philippe de Savin-Journia y Sabria, Anne de Vernase is hereby summoned to attend His Majesty's Court at Merona...
Anne de Vernase rejoices that she has no talent for magic. Her father's pursuit of depraved sorcery has left her family in ruins, and he remains at large, convicted of treason and murder by Anne's own testimony. Now, the tutors at Collegia Seravain inform her that her gifted younger sister has died in a magical accident. It seems but life's final mockery that cool, distant Portier de Savin-Duplais, the librarian turned royal prosecutor, arrives with the news that the king intends to barter her hand in marriage.
Anne recognizes that the summoning carries implications far beyond a bleak personal future - and they are all about magic. Merona, the royal city, is beset by plagues of rats and birds, and mysterious sinkholes that swallow light and collapse buildings. Whispers of hauntings and illicit necromancy swirl about the queen's volatile sorcerer. And a murder in the queen's inner circle convinces Anne that her sister's death was no accident. With no one to trust but a friend she cannot see, Anne takes up her sister's magical puzzle, plunging into the midst of a centuries-old rivalry and coming face-to-face with the most dangerous sorcerer in Sabria. His name is Dante.
Anne de Vernase rejoices that she has no talent for magic. Her father's pursuit of depraved sorcery has left her family in ruins, and he remains at large, convicted of treason and murder by Anne's own testimony. Now, the tutors at Collegia Seravain inform her that her gifted younger sister has died in a magical accident. It seems but life's final mockery that cool, distant Portier de Savin-Duplais, the librarian turned royal prosecutor, arrives with the news that the king intends to barter her hand in marriage.
Anne recognizes that the summoning carries implications far beyond a bleak personal future - and they are all about magic. Merona, the royal city, is beset by plagues of rats and birds, and mysterious sinkholes that swallow light and collapse buildings. Whispers of hauntings and illicit necromancy swirl about the queen's volatile sorcerer. And a murder in the queen's inner circle convinces Anne that her sister's death was no accident. With no one to trust but a friend she cannot see, Anne takes up her sister's magical puzzle, plunging into the midst of a centuries-old rivalry and coming face-to-face with the most dangerous sorcerer in Sabria. His name is Dante.
515 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
38 people are currently reading
983 people want to read
About the author
Carol Berg
33 books1,128 followersCarol Berg is the author of the epic fantasy
The Books of the Rai-kirah, The Bridge of D'Arnath Quartet, the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award winning Lighthouse Duet - Flesh and Spirit and Breath and Bone - the standalone novel Song of the Beast , and the three novels of the Collegia Magica.
Berg holds a degree in mathematics from Rice University, and a degree in computer science from the University of Colorado. Before writing full-time, she worked as a software engineer. She lives in Colorado at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, and is the mother of three mostly grown sons.
The Books of the Rai-kirah, The Bridge of D'Arnath Quartet, the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award winning Lighthouse Duet - Flesh and Spirit and Breath and Bone - the standalone novel Song of the Beast , and the three novels of the Collegia Magica.
Berg holds a degree in mathematics from Rice University, and a degree in computer science from the University of Colorado. Before writing full-time, she worked as a software engineer. She lives in Colorado at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, and is the mother of three mostly grown sons.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 160 reviews
June 10, 2015
The Soul Mirror was not just a worthy sequel to The Spirit Lens, it was its superior in almost every regard.
The Collegia Magica series is not your typical epic fantasy. It is more of a mystery/detective story set in a high magic fantasy world that is a bit reminiscent of Renaissance France. Carol Berg dealt with the mystery aspects well enough that I was kept guessing for most of the story.
Anne de Vernase has just been summoned to the court of her Goodfather, King Philippe de Savin-Journia. It is a place filled with plots and intrigue of both the magical and the mundane. It is also a place where Anne has few friends and allies. She is the daughter of a notorious traitor, her brother is imprisoned on orders of the King, her mother has been driven insane by sorcery, and her younger sister, a mage, has just been murdered. Anne finds herself forced into a position where she has to identify those who are plotting against the King because those very same people are responsible for her sister murder. To make matter worse they believe Anne's sister might have passed on information crucial to their plans to Anne before they silenced her. The only allies Anne has come in the shape of the foppish Lord Ilario and the King's cousin Portier de Savin-Duplais, a man she loathes as he lead the investigation that saw her father branded a traitor and saw her family destroyed.
All in all this story was a very engaging read that captured my full attention. Anne was intelligent, strong, and resourceful. She was also very likable. Characters like Dante, Portier, and Ilario were back and it was fascinating to see them from Anne's perspective.
The ending was satisfying, but not fully complete. It sets things up nicely for the final book in the trilogy.
Rating: 4.5 stars.
Audio Note: I liked the narrator Angele Masters. She did pronounce a few words weirdly, but that did not hurt my enjoyment of her general narration. She did well with the character voices and seemed a perfect fit for Anne as a character and the formal feel of the story.
The Collegia Magica series is not your typical epic fantasy. It is more of a mystery/detective story set in a high magic fantasy world that is a bit reminiscent of Renaissance France. Carol Berg dealt with the mystery aspects well enough that I was kept guessing for most of the story.
Anne de Vernase has just been summoned to the court of her Goodfather, King Philippe de Savin-Journia. It is a place filled with plots and intrigue of both the magical and the mundane. It is also a place where Anne has few friends and allies. She is the daughter of a notorious traitor, her brother is imprisoned on orders of the King, her mother has been driven insane by sorcery, and her younger sister, a mage, has just been murdered. Anne finds herself forced into a position where she has to identify those who are plotting against the King because those very same people are responsible for her sister murder. To make matter worse they believe Anne's sister might have passed on information crucial to their plans to Anne before they silenced her. The only allies Anne has come in the shape of the foppish Lord Ilario and the King's cousin Portier de Savin-Duplais, a man she loathes as he lead the investigation that saw her father branded a traitor and saw her family destroyed.
All in all this story was a very engaging read that captured my full attention. Anne was intelligent, strong, and resourceful. She was also very likable. Characters like Dante, Portier, and Ilario were back and it was fascinating to see them from Anne's perspective.
The ending was satisfying, but not fully complete. It sets things up nicely for the final book in the trilogy.
Rating: 4.5 stars.
Audio Note: I liked the narrator Angele Masters. She did pronounce a few words weirdly, but that did not hurt my enjoyment of her general narration. She did well with the character voices and seemed a perfect fit for Anne as a character and the formal feel of the story.
February 13, 2016
Don't be fooled by the "author information" included in Berg's books. All that stuff about mild-mannered software engineer. It's a smokescreen. Somewhere in Berg's past, she was a sorceress. I'm sure of it.
Nobody does magic as well as Berg, and I do mean nobody. Her magic is always terrific, believable, scary, and ... beautiful. (Not to say, different from series to series, through 12 books, which in itself is magic. See? Sorceress.) Add to that utterly convincing characters, a world so palpably real you can touch and smell it, not one, not two, but three or four compelling mysteries (and the fate of the world), and you have The Soul Mirror, unputdownable. Magic. Superior fun in every way.
Highly recommended for all fantasy readers but also for those who like historical mysteries. Practically perfect in every way, just like another magical lady who will remain nameless. Go read this.
