ambyr

I feel like finishing this book should leave me with more to say than "meh." Let's see. The plot was fast-paced enough to keep me reading, but not enough to get me past the weird gender relations, undeveloped magic system (I like the ritual set-up, but with no sense of what magic normally can or can't do, the ending lacked tension--I assumed they'd win, since so far magic had never failed them), and really, really sloppy editing.

And then, as other reviews note, there's the incest. It doesn't bother me to read about, but it does raise my eyebrows that it doesn't bother any of the characters, particularly those not raised to it.

I also have to say, I see very little moral difference between the Gale women and the male sorcerers. Ally makes vague references to having versus holding power, but for me the line is more whether or not power is used for personal gain--and boy do the Gales ever use power for personal gain. Again, that doesn't bother me--I like shades of grey--but the narrative treats the Gales as a moral center, and that made for awkward reading. It's slightly problematized at the very end, but too little, too late for me.