- Again, another cover so horrifically bad (did you see A Posse of Princesses cover?) that I had to get the book.
- I have a confession. I have a crush on Sherwood Smith’s name. I just think it’s cool.
- Urban Fantasy – sounded right up my alley!
- Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning
- Magic Lost Trouble Found by Lisa Shearin
Summary from GoodReads:
California girl Kim Murray is unsatisfied with grad school and restless in life. Modern men disappoint her, and she studies ballet and fencing because they remind her of older, more romantic times.
She lives with her parents and her beloved but secretive aristocratic grandmother, who speaks only French and refuses to share stories about the mysterious family she left behind in Europe, inspiring Kim to travel there and find her roots.
Kim soon finds herself swept up in an adventure of fantastic deceptions and passionate intrigue-and a shocking realization about her own bloodline that leaves her reeling.
My Review:
After a very favorable experience with A Posse of Princesses, I picked up Coronets and Steel by Sherwood Smith with some anticipation. I was looking forward to losing myself in a charming story and was interested to see Sherwood Smith tackle some urban fantasy. So, as I’ve learned to do at this point, I looked past that horrible cover (yes, that’s a girl wearing sunglasses and sneakers wielding a sword), and dove into the story.
There was less “para” than “normal” in this story, unfortunately. I don’t think Smith quite got the concept. She created an interesting, background-filled story with a great, strong female lead character but the “paranormal” aspects were a bit lacking, and honestly, a little confusing.
There was so much background information given in Coronets and Steel, I lost sight of what the story was actually supposed to be, a story about Aurelia Kim, a young woman on a mission to figure out who her Grandmother’s family really was. When that story finally got back on track toward the end it culminated in a very unsatisfactory ending.
I’m still hopeful about Sherwood Smith’s other books. I intend to read the Inda series (I gave them a shot a few years ago, but it just wasn’t the right time) as I’ve heard they are absolutely fantastic. I just don’t know whether I was expecting too much when it came to urban fantasy, I actually expect some glaringly obvious fantasy elements and not just the words tossed here and there.
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