Nobody does magic as well as Berg, and I do mean nobody. Her magic is always terrific, believable, scary, and ... beautiful. (Not to say, different from series to series, through 12 books, which in itself is magic. See? Sorceress.) Add to that utterly convincing characters, a world so palpably real you can touch and smell it, not one, not two, but three or four compelling mysteries (and the fate of the world), and you have The Soul Mirror, unputdownable. Magic. Superior fun in every way.
Highly recommended for all fantasy readers but also for those who like historical mysteries. Practically perfect in every way, just like another magical lady who will remain nameless. Go read this.
February 15, 2011
Excellent. Maybe not a pure five, but pretty close. The uncomfortable collision of magic, science and faith with exemplars of each worldview makes good reading, especially as the POV character shifts in her own understanding and feelings about her world. (Once I figured out there are two kinds of magic in this world, things became a little clearer.)
Curiously, these are called "novel[s] of the Collegia Magica," but little of the story in either book takes place at the college. In fact, while this book opens at the college, that's the only scene set there.
This POV character was more believable that that of The Spirit Lens. Of course, the reader of that book has an advantage over Ani in knowing who she should trust at court. (And we all know about Dante, even if Berg didn't tell us, because that's the kind of story she tells.)
Of course, I figured out who the mystery bad guy was long before Berg revealed it, but that was simple elimination. Everyone else had a double life, so of course the one who apparently didn't did. ;-)
More satisfying conclusion than the first book, even though neither finished the stories.
Curiously, these are called "novel[s] of the Collegia Magica," but little of the story in either book takes place at the college. In fact, while this book opens at the college, that's the only scene set there.
This POV character was more believable that that of The Spirit Lens. Of course, the reader of that book has an advantage over Ani in knowing who she should trust at court. (And we all know about Dante, even if Berg didn't tell us, because that's the kind of story she tells.)
Of course, I figured out who the mystery bad guy was long before Berg revealed it, but that was simple elimination. Everyone else had a double life, so of course the one who apparently didn't did. ;-)
More satisfying conclusion than the first book, even though neither finished the stories.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 26, 2012
5 Big Stars
This is the best book that I have read so far in 2012. My reading enjoyment of this novel surely benefitted me by rereading book one just before I started this one. The Spirit Lens is an enjoyable mystery that has moments of greatness but it seemed to be entirely too focused on the plot and could have benefitted from more backstory. The Soul Mirror, book number two in the series, does not suffer from the same opportunity. It builds off the first, giving us more from our favorite characters like Portier, Ilario, and Dante. They are further developed in this book and that is a good thing. Berg chooses book two to be led by a young woman named Anne Sophia Madeleine de Vernase, ney de Mondragon. Anne is an incredibly fiery, intelligent, brave, independent, fierce, and of course beautiful young woman who is the daughter of the traitor Michel de Vernase.
This book like the first, is a mystery at heart. It takes place in a world that finds that times are changing, strange things are happening, and magic appears to be playing it's hand. The Soul Mirror is a book of many layers. It is a mystery, a coming of age story, and a book about redemption. We the reader go a very long way with our protagonists by the end of book two to finally find out the mystery behind who shot the arrow at the king.
As the plot unfolds and Anne begins to put the puzzle pieces together, she finds that things are not always what they appear to be. Anne is a science based educated woman, who until events unfold upon her, held little belief in magic, sorcery, and the supernatural. Anne carries this novel, and she carries it easily as she is one of the most remarkable leads that I have come across in a long time(She is on par with Vin). This poor woman has so many of life's tragedies and tribulations thrown her way, that it is hard to fathom where she found the stregth to carry on. Although, there are chapters of other POV's, this book is her story and it made it all the better...I loved this woman.
I laughed out loud, after Anne was attacked by bandits, a small conversation with Ilario:
"“Here I thought Portier was the world’s most surprising person, a scrap of a librarian with the constitution of a dragon. And then a maiden who scarce reaches my elbow comes along and leaves one man dead, one bloodied, one frighted out of his boots, and another about to explode like a badly stuffed musket.""
In one conversation with her brother, Anne showed how scary she can be:
"“I feel like a volcano, ready to spew murder. I stabbed a man in cold blood and relished it. I mutilated a man’s face and another man’s hands and hungered to hurt them more. And I killed one of them. "
Anne had some really significant and interesting conversations with her friend of the aether:
"'The aether is the medium of souls. Yet the most memorable part of our exchanges had not been the words themselves but the richness . . . the completeness . . . of their speaking: all the shyness, longing, wry humor, sympathy, emptiness, the shared wonder at the sky and its principled behavior, our awe at magnificent ideas, yet another form of seeing.'"
Berg's prose is descritptive and beautiful:
". . It was not the mindstorm that carried these, but a cold, dark current that filled my head, my chest, my spirit—a river, deep and black, not a morbid darkness as commonly thought, but as richly textured as ermine, as substantial as liquid ebony, as mysterious as midnight with all its exotic scents and eerie cries, its unexpected wonders, secrets, hidden passions, dangers, violence, and risky pleasure. Infusing all was a fierce and abiding joy that blazed with the pungent heat of good wine. It felt as if my friend had ripped himself open to send these fragments to reassure me, exposing this singular flood, this pungent darkness."
As with all great mysteries, plot twists, surprises, and sudden changes make them fun to read. This book had several major twists, and one that changed everything. I was thouroughly enjoying this book until the major plot point change...after that I was blown away with the conclusion of this book. This gave this book great emotion and heart, and I loved it... it did not play as a second novel normally does at it has a magnificent ending and pulls together so many of the first two novel story lines. It is a better book than the first, and I wish that I could say that it could be read without reading that book. You should read both but know that The Soul Mirror makes The Spirit Lens a better book.
Finally, I loved the tension and the interactions of Anne with the bad ass mage Dante. They had several incredibly scenes where they appeared as if they were dueling each other, only using words instead of steel. Anne feared the crazy mage, and the mage clearly was annoyed by her strength and resilence.
This is a fabulous mystery/fantasy series that is written with eloquence and poise. I am a huge fan of Carol Berg's and highly recommend her to those that enjoy adult fantasy. Anne, our extremely memorable heroine, carried this book along with my emotions...I loved it.
October 27, 2023
“Here I thought Portier was the world’s most surprising person, a scrap of a librarian with the constitution of a dragon. And then a maiden who scarce reaches my elbow comes along and leaves one man dead, one bloodied, one frightened out of his boots, and another about to explode like a badly stuffed musket."
And that my friends would be Anne de Vernase, the FMC of this second installment in Carol Berg's Collegia Magica series, and quite possibly one of the best characters ever written.
A plain, awkward, outstanding young woman, so oddly simple, so incredibly complex... of such a sharp intellect and an even sharper tongue ... Anne is a formidable presence in an unforgettable tale of treachery, murder and dark magic.
Berg set a very high bar with The Spirit Lens but The Soul Mirror lifts the series to an an entirely different level.
This here is fantasy the way it should be written.
Detailed and nuanced, layered, vivid and unforgettable - The Soul Mirror is an irresistibly haunting mystery of terrifying murders and illicit necromancy, that will have any fan of the genre turn pages late into the night.
This is Berg at her best and she delivers!
