About a month ago I read and reviewed the second book in the Alpennia series of author Heather Rose Jones. Today I am reviewing the first book.
Yes, it is a little weird reading the books backwards, but when you get them free through interlibrary loan, you read them in the order received.
If I had read this book first, some of the things in the second book would have made more sense. Fortunately the two books are written well enough to follow and read independently, though they gain greater appreciation as they complement each other.
Daughter of Mystery is actually the simpler of the two. Since Jones was laying groundwork, it is also less subtle on certain topics than the second book, which was able to have assumptions in place for the background of certain characters.
I did find Daughter of Mystery easier to read and follow. It only had two regular alternating points of view, to the four points of view in book two. The book is one of self discovery, and an exploration of family responsibility versus independence. How can one be true to ones self, when one doesn’t even know who one is?
I found myself picking the book up, wanting to read just one more chapter before getting back to whatever responsibilities I should be doing instead.
The world seems real, even the fantastic and mystical elements that are woven in through the religious themes. I can easily see Jones writing several more successful stories with the world and characters she has.
I will conclude with the same statement I made on the other review: It was a story well told, well written, from a solid author who hopefully will continue to write more books with solid stories and compelling characters. This book is well worth the read.
At The Rainbow 