What do you think?
Rate this book
Alpennia #3
Mother of Souls
At last! Return to the enchanted realm of Alpennia for the eagerly awaited sequel to Daughter of Mystery and The Mystic Marriage.
All her life, Serafina Talarico has searched in vain for a place where she and her mystical talents belong. She never found it in Rome—the city of her birth—where her family’s Ethiopian origins marked them as immigrants. After traveling halfway across Europe to study with Alpennia's Royal Thaumaturgist, her hopes of finding a home among Margerit Sovitre’s circle of scholars are dashed, for Serafina can perceive, but not evoke, the mystical forces of the Mysteries of the Saints and even Margerit can't awaken her talents.
When Serafina takes lodgings with Luzie Valorin, widowed music teacher and aspiring composer, both their lives are changed forever. Luzie’s music holds a power to rival the Mysteries, and Serafina alone has the vision to guide her talents. For sorcery threatens the fate of Alpennia—indeed of all of Europe—locking the mountains in a malevolent storm meant to change the course of history. Alpennia’s mystic protections are under attack and the key to survival may lie in the unlikeliest of places: Luzie’s ambition to write an opera on the life of the medieval philosopher Tanfrit.
All her life, Serafina Talarico has searched in vain for a place where she and her mystical talents belong. She never found it in Rome—the city of her birth—where her family’s Ethiopian origins marked them as immigrants. After traveling halfway across Europe to study with Alpennia's Royal Thaumaturgist, her hopes of finding a home among Margerit Sovitre’s circle of scholars are dashed, for Serafina can perceive, but not evoke, the mystical forces of the Mysteries of the Saints and even Margerit can't awaken her talents.
When Serafina takes lodgings with Luzie Valorin, widowed music teacher and aspiring composer, both their lives are changed forever. Luzie’s music holds a power to rival the Mysteries, and Serafina alone has the vision to guide her talents. For sorcery threatens the fate of Alpennia—indeed of all of Europe—locking the mountains in a malevolent storm meant to change the course of history. Alpennia’s mystic protections are under attack and the key to survival may lie in the unlikeliest of places: Luzie’s ambition to write an opera on the life of the medieval philosopher Tanfrit.
240 pages, Paperback
First published November 17, 2016
8 people are currently reading
371 people want to read
About the author
Heather Rose Jones
20 books185 followersHeather Rose Jones writes fantasy, historic fantasy, and historical fiction, including the Alpennia series with swordswomen and magic in an alternate Regency setting. She blogs about research into lesbian-like motifs in history and literature at the Lesbian Historic Motif Project which provides inspiration for her fiction. She has a PhD in linguistics, studying metaphor theory and the semantics of Medieval Welsh prepositions, and works as an industrial failure investigator in biotech.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
January 6, 2017
It's been a long wait...almost a year and a half, but I finally got to go back in time to my favorite fictional European country--tiny, landlocked Alpennia and her quaint courtly customs, intrigue and politics; I got to catch up again with the goings-on of my favorite lady aristocrats and got to know their ever-widening circle of 18th century 'feminists'--this time including commoners and even a foreigner.
Compared to other historical romances, the Alpennia series is distinctive for its very detailed and almost scholarly depiction of the process of creating 'mysteries' (the equivalent of magic spells in typical fantasy parlance), to the point where it feels so authentic to the reader. Of course, this meticulous attention to minutiae can also bore impatient readers. So be forewarned. The first book dealt with the mystical power of public prayer. The second, harnessing the power of precious stones through alchemy. And the third is the protective power of music. Sounds like a lot of mumbo jumbo? Not if you've read the books. ;) For me, fantasy is so much more believable or relatable when it's at least partially grounded or has its roots in real world traditions (or superstitions, lol)... So I'm pretty sold on the entire conceit of the series--the idea that magic spells can be wrought from familiar works like prayers, gems and even music. That's the essence of the Alpennia series.
This is the third book in the series, but it is an absolute mortal sin to start with this book and miss the first two. Not to mention it will be mostly incomprehensible. :) Much of the appeal of this series is the very detailed and careful world-building in everything from settings, to characters, to customs and traditions. And much of it was set up in Books 1 and 2. So Book 3 hits the ground running, with 5 POV characters (3 old, 2 new) alternating every chapter. Juggling all of this while keeping the plot moving along, and still have the book be comprehensible...that's probably what took the author such a long time to write, and get it right. And then there are the myriad subplots which seem to have exploded exponentially in this book, as everyone who was anyone in the previous books now has a mini-arc of their own, well, at least the women anyway.
So, how did it turn out? Top notch-characterization, as usual. Meticulous plotting and rich details easily drew this reader back into the immersive Alpennian universe. The third book is a bit of departure from the first two in terms of the social class of characters featured. While the first two books were more about court politics and personalities and upper-class society life, this one is more democratic, showing glimpses of how the other side lived. Specifically how women artists and independent thinkers fared under a patriarchal society and how they struggled to retain their own individuality and identity, achieve their modest dreams and how, whenever something, however unrelated, goes wrong, people (mostly men) are quick to point fingers and cry 'sorcery!'.
As mentioned above, aside from the five principal characters with their own POV, there are a number of returning and new characters who have their own story arcs in the book, some major and some minor ones. Aside from all that, there is some mysterious weather pattern going around that may or may not be 'natural'. And with the book spanning a year of Alpennian time, how does cramming all of that breadth and depth into just 240 pages work? Probably not as well as if the book had been say, a hundred pages longer. There were some important events or issues that I thought deserved their own chapter or at least, a detailed scene or two but what we got were just snippets mentioned in passing. Antuniet's momentous and audacious decision and eventual trip to achieve it, for one, ought to have been worth 50 to 100 pages, at least, maybe even more! ;)
Fans who loved the gripping, intrigue-fueled plots of the first two books will be a bit disappointed with this one. Gripping isn't an adjective I'd use to describe the plot. More like meandering. Because of all the subplots featured, much less page-time is spent on the main mystery described in the blurb. While there were hints of the underlying menace throughout the book, the lack of a concrete manifestation and a clear-cut antagonist meant that the whole 'mystery' was too tepid to cause any sense of urgency or danger in the reader. Now, if the investigation into it had been led by one of the POV characters instead of the mysterious shadowy one, maybe it would have been more exciting early on. I hope there is more to this mystery than what has been revealed so far.
Bottom line: This is a very good continuation of the Alpennia series, though it pales in comparison to the first two in terms of a gripping read, mostly due to the lack of a discrete enemy or imminent danger. It's not as audacious as the first or as angsty as the second. Even the romance wasn't as....romantic. I thought it was rather realistic though, with so much going on in their lives and so much uncertainly in their situation. The rich plotlines, lush characterizations and attention to detail are excellent, as usual. This isn't a book that will hook a first-time reader of the series. But it's still a soul-satisfying read for people who are already under it's spell.
4.45 stars
Compared to other historical romances, the Alpennia series is distinctive for its very detailed and almost scholarly depiction of the process of creating 'mysteries' (the equivalent of magic spells in typical fantasy parlance), to the point where it feels so authentic to the reader. Of course, this meticulous attention to minutiae can also bore impatient readers. So be forewarned. The first book dealt with the mystical power of public prayer. The second, harnessing the power of precious stones through alchemy. And the third is the protective power of music. Sounds like a lot of mumbo jumbo? Not if you've read the books. ;) For me, fantasy is so much more believable or relatable when it's at least partially grounded or has its roots in real world traditions (or superstitions, lol)... So I'm pretty sold on the entire conceit of the series--the idea that magic spells can be wrought from familiar works like prayers, gems and even music. That's the essence of the Alpennia series.