Magic, mystery, intrigue and pure indisputable thought-provoking goodness!
🕯The Collegia Magica series is not your typical epic fantasy. It is more of a mystery story set in a fantasy world that is a bit reminiscent of Renaissance France, albeit full of magic. And, at the same time, it is a story of redemption in a typical edge of the seat heart-breaking and absolutely gripping Carol Berg style.
🕯 Here, in The Sould Mirror, the characters from book one are presented in a completely different and downright fascinating light. That of Anne's perspective. While Anne herself will have you rooting for her in no time.
Because, despite of how formidable she is - intelligent, strong and resourceful - Berg manages to keep her far away from the dreaded Mary Sue figure. Anne is also realistically weak, flawed and real.
🕯Fast-paced and full of unpredictable twists and turns, The Soul Mirror not only gives us edge of the seat action but also wondrous, terrifyingly beautiful magic, and a fabulous wordbuilding, all alongside characters that seem palpably real.
🕯This is hands down one of the best books I've ever read in the genre.
But you don't have to take my word for it.
Give it a try to decide for yourselves, and you can thank me later.😉😎
Happy reading my friends.
"May you find the grace of the divine, the courage of all saints, and all angels' blessings this day."
Find this review and more over at The Magic Book Corner
And that my friends would be Anne de Vernase, the FMC of this second installment in Carol Berg's Collegia Magica series, and quite possibly one of the best characters ever written.
A plain, awkward, outstanding young woman, so oddly simple, so incredibly complex... of such a sharp intellect and an even sharper tongue ... Anne is a formidable presence in an unforgettable tale of treachery, murder and dark magic.
Berg set a very high bar with The Spirit Lens but The Soul Mirror lifts the series to an an entirely different level.
This here is fantasy the way it should be written.
Detailed and nuanced, layered, vivid and unforgettable - The Soul Mirror is an irresistibly haunting mystery of terrifying murders and illicit necromancy, that will have any fan of the genre turn pages late into the night.
This is Berg at her best and she delivers!
Magic, mystery, intrigue and pure indisputable thought-provoking goodness!
🕯The Collegia Magica series is not your typical epic fantasy. It is more of a mystery story set in a fantasy world that is a bit reminiscent of Renaissance France, albeit full of magic. And, at the same time, it is a story of redemption in a typical edge of the seat heart-breaking and absolutely gripping Carol Berg style.
🕯 Here, in The Sould Mirror, the characters from book one are presented in a completely different and downright fascinating light. That of Anne's perspective. While Anne herself will have you rooting for her in no time.
Because, despite of how formidable she is - intelligent, strong and resourceful - Berg manages to keep her far away from the dreaded Mary Sue figure. Anne is also realistically weak, flawed and real.
🕯Fast-paced and full of unpredictable twists and turns, The Soul Mirror not only gives us edge of the seat action but also wondrous, terrifyingly beautiful magic, and a fabulous wordbuilding, all alongside characters that seem palpably real.
🕯This is hands down one of the best books I've ever read in the genre.
But you don't have to take my word for it.
Give it a try to decide for yourselves, and you can thank me later.😉😎
Happy reading my friends.
"May you find the grace of the divine, the courage of all saints, and all angels' blessings this day."
Find this review and more over at The Magic Book Corner
January 5, 2011
Just awesome, this takes the Collegia Magica series to the next level with a gripping tale that essentially ends all the threads from Spirit Lens though enough loose ends are left so new series books can follow.
Spoilers for Spirit Lens follow:
spoiler space
spoiler space
Four years after the end of The Spirit Lens, 22 year old Anne du Vernase, goddaughter of King Philippe is trying hard to keep her family estate going with a disappeared father condemned in large part by her testimony as murderer and traitor, a mad mother now in keeping of her brothers far away, an imprisoned brother and a magician younger sister whose discoveries kill her at the magical College at Seravain where the 17 year old was studying, just before the novel starts. And they don't even let Anne inside when she goes to collect her sister's belongings
The hated Portier, the investigator who broke open the big treason/necromancy case in Spirit Lens and was the prosecutor in the King's name at the trial in-absentia of her father and main accomplices, arrives with a royal warrant for Anne to come to the Queen's palace in Merona as a maid of honor while also announcing the dispossession of the Vernase estates for the treason of the former king's bosom friend.
Portier is now chief of the Queen's household administration, his former friend/helper Dante is Queen's magician and a figure of dread and darkness, Ilario is still playing the fool, and the Queen's (adopted) mother and former Regent, Antonia is playing a 'I want power" manipulation game with the Queen and her semi-estranged and pretty much always away husband King, while portents of dread and magic are continually seen in Merona.
So Anne is thrown into the fray where nothing is at is seems, friends and enemies are hard to discern, the Aspirant (supposedly her traitor father) and his clique is ready to take the final step in the plans laid so long ago and that were only partly thwarted in Spirit lens...
There are so many superb moments in the book and Anne makes an awesome heroine, while we see Portier from afar now.
Intrigue, magic, suspense and just pure awesomeness (A++)
will add the full FBC review
As promised here is the FBC review:
INTRODUCTION: "The Spirit Lens" was the first novel by the author that I read completely and I quite liked it. Towards last January's review of it, I said:
"After I got into the style of the novel and its happenings started hooking me, its main attraction were the twists and turns and the characters about whom slowly we start having quite different impressions than at the start. Revelations from the past coupled to traits that come at fore only after a while mean that what we believe at the beginning will be quite changed by the end. This unpredictability raised The Spirit Lens most in my estimation since in so many genre books the characters are marked: "the destined one, the sidekick, the love interest, the villain, the noble but doomed one", while here there is much more subtlety and even at the end when we seemingly know a lot more, there is a lot of uncertainty at least with regard to the big picture."
As time passed, The Spirit Lens stayed much more in memory than other books I seemingly enjoyed more on first read, so it got a place in my recommended books of 2010, while its sequel "The Soul Mirror" became a high expectation novel for 2011. And it delivered!
The following part will have spoilers for The Spirit Lens, so beware if you have not read it so far.
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: The first thing to know about "The Soul Mirror" is that while a first person narration as The Spirit Lens, it switches narrators from Portier to Anne du Vernase who was a relatively minor character in the first novel, though her actions are quite important at the end of it.
Four years after the end of The Spirit Lens, 22 year old Anne du Vernase, goddaughter of King Philippe is trying hard to keep her family estate going with a disappeared father condemned in large part by her testimony as murderer and traitor, a mad mother now in keeping of her brothers far away, an imprisoned brother and a magician younger sister whose discoveries kill her just before the novel starts - at the magical College at Seravain where the 17 year old was studying. And they don't even let Anne inside when she goes to collect her sister's belongings.
The hated Portier, the investigator who broke open the big treason/necromancy case in The Spirit Lens and was the prosecutor in the King's name at the trial in-absentia of her father and his accomplices, arrives with a royal warrant demanding Anne to come to Queen Eugenie's palace in Merona as a maid of honor while also announcing the dispossession of the Vernase estates for the treason of the king's former bosom friend.
