Curse the Dark
There are times when the time on the clock means nothing when you only have a few chapters more to read to finish the book. Last night was one such night. Curse the Dark by Laura Anne Gilman, book 2 of her Retrievers series, is at fault for my staying up until midnight last night just so I could finish the last 50-some odd pages. I tend to devour books of this size in 2-3 days depending on the number of distractions when I arrive home from work. I finished this one in a little less than a week but that was due to a few days where I wasn’t reading at all. It took me a long time to get into this one, but once I did, well… Let’s just say that I abandoned my husband to the TV and wandered upstairs to finish it.
I enjoyed Curse the Dark very much, I do however have some issues with it. Let’s start with what I did like. (Spoilers Ahead) The relationship between Sergei and Wren went from partners to partners without seeming forced or cheesy. Their love scene was well-written and realistic. Ms. Gilman got around using the cliched expressions from the romance genre quite well with witty thought bubbles. The story was generally well written.
However, not everything is wonderful. I did finish the book with a satisfied air well, until I read the Epilogue. First off, Wren Valere is the subject of a whisper campaign keeping her from finding work, so when the Silence steps in with an assignment, she and Sergei jump in without being prepared. This whisper campaign is part of the politics that Gilman has infused into the series. Unfortunately, these politics are not well thought out or presented. I am a bit spoiled in this respect after reading the Wheel of Time (WoT) series by Robert Jordan and the first in the Kushiel series by Jacqueline Carey. These are filled with intrigue and machinations and politics from a courtesan’s point of view in Kushiel’s Dart to international intrigue in WoT. I feel like the politics only get in the way of the story. Or if anything, just poorly executed. It just seems like the politics within the Cosa and the Silence are only there to push the story into a sequel. Wren and Sergei are interesting enough characters that this background noise is distracting.
Regardless, I would still recommend this book and this series so far, but I would give this installment a 3 out 5. This novel would be great for fans of L. K. Hamilton (disillusioned and hardened fans alike) and Patricia Briggs’ Mercedes Thompson series.
Buy it at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