This is the third book in the series, but it is an absolute mortal sin to start with this book and miss the first two. Not to mention it will be mostly incomprehensible. :) Much of the appeal of this series is the very detailed and careful world-building in everything from settings, to characters, to customs and traditions. And much of it was set up in Books 1 and 2. So Book 3 hits the ground running, with 5 POV characters (3 old, 2 new) alternating every chapter. Juggling all of this while keeping the plot moving along, and still have the book be comprehensible...that's probably what took the author such a long time to write, and get it right. And then there are the myriad subplots which seem to have exploded exponentially in this book, as everyone who was anyone in the previous books now has a mini-arc of their own, well, at least the women anyway.
So, how did it turn out? Top notch-characterization, as usual. Meticulous plotting and rich details easily drew this reader back into the immersive Alpennian universe. The third book is a bit of departure from the first two in terms of the social class of characters featured. While the first two books were more about court politics and personalities and upper-class society life, this one is more democratic, showing glimpses of how the other side lived. Specifically how women artists and independent thinkers fared under a patriarchal society and how they struggled to retain their own individuality and identity, achieve their modest dreams and how, whenever something, however unrelated, goes wrong, people (mostly men) are quick to point fingers and cry 'sorcery!'.
As mentioned above, aside from the five principal characters with their own POV, there are a number of returning and new characters who have their own story arcs in the book, some major and some minor ones. Aside from all that, there is some mysterious weather pattern going around that may or may not be 'natural'. And with the book spanning a year of Alpennian time, how does cramming all of that breadth and depth into just 240 pages work? Probably not as well as if the book had been say, a hundred pages longer. There were some important events or issues that I thought deserved their own chapter or at least, a detailed scene or two but what we got were just snippets mentioned in passing. Antuniet's momentous and audacious decision and eventual trip to achieve it, for one, ought to have been worth 50 to 100 pages, at least, maybe even more! ;)
Fans who loved the gripping, intrigue-fueled plots of the first two books will be a bit disappointed with this one. Gripping isn't an adjective I'd use to describe the plot. More like meandering. Because of all the subplots featured, much less page-time is spent on the main mystery described in the blurb. While there were hints of the underlying menace throughout the book, the lack of a concrete manifestation and a clear-cut antagonist meant that the whole 'mystery' was too tepid to cause any sense of urgency or danger in the reader. Now, if the investigation into it had been led by one of the POV characters instead of the mysterious shadowy one, maybe it would have been more exciting early on. I hope there is more to this mystery than what has been revealed so far.
Bottom line: This is a very good continuation of the Alpennia series, though it pales in comparison to the first two in terms of a gripping read, mostly due to the lack of a discrete enemy or imminent danger. It's not as audacious as the first or as angsty as the second. Even the romance wasn't as....romantic. I thought it was rather realistic though, with so much going on in their lives and so much uncertainly in their situation. The rich plotlines, lush characterizations and attention to detail are excellent, as usual. This isn't a book that will hook a first-time reader of the series. But it's still a soul-satisfying read for people who are already under it's spell.
4.45 stars
December 15, 2017
Surely Miss Jones, this cannot be the end of the series because it ends on quite the cliffhanger!
Wow! Again, this series is soooo hard (if not impossible) to write a review for. With layers upon layers of intricate plot, the many threads that run through this story, both political and mysterious. These fabulous characters, their love, their ambitions, their struggles. It took me the whole of book one Daughter of Mystery to get familiar with the players, the political climate of Alpennia, the influential families, the etiquettes and customs and what exactly a mystery is. In book two The Mystic Marriage (still my favorite) I could indulge more because I knew the lay of the land. Book three Mother of Souls almost feels like a warm bed. But don’t be fooled, this is not an easy read. You have to stay focused, but the moment you connect with the story (and you will) it is so immensely rewarding.
Barbara, Margerit and Jeanne still have a pov in this story. We’ve lost Antuniet’s voice in favor for two new characters - Serafina Talarico and Luzie Valorin. The focus is now on music (after we had prayer in book one and alchemy in book two) and its powerful workings. I had hoped we would follow Antuniet a bit more after her bold decision (as it was now it mostly happened of screen) but I will have to use my imagination with that.
I am not going to attempt to write what happened, I don’t know where to begin and I suggest you read Jem’s wonderfully detailed review for that. I just know that this is incredible story-telling. If you are intrigued, start with Daughter of Mystery because NOTHING will make sense if you don’t.
My plan is to read the whole series again next year or so, or shortly before the next book will come along. I think it will only enhance the experience.
f/f
Themes: everything centers around the river Rotein, Antuniet and Jeanne are still my favorite couple, Barbara and Margerit are adding more and more people to their household, I’m sad I have to say goodbye to them for now because I really love these people, I think Heather Rose Jones is an absolute super star!
5 stars
Wow! Again, this series is soooo hard (if not impossible) to write a review for. With layers upon layers of intricate plot, the many threads that run through this story, both political and mysterious. These fabulous characters, their love, their ambitions, their struggles. It took me the whole of book one Daughter of Mystery to get familiar with the players, the political climate of Alpennia, the influential families, the etiquettes and customs and what exactly a mystery is. In book two The Mystic Marriage (still my favorite) I could indulge more because I knew the lay of the land. Book three Mother of Souls almost feels like a warm bed. But don’t be fooled, this is not an easy read. You have to stay focused, but the moment you connect with the story (and you will) it is so immensely rewarding.
Barbara, Margerit and Jeanne still have a pov in this story. We’ve lost Antuniet’s voice in favor for two new characters - Serafina Talarico and Luzie Valorin. The focus is now on music (after we had prayer in book one and alchemy in book two) and its powerful workings. I had hoped we would follow Antuniet a bit more after her bold decision (as it was now it mostly happened of screen) but I will have to use my imagination with that.
I am not going to attempt to write what happened, I don’t know where to begin and I suggest you read Jem’s wonderfully detailed review for that. I just know that this is incredible story-telling. If you are intrigued, start with Daughter of Mystery because NOTHING will make sense if you don’t.
My plan is to read the whole series again next year or so, or shortly before the next book will come along. I think it will only enhance the experience.
f/f
Themes: everything centers around the river Rotein, Antuniet and Jeanne are still my favorite couple, Barbara and Margerit are adding more and more people to their household, I’m sad I have to say goodbye to them for now because I really love these people, I think Heather Rose Jones is an absolute super star!
5 stars
January 19, 2017
I love these books for their elegant flowing prose that draws you in like a warm cocoon.
In book 3, we are back in the richly-woven tapestry that is Alpennia, following our protagonist Serafina, who can sense the power in musical mysteries, but is unable to perform them herself. Serafina arrives in Alpennia in search of knowledge and runs into Luzie when looking for lodgings. Luzie supports herself through her music compositions, and is unaware of the gift she carries in her music. The main storyline focuses on Serafina and Luzie, together both women team up to work on an opera that will inadvertently change the course of history in Alpennia.