Portier is now the chief of the Queen's household administration, his former friend/helper Dante is the Queen's magician and a figure of dread and darkness, Ilario is still playing the fool, and the Queen's (adopted) mother and former Regent, Antonia is playing an "I want power" manipulation game with the Queen and her semi-estranged and pretty much always away husband King, while portents of dread and magic are continually seen in Merona.
Anne is thrown into the fray where nothing is at is seems, friends and enemies are hard to discern, while the Aspirant (supposedly her vanished traitor father) and his clique are ready to take the final step in the plans laid so long ago and that were only partly thwarted in The Spirit Lens...
If this description does not hook you let's talk about the other strengths of the novel. The narration of Anne is pitch perfect and seemed to me much smoother than Portier's from the first page. It may just be that I got used with the author' style in this series, but the pages really turned by themselves and the book hits no narrative walls.
The characters of The Spirit Lens are now seen through Anne's quite different perspective and I greatly enjoyed the glimpses we got of Portier and Ilario, while Dante becomes the truly dominant character - even as an object of fear and dread for Anne - that Portier's narration could not really portray him. We encounter other old friends and sometimes quite different facets of them than in The Spirit Lens, while the nasty and power-hungry Antonia is enjoyably loathsome and naive new Queen's physician Roussel, a kindly middle-aged commoner may be Anne's only friend at the court, or at least this is what she believes...
The Soul Mirror takes place in a shorter period of time than The Spirit Lens - as in there chapters are named by day/time - and the tension builds inexorably towards a powerful action filled last part that is awesome. Twists and turns abound and while some are of "could it really be?" far-fetched ones that experienced fantasy readers always enjoy guessing, others are more easily discernible, though all-in-all they keep the reader on his or her toes all the time.
The only minor niggle I has was that the author truly puts a lot on Anne's shoulders and at some point, I was thinking, enough, let the girl have a break, though she proves more than adept to handle her known enemies.
The world building is even better than in the first novel - again familiarity helps, but The Soul Mirror brings quite a lot of new things to what we know from The Spirit Lens - and there are quite a few moments that make one want to revisit the book quite a few times.
A novel that stakes an early claim to my Top 10 list of 2011 - currently at #2-#3 - The Soul Mirror (A++) takes the Collegia Magica series to the next level with a gripping tale that essentially ends all the threads from The Spirit Lens, though enough loose ends are left so new series books can follow. Magic, science, family feuds, a kingdom and maybe even a world - or at least its laws of nature - in peril, a great heroine with a superb cast and traditional fantasy does not get better than this!
Spoilers for Spirit Lens follow:
spoiler space
spoiler space
Four years after the end of The Spirit Lens, 22 year old Anne du Vernase, goddaughter of King Philippe is trying hard to keep her family estate going with a disappeared father condemned in large part by her testimony as murderer and traitor, a mad mother now in keeping of her brothers far away, an imprisoned brother and a magician younger sister whose discoveries kill her at the magical College at Seravain where the 17 year old was studying, just before the novel starts. And they don't even let Anne inside when she goes to collect her sister's belongings
The hated Portier, the investigator who broke open the big treason/necromancy case in Spirit Lens and was the prosecutor in the King's name at the trial in-absentia of her father and main accomplices, arrives with a royal warrant for Anne to come to the Queen's palace in Merona as a maid of honor while also announcing the dispossession of the Vernase estates for the treason of the former king's bosom friend.
Portier is now chief of the Queen's household administration, his former friend/helper Dante is Queen's magician and a figure of dread and darkness, Ilario is still playing the fool, and the Queen's (adopted) mother and former Regent, Antonia is playing a 'I want power" manipulation game with the Queen and her semi-estranged and pretty much always away husband King, while portents of dread and magic are continually seen in Merona.
So Anne is thrown into the fray where nothing is at is seems, friends and enemies are hard to discern, the Aspirant (supposedly her traitor father) and his clique is ready to take the final step in the plans laid so long ago and that were only partly thwarted in Spirit lens...
There are so many superb moments in the book and Anne makes an awesome heroine, while we see Portier from afar now.
Intrigue, magic, suspense and just pure awesomeness (A++)
will add the full FBC review
As promised here is the FBC review:
INTRODUCTION: "The Spirit Lens" was the first novel by the author that I read completely and I quite liked it. Towards last January's review of it, I said:
"After I got into the style of the novel and its happenings started hooking me, its main attraction were the twists and turns and the characters about whom slowly we start having quite different impressions than at the start. Revelations from the past coupled to traits that come at fore only after a while mean that what we believe at the beginning will be quite changed by the end. This unpredictability raised The Spirit Lens most in my estimation since in so many genre books the characters are marked: "the destined one, the sidekick, the love interest, the villain, the noble but doomed one", while here there is much more subtlety and even at the end when we seemingly know a lot more, there is a lot of uncertainty at least with regard to the big picture."
As time passed, The Spirit Lens stayed much more in memory than other books I seemingly enjoyed more on first read, so it got a place in my recommended books of 2010, while its sequel "The Soul Mirror" became a high expectation novel for 2011. And it delivered!
The following part will have spoilers for The Spirit Lens, so beware if you have not read it so far.
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: The first thing to know about "The Soul Mirror" is that while a first person narration as The Spirit Lens, it switches narrators from Portier to Anne du Vernase who was a relatively minor character in the first novel, though her actions are quite important at the end of it.
Four years after the end of The Spirit Lens, 22 year old Anne du Vernase, goddaughter of King Philippe is trying hard to keep her family estate going with a disappeared father condemned in large part by her testimony as murderer and traitor, a mad mother now in keeping of her brothers far away, an imprisoned brother and a magician younger sister whose discoveries kill her just before the novel starts - at the magical College at Seravain where the 17 year old was studying. And they don't even let Anne inside when she goes to collect her sister's belongings.
The hated Portier, the investigator who broke open the big treason/necromancy case in The Spirit Lens and was the prosecutor in the King's name at the trial in-absentia of her father and his accomplices, arrives with a royal warrant demanding Anne to come to Queen Eugenie's palace in Merona as a maid of honor while also announcing the dispossession of the Vernase estates for the treason of the king's former bosom friend.
Portier is now the chief of the Queen's household administration, his former friend/helper Dante is the Queen's magician and a figure of dread and darkness, Ilario is still playing the fool, and the Queen's (adopted) mother and former Regent, Antonia is playing an "I want power" manipulation game with the Queen and her semi-estranged and pretty much always away husband King, while portents of dread and magic are continually seen in Merona.
Anne is thrown into the fray where nothing is at is seems, friends and enemies are hard to discern, while the Aspirant (supposedly her vanished traitor father) and his clique are ready to take the final step in the plans laid so long ago and that were only partly thwarted in The Spirit Lens...
If this description does not hook you let's talk about the other strengths of the novel. The narration of Anne is pitch perfect and seemed to me much smoother than Portier's from the first page. It may just be that I got used with the author' style in this series, but the pages really turned by themselves and the book hits no narrative walls.
The characters of The Spirit Lens are now seen through Anne's quite different perspective and I greatly enjoyed the glimpses we got of Portier and Ilario, while Dante becomes the truly dominant character - even as an object of fear and dread for Anne - that Portier's narration could not really portray him. We encounter other old friends and sometimes quite different facets of them than in The Spirit Lens, while the nasty and power-hungry Antonia is enjoyably loathsome and naive new Queen's physician Roussel, a kindly middle-aged commoner may be Anne's only friend at the court, or at least this is what she believes...
