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Celaeno #4
The Walls of Westernfort
All Natasha Ionadis wants is to serve the Goddess as a Temple Guard, and she volunteers eagerly for a dangerous mission to infiltrate a band of renegade warriors and imprinters. But, once away from the temple, the issues are no longer so simple and she must revaluate her beliefs, especially in light of her growing attraction for one of the outlaws. Is it too late to work out what she really wants from life?
306 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
7 people are currently reading
401 people want to read
About the author
Jane Fletcher
21 books200 followersJane Fletcher is a GCLS award-winning writer and has also been short-listed for the Gaylactic Spectrum and Lambda Literary awards. She is author of two ongoing sets of fantasy/romance novels: the Celaeno series—The Walls of Westernfort, Rangers at Roadsend, The Temple at Landfall, Dynasty of Rogues, and Shadow of the Knife; and the Lyremouth Chronicles—The Exile and The Sorcerer, The Traitor and The Chalice, The Empress and The Acolyte, and The High Priest and the Idol.
Her love of fantasy began at the age of seven when she encountered Greek Mythology. This was compounded by a childhood spent clambering over every example of ancient masonry she could find (medieval castles, megalithic monuments, Roman villas). Her resolute ambition was to become an archaeologist when she grew up, so it was something of a surprise when she became a software engineer instead.
Born in Greenwich, London, in 1956, she now lives in southwest England where she keeps herself busy writing both computer software and fiction, although generally not at the same time.
Her love of fantasy began at the age of seven when she encountered Greek Mythology. This was compounded by a childhood spent clambering over every example of ancient masonry she could find (medieval castles, megalithic monuments, Roman villas). Her resolute ambition was to become an archaeologist when she grew up, so it was something of a surprise when she became a software engineer instead.
Born in Greenwich, London, in 1956, she now lives in southwest England where she keeps herself busy writing both computer software and fiction, although generally not at the same time.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
March 12, 2017
This really is such a great series, and this book held up with the rest. Parts of it were tough being in the head space of Jess. It almost made you squirm while reading it. But too me that's the sign of great writing, that this book makes you feel. I only have one book left to read, which is Rogues. I'm reading in chronological order so Rogues is the last for me. I would recommend to all new readers to read in chrono order, not written order. The story flows much better this way. I'm actually sad I only have one book left. I don't want this series to end!
March 22, 2015
This is quite possibly the best book I ever read.
Guardswoman Natasha Ionadis has her life figured out: a career devoted to the Goddess. Then she gets selected for an undercover mission to assassinate the three pillars of the heretics, Gina, Kim and most important of all Lynn. She embarks on a journey without the possibilty of return, but not quite in the way she has planned.
Sounds like a fairly standard plot for an adventure story, but it's the emotional journey that sets this book apart. I think this is the first book that has me rooting for the villain. (if you can call her that)
The long trek to Westernfort doesn't go quite as planned, with many mishaps along the way and each of those mishaps is an eye-opener for Natasha. She is forced to think things through and the conclusions are hard for her.
Natasha constantly struggles with her emotions, conscience and her belief. And it only gets harder when a change of plans has her living and working amongst the heretics, until finally the opportunity rises to take out their objectives.
And I won't spoil anything by saying she can't. The scene where she surrenders had me honestly swallowing.
And the thing is, Westernfort isn't exactly a utopia. It's a hard life but people are free to think. And it adds realism when even after sixteen years, people are still doubting that they are doing the right thing. Some people still aren't really sold on the idea that Celaeno is a spaceship. One of the things she learns about Calaeno makes Natasha alomost physically ill .
I think the author does a wonderful job of raising issues with religion, without mocking it. I just love it when they say that Calaeno is always present above them. Because it's true. I could go on and on about this facet of the world of Calaeno.
The only minor issue I have with this book is the abrupt ending. And am I the only that is curious about Rohanna's feelings towards Natasha?
Guardswoman Natasha Ionadis has her life figured out: a career devoted to the Goddess. Then she gets selected for an undercover mission to assassinate the three pillars of the heretics, Gina, Kim and most important of all Lynn. She embarks on a journey without the possibilty of return, but not quite in the way she has planned.