We also revisit some of our favourite characters from book 1 & 2 - Margerit, who is also growing in confidence and plans to start an educational establishment for young women, and Barbara who takes on the lands of Turinz and tries to restore order, while keeping one foot dipped in court and international politics.
As usual, the settings are lush and the world-building is above par. In a time when women were mainly seen for their value as a wife or mother, the women in Jones' book are strong, confident and adventurous. They form a strong network through which they support each other. The one let down, which is why I've rated this book is 4-star and not a 5, was a loss of a sense of connection between the characters, something that came across really well in book 2. We see a lot of action on screen, but very little of what goes on behind it. The relationship between Barbara and Margerit, and Jeanne and Antuniet is still new, but we barely get any glimpse as to how these relationships are developing on a personal level. Without this insight, it's hard to engage with the characters and care for them, which is a real shame for a book that is so well written in every other aspect.
In book 3, we are back in the richly-woven tapestry that is Alpennia, following our protagonist Serafina, who can sense the power in musical mysteries, but is unable to perform them herself. Serafina arrives in Alpennia in search of knowledge and runs into Luzie when looking for lodgings. Luzie supports herself through her music compositions, and is unaware of the gift she carries in her music. The main storyline focuses on Serafina and Luzie, together both women team up to work on an opera that will inadvertently change the course of history in Alpennia.
We also revisit some of our favourite characters from book 1 & 2 - Margerit, who is also growing in confidence and plans to start an educational establishment for young women, and Barbara who takes on the lands of Turinz and tries to restore order, while keeping one foot dipped in court and international politics.
As usual, the settings are lush and the world-building is above par. In a time when women were mainly seen for their value as a wife or mother, the women in Jones' book are strong, confident and adventurous. They form a strong network through which they support each other. The one let down, which is why I've rated this book is 4-star and not a 5, was a loss of a sense of connection between the characters, something that came across really well in book 2. We see a lot of action on screen, but very little of what goes on behind it. The relationship between Barbara and Margerit, and Jeanne and Antuniet is still new, but we barely get any glimpse as to how these relationships are developing on a personal level. Without this insight, it's hard to engage with the characters and care for them, which is a real shame for a book that is so well written in every other aspect.
November 18, 2016
The return to the realm of Alpennia did not disappoint. I'm not entirely sure how to review it properly, because a lot (and I mean a lot!) is happening in the lives of our beloved characters.
While The Daughter of Mystery was primarily focussed around the Barbara and Margerit, the sequels have an ensemble cast now. The circle around Barbara and Margerit is expanding rapidly: a group of women who, in a society strict with rules of propriety and protocol, slowly but with determination carve their own path.
There are a few surprises to be had, almost all of the characters of the previous books make an appearance, and the scope of the troubles is a more international. Some things I predicted after The Mystic Marriage come to pass, and other revelations I had not even considered
The book has a bigger cliffhanger than its predecessor, and it almost pains me having to wait another year for the sequel.
Recommended if you like stories with a lot of depth, both in characters and in worldbuilding.
While The Daughter of Mystery was primarily focussed around the Barbara and Margerit, the sequels have an ensemble cast now. The circle around Barbara and Margerit is expanding rapidly: a group of women who, in a society strict with rules of propriety and protocol, slowly but with determination carve their own path.
There are a few surprises to be had, almost all of the characters of the previous books make an appearance, and the scope of the troubles is a more international. Some things I predicted after The Mystic Marriage come to pass, and other revelations I had not even considered
The book has a bigger cliffhanger than its predecessor, and it almost pains me having to wait another year for the sequel.
Recommended if you like stories with a lot of depth, both in characters and in worldbuilding.
March 17, 2017
Another fantastic visit to the fascinating fictional country of Alpennia. Chock full of strong female characters, dense and interesting story construction, with just a touch of magic and romance.
Ms Jones creates characters that come to life on the page and leave the reader wondering what happens in their lives after the story ends. I look forward to many more installments, though each book stands alone effectively, in my opinion, full appreciation comes from reading them all in order.
Ms Jones creates characters that come to life on the page and leave the reader wondering what happens in their lives after the story ends. I look forward to many more installments, though each book stands alone effectively, in my opinion, full appreciation comes from reading them all in order.
Read
July 1, 2017Delving further into the Alpennia world, a gloriously female-centric alt 19th century European principality near Austria. Alchemy! Sort of religious magic! Court intrigue!
This is fantasy with romances woven through it, so we get loads about the couples from the first two books as well as a rather wistful minor-key new central pair. Deeply immersive, detailed world, really def best to start with book 1 for ease of following along. And all sorts of fascinating possibilities opening up for other characters too, I hope the trans armin (sort of bodyguard) gets his own story!
This is fantasy with romances woven through it, so we get loads about the couples from the first two books as well as a rather wistful minor-key new central pair. Deeply immersive, detailed world, really def best to start with book 1 for ease of following along. And all sorts of fascinating possibilities opening up for other characters too, I hope the trans armin (sort of bodyguard) gets his own story!
October 13, 2019
This is without a doubt a book in which things happen. Many things. And there were people who had goals which they tried to achieve. Many goals...and a fair number of people (six POV characters: the designated couple from this book and both from the previous books and several non-POV side characters we mostly met before).
But none of it felt connected, except for the fact that these characters who had goals and did things knew each other. And it didn't feel like there was a big goal they were all working towards. Sure there was a rather major issue that gets solved at the end but it's more of a coincidence. The protagonists aren't actively working towards solving it from early on. They all do their own things - build a school, do some accounting, learn magic, write an opera, acquire a man to get pregnant by - and then conveniently discover that they can now solve another problem as well. But it takes two or three chapters between them realising what they have to do to them actually doing it and there's no tension or sense of urgency.
I think I understand what the author is trying to do - write a fantasy series that isn't all about epic battles and more about intrigue and politics and with female characters that still have to abide by the society rules and worry about their reputation - and I appreciate that. But one still needs a proper plot and this book didn't have one.
But none of it felt connected, except for the fact that these characters who had goals and did things knew each other. And it didn't feel like there was a big goal they were all working towards. Sure there was a rather major issue that gets solved at the end but it's more of a coincidence. The protagonists aren't actively working towards solving it from early on. They all do their own things - build a school, do some accounting, learn magic, write an opera, acquire a man to get pregnant by - and then conveniently discover that they can now solve another problem as well. But it takes two or three chapters between them realising what they have to do to them actually doing it and there's no tension or sense of urgency.
I think I understand what the author is trying to do - write a fantasy series that isn't all about epic battles and more about intrigue and politics and with female characters that still have to abide by the society rules and worry about their reputation - and I appreciate that. But one still needs a proper plot and this book didn't have one.
January 14, 2017
It's here, it's finally here! I've been waiting for book 3 of Heather Rose Jones's Alpennia series since no. 2 came out last year. And the book doesn't disappoint: All the familiar characters return but the scope of their intrigue and adventure is widened. In the first book, Margerit's and Barbara's spheres revolve around the cities of Rotenek and Chalanz; in the second, it is the realm of Alpennia that the adventures are played out on; in this book, the consequences of the actions of the characters extend throughout all of Europe. The chapters rotate through five viewpoints, three of them familiar to readers of the previous volumes, Barbara, Margerit, and Jeanne, and two new voices: visitor from Rome, Seraphina Talarico, daughter of Ethiopian immigrants and vidator; and Luzie Valorin, a composer.