The Soul Mirror takes place in a shorter period of time than The Spirit Lens - as in there chapters are named by day/time - and the tension builds inexorably towards a powerful action filled last part that is awesome. Twists and turns abound and while some are of "could it really be?" far-fetched ones that experienced fantasy readers always enjoy guessing, others are more easily discernible, though all-in-all they keep the reader on his or her toes all the time.
The only minor niggle I has was that the author truly puts a lot on Anne's shoulders and at some point, I was thinking, enough, let the girl have a break, though she proves more than adept to handle her known enemies.
The world building is even better than in the first novel - again familiarity helps, but The Soul Mirror brings quite a lot of new things to what we know from The Spirit Lens - and there are quite a few moments that make one want to revisit the book quite a few times.
A novel that stakes an early claim to my Top 10 list of 2011 - currently at #2-#3 - The Soul Mirror (A++) takes the Collegia Magica series to the next level with a gripping tale that essentially ends all the threads from The Spirit Lens, though enough loose ends are left so new series books can follow. Magic, science, family feuds, a kingdom and maybe even a world - or at least its laws of nature - in peril, a great heroine with a superb cast and traditional fantasy does not get better than this!
February 24, 2020
Notes:
4 Stars for Story, 3 Stars for Audiobook
For some reason, I was not a fan of A. Masters' narration for the story. It didn't work for me. The story was good in chunks but did not have the same kind of upward momentum that swooshed into a finale like the first book. I would have rather had seen events from Dante or Portier's POV.
4 Stars for Story, 3 Stars for Audiobook
For some reason, I was not a fan of A. Masters' narration for the story. It didn't work for me. The story was good in chunks but did not have the same kind of upward momentum that swooshed into a finale like the first book. I would have rather had seen events from Dante or Portier's POV.
March 14, 2023
The central worldbuilding conceits here are absolute my jam, but the protagonist's naivete and lack of survival instinct exhausted me. If you took a drink every time she thought "I knew I should keep my mouth shut" and then ran her mouth anyway, you would be very drunk indeed by the end of the book.
May 19, 2011
Magic is not what it used to be. Now it's less potent. It's less reliable. Fewer people can use it. As a result science has gained popularity and the people of Sabria are experiencing a Renaissance.
But the Aspirant wants to change all that—and he will resort to murder to get what he wants.
The story began in Carol Berg's THE SPIRIT LENS, a fantasy whodunit told from the viewpoint of Portier, cousin to the king, and charged with finding the source of a failed assassination plot. It unravels into a mystery beyond a simple murder attempt and into full-blown conspiracy, with the king's bosom friend Michael de Vernase as the suspected instigator.
In the sequel, THE SOUL MIRROR, it's four years later and the plot thickens. The PoV switches to Anne de Vernase, the 22-year-old daughter of the suspected traitor, who much must move to Merona and the queen's court because her father's lands are to be given to another. Add to that her brother's imprisonment, a mother gone insane, her sister dead from spellwork gone awry (or is the cause more sinister...?), and now at court they want to marry her off. Anne can't believe her life could get any worse—except that it's the hated Portier, the very man who named her father as traitor, who brings her to Merona and watches over her every step.
At first, like everyone else, Anne believes her father is the Aspirant. But as she fumbles her way through the queen's court while the king is away, she gathers proof that perhaps her father is innocent. However, that begs the question: who is the Aspirant and what is he trying to accomplish? Is it the despicable sorcerer Dante, who performs necromancy on the queen's behalf? Is it the arrogant headmaster of the Collegia Magica? She may have to turn to the sycophantic Portier for help, afterall, in order to clear her father's good name.
The books are at heart mysteries, so as a result the plot and set-up are patterned after that genre. Berg blends magic into the mystery: How does the magic work? Why has it changed since the Blood Wars? What of this 'new' magic that threatens the very laws of nature? Why is the Aspirant using illegal blood magic to fuel his work? While some questions are answered in THE SPIRIT LENS (or so we think...), others continue into THE SOUL MIRROR, building on what has gone before, unraveling layer by layer the conspiracy in fascinating detail.
Anne is rational and intelligent, but lacks the refinements that would make her comfortable at court—even if her family had still been in the king's good graces. But she's still the goddaughter to the king with a dowry of her own, and so is brought to court to be a maid of honor for the queen. She's determined, and despite her introverted nature, is willing to do difficult things in order to see her plans through. Despite Anne being a much different voice from Portier's in the first book, the tone is consistent and pitch perfect for the story. The intelligently formal prose adds flavor to the era, is consistent across the books, and makes for lovely reading, reminiscent of Dickens or Austen.
Portier, Dante, and the queen's brother Illario all continue to be principle characters, continuing their roles from THE SPIRIT LENS. As the PoV character of the first book, Portier was a little difficult to figure for most of the book, but I enjoyed seeing him, as well as others, from Anne's viewpoint in THE SOUL MIRROR, which only made them more layered. Beyond these, there is a large and varied cast, from maidservant to the king himself. Sometimes all the names and places get confusing, there's a lot to remember. Fortunately, the characters are interesting enough to move the story along despite the bumps along the way.
The pace is steady and deliberate. While there are important events that happen, there is a lot of thinking going on as Anne attempts to unravel the mystery of her father's disappearance and the Aspirant's nefarious plans. Having all these details and intrigues to sort out takes time and may bore readers who prefer faster-paced excitement. Anne's narrative also suffers from the occasional leap in logic as she makes connections that I couldn't follow, but were necessary to the plot. Fortunately, all the information Anne gathers leads her to the solution and the exciting climax. But I don't dare spoil it for you. See if you can figure it out for yourself.
Can you read THE SOUL MIRROR without having read THE SPIRIT LENS? Probably not. You'll lose your way with the story and names, and the plot won't have the same impact. Should you bother reading the first in order to read the second? As well as prepare for the third, THE DAEMON PRISM coming out in 2012? Absolutely.
But the Aspirant wants to change all that—and he will resort to murder to get what he wants.
The story began in Carol Berg's THE SPIRIT LENS, a fantasy whodunit told from the viewpoint of Portier, cousin to the king, and charged with finding the source of a failed assassination plot. It unravels into a mystery beyond a simple murder attempt and into full-blown conspiracy, with the king's bosom friend Michael de Vernase as the suspected instigator.
In the sequel, THE SOUL MIRROR, it's four years later and the plot thickens. The PoV switches to Anne de Vernase, the 22-year-old daughter of the suspected traitor, who much must move to Merona and the queen's court because her father's lands are to be given to another. Add to that her brother's imprisonment, a mother gone insane, her sister dead from spellwork gone awry (or is the cause more sinister...?), and now at court they want to marry her off. Anne can't believe her life could get any worse—except that it's the hated Portier, the very man who named her father as traitor, who brings her to Merona and watches over her every step.
At first, like everyone else, Anne believes her father is the Aspirant. But as she fumbles her way through the queen's court while the king is away, she gathers proof that perhaps her father is innocent. However, that begs the question: who is the Aspirant and what is he trying to accomplish? Is it the despicable sorcerer Dante, who performs necromancy on the queen's behalf? Is it the arrogant headmaster of the Collegia Magica? She may have to turn to the sycophantic Portier for help, afterall, in order to clear her father's good name.