Sounds like a fairly standard plot for an adventure story, but it's the emotional journey that sets this book apart. I think this is the first book that has me rooting for the villain. (if you can call her that)
The long trek to Westernfort doesn't go quite as planned, with many mishaps along the way and each of those mishaps is an eye-opener for Natasha. She is forced to think things through and the conclusions are hard for her.
Natasha constantly struggles with her emotions, conscience and her belief. And it only gets harder when a change of plans has her living and working amongst the heretics, until finally the opportunity rises to take out their objectives.
And I won't spoil anything by saying she can't. The scene where she surrenders had me honestly swallowing.
And the thing is, Westernfort isn't exactly a utopia. It's a hard life but people are free to think. And it adds realism when even after sixteen years, people are still doubting that they are doing the right thing. Some people still aren't really sold on the idea that Celaeno is a spaceship. One of the things she learns about Calaeno makes Natasha alomost physically ill .
I think the author does a wonderful job of raising issues with religion, without mocking it. I just love it when they say that Calaeno is always present above them. Because it's true. I could go on and on about this facet of the world of Calaeno.
The only minor issue I have with this book is the abrupt ending. And am I the only that is curious about Rohanna's feelings towards Natasha?
May 20, 2019
It's great to go back to Celaeno's world, but I had more difficulty to warm up to both main characters. They felt so .... young !
I didn't really enjoy it (it's way too sad to), but I found Natasha's dilemma really interesting .
She begins as a naive dedicated young woman, but is used and misused by fanaticism.
She struggles with herself, caught between her set of morals and her vow of obedience.
Still nice story, and we get to see old friends and that's worth a lot.
I didn't really enjoy it (it's way too sad to), but I found Natasha's dilemma really interesting .
She begins as a naive dedicated young woman, but is used and misused by fanaticism.
She struggles with herself, caught between her set of morals and her vow of obedience.
Still nice story, and we get to see old friends and that's worth a lot.
December 23, 2016
This was an interesting one to read. We move from following the more independently minded characters, to heretics to this book here – which follows the ‘faithful’. Specifically Natasha Ionadis.
Natasha is a Guard – one of those people shown in earlier books as being a member of the ‘elite’ military force filled with peacocks. People much more interested in appearances than in skill and the like. Specifically, though, they, the Guards, are those who ‘guard’ the Sisterhood. And Natasha is that – faithful. Devout. Big believer in Goddess Celaeno. And the Elder-Ones. She’s probably the last person anyone would use as a spy – because 1) she’s so devout that she has trouble lying; 2) it, most of the time, is quite obvious when she’s lying (mostly because she doesn’t want to lie). Naturally, then, Natasha . . . becomes a spy.
Three heretics were picked up on their way to Westernfort – the Heretics land. The Intelligence division of the guards, or a major in it, sees this as an opportunity – she kind of looks similar to one of the woman, and she can gather up two more women to go with her undercover to head off to Westernfort and do some damage. Which is where Natasha comes in – one of the three captured women is 18, and the Intelligence division is filled with more mature looking people – and while Natasha is 21, she can, at a stretch, be seen as 18 – and, most importantly, she resembles that 18 year old. And so, devout, honest, loyal Natasha becomes a spy. Sent on a suicide (‘maybe not, but probably’) mission to Westernfort to kill three people – the ex-Sister/Imprinter Gina, Captain Kim Ramon, and Imprinter Lynn.
Interesting book. Quite fun.
Rating: 4.48
December 23 2016
Natasha is a Guard – one of those people shown in earlier books as being a member of the ‘elite’ military force filled with peacocks. People much more interested in appearances than in skill and the like. Specifically, though, they, the Guards, are those who ‘guard’ the Sisterhood. And Natasha is that – faithful. Devout. Big believer in Goddess Celaeno. And the Elder-Ones. She’s probably the last person anyone would use as a spy – because 1) she’s so devout that she has trouble lying; 2) it, most of the time, is quite obvious when she’s lying (mostly because she doesn’t want to lie). Naturally, then, Natasha . . . becomes a spy.
