Geist

Another book finished. Geist was a decent read, and I'll probably pick up the sequel at some point, but it felt like the author was suffering from a lack of experience perhaps. Something was missing, anyway. The fantasy setting feels a little bit narrow, with specifically-defined magical abilities and a relatively small amount of geography used in the story. That's both good and bad.

I generally like the characters and they interact pretty well overall, but I find Sorcha's tough-girl exterior that's laid out early falters later. I suppose there's some positives to that, letting her companions contribute, but it feels a little off. The Order and the geists are interesting enough, though feel a bit narrow for use in more than two or three books (I don't know how many are intended). The book does manage a climax (arguably a couple) and conclusion, at least, so it doesn't leave the reading hanging at the end.

I'm a little bothered, though, by how quickly the story leaps into the unknown within its own bounds. Throughout the story, the reader is basically told that geists are behaving in new and unusual ways, and this is different, and that is different... but the while the characters are telling the reader this, the reader never gets a feel for what the "norm" really is, making it hard to sympathize. I think it would have been better to start with a more routine geist-hunt than start the story with the first one that breaks the supposed mold.

I also feel like some details fell by the wayside. I admit, I may have been influenced by the cover art, but I never got the feel Sorcha was one for wearing armor beyond her Deacon's gauntlets (especially when fished out of the ocean), yet there's one passage where she (suddenly?) is fending off a mauling with armor. Maybe I missed something, but that felt sudden and contrived.

But... not bad overall. And I'm still a pretty harsh critic. ;)