The books are at heart mysteries, so as a result the plot and set-up are patterned after that genre. Berg blends magic into the mystery: How does the magic work? Why has it changed since the Blood Wars? What of this 'new' magic that threatens the very laws of nature? Why is the Aspirant using illegal blood magic to fuel his work? While some questions are answered in THE SPIRIT LENS (or so we think...), others continue into THE SOUL MIRROR, building on what has gone before, unraveling layer by layer the conspiracy in fascinating detail.
Anne is rational and intelligent, but lacks the refinements that would make her comfortable at court—even if her family had still been in the king's good graces. But she's still the goddaughter to the king with a dowry of her own, and so is brought to court to be a maid of honor for the queen. She's determined, and despite her introverted nature, is willing to do difficult things in order to see her plans through. Despite Anne being a much different voice from Portier's in the first book, the tone is consistent and pitch perfect for the story. The intelligently formal prose adds flavor to the era, is consistent across the books, and makes for lovely reading, reminiscent of Dickens or Austen.
Portier, Dante, and the queen's brother Illario all continue to be principle characters, continuing their roles from THE SPIRIT LENS. As the PoV character of the first book, Portier was a little difficult to figure for most of the book, but I enjoyed seeing him, as well as others, from Anne's viewpoint in THE SOUL MIRROR, which only made them more layered. Beyond these, there is a large and varied cast, from maidservant to the king himself. Sometimes all the names and places get confusing, there's a lot to remember. Fortunately, the characters are interesting enough to move the story along despite the bumps along the way.
The pace is steady and deliberate. While there are important events that happen, there is a lot of thinking going on as Anne attempts to unravel the mystery of her father's disappearance and the Aspirant's nefarious plans. Having all these details and intrigues to sort out takes time and may bore readers who prefer faster-paced excitement. Anne's narrative also suffers from the occasional leap in logic as she makes connections that I couldn't follow, but were necessary to the plot. Fortunately, all the information Anne gathers leads her to the solution and the exciting climax. But I don't dare spoil it for you. See if you can figure it out for yourself.
Can you read THE SOUL MIRROR without having read THE SPIRIT LENS? Probably not. You'll lose your way with the story and names, and the plot won't have the same impact. Should you bother reading the first in order to read the second? As well as prepare for the third, THE DAEMON PRISM coming out in 2012? Absolutely.
October 29, 2016
I love the Collegia Magica series by Carol Berg. I've now read the first book (The Spirit Lens) 4 times since January 2010 and The Soul Mirror 3 times since it came out in January 2011.
That said, I have to confess I didn't like The Soul Mirror quite as much as The Spirit Lens. I think it has to do with the differences between the protagonists, most of which are based on gender.
The hero of The Spirit Lens, Portier de Savin-Duplais, was self-deprecating and rather vulnerable. Because he was a man in a Renaissance society, he had certain choices unavailable to Anne de Vernase nez Cazar, the heroine of The Soul Mirror. For example, Portier is given a choice at the beginning of the first book and accepts it with enthusiasm. Anne, however, is taken from her home by Portier and installed at the queen's court in Merona. She doesn't know why, or who ordered her there, and she dislikes Portier intensely because he was instrumental in the condemnation of her father as a traitor.
Because I liked Portier so much, I found it hard at times to deal with Anne's negative opinion of him. At the same time, I thought it was a very interesting strategy on the part of the author: set up a character as likable in one book and then show him from the POV of someone who doesn't like him in the second book.
After Anne arrives at court, she must deal with what she considers the "trivialities" of that position, and she seems to have few choices and a lot of anger. For this reason less seems to happen in the first 100 or so pages of her book than in Portier's. However, by the end of the book she is revealed as a fierce young woman who is quite as capable as Portier at "solving" mysteries.
I put "solving" in quotation marks because the overarching theme of these books is that things are never what they seem. The events of the second book overturn many of the "truths" of the first book. To avoid spoilers, I won't say any more.
The Soul Mirror is a truly feminist book because it accurately portrays restrictions on women's lives but also shows female characters getting around them. It's also a subtle and surprising love story.
I wish I didn't have to wait until next January for the third book.
That said, I have to confess I didn't like The Soul Mirror quite as much as The Spirit Lens. I think it has to do with the differences between the protagonists, most of which are based on gender.
The hero of The Spirit Lens, Portier de Savin-Duplais, was self-deprecating and rather vulnerable. Because he was a man in a Renaissance society, he had certain choices unavailable to Anne de Vernase nez Cazar, the heroine of The Soul Mirror. For example, Portier is given a choice at the beginning of the first book and accepts it with enthusiasm. Anne, however, is taken from her home by Portier and installed at the queen's court in Merona. She doesn't know why, or who ordered her there, and she dislikes Portier intensely because he was instrumental in the condemnation of her father as a traitor.
Because I liked Portier so much, I found it hard at times to deal with Anne's negative opinion of him. At the same time, I thought it was a very interesting strategy on the part of the author: set up a character as likable in one book and then show him from the POV of someone who doesn't like him in the second book.
After Anne arrives at court, she must deal with what she considers the "trivialities" of that position, and she seems to have few choices and a lot of anger. For this reason less seems to happen in the first 100 or so pages of her book than in Portier's. However, by the end of the book she is revealed as a fierce young woman who is quite as capable as Portier at "solving" mysteries.
I put "solving" in quotation marks because the overarching theme of these books is that things are never what they seem. The events of the second book overturn many of the "truths" of the first book. To avoid spoilers, I won't say any more.
The Soul Mirror is a truly feminist book because it accurately portrays restrictions on women's lives but also shows female characters getting around them. It's also a subtle and surprising love story.
I wish I didn't have to wait until next January for the third book.
July 15, 2011
Well, this one is a lot better than, and completes The Spirit Lens. Told from the point of view of Anne de Vernase, daughter of the man convicted of sorcery by the protagonist of the first book, we learn more about and again are swept up into the mystery. While this book has a more satisfying ending than the first, it is obviously not the end of the story. There must be a third book in the offing.
I'm giving it four stars as I was never as swept up into the story as I was of the Rai Kirah trilogy, or the protagonist of the Lighthouse Duology. The heroes/heroine were not as likable to me. Indeed, one major player is unlikable to the nth degree. The magic, while compelling, was not completely comprehensible to me, nor was it as soul snatching as the magic in the Lighthouse Duology.
Still, it is very readable, and a page turner, up 'til the end. Berg is always fine, even at less than 5 stars far preferable to many other writers I have read.
I'm giving it four stars as I was never as swept up into the story as I was of the Rai Kirah trilogy, or the protagonist of the Lighthouse Duology. The heroes/heroine were not as likable to me. Indeed, one major player is unlikable to the nth degree. The magic, while compelling, was not completely comprehensible to me, nor was it as soul snatching as the magic in the Lighthouse Duology.
Still, it is very readable, and a page turner, up 'til the end. Berg is always fine, even at less than 5 stars far preferable to many other writers I have read.