Three heretics were picked up on their way to Westernfort – the Heretics land. The Intelligence division of the guards, or a major in it, sees this as an opportunity – she kind of looks similar to one of the woman, and she can gather up two more women to go with her undercover to head off to Westernfort and do some damage. Which is where Natasha comes in – one of the three captured women is 18, and the Intelligence division is filled with more mature looking people – and while Natasha is 21, she can, at a stretch, be seen as 18 – and, most importantly, she resembles that 18 year old. And so, devout, honest, loyal Natasha becomes a spy. Sent on a suicide (‘maybe not, but probably’) mission to Westernfort to kill three people – the ex-Sister/Imprinter Gina, Captain Kim Ramon, and Imprinter Lynn.
Interesting book. Quite fun.
Rating: 4.48
December 23 2016
June 19, 2015
5 stars
April 3, 2017
This was a fantastic story. The author artfully brings in the theme of religion; blindly following vs questioning. I really enjoyed the book from beginning to end and I was on the edge of my seat for most of it. Excellent writing from Jane Fletcher. Definite must read.
February 24, 2025
Much like the previous novel (The Temple at Landfall), this is a well-executed tropey lesbian romance.
Natasha is a Lawful Good pious young woman with mommy issues serving in the military of a corrupt authoritarian theocracy. She's pulled in by the Lawful Evil intelligence service to do a secret assassination mission against the protagonists of the previous book (who have settled down in their atheist freethinker commune and had 5 baby girls in the interim, which is pretty much what I expected). On the way, she meets an affable mentor figure to counterpoint the Evil mother figures of her superiors on the mission, and of course a cute flirty lesbian, Dani, with a wounded soul.
You can probably guess where this is going. Natasha falls hard and fast for Dani, and vice versa. Natasha realizes her religion is run by evil jerks and switches sides. The evil mother figures are upset about this and turn on her. Dani is hurt because of her tragic backstory and has a messy breakup with Natasha. A dramatic violent climax occurs and both heroines show their moral fiber and end up reconciling.
This admittedly very tropey romance is very well-executed. When Dani's being a jerk, nobody makes excuses for her, and even she admits it in the end. Natasha makes no excuses for herself once she surrenders, which I respected. Natasha's inner turmoil is done well. The protagonists of the previous book return and acquit themselves well (Kim remains competent and likable, and Lynn is Best Mom), complete with cool logical secondary power use for Lynn (if you've seen Avatar, think Katara's healing and bloodbending).
Natasha is very much the main POV character here, with very little from Dani's POV, but that's for the better IMO. Natasha's a compelling character who you can tell is an earnest true believer in a corrupt system from Page 1. While you can see the arc of her journey coming a mile away, it's executed very well.
Very well done novel. 4 stars, would read about religiously tormented sword lesbian again.
Natasha is a Lawful Good pious young woman with mommy issues serving in the military of a corrupt authoritarian theocracy. She's pulled in by the Lawful Evil intelligence service to do a secret assassination mission against the protagonists of the previous book (who have settled down in their atheist freethinker commune and had 5 baby girls in the interim, which is pretty much what I expected). On the way, she meets an affable mentor figure to counterpoint the Evil mother figures of her superiors on the mission, and of course a cute flirty lesbian, Dani, with a wounded soul.
You can probably guess where this is going. Natasha falls hard and fast for Dani, and vice versa. Natasha realizes her religion is run by evil jerks and switches sides. The evil mother figures are upset about this and turn on her. Dani is hurt because of her tragic backstory and has a messy breakup with Natasha. A dramatic violent climax occurs and both heroines show their moral fiber and end up reconciling.
This admittedly very tropey romance is very well-executed. When Dani's being a jerk, nobody makes excuses for her, and even she admits it in the end. Natasha makes no excuses for herself once she surrenders, which I respected. Natasha's inner turmoil is done well. The protagonists of the previous book return and acquit themselves well (Kim remains competent and likable, and Lynn is Best Mom), complete with cool logical secondary power use for Lynn (if you've seen Avatar, think Katara's healing and bloodbending).
