A Song for Arbonne

by Guy Gavriel Kay

I absolutely loved the concepts, characters, and intricacies of the plot in this book… This is really the type of book I enjoy. It’s fantasy, but without the strange races and only containing very subtle magic. It’s political, but not in the modern way. It’s intrigue and plotting through the lives of many characters. The unfolding of the story was well done through the majority of the book, yet a little rushed in the end.

My biggest critique is that I really yearned for this one to be longer, to contain more detail in the unfolding, and to tie things together more in the end. I felt the book was almost too ambitious for the length. The book moved through an enormous amount of time and events in rapid succession. I do like fast-paced books. However, in this case, I felt the story would justify a slightly slower pacing and further development in parts of the plot.

Many of the reviews I read prior to picking up this book indicated that it was difficult in the beginning to keep the characters sorted out. I can see that, but it does all tie together throughout the remainder of the book. It is definitely worth persevering through any confusion that arises early in the story.

3.5 stars.