Three things I find amazing about the story: First, the versatility with which it can be read. For each of the five view-point characters, it can be read as being her story, with the other four simply supplementing and rounding it. Margerit fulfils one of her dreams; Barbara rebuilds the title lands of a county; Jeanne reinvents her life as a result of the inclusion of her beloved Antunient; Seraphina leaves all that she has ever known in pursuit of a goal just beyond her reach; and Luzie composes an opera that will change the world.
Second, the complexity. Each of these five stories is well developed on its own, but they are also all tied into each other so that they are all integrated. The apparent simplicity of the plot belies the complexity with which all these threads are woven into one.
Third, the depth. Every single one of the secondary -- they cannot be called "background" -- characters is fully developed and has a story of their own, even if we only see glimpses of those stories. Every single name is attached to someone with his or her own desires, fears, insecurities, problems, and passions; it is clear that Jones knows far more about them than she is telling us, which bodes well for future books because the little glimpses we're given are already enough to make me thoroughly invested in them.
The only drawback is that with five viewpoint characters, and a wealth of interesting and well-rounded background characters, in 300+ pages we never get enough of any of them. I would have loved to have had this book about 6 times longer -- so that each viewpoint character could get a book's worth of pages for her story alone, and then another book's worth (or more) for the background characters. Because time passes continuously as the chapters progress, this means we can go for months sometimes between viewpoint chapters of the same character. We know what goes on for that character in the interim, but often only by hearsay, and one sometime gets the feeling that events happen a bit abruptly simply because we haven't seen quite enough behind the scenes.
But if the worst criticism I have is: I wish I had six times as much of this book, that in itself should be taken as strong praise. Jones's stories are intriguing and complex, her characters are immensely likeable (even the dislikeable ones), and every book she writes leaves you wanting more. Read it. Read the others. And then join me in the anxious wait for Book 4.
Three things I find amazing about the story: First, the versatility with which it can be read. For each of the five view-point characters, it can be read as being her story, with the other four simply supplementing and rounding it. Margerit fulfils one of her dreams; Barbara rebuilds the title lands of a county; Jeanne reinvents her life as a result of the inclusion of her beloved Antunient; Seraphina leaves all that she has ever known in pursuit of a goal just beyond her reach; and Luzie composes an opera that will change the world.
Second, the complexity. Each of these five stories is well developed on its own, but they are also all tied into each other so that they are all integrated. The apparent simplicity of the plot belies the complexity with which all these threads are woven into one.
Third, the depth. Every single one of the secondary -- they cannot be called "background" -- characters is fully developed and has a story of their own, even if we only see glimpses of those stories. Every single name is attached to someone with his or her own desires, fears, insecurities, problems, and passions; it is clear that Jones knows far more about them than she is telling us, which bodes well for future books because the little glimpses we're given are already enough to make me thoroughly invested in them.
The only drawback is that with five viewpoint characters, and a wealth of interesting and well-rounded background characters, in 300+ pages we never get enough of any of them. I would have loved to have had this book about 6 times longer -- so that each viewpoint character could get a book's worth of pages for her story alone, and then another book's worth (or more) for the background characters. Because time passes continuously as the chapters progress, this means we can go for months sometimes between viewpoint chapters of the same character. We know what goes on for that character in the interim, but often only by hearsay, and one sometime gets the feeling that events happen a bit abruptly simply because we haven't seen quite enough behind the scenes.
But if the worst criticism I have is: I wish I had six times as much of this book, that in itself should be taken as strong praise. Jones's stories are intriguing and complex, her characters are immensely likeable (even the dislikeable ones), and every book she writes leaves you wanting more. Read it. Read the others. And then join me in the anxious wait for Book 4.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 21, 2017
It's difficult for me to judge this book, because while I love many things about it (and all of the Alpennia novels), the pacing is odd and the emphasis on events often seems off; at the same time, I'm coming to realize that this very slow, multi-stranded plotting approach is a feature of the author's style. This novel introduces one new protagonist -- Luzie Valorin, a widow who makes a living teaching music but who has a talent for composition -- and promotes a secondary character from the previous book to protagonist -- Seraphina Talarico, the Roman thaumaturgist of Ethiopian ancestry who came to Alpennia to try to learn how to turn her mystical sight into the ability to work miracles of her own. But we're still keeping up with Margarit (now attempting to found a women's college), Barbara (still playing politics both internal and external), Antuniet (embarking on a new, not precisely alchemical but socially just as risky ambition), and Jeanne (trying to help launch Anna Monterrez as a saloniste, among other things). Much of the action -- international intrigue, duels to the death, devastating sorcery at the highest levels of the European powers, assassination attempts, standoffs with the University authorities -- happens to the side and is mentioned just in passing, which was sometimes frustrating.
But I also wouldn't have wanted any less narrative stress where it is placed: on Seraphina, who struggles with both the overt and unthinking racism of Alpennian society, the emotional crisis of being unable to perform the magic that she is so talented at perceiving and the loneliness of being both a foreigner and a woman who desires other women, and Luzie, who only gradually-- and with Seraphina's encouragement and magical sight -- gains the confidence to realize her talent as a composer and put herself forward in a male-dominated sphere. The descriptions of the music, and, especially of Luzie's opera, were brilliant (and so clever at adapting the conventions of opera seria to the mystical legends that fit into these novels), and, as always, there was wonderful insight into the characters, their emotional lives and the social webs they are part of and which both hinder and help them. (I was so glad when Luzie's parents arrived at the end: fantasy and romance are genres with few protagonists who are both independent adults and who have loving and supportive families.)
But I also wouldn't have wanted any less narrative stress where it is placed: on Seraphina, who struggles with both the overt and unthinking racism of Alpennian society, the emotional crisis of being unable to perform the magic that she is so talented at perceiving and the loneliness of being both a foreigner and a woman who desires other women, and Luzie, who only gradually-- and with Seraphina's encouragement and magical sight -- gains the confidence to realize her talent as a composer and put herself forward in a male-dominated sphere. The descriptions of the music, and, especially of Luzie's opera, were brilliant (and so clever at adapting the conventions of opera seria to the mystical legends that fit into these novels), and, as always, there was wonderful insight into the characters, their emotional lives and the social webs they are part of and which both hinder and help them. (I was so glad when Luzie's parents arrived at the end: fantasy and romance are genres with few protagonists who are both independent adults and who have loving and supportive families.)
January 3, 2017
Over three books, I've watched the Alpennia novels transition from awkwardly tropetastic Ruritanian/Heyeresque romance, emphasis on the romance, plus some magic to graceful, coherent fantasies that just happen to be set in a country that doesn't exist and include a lot of women who fall in love with each other to varying degrees. This is the book where the transition really gels: the depictions of Alpennian society (as always, shown from the perspective of an outsider, or several) and politics flow naturally, the recurring characters are established enough to be challenged by newcomers, and the world itself is known enough that characters can start questioning its rules - I was particularly interested to see Margerit's dogmatic approach to the mysteries (ie magic) being not only resisted but proven incomplete by Serafina and Luzie.