Natasha is very much the main POV character here, with very little from Dani's POV, but that's for the better IMO. Natasha's a compelling character who you can tell is an earnest true believer in a corrupt system from Page 1. While you can see the arc of her journey coming a mile away, it's executed very well.
Very well done novel. 4 stars, would read about religiously tormented sword lesbian again.
January 4, 2018
Oh man this series keep getting better than better!
This one was light on the world building and plot that got me hooked in the first book, but it had what I'll always treasure most in novels: great characters!!! Hoooooly crap I love Natasha. My sweet butch daughter. Gosh she was so well-written, from her initial, unshakeable faith in the Goddess and the wisdom of her superiors, all the way through the infiltration, falling in love, and coming to question everything she knew. What I love best is that at the end of the book she DOESN'T believe the 'heretic' teachings, she just knows that what her superiors at Landfall made her do was wrong. It was just so good, it didn't feel rushed or cheesy and ham-fisted; falling in love with Dani and ending up at Westernfort was what was meant for her.
And Dani was sooooo good. Her backstory made me cry, and I hope to see more about the ethics of cloning and all its complications in future books. All of the characters were really good. It made sense that Natasha cared about Rohanna and Cal. It felt natural, and that made their continued obstinacy and determination to carry out the murders so heartbreaking. And I loved seeing Kim and Lynn again. I was so scared something would happen to them. Forever otp. ;;
Most of all, this book shows that Fletcher's really good at character relation and development and change; it all came together so naturally and so well, and this world continues to be one I just want to EAT UP stories about.
This one was light on the world building and plot that got me hooked in the first book, but it had what I'll always treasure most in novels: great characters!!! Hoooooly crap I love Natasha. My sweet butch daughter. Gosh she was so well-written, from her initial, unshakeable faith in the Goddess and the wisdom of her superiors, all the way through the infiltration, falling in love, and coming to question everything she knew. What I love best is that at the end of the book she DOESN'T believe the 'heretic' teachings, she just knows that what her superiors at Landfall made her do was wrong. It was just so good, it didn't feel rushed or cheesy and ham-fisted; falling in love with Dani and ending up at Westernfort was what was meant for her.
And Dani was sooooo good. Her backstory made me cry, and I hope to see more about the ethics of cloning and all its complications in future books. All of the characters were really good. It made sense that Natasha cared about Rohanna and Cal. It felt natural, and that made their continued obstinacy and determination to carry out the murders so heartbreaking. And I loved seeing Kim and Lynn again. I was so scared something would happen to them. Forever otp. ;;
Most of all, this book shows that Fletcher's really good at character relation and development and change; it all came together so naturally and so well, and this world continues to be one I just want to EAT UP stories about.
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September 15, 2020i think the writing quality was significantly better than the first one and there was a lot less uhhhhhh pages and pages of infodump. i still think she should have done more showing vs telling but not quite as bad as it was in the first book.
but uhhhhhhh the premise was a little uhhhHHHHHHHH UHMMMM i didn't like...... it....
hot takes. anyway i liked lynn better in this book than the last one.
i have to do a new tag for my book club i guess. or my two book clubs. anyone want to start another book club i would love to have 15 going simultaneously
but uhhhhhhh the premise was a little uhhhHHHHHHHH UHMMMM i didn't like...... it....
hot takes. anyway i liked lynn better in this book than the last one.
i have to do a new tag for my book club i guess. or my two book clubs. anyone want to start another book club i would love to have 15 going simultaneously
May 11, 2025
4.5 stars
While it's not my favourite in the series, The Temple at Landfall still occupying that position, this is my second favourite. I really liked the dilemma that Natasha faced and how it was emphasised and not glossed over. And I quite liked Natasha herself, she was a very fascinating character and some of the secondary characters were pretty compelling too. It was really great seeing the characters from the aforementioned "The Temple at Landfall" again. The romance was the weakest aspect of this story for me, it just felt a bit too rushed and shallow. But the plot was gripping and kept me glued to the pages.
Overall, an engrossing adventure.
