Short Reviews: June 2013. Unnatural Creatures, Movement of Stars, Dragonswood, Written in Red

Written in Red, Anne Bishop.  ISBN: 978-0451464965
June 25, 2013
Author is very lucky for Charles de Lint's blurb on the back, otherwise the cover and inital "Brief History of the World" would NOT have interested me enough to pick it up.  Oddly light in tone for the subject matter, only a few described scenes of torture/gore - everything else is insinuated.  Very little background on the main character and her past.  Interesting world, plot is standard "bunch of strong characters (mostly men) feel obligated to protect a persecuted innocent (usually a woman) to the death, despite cultural/historical/prejudical indications otherwise."  Characters engaging despite the plot.  Loved Winter, loved Grandfather, loved the ponies.

Dragonswood, Janet Lee Carey.  ISBN: 0803735049 (no ISBN13)
June 24, 2013
"Sequel" to Dragon's Keep, with very few characters in common.  (I have NOT read Dragon's Keep)  Tess regularly flees her abusive homelife into the forbidden forests; home to dragons, feykin, and witches.  She's eventually condemned as a witch, tortured, and flees with her friends into a fairly cliched story of huntsmen-cum-princes living in the woods, wise elder dragons, scheming fae, conniving "Prince John" councilors, and of course the requisite misunderstood prophecy.  Enjoyed the fleeing and huntsmen-hiding more than the climax, sadly.

The Movement of Stars, Amy Brill.  ISBN: 978-1594487446
June 16-22, 2013
Interesting fictionalized version of Maria Mitchell.  I was very interested in the Quaker trappings and the adherance to "Discipline" but wasn't able to find more information on that subject easily.  The love story was sweet, but very much out of place for those characters in that time-period, and that was jarring.  Very feminist, almost strident.  Good, but not exceedingly engaging.

Unnatural Creatures, (collected by) Neil Gaiman.  ISBN: 978-0062236296
June 16-22, 2013
Short stories (very old and very new) collected and introduced individually by Gaiman.  Exceedingly nice little collection, and very happy to see some older and lesser-known gems in the mix.  Can't pick a favorite, but Sunbird has stuck in my mind for over a week now.