The idea of music as a form of magic, and the long twin plots of Luzie's development as a composer and Serafina's struggle to discover how she can not only sense but perform mysteries, were engaging, but unfortunately the climax of the latter felt buried under a lot of other things happening, and I only worked out what was going on after the fact. The politicking focused around more established characters was better balanced, even if it did drop out of sight from time to time. However, a problem with both was tracking the passage of time, which does matter to the plot - even though there are clear 'seasons' to life in Alpennia and these are marked in the story, I found it easy to lose track of what was happening when, which is a problem when the story covers as much time as this does (suffice to say, a character's pregnancy passes mostly off-stage in one short section of the book - this is a novel that has a realistic idea of how much time it would take to conceive, write and stage an opera). But the grace of the worldbuilding and deep investment in Serafina's and Luzie's lives made that less of an annoyance than it might have been while I was reading.
I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in the series.
The idea of music as a form of magic, and the long twin plots of Luzie's development as a composer and Serafina's struggle to discover how she can not only sense but perform mysteries, were engaging, but unfortunately the climax of the latter felt buried under a lot of other things happening, and I only worked out what was going on after the fact. The politicking focused around more established characters was better balanced, even if it did drop out of sight from time to time. However, a problem with both was tracking the passage of time, which does matter to the plot - even though there are clear 'seasons' to life in Alpennia and these are marked in the story, I found it easy to lose track of what was happening when, which is a problem when the story covers as much time as this does (suffice to say, a character's pregnancy passes mostly off-stage in one short section of the book - this is a novel that has a realistic idea of how much time it would take to conceive, write and stage an opera). But the grace of the worldbuilding and deep investment in Serafina's and Luzie's lives made that less of an annoyance than it might have been while I was reading.
I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in the series.
October 31, 2025
I am terrible when the time comes to give five stars. I just feel five stars is too much, even if I loved the book. It must be more than just liking it, I must feel it is a really good book in many other aspects and I usually end up struggling and giving four. Now, having said that, this book is getting five stars, no question or shadow of a doubt. I would give it four if it was a stand-alone, but this is the third in a series that keeps delivering. Beautiful prose, good plot, lovable characters who drive the story effortlessly, a very original take on the genre, especially with its "magic system"... And each books keeps the quality, pace and spark of the whole series, which is absolutely praise-worthy in a series with such a strong first book as this one. So, five stars to this series, a big thank you to Heather Rose Jones and I hope we'll get to see more of Alpennia soon, I really do.
PS. Actually I ended up slapping five stars on each of these beauties, I LOVE these books.
PS. Actually I ended up slapping five stars on each of these beauties, I LOVE these books.
April 12, 2017
I've been putting off writing this review, because I have SO MANY THOUGHTS.
First, the good! I absolutely loved the focus on opera and mystery in this one, and I really enjoyed Barbara's, Margerit's, Antuniet's, and Jeanne's plotlines! I enjoyed the quiet pace and the slow spooling out of the plot (even though it was occasionally jarring to have so many major events happen offstage)! Of the secondary characters, I particularly loved Anna and Iuli! And I loved that a trans secondary character was introduced, that even when other characters occasionally fucked up and said something uncool that the text did not let them off the hook for that, that his identity was presented in a way that felt period-accurate but still respectful, and that his plotline was not centered around his being trans.
However, I did not love this one as much as I loved the first two books because aspects of Serafina's and Luzie's characterizations really bothered me.
While I was really excited to see a protagonist of color, I don't think Serafina's dual identity as Ethiopian and Roman or her feelings of being an outsider were handled well at all (which was particularly disappointing after the well-written trans character). It felt to me like Jones was trying to imagine the experience of being a person of color without decentering whiteness from Serafina's identity...and thus falling into a lot of gross White Feminist traps. All of her angst about being black felt really internal in the way that stories about closeted queer people written by straight people often feel to me.
Basically nothing about Serafina's family life made any logical sense to me. How is she both so isolated from Romans in general and Roman women in particular that she has no confidence in her ability to read social cues and so ignorant of her family's culture and language? Why isn't her family hooked into any kind of immigrant community in Rome when the text keeps emphasizing how cosmopolitan Rome is, and why is Serafina so convinced that no one will marry her because she is black if she lives in such a cosmopolitan city? Where do her father's weird respectability politics come from? How did Serafina and her mother learn to speak Romanesco if they were so isolated and her father was at work all day? Where did Serafina's sense of belonging and joy with her mother come from, since Serafina seems to have very few memories of her and zero cultural associations? WTF was up with that whole "Serafina's mother is culturally steamrolled by a girl her daughter's age and just shrivels up about it" thing, and why did no one catch how racist it was before the book was published? WHY DID NO ONE EVER TELL HEATHER ROSE JONES THAT IF YOU ARE A WHITE AUTHOR, IT IS GENERALLY A TERRIBLE IDEA TO WRITE A BOOK ABOUT A POC CHARACTER THAT IS ABOUT THEIR POC IDENTITY?
My problems with Luzie were more minor--I just did not buy her as a bicurious straight woman, at all. I generally appreciate that these books have so little coming out angst, but it made no sense to me that Luzie would experience zero confusion while trying out a relationship with another woman and then realizing that she did not have romantic feelings. It made her seem cold and oblivious-to-the-point-of-cruelty, it made Serafina seem naïve and tragic, and it really didn't seem to serve the story at all, except to make Serafina even more of a TRAGIC OUTSIDER. (Actually, the whole development of their not!relationship seemed really weird--even leaving aside Luzie's confusion, I constantly felt like we were missing pieces of it!)
In conclusion: I enjoyed this one, but it did not quite live up to the expectations the first two books set for me. I'm still excited to read the next book, and I'm cautiously optimistic that it sounds like Celeste will have a larger role to play there--fingers crossed that Jones fixes the identity politics stuff with her.
First, the good! I absolutely loved the focus on opera and mystery in this one, and I really enjoyed Barbara's, Margerit's, Antuniet's, and Jeanne's plotlines! I enjoyed the quiet pace and the slow spooling out of the plot (even though it was occasionally jarring to have so many major events happen offstage)! Of the secondary characters, I particularly loved Anna and Iuli! And I loved that a trans secondary character was introduced, that even when other characters occasionally fucked up and said something uncool that the text did not let them off the hook for that, that his identity was presented in a way that felt period-accurate but still respectful, and that his plotline was not centered around his being trans.
However, I did not love this one as much as I loved the first two books because aspects of Serafina's and Luzie's characterizations really bothered me.
While I was really excited to see a protagonist of color, I don't think Serafina's dual identity as Ethiopian and Roman or her feelings of being an outsider were handled well at all (which was particularly disappointing after the well-written trans character). It felt to me like Jones was trying to imagine the experience of being a person of color without decentering whiteness from Serafina's identity...and thus falling into a lot of gross White Feminist traps. All of her angst about being black felt really internal in the way that stories about closeted queer people written by straight people often feel to me.