While it's not my favourite in the series, The Temple at Landfall still occupying that position, this is my second favourite. I really liked the dilemma that Natasha faced and how it was emphasised and not glossed over. And I quite liked Natasha herself, she was a very fascinating character and some of the secondary characters were pretty compelling too. It was really great seeing the characters from the aforementioned "The Temple at Landfall" again. The romance was the weakest aspect of this story for me, it just felt a bit too rushed and shallow. But the plot was gripping and kept me glued to the pages.
Overall, an engrossing adventure.
December 23, 2017
This one is really interesting one in this series, this start after third one the story is about faithful Gard Natasha lonadis... she's on missions to kill Lynn (lovely imprinter) and Kim and the heretic Gina...this goes slowly and it mainly around Natasha and her believe... and in this one we come to know Danielle knew character easy for us reader to love... in the end this book work for me...
March 23, 2021
This was the first book I read in the series. It was an incredibly engaging read. The characters are well written and, now that I have read the rest of the series, it was great to be introduced to the world from this point of view. It is a wonderful story and series that I cannot recommend enough! Perfect!
May 19, 2019
Again this story gets better by the page. This is the first book in the series so far that has my 5 star. Great characters, great plot, great continuation... The book is just on point.
June 24, 2019
Good solid story telling.
August 30, 2021
no epilogue>:(
November 8, 2021
pretty underwhelming ending but still an enjoyable read
wish it had a few more chapters just to tie things up better
wish it had a few more chapters just to tie things up better
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 16, 2013
Another Celaeno book! Although it has some basic world-building problems, I love this series anyway and am glad there are still a couple books in it that I haven't read. I started reading this shortly after finishing The Temple at Landfall. Although The Walls of Westernfort references many events that occurred in that book, it takes place 16 years later.
I enjoyed getting to see how several characters from The Temple at Landfall were doing. Chip, Kim, and Lynn all made appearances, as did several of their children, and a minor character reappeared as a more prominent one. Westernfort was a more established settlement, although there were still problems on the horizon that needed to be worked out, namely what would happen once Lynn, their only Imprinter, died.
I also appreciated that there were no long, infodumpy passages detailing how the world worked, at least not that I could remember. The animosity between the Guards and Rangers came up, as did cloning, imprinting, and Celaeno being a spaceship, but it was worked into the story more smoothly than in the other Celaeno books I'd read.
The biggest problem I had with this book, at least initially, was Natasha. She was a very different kind of Celaeno protagonist, which could have been a good thing, except she had a tendency to annoy me. She was very naive, to the point of seeming stupid, and overly pious. This let up a bit after she met a few Westernfort residents and began to realize that much of what she'd been told wasn't necessarily true, but it never quite went away.
If Natasha hadn't rubbed me the wrong way so much, I think this would have been my top favorite Celaeno book so far. The pacing and overall story were excellent. I loved watching the Westernfort residents try to puzzle out the secrets that Natasha/Jess and her “family” were hiding – they could sense that the women were hiding something, but they assumed that their big secret was that they were horse thieves planning on stealing from Westernfort. I loved the level of suspense as the Guards' secrets slowly unraveled, and I loved that Natasha had very good reasons for feeling torn over what she should do. Her religious beliefs were part of it, but so were her familial feelings towards the two Guards who were with her. She'd never had a loving mother, and she had a tendency to latch onto anyone who gave her the kind of motherly love she'd craved her whole life.
The romance was a bit more front-and-center in this book than in the other Celaeno books I'd read. Unfortunately, it made me a little...uncomfortable. As is usual in Fletcher's books, Dani and Natasha had many cute moments together, and I would have been completely on board with their relationship if I hadn't been so aware that Natasha was lying to Dani right from the start. Thankfully, she was uncomfortable with the situation too, and tried not to act on her feelings for Dani or to encourage Dani's feelings for her. Dani had lots of reasons to hate the real Natasha: she had a painful history with Guards, she had personal experience with practices that ran counter to the religious teachings that were so dear to Natasha, and she cared for the people Natasha had been sent to kill. Shelly, a sweet but not terribly bright Westernfort resident with a huge crush on Dani, further complicated things.
I liked that Natasha's secrets were What I did not like was that the book ended the moment Natasha and Dani resolved things between them. I like happy endings, but that ending was way too sudden.