November 21, 2016
The Soul Mirror is an astonishing read. I was whisked away and laughing out loud reading about Portia de Duplais from Anne's perspective in those first chapters. The first book in this series, Spirit Lens, written from Portia's voice had me admiring his ability to release ego in the search for truth. I was enamoured with his character, and then Anne starts to blow that all away...so it made for fascinating times. This book is complete with a cast of believable characterss who evolve and develop along with plots and sub-plots. Carol Berg is a former software engineer, and must have been a master at nested programs within nested programs. (I think Carol Berg has read a lot of Anne Radcliffe in her distant past too) The Soul Mirror earns a five star, it has superb mystery, fantasy, history, exquisite magic and wit. Anne is an educated and marvelous heroine. This book will not disappoint those who appreciate the finer virtues of fantasty literature.
September 13, 2011
Historical setting, fantasy, mystery, a strong heroine, a dark hero and a touch of romance. What more could any reader want. This book was fantastic! I can't wait for "Daemon Prism" with Dante as the narrator.
June 10, 2015
This was a great improvement on the first book:) Very exciting and full of unexpected developments.
Rating: 4.5
Rating: 4.5
May 26, 2024
4.25-4.5/5 stars
I really, really enjoyed reading this one! I wasn't sure about the character pov switch at first but ended up really enjoying following Anne at court and the continued investigation aspect. It also had a great gothic atmosphere to it, definitely the trappings of an old school gothic tale. I did find Berg still wraps up her conclusions/solves problems a bit too easily for me, but it didn't bother me here. I do wonder why
I really, really enjoyed reading this one! I wasn't sure about the character pov switch at first but ended up really enjoying following Anne at court and the continued investigation aspect. It also had a great gothic atmosphere to it, definitely the trappings of an old school gothic tale. I did find Berg still wraps up her conclusions/solves problems a bit too easily for me, but it didn't bother me here. I do wonder why
abandoned
January 20, 2022I am abandoning The Soul Mirror for now. This is not because it isn't any good but because one needs to read the prior book in the Collegia Magica first if there is to be any hope of understanding what is going on. There is too much that is taken for granted that the reader already knows but, in my case, doesn't. Perhaps I will make another stab at this book at some future date.
December 13, 2020
I liked this much better than the first. The pacing was better and I felt more connected to the characters. It wasn't too predictable,
December 31, 2011
A Barnes and Noble gift card sent me and my husband out to shop a brick and mortar store. I have my favorite authors, but I wanted a taste of a secular fantasy novel. So I chose Carol Berg’s “The Soul Mirror” for it’s cover and the rear of the book. I had no idea what to expect. I had never read any of her books in the past. The first page helped make my decision to buy it.
Anne De Vernase is the main character born in a magical family, but she was tested early in life and found not to have the gift of magic. With her father a fugitive of the crown, her sister dying while studying magic at the Colligia Seravain, and her brother imprisoned these past four months in the kings prison on account of relation, Anne is isolated at their estate until by order of the queen she is forced to live at the castle.
Strange things are afoot. Dark Mages and Adepts and something representative of the devil wishes to turn nature and the world upside down and bring the dead back to life. Nothing is as it appears and friends may very well be foes. Anne must be on her toes, and thus so is the reader. Told in first person from Anne’s point of view, we go on this journey that is fraught with danger. Even some things hint at a Christian nature.
It’s no wonder this book was so good. Carol Berg is a former software engineer with degrees in mathematics from Rice University. Her knowledge is in the skeleton of the plot. Once I read in a blog how reading a wide variety of subjects and learning more only enhances writing. After reading this, I can only agree. It was brilliant!
And no…there will be no giveaway. It’s on my library shelf when I wish to re-read it again. The book transports you into a world of intrigue and magic. There’s just the barest hint of romance. I rate this novel five stars.
Anne De Vernase is the main character born in a magical family, but she was tested early in life and found not to have the gift of magic. With her father a fugitive of the crown, her sister dying while studying magic at the Colligia Seravain, and her brother imprisoned these past four months in the kings prison on account of relation, Anne is isolated at their estate until by order of the queen she is forced to live at the castle.
Strange things are afoot. Dark Mages and Adepts and something representative of the devil wishes to turn nature and the world upside down and bring the dead back to life. Nothing is as it appears and friends may very well be foes. Anne must be on her toes, and thus so is the reader. Told in first person from Anne’s point of view, we go on this journey that is fraught with danger. Even some things hint at a Christian nature.
It’s no wonder this book was so good. Carol Berg is a former software engineer with degrees in mathematics from Rice University. Her knowledge is in the skeleton of the plot. Once I read in a blog how reading a wide variety of subjects and learning more only enhances writing. After reading this, I can only agree. It was brilliant!
And no…there will be no giveaway. It’s on my library shelf when I wish to re-read it again. The book transports you into a world of intrigue and magic. There’s just the barest hint of romance. I rate this novel five stars.
February 20, 2011
At first, I wasn't expecting to like this book much...I tend to like Berg's books more often when she's got a male protaganist. At first, I didn't particularly like Anne...but it may be because of the "first person" aspect--she thinks that Portier is a real jerk, but the first novel in the series was from his point of view, so we all know what he went through. After a little while, I came to really enjoy the novel a lot...so I look forward to see what the Collegia Magia will bring us next--Ilario's story, perhaps?
July 11, 2017
I prefer to read a series one right after the other; this is difficult when I catch the series at book one and have to wait a year for the next. I probably would have enjoyed this more if I hadn't already forgotten so much of the Spirit Lens. Nonetheless, it was thoroughly engrossing. I like the world Berg has created for this series. The characters are strong, and not all of them are what they appear to be. Definitely worth reading. Now, another year before the next one . . .
June 4, 2012
I absolutely loved this book. Not going to spoil anything, but the author went where I was hoping she'd go, so it made me even happier. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. Too bad I have to wait a whole year. Guess I'll check out her other books in the meantime as I don't think I've read her in ages and then only a couple books.
September 11, 2011
First rate, intelligent fantasy. Here, as in prequel SPIRIT LENS, a young but very quick on the uptake narrator (Anne of Vernase here, daughter of an accused traitor) is plunged into vicious intrigue at the royal court. I really could seldom tell what would be happening next, and as in the previous book became firmly attached to the central characters.
March 7, 2011
This kept me turning pages, neglecting housework, book work, my own writing. Such a great story, with unexpected twists, mystery, romance. As usual, Berg's characters are unforgettable, noble, flawed, and people we want to stay with for well over 500 pages. The words are a delight to read. You can't go wrong with this book.
February 20, 2011
OMG! OMG!!! I'm going to have to reread these books again. Setup like a mystery, these books somehow get to a pulse pounding state, and her reveals leave you with jaw hanging open and the world dropping out from under you. And yet everything fits so very, very well!
February 24, 2011
I didn't realize this was the second book of a series until I was about halfway through. Got it as a freebie on Kindle. Does not read like a second book of a series. Just a few pages in and I was HOOKED. Interesting story line. Of course, I then had to go back and read book 1....
November 29, 2011
This second in the series is told from the point of view of Anne de Vernaise. It is just as engrossing as the first book, I'm looking forward to reading the third in the series.