Basically nothing about Serafina's family life made any logical sense to me. How is she both so isolated from Romans in general and Roman women in particular that she has no confidence in her ability to read social cues and so ignorant of her family's culture and language? Why isn't her family hooked into any kind of immigrant community in Rome when the text keeps emphasizing how cosmopolitan Rome is, and why is Serafina so convinced that no one will marry her because she is black if she lives in such a cosmopolitan city? Where do her father's weird respectability politics come from? How did Serafina and her mother learn to speak Romanesco if they were so isolated and her father was at work all day? Where did Serafina's sense of belonging and joy with her mother come from, since Serafina seems to have very few memories of her and zero cultural associations? WTF was up with that whole "Serafina's mother is culturally steamrolled by a girl her daughter's age and just shrivels up about it" thing, and why did no one catch how racist it was before the book was published? WHY DID NO ONE EVER TELL HEATHER ROSE JONES THAT IF YOU ARE A WHITE AUTHOR, IT IS GENERALLY A TERRIBLE IDEA TO WRITE A BOOK ABOUT A POC CHARACTER THAT IS ABOUT THEIR POC IDENTITY?
My problems with Luzie were more minor--I just did not buy her as a bicurious straight woman, at all. I generally appreciate that these books have so little coming out angst, but it made no sense to me that Luzie would experience zero confusion while trying out a relationship with another woman and then realizing that she did not have romantic feelings. It made her seem cold and oblivious-to-the-point-of-cruelty, it made Serafina seem naïve and tragic, and it really didn't seem to serve the story at all, except to make Serafina even more of a TRAGIC OUTSIDER. (Actually, the whole development of their not!relationship seemed really weird--even leaving aside Luzie's confusion, I constantly felt like we were missing pieces of it!)
In conclusion: I enjoyed this one, but it did not quite live up to the expectations the first two books set for me. I'm still excited to read the next book, and I'm cautiously optimistic that it sounds like Celeste will have a larger role to play there--fingers crossed that Jones fixes the identity politics stuff with her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2020
Finally read the third book of the Alpennia series. Didn't like it quite as much as the first two, but still enjoyed. Some thoughts:
-I felt like there was a lot less tension in this novel--like, there were things going on in the characters' lives, but there was less of a sense of stakes, and relationships largely remained the same rather than changing. This somewhat lessened my investment in reading it.
-However, I do love Barbara very much and would probably read a book just about her managing the Saveze and Turinz estates even without all the rest. But it's more fun when there's more happening with her! All the schemes she was trying to foil this time around were too vague and I wanted more intrigue and action.
-Luzie and Serafina are both interesting characters. I find it especially interesting that both these two had husbands--one dead, one even still alive--but very different relationships with said husbands, and very different feelings/experiences with their own sexuality. Also
-Serafina is the first major character of color in this series, and Jones spends some time exploring how she is both included and excluded in Alpennian (and formerly in Roman) society. I was especially interested in her sort-of-mentorship of Celeste, a black dressmaker's daughter.
-Luzie is interesting to me partly for her music but also a good deal bc of just how practical she is. Other characters in this series have been pressed for money, but with Antuniet, for example, there's still a focus on grand goals and needing money to achieve them, while Luzie is very focused on keeping her family and household afloat from day to day. She still has dreams, but she's almost coaxed into daring to write an opera--it's so much more practical to focus on short pieces and teaching music lessons than to go for such a grand goal. So that was cool.
-Margerit and Antuniet's plotlines were boring to me this book. Hopefully they'll be more fun in the next book.
Overall, a good book, but not my favorite by this author. I'm curious whether I'll like Floodtide, the next book (and more of a side-story) more or less--on the one hand, there will be less (possibly no) Barbara and Jeanne, oh no! But on the other hand, focusing on lower class characters sounds very interesting, and I quite liked Dominique in this book. Guess we'll see :)
-I felt like there was a lot less tension in this novel--like, there were things going on in the characters' lives, but there was less of a sense of stakes, and relationships largely remained the same rather than changing. This somewhat lessened my investment in reading it.
-However, I do love Barbara very much and would probably read a book just about her managing the Saveze and Turinz estates even without all the rest. But it's more fun when there's more happening with her! All the schemes she was trying to foil this time around were too vague and I wanted more intrigue and action.
-Luzie and Serafina are both interesting characters. I find it especially interesting that both these two had husbands--one dead, one even still alive--but very different relationships with said husbands, and very different feelings/experiences with their own sexuality. Also
-Serafina is the first major character of color in this series, and Jones spends some time exploring how she is both included and excluded in Alpennian (and formerly in Roman) society. I was especially interested in her sort-of-mentorship of Celeste, a black dressmaker's daughter.
-Luzie is interesting to me partly for her music but also a good deal bc of just how practical she is. Other characters in this series have been pressed for money, but with Antuniet, for example, there's still a focus on grand goals and needing money to achieve them, while Luzie is very focused on keeping her family and household afloat from day to day. She still has dreams, but she's almost coaxed into daring to write an opera--it's so much more practical to focus on short pieces and teaching music lessons than to go for such a grand goal. So that was cool.
-Margerit and Antuniet's plotlines were boring to me this book. Hopefully they'll be more fun in the next book.
Overall, a good book, but not my favorite by this author. I'm curious whether I'll like Floodtide, the next book (and more of a side-story) more or less--on the one hand, there will be less (possibly no) Barbara and Jeanne, oh no! But on the other hand, focusing on lower class characters sounds very interesting, and I quite liked Dominique in this book. Guess we'll see :)
March 2, 2018
Another beautiful installment of Heather Rose Jones's Alpennia series, which introduces us to composer Luzie Valerin and Serafin Talarico, a vidator who is blessed with the power to see fluctus but not invoke it. Serafin appeared briefly towards the end of the second book The Mystic Marriage, but here her story is taken up in full. Born in Italy to Ethiopian parents, she escapes a loveless marriage to pursue her study of thaumaturgy, lodging with Luzie, a widow and musician who struggles to make ends meet following the death of her husband.
All the other major characters from the previous books are also given their own stories and the book emerges as a complex weave of narratives, each subtly related but distinct in the way they represent different aspects of Alpennian life. And while the book doesn't draw all the individual strands of the story to their conclusions, the ending is really satisfying and leaves you hankering for more. Having said that, I did feel that as more characters are thrown into the ensemble, there's not always enough focus on each one. I feel the author might have gone for broke and even doubled the length of the book to deliver more insight into the lives and relationships of these characters who never fail to fascinate.
That, however, is just a grumble which proves how much I love this series. It's expertly penned, the prose style is tense and concise, it's convincing in terms of characterisation and you just find yourself completely absorbed by the whole idea of Alpennia and its mysterious inhabitants. Can't wait for more.
All the other major characters from the previous books are also given their own stories and the book emerges as a complex weave of narratives, each subtly related but distinct in the way they represent different aspects of Alpennian life. And while the book doesn't draw all the individual strands of the story to their conclusions, the ending is really satisfying and leaves you hankering for more. Having said that, I did feel that as more characters are thrown into the ensemble, there's not always enough focus on each one. I feel the author might have gone for broke and even doubled the length of the book to deliver more insight into the lives and relationships of these characters who never fail to fascinate.
That, however, is just a grumble which proves how much I love this series. It's expertly penned, the prose style is tense and concise, it's convincing in terms of characterisation and you just find yourself completely absorbed by the whole idea of Alpennia and its mysterious inhabitants. Can't wait for more.