All in all, I enjoyed The Walls of Westernfort, even though this protagonist definitely was not one of my favorites. I've still got one more Celaeno book in my e-book collection, plus one I haven't purchased yet. I'm looking forward to them both. I'd wish for even more Celaeno books, except it looks like Fletcher may no longer be writing new works – the most recent date I can find on her site is 2010, which makes me all kinds of sad.
(Original review, with read-alikes and watch-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
I enjoyed getting to see how several characters from The Temple at Landfall were doing. Chip, Kim, and Lynn all made appearances, as did several of their children, and a minor character reappeared as a more prominent one. Westernfort was a more established settlement, although there were still problems on the horizon that needed to be worked out, namely what would happen once Lynn, their only Imprinter, died.
I also appreciated that there were no long, infodumpy passages detailing how the world worked, at least not that I could remember. The animosity between the Guards and Rangers came up, as did cloning, imprinting, and Celaeno being a spaceship, but it was worked into the story more smoothly than in the other Celaeno books I'd read.
The biggest problem I had with this book, at least initially, was Natasha. She was a very different kind of Celaeno protagonist, which could have been a good thing, except she had a tendency to annoy me. She was very naive, to the point of seeming stupid, and overly pious. This let up a bit after she met a few Westernfort residents and began to realize that much of what she'd been told wasn't necessarily true, but it never quite went away.
If Natasha hadn't rubbed me the wrong way so much, I think this would have been my top favorite Celaeno book so far. The pacing and overall story were excellent. I loved watching the Westernfort residents try to puzzle out the secrets that Natasha/Jess and her “family” were hiding – they could sense that the women were hiding something, but they assumed that their big secret was that they were horse thieves planning on stealing from Westernfort. I loved the level of suspense as the Guards' secrets slowly unraveled, and I loved that Natasha had very good reasons for feeling torn over what she should do. Her religious beliefs were part of it, but so were her familial feelings towards the two Guards who were with her. She'd never had a loving mother, and she had a tendency to latch onto anyone who gave her the kind of motherly love she'd craved her whole life.
The romance was a bit more front-and-center in this book than in the other Celaeno books I'd read. Unfortunately, it made me a little...uncomfortable. As is usual in Fletcher's books, Dani and Natasha had many cute moments together, and I would have been completely on board with their relationship if I hadn't been so aware that Natasha was lying to Dani right from the start. Thankfully, she was uncomfortable with the situation too, and tried not to act on her feelings for Dani or to encourage Dani's feelings for her. Dani had lots of reasons to hate the real Natasha: she had a painful history with Guards, she had personal experience with practices that ran counter to the religious teachings that were so dear to Natasha, and she cared for the people Natasha had been sent to kill. Shelly, a sweet but not terribly bright Westernfort resident with a huge crush on Dani, further complicated things.
I liked that Natasha's secrets were What I did not like was that the book ended the moment Natasha and Dani resolved things between them. I like happy endings, but that ending was way too sudden.
All in all, I enjoyed The Walls of Westernfort, even though this protagonist definitely was not one of my favorites. I've still got one more Celaeno book in my e-book collection, plus one I haven't purchased yet. I'm looking forward to them both. I'd wish for even more Celaeno books, except it looks like Fletcher may no longer be writing new works – the most recent date I can find on her site is 2010, which makes me all kinds of sad.
(Original review, with read-alikes and watch-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
August 14, 2018
I love the whole series (aside from the last one/ the first one chronologically). I’d recommend reading them all. A great story, and very well written.
January 11, 2009
Second book I read in the Celaeno series and I enjoyed this one as well.
It delves further into the planet's society, again stressing the conflict between the Sisters/Guards and those who oppose them.
This story takes place sixteen years after Temple at Landfall, and follows up on the deserted Rangers and heretics and how they fare in their newly built city. Myths formed around their desertion and the new city in Landfall, and the Sisters try to keep it quiet and at the same time have more Intelligence information and try to take the leaders of Westernfort out.
The story focuses on two young women, Dani, a heretic, and Natasha, Guard on a secret mission. It's a classic tale of faith and betrayal, the women have grown up with different truths and Natasha for the first time is confronted with a different truth than the one she believes in.
