Hello Everyone!
It's that time again- this time I'll be reviewing Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart. This was another Owlcrate book, from their rivals-themed box. This book took me over two weeks to read, but was definitely worth it!
Witches Steeped in Gold follows Jazmyne Cariot and Iraya Adair. Both rulers by birth, they vie for the same throne. Jazmyne is the daughter of the current ruler of Aiyca, the doyenne, but is frustrated by her mother's practices. Countless times, her mother has sacrificed her fellow Alumbrar order members (including Jazmyne's sister) for reasons Jazmyne sees as unnecessary. Iraya is the daughter of the previous rulers of Aiyca, killed by the current leaders in a brutal takeover. She was recently freed from prison, and seeks revenge, as well as to help her order, the Obeah. However different they may be, Jazmyne and Iraya understand each other's value in bringing down the current doyenne, and enter an unlikely, and admittedly unfriendly, alliance.
So let's get to the raving!
First, I loved how well-woven the relationship between politics and emotion was in this book. Ciannon Smart illustrated this through the use of two main characters at opposite ends of both the emotional and the political spectrum. In the novel, we see time and time again how emotion influences political decisions, and the less obvious vice versa.
Both Iraya and Jazmyne are fully realized characters, and make understandable decisions based on their emotions and knowledge. The places where their duality were most obvious were when each character reached a crossroads and had to make a decision. You could tell that they were heavily influenced by the beliefs and customs of their own order. In a way, they both fit a typical fantasy novel protagonist (Jazmyne the enterprising revolutionary, Iraya the passionate orphan seeking revenge). You find yourself rooting for both characters at different points in the book, and conflicted feelings abound.
The language used in this book is a step up from most other young adult novels I've read. This was a pleasant surprise, but it did periodically slow my reading speed a bit.
And the ranting:
One of the biggest problems I had with this book (and the reason it took so long to read) was the use of made up words. I read a lot of fantasy- I know that made-up words come with the territory- but it's taken to a new level in this book. Some made up words appear to have a dual meaning, and others are briefly described once and then not used again for another hundred pages. I found myself having to go back and look up words multiple times. I honestly like made up words. I think they can add to the worldbuilding and give character to a novel. However, even I have a limit to the amount of made up words I can handle in a book, and this novel exceeds it.
I thought the systems of magic in this book were hard to follow. What little description there was, it seemed like it was spread out over the entire book. I would read one piece of information, but then wouldn't learn anything else about it until much later. I think that both this and the problem above had to do with the writing style of the book. I'm sure it was designed to create intrigue, but instead it created confusion, at least for me.
This one is more of a suggestion than a rant, but I wish I had known more about island culture when I read this. As it stands, I know very little about Jamaican culture and history. I think that I missed some subtle references I might have really appreciated by not knowing this information beforehand. Obviously this is nothing wrong with the book, just my own lack of knowledge.
So those are my opinions on Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart. I'm very interested to see what comes next for Iraya and Jazmyne. The book was clearly designed with a sequel or series in mind, and I will definitely pick up the next book when it comes out. Hopefully it will clear up some of the confusion I had with the magic systems and language, and add more to this dramatic plot. In the meantime, I'll read up on island culture and daydream about visiting Jamaica!
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My next Rant & Rave will be for The Seventh World: Search for the Lost Keeper, another book I'll be reviewing for Paper Raven Books! Thanks for reading, and don't forget to let me know what you thought in the comments!
Dana