December 24, 2018
i am so impressed with heather rose jones’ historical understanding of lesbianism in early modern europe and it really shows in the quality of her writing... this series is very well plotted and i am enjoying all her distinct characterizations and more subtle romantic arcs and dynamics than one would traditionally find in the historical romance genre. anyway hasn’t every girl always dreamed of being an unmarried eccentric in a large mid-european city studying alchemy and magic along the minds of other great women loving women??? i am really looking forward to future books and especially to whenever anna gets her central story :-)
February 21, 2018
Next installment in Jones's terrific Alpennia series (start with "Daughter of Mystery"). I get a deeper understanding of the world building with each book and it's lovely to visit with old friends and new. Highly recommended!
July 22, 2019
This was so disappointing. The book feels like a series of unrelated snippets. The snippets cover so many characters and plots with so little depth that the reader isn’t invested in anything & there’s no sense of purpose, much less tension.
April 27, 2018
*Special Content only on my blog, Strange and Random Happenstance during Regency Magic (April 2018)
Luzie Valorin grew up in a family of musicians. When she married she thought she had put that life behind her but the untimely death of her husband forced Luzie to make some difficult choices. She could have run off to the bosom of her family in the countryside but instead she turned her home into a boarding house for theatrical souls. Though opening her house to strangers didn't make ends meet as she had hoped and she supplements her income by teaching piano lessons and doing copy work for her father's old friend, the great classical composer Fizeir. All this just to honor the memory of her dead husband and send their two boys to his old school. The only joy in her life is in composing. She writes little musical pieces to help her students. Whether it's for more confidence or to showcase their current abilities, it brings her joy. She even got up the courage to show Fizeir her work, but he broke her a little when he said he didn't think much of it. But he is willfully "blind" to Luzie's talents as she will painfully learn. She doesn't have just talent, she has the ability to create magic from her compositions. And to think, Luzie would have never known if Serafina hadn't come into her life. If a room in her house hadn't become available and Serafina wasn't in need of a roof over her head. Serafina changed everything.
Serafina Talarico is the daughter of Ethiopian exiles who settled in Rome. Her life was happy until the death of her mother. So many things changed, but what forced her into the arms of Paolo was her interfering sister-in-law who wasn't just domineering, but didn't want any Ethiopian taint in her life. Paolo seemed the perfect choice of husband, he was going to teach Serafina about the mysteries she could see but couldn't perform. Soon his displeasure with his wife's inabilities leads him to spend much time abroad while Serafina takes comfort in the arms of his cousin. Though everything changes for Serafina when she stumbles on the notes of Margerit Sovitre and sees a kindred soul. Throwing caution to the wind she journeys to Alpennia and joins Margerit's inner circle hoping to achieve a mystery that will capture the happiness she experienced in her mother's presence as a child. But she knows Margerit's hospitality can only last so long with Serafina's continued frustration at being unable to perform the simplest of miracles. Therefore she takes a room at Luzie Valorin's boarding house and is shocked to find that the composer is unaware the she is creating magic with her compositions. Serafina encourages Luzie's composing and leaps at the opportunity to help shape an opera whose magic might effect more then these two lonely hearts who've found each other.
Mother of Souls is the first book in Heather Rose Jones's Alpennian series that I feel achieved it's full potential. With each book building off the previous volume everything started to click into place over time and here with the larger cast of characters there was a better balance than just the two previous couples featured. The narrative no longer felt constricted by only four viewpoints and there was a wonderful blending of talents and interests, from music to printing, mysteries to sorcery, religion to godlessness, Alpennia to the rest of the world, here we have a Bloomsbury set for Alpennia. We have artists and free thinkers, a family, a tribe is being created. All these women who felt like they fit into society like a square peg in a round hole come together in salons and aren't crushed under foot by the patriarchy. Seeing as this series is Ruritanian lesbian romance a lot of inference can be made about educated women and their sapphic ways and at times it strains credulity and feels a little stereotypical especially given the previous two installments, but to these niggling criticisms I say that one, it's romance, and two there's Luzie. I should say Luzie and Serafina because I really like how their relationship forms and eventually ends. They are a different kind of heroine. Both have been married, both have been thrust into a new world that they aren't sure will accept them, but both have amazing resilience, and both end up in a place you wouldn't expect them to. That I think was the best part of Mother of Souls, the unexpected.
Yet among all these characters there is a strong theme of female empowerment running rife. This book is a rallying cry, as is the opera Luzie writes about the female philosopher Tanfrit who is only remembered through her connection to the male philosopher Gaudericus! Women have been told to be quiet for far too long! Men are always keeping us down and taking credit for what we do and when that can't work just erasing us from history. I literally can not think of a woman who won't identify with Luzie's relationship with the composer Fizeir. Here is a man that needs her and his need leads him to purposefully insult her work which he obviously thinks is worthy because he passes it off as his own all while she hero worships him. Who hasn't been taken advantage of by a man in power in one way or another? To be told you are "less than" just so that they can keep you in line and keep themselves on the top of the heap. At times I was just filled with rage for Luzie and her situation. She has real talent and has been kept down by the male status quo. While things are still far from equal I really don't know what I would have done if I had been raised in a time when women and their education were frowned upon. To not be allowed to read and learn? I shudder at the thought. Which is why Margerit's founding of the female academy named after Tanfrit is such a wonderful counterpoint to Luzie's journey. Here is a place where women and education is prized and that makes me immensely happy.
What also makes me immensely happy is the expanding of what is considered "magic" in the Alpennian world. The first book Daughter of Mystery dealt with thaumaturgy and The Mystic Marriage dealt with alchemy. These are both "sciences" that were practiced in medieval times. Yet the thaumaturgy we see here is very specifically on the religious mysteries end of the spectrum and the need for devotion to God. Which is why the introduction of alchemy in the second book was cunning in that it can be learned by non-believers and was paving the way to a new magical system. We were slowly moving away from God and looking for a "word other than miracles." In fact it's very clear with all that is happening that "[t]here was more magic in the world than could be encompassed in Margerit's theology." I nearly cried for joy that Margerit was dinged a little. I am such a strong non-believer that I rebelled at a world where only the prayers of certain people were answered and this was what "magic" was. I am not joking that I DID cheer when Margerit's partner Barbara said "[s]ometimes I think we need a different word than 'miracle.'" Sing it sister! Non-religious magic is here to stay! And how is it here to stay? In Luzi'e music. Yes, you could argue that originally music was a strong part of religious devotion, but I'm not going there because I finally have magic unencumbered by the church! Music, to me, has always been magical. Theater even more so. Therefore combining the two is a rare form of magic. Just look how much Hamilton changed our world and it's easy to see that in this world, as in ours, music and performance can change anything.