I just love this planet and the stories it has to tell. For my liking it focuses to strongly on the romance aspect and is caught in the traps of that genre in that it's obvious from the start who will end up together and what conflicts they will have to face to get there. But the story they have to tell is a good one so I take this minor weak point, imo, gladly to find out more about Celaeno.
It delves further into the planet's society, again stressing the conflict between the Sisters/Guards and those who oppose them.
This story takes place sixteen years after Temple at Landfall, and follows up on the deserted Rangers and heretics and how they fare in their newly built city. Myths formed around their desertion and the new city in Landfall, and the Sisters try to keep it quiet and at the same time have more Intelligence information and try to take the leaders of Westernfort out.
The story focuses on two young women, Dani, a heretic, and Natasha, Guard on a secret mission. It's a classic tale of faith and betrayal, the women have grown up with different truths and Natasha for the first time is confronted with a different truth than the one she believes in.
I just love this planet and the stories it has to tell. For my liking it focuses to strongly on the romance aspect and is caught in the traps of that genre in that it's obvious from the start who will end up together and what conflicts they will have to face to get there. But the story they have to tell is a good one so I take this minor weak point, imo, gladly to find out more about Celaeno.
August 12, 2016
+ The story was engaging, with lots of suspense, action, and romance.
+ Interesting new characters, and some returning characters.
+ New locations and more exploration of previous places.
+ Good amount of dialogue.
+ Long pages, but not hard to read.
- Lack some character description.
Overall: Fans of previous Celaeno books will enjoy this book just as much as the previous one. Fans will also enjoy the new characters and it takes place in a single area most of the book, so they won't get lost so easily.
+ Interesting new characters, and some returning characters.
+ New locations and more exploration of previous places.
+ Good amount of dialogue.
+ Long pages, but not hard to read.
- Lack some character description.
Overall: Fans of previous Celaeno books will enjoy this book just as much as the previous one. Fans will also enjoy the new characters and it takes place in a single area most of the book, so they won't get lost so easily.
October 15, 2012
The second book in the series is definitely a lot more consistent than the first one. This time around, the author takes her time to develop the character relations further, making it much more believable. I enjoyed the undercover story very much and the plot was engaging. This is a vast improvement from the first book and an enjoyable read.
Sadly, I'm still torn about the worldbuilding of this book. The whole scifi twist remains a forced element in the book. It's less present as in the first one, though, but it's still there and a rather unavoidable element.
Sadly, I'm still torn about the worldbuilding of this book. The whole scifi twist remains a forced element in the book. It's less present as in the first one, though, but it's still there and a rather unavoidable element.
January 23, 2011
This is probably the best of all Fletcher's books that I've read. It is a sequel to the first Celaeno novel and focus on a member of the religious Guard given the mission of infiltrating the heretic settlement of the first book. Fletcher's characterization and plotting are spot on, and while having an inevitable and predictable conclusion the book still manages to feel right a true, making the whole thing more about the journey than the destination.
October 23, 2013
Started reading this book with a sceptic view even though I love this series. I thought because the main character was a guard which from reading the other books made me think of them as cruel and stupid. However I fell in love with this character as she goes through her journey (more emotional then physical) and found I had a lot in common with her. My favorite of the series.
May 23, 2014
my favorite of the Celaeno series. I think i read this series out of order and i read this book first and was hooked i think it was the first time i read a all woman's world series that seems possible to me i loved this book and the series and especially the origin story in the end on how they all began
September 20, 2013
Es el segundo de la saga de Celeano. Sigue en la línea del primero, sin sorpresas. El romance bastante previsible, pero rodeado del universo propio de la autora, con reflexiones interesantes.
April 25, 2015
As soon as the story picks up its pace, I can't let go of the book until the end.
Read
July 14, 2024This was well worth staying up til 4 am to read.
July 19, 2015
Frustrating book really -- didn't know that it was second in series, only enjoyed it so-so
February 27, 2017
An enjoyable read, although I had to read a quarter of the book before the main character became even remotely interesting.
July 27, 2011
Jane Fletcher's Calaeno series is my favourite reading
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