Robert Zimmermann

My main issue with this story was that it didn't feel complete. The story felt like it was building up to one thing, then switched to a different track near the end. Then it ended. The change was fine. It didn't feel too out of place. But the story never jumped back to its original focus. I haven't read the other books in this series, but was told that it could stand alone well enough. With that said, it feels like this is just a few chapters within a bigger novel, instead of a story in itself. There are previous events alluded to, which helped a little with setting things up. But it feels like I'll get the unfinished story in the book that comes next.

I also felt that the characters were a bit flat. Even Finn, the main character, didn't feel fully developed. This might be due to the story mostly telling instead of showing. Things just sped on through, as I read, without taking the time to flesh out the story. This is a short story. There are limitations due to the length. But instead of using those words effectively, things just felt rushed.

Despite this, I do think I will try one of the main books of the series. I think Risseghem has some good ideas for this world she's trying to build (even if the world building, and setting in general wasn't up to par for my tastes). I want to see what the author can do without the limitations of a short story. Maybe given more room to flesh out characters, setting, and plot lines I could find this to be a great series.