Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Flora's Fury - Ysabeau S. Wilce

Flora's Fury by Ysabeau S. Wilce
This is the third book in the Flora series. I read and loved, Flora Segunda, the first one but somehow I missed the second one. Reading the second one first would've been the smart thing to do, but I decided to mix it up a bit and go ahead and read Flora's Fury first. 
It's been awhile since I read Flora Segunda so it was very nice to see Flora again and get lost in Wilce's writing.  Flora can't practice magic and must hide who she really is. If her true identity is discovered she will be killed.  So Flora has a very strict quiet life doing paper work as a Lieutenant in the Army.  But Flora risks everything to find her well hidden mother.  Flora's quest could put her in the hands of the people who supposedly killed her mother and would love to do the same to her. 
One of the great things about this series is watching Flora grow up.  Even without reading the second one (yet) I could still appreciate the pacing and care Wilce's is taking with Flora who is maturing in a very natural manner.  Now Flora is torn about her feelings for two guys, Udo who she has grown up with and Sieur who she meets on this newest adventure.  

Wilce's writing is pitch perfect from the dialogue, confrontations, banter to those moments meant to creep scare and frighten.  Flora is a well crafted three dimensional character and very easy to love.  The author surrounds Flora with great secondary characters, adding another level of depth to this wonderful series.  Also I was pleasantly surprised by the diversity. The author doesn't make a big deal out of it (which I enjoyed as well) but it is there to be seen for those who are paying attention. Flora's Fury is over 500 pages, but  I was so into the story they flew by.  

An excerpt via the publisher


1 comment:

Stacy Whitman said...

I love the Aztec and other Southwestern influences. Lots of diversity to be found in this series, which I actually didn't realize until re-reading book 2 in prep for this book (when I started book 3 I was so confused because I *had* read book 2 but couldn't remember anything). When I'd first read book 1 for some reason I was thinking the cultural influences were Spanish from Spain, not Spanish from Mexico. Not sure how I got that turned around.