pagesofjulia

Following The Mystery at Dunvegan Castle, this novel makes the fourth in Huchu’s Edinburgh Nights series. In some respects, we continue in the same vein: Ropa possesses a drive to help others, but fights it in favor of her higher priority to help her own first, meaning her little sister Izwi, their Gran, and herself. She is employed by big fancy powerful magic–in this instance, the English Sorcerer Royal, Lord Samarasinghe–who does not treat her as well as they should, but she puts up with a lot in the interest of providing for her household. She must solve mysteries and problems outside of her own personal purview, which often do come to affect her personally. In this installment, however, Ropa suffers the greatest tragedy that Huchu has put her through to date. (No spoilers, but it’s hard enough that I held it against the author for a bit.) She also gets a nudge toward some secrets about her own family history that may bear on present problems. And boy, does this one end on a drastic cliffhanger.

I continue to find Ropa’s voice and persona intriguing. She is a type unto herself, a mix of hardnosed and naive, swaggering and vulnerable. The Scottish slang adds significant flavor: I had to look up oxters, haar and wazzocks in the course of just a few lines. Her Edinburgh is a world to get lost in, even as the finer points of this magical universe remain a bit hazy for me – I’m not sure that’s not the case for Ropa, too. As I finish this one, I’m feeling Ropa’s loss, and concerned for her future. Still in.

Filed under: book reviews | Tagged: dystopia, librarians, mystery, speculative fiction |