Kim Wilkins
Harlequin MIRA (2014)
ISBN: 9781743569115
Blood and Gold #1
I absolutely loved the novella “Crown of Rowan: A Tale of Thyrsland”, set in this world, which appeared in Legends of Australian Fantasy back in 2010, and have been eagerly awaiting the series since then. It was worth the wait – this is one of the best books I’ve read in ages! The worldbuilding is beautifully done – Wilkins has avoided the trap of overburdening the reader with too much information, but cleverly seeds details throughout the book, which increased the richness of the reading experience overall. The plot itself is actually quite contained, essentially distilling to the story of Bluebell’s efforts to save her father, with other elements woven into and branching out from this task, but it works very well over the course of the novel. Continue reading