September 15, 2016
It's crazy how much more interesting and engrossing I found this sequel than its predecessor. The first book felt like a hard, interminable slog, this one was a fun, classic, fantasy read.
June 10, 2017
This review can also be found on my blog
The people in this book make very reasonable, but also very frustrating decisions. Because of Portier, Anne's father is wanted for treason. When Anne finds evidence that her father might be innocent after all it's logical that she doesn't share it with Portier immediately. On the other hand, it's also perfectly logical that Portier doesn't trust the daughter of a known traitor. Especially if he can tell that she's keeping secrets from him. So in-universe their behavior is completely sensible. Still, as reader, you want to scream Just talk to each other! because you know they both belong to the good guys and could get much further if they just shared their findings. Now, it only takes about a third of the book till they do but it is a very frustrating third...
Especially if that third is otherwise also...not great. By which I don't mean horrible, just not meeting the high expectations I have of Carol Berg since I started binging her books. Which is complaining on a very high level. It's just that Anne - the narrator of this book - is very passive at the beginning. She finds out things (mostly more or less by accident) but isn't able to do much with her knowledge. Again, it makes sense. She's new at court, doesn't have any connections and 'avoid getting killed' is a rather time-consuming. And people are trying to kill her (or worse), she just has no idea who or why. And, as long as she doesn't know whom to trust she can only react to things that happen and nothing more.
Now I guess that was my long-winded way of saying that the beginning of this book is a bit long-winded. But once it gets going it really gets going. I went Wow! I did not see that coming! quite often. Only one of the minor villains was disappointing. He was basically the disgusting rapey old man you get in some bad romance novels. Nothing beyond that. Which is a shame because even the irredeemably evil characters in this story manage to have some depth. Only this guy didn't. Still, he didn't appear so often that he bothered me too much.
Now for the climax of the story. Well, there was something I did see coming. Or perhaps I should rather say, something that didn't surprise me. Because while this is a fantasy story with magic and villains that want to destroy the world, it's also a mystery. So when it obeyed certain mystery rules I wasn't too surprised. But it was still highly awesome (and there were enough things that I did not see coming). And I wanted to wrap everybody in blankets afterward and give them cookies. My poor, poor babies. OK...I'll stop now. I just care a lot about these characters...
Review of book 1
The people in this book make very reasonable, but also very frustrating decisions. Because of Portier, Anne's father is wanted for treason. When Anne finds evidence that her father might be innocent after all it's logical that she doesn't share it with Portier immediately. On the other hand, it's also perfectly logical that Portier doesn't trust the daughter of a known traitor. Especially if he can tell that she's keeping secrets from him. So in-universe their behavior is completely sensible. Still, as reader, you want to scream Just talk to each other! because you know they both belong to the good guys and could get much further if they just shared their findings. Now, it only takes about a third of the book till they do but it is a very frustrating third...
Especially if that third is otherwise also...not great. By which I don't mean horrible, just not meeting the high expectations I have of Carol Berg since I started binging her books. Which is complaining on a very high level. It's just that Anne - the narrator of this book - is very passive at the beginning. She finds out things (mostly more or less by accident) but isn't able to do much with her knowledge. Again, it makes sense. She's new at court, doesn't have any connections and 'avoid getting killed' is a rather time-consuming. And people are trying to kill her (or worse), she just has no idea who or why. And, as long as she doesn't know whom to trust she can only react to things that happen and nothing more.
Now I guess that was my long-winded way of saying that the beginning of this book is a bit long-winded. But once it gets going it really gets going. I went Wow! I did not see that coming! quite often. Only one of the minor villains was disappointing. He was basically the disgusting rapey old man you get in some bad romance novels. Nothing beyond that. Which is a shame because even the irredeemably evil characters in this story manage to have some depth. Only this guy didn't. Still, he didn't appear so often that he bothered me too much.
Now for the climax of the story. Well, there was something I did see coming. Or perhaps I should rather say, something that didn't surprise me. Because while this is a fantasy story with magic and villains that want to destroy the world, it's also a mystery. So when it obeyed certain mystery rules I wasn't too surprised. But it was still highly awesome (and there were enough things that I did not see coming). And I wanted to wrap everybody in blankets afterward and give them cookies. My poor, poor babies. OK...I'll stop now. I just care a lot about these characters...
Review of book 1
May 2, 2018
Anne de Vernase is summoned from her countryside home to the capital, Merona, ostensibly for the King to find her a husband. Once there, she lives under the stigma of being her father's (the traitor's) daughter while trying to unravel the mystery behind her being brought to the capital.
I enjoyed this book. Anne starts off as thinking of herself as a wallflower; she's intellectual and quiet (although her inner strength - in particular, her ability for magic. There's clear character development, which I enjoyed - while finally unravelling the heart of the mystery that was unsolved in The Spirit Lens (i.e. ). The pace admittedly only picked up one-third into the book; until then, it just felt rather slow. And even though there's a clear loose end to be picked up (i.e. ), the book felt complete.
I wished I enjoyed the worldbuilding more - it's clearly the early stages of magic, with the characters acknowledging that there are current theories of magic which do not adequately explain reality. We see Dante again, with his different way of viewing magic. But the lack of structure to the magical system feels like a feature of the world - science (such as botany and medicine) aren't fully developed either; so why should magic be? That being said, the fantasy element wasn't the focus of the book - the mystery element was.
It's a fun book, and great for those who love mystery novels.
I enjoyed this book. Anne starts off as thinking of herself as a wallflower; she's intellectual and quiet (although her inner strength - in particular, her ability for magic. There's clear character development, which I enjoyed - while finally unravelling the heart of the mystery that was unsolved in The Spirit Lens (i.e. ). The pace admittedly only picked up one-third into the book; until then, it just felt rather slow. And even though there's a clear loose end to be picked up (i.e. ), the book felt complete.
I wished I enjoyed the worldbuilding more - it's clearly the early stages of magic, with the characters acknowledging that there are current theories of magic which do not adequately explain reality. We see Dante again, with his different way of viewing magic. But the lack of structure to the magical system feels like a feature of the world - science (such as botany and medicine) aren't fully developed either; so why should magic be? That being said, the fantasy element wasn't the focus of the book - the mystery element was.
It's a fun book, and great for those who love mystery novels.
August 20, 2021
I must say I didn't like this as much as the first installment. Changing the protagonist is tricky, especially when the character is barely present in the previous book. A fresh point of view? Sure. But it creates a situation where the reader knows much more than the protagonist, who is left stumbling in the dark for a frustratingly long time. I also had trouble coming to terms with Anne's refusal to believe in magic, which seemed to me quite undeniably real. It's a shame, really, because when she finally gets to act, it's delightful. I did like the "friend in the aether" concept - I hope said friend's identity was not supposed to be a surprise to the reader...
The last 50 pages or so were gripping, but it took quite a bit of effort to get there. Still, I love Berg's worlds and magic, I tend to like her characters, and she never fails to horrify me in some new way. I know I'll be reading the last book, though Dante as a protagonist sounds ominous.
The last 50 pages or so were gripping, but it took quite a bit of effort to get there. Still, I love Berg's worlds and magic, I tend to like her characters, and she never fails to horrify me in some new way. I know I'll be reading the last book, though Dante as a protagonist sounds ominous.
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