Though I wouldn't be me if I didn't have something that annoyed me to no end. So Antuniet Chazillen, one of our two heroines from The Mystic Marriage is now a royally appointed alchemist and one of our Alpennian Bloomsbury set. She actually has REAL power. Power that I feel could be used dubiously, but that's an issue I had with the previous volume, not this one. Antuniet also is obsessed with her family's legacy and therefore despite having the Vicomtesse de Cherdillac as her life partner she is determined to have a child. She plans to go about this in the regular fashion, think of it as a 1800s sperm bank because she's so not the type to marry some man just to have a child, leaving Jeanne in the process. But she's so obsessed with her reputation, and here I scratch my head because come on, she lives with a woman and is doing magic, that she decides to fool everyone as to how she became with child. She decides to claim that she created a homunculus because it's the second great act of alchemy and she is THAT GOOD! Excuse me!?! WTF!?! This is so counter intuitive. Antuinet is actually an alchemist and she is resorting to the tricks of charlatans? My mind boggles. I have a real problem with people who have abilities, doesn't matter what kind, artistic, whatever, who resort to "alternative methods" to achieve what they want. Because it isn't fair! It's like plagiarism, you are getting credit for something you didn't do. Nope, nope, nope. Plus, just as an aside, wouldn't people see the baby and be like, nope, not what a homunculus is supposed to look like? No? Just me. As always. But then again... "When a mystery works with nature and not against it, it's hard to distinguish truth from fraud."
Luzie Valorin grew up in a family of musicians. When she married she thought she had put that life behind her but the untimely death of her husband forced Luzie to make some difficult choices. She could have run off to the bosom of her family in the countryside but instead she turned her home into a boarding house for theatrical souls. Though opening her house to strangers didn't make ends meet as she had hoped and she supplements her income by teaching piano lessons and doing copy work for her father's old friend, the great classical composer Fizeir. All this just to honor the memory of her dead husband and send their two boys to his old school. The only joy in her life is in composing. She writes little musical pieces to help her students. Whether it's for more confidence or to showcase their current abilities, it brings her joy. She even got up the courage to show Fizeir her work, but he broke her a little when he said he didn't think much of it. But he is willfully "blind" to Luzie's talents as she will painfully learn. She doesn't have just talent, she has the ability to create magic from her compositions. And to think, Luzie would have never known if Serafina hadn't come into her life. If a room in her house hadn't become available and Serafina wasn't in need of a roof over her head. Serafina changed everything.
Serafina Talarico is the daughter of Ethiopian exiles who settled in Rome. Her life was happy until the death of her mother. So many things changed, but what forced her into the arms of Paolo was her interfering sister-in-law who wasn't just domineering, but didn't want any Ethiopian taint in her life. Paolo seemed the perfect choice of husband, he was going to teach Serafina about the mysteries she could see but couldn't perform. Soon his displeasure with his wife's inabilities leads him to spend much time abroad while Serafina takes comfort in the arms of his cousin. Though everything changes for Serafina when she stumbles on the notes of Margerit Sovitre and sees a kindred soul. Throwing caution to the wind she journeys to Alpennia and joins Margerit's inner circle hoping to achieve a mystery that will capture the happiness she experienced in her mother's presence as a child. But she knows Margerit's hospitality can only last so long with Serafina's continued frustration at being unable to perform the simplest of miracles. Therefore she takes a room at Luzie Valorin's boarding house and is shocked to find that the composer is unaware the she is creating magic with her compositions. Serafina encourages Luzie's composing and leaps at the opportunity to help shape an opera whose magic might effect more then these two lonely hearts who've found each other.
Mother of Souls is the first book in Heather Rose Jones's Alpennian series that I feel achieved it's full potential. With each book building off the previous volume everything started to click into place over time and here with the larger cast of characters there was a better balance than just the two previous couples featured. The narrative no longer felt constricted by only four viewpoints and there was a wonderful blending of talents and interests, from music to printing, mysteries to sorcery, religion to godlessness, Alpennia to the rest of the world, here we have a Bloomsbury set for Alpennia. We have artists and free thinkers, a family, a tribe is being created. All these women who felt like they fit into society like a square peg in a round hole come together in salons and aren't crushed under foot by the patriarchy. Seeing as this series is Ruritanian lesbian romance a lot of inference can be made about educated women and their sapphic ways and at times it strains credulity and feels a little stereotypical especially given the previous two installments, but to these niggling criticisms I say that one, it's romance, and two there's Luzie. I should say Luzie and Serafina because I really like how their relationship forms and eventually ends. They are a different kind of heroine. Both have been married, both have been thrust into a new world that they aren't sure will accept them, but both have amazing resilience, and both end up in a place you wouldn't expect them to. That I think was the best part of Mother of Souls, the unexpected.
Yet among all these characters there is a strong theme of female empowerment running rife. This book is a rallying cry, as is the opera Luzie writes about the female philosopher Tanfrit who is only remembered through her connection to the male philosopher Gaudericus! Women have been told to be quiet for far too long! Men are always keeping us down and taking credit for what we do and when that can't work just erasing us from history. I literally can not think of a woman who won't identify with Luzie's relationship with the composer Fizeir. Here is a man that needs her and his need leads him to purposefully insult her work which he obviously thinks is worthy because he passes it off as his own all while she hero worships him. Who hasn't been taken advantage of by a man in power in one way or another? To be told you are "less than" just so that they can keep you in line and keep themselves on the top of the heap. At times I was just filled with rage for Luzie and her situation. She has real talent and has been kept down by the male status quo. While things are still far from equal I really don't know what I would have done if I had been raised in a time when women and their education were frowned upon. To not be allowed to read and learn? I shudder at the thought. Which is why Margerit's founding of the female academy named after Tanfrit is such a wonderful counterpoint to Luzie's journey. Here is a place where women and education is prized and that makes me immensely happy.
What also makes me immensely happy is the expanding of what is considered "magic" in the Alpennian world. The first book Daughter of Mystery dealt with thaumaturgy and The Mystic Marriage dealt with alchemy. These are both "sciences" that were practiced in medieval times. Yet the thaumaturgy we see here is very specifically on the religious mysteries end of the spectrum and the need for devotion to God. Which is why the introduction of alchemy in the second book was cunning in that it can be learned by non-believers and was paving the way to a new magical system. We were slowly moving away from God and looking for a "word other than miracles." In fact it's very clear with all that is happening that "[t]here was more magic in the world than could be encompassed in Margerit's theology." I nearly cried for joy that Margerit was dinged a little. I am such a strong non-believer that I rebelled at a world where only the prayers of certain people were answered and this was what "magic" was. I am not joking that I DID cheer when Margerit's partner Barbara said "[s]ometimes I think we need a different word than 'miracle.'" Sing it sister! Non-religious magic is here to stay! And how is it here to stay? In Luzi'e music. Yes, you could argue that originally music was a strong part of religious devotion, but I'm not going there because I finally have magic unencumbered by the church! Music, to me, has always been magical. Theater even more so. Therefore combining the two is a rare form of magic. Just look how much Hamilton changed our world and it's easy to see that in this world, as in ours, music and performance can change anything.
Though I wouldn't be me if I didn't have something that annoyed me to no end. So Antuniet Chazillen, one of our two heroines from The Mystic Marriage is now a royally appointed alchemist and one of our Alpennian Bloomsbury set. She actually has REAL power. Power that I feel could be used dubiously, but that's an issue I had with the previous volume, not this one. Antuniet also is obsessed with her family's legacy and therefore despite having the Vicomtesse de Cherdillac as her life partner she is determined to have a child. She plans to go about this in the regular fashion, think of it as a 1800s sperm bank because she's so not the type to marry some man just to have a child, leaving Jeanne in the process. But she's so obsessed with her reputation, and here I scratch my head because come on, she lives with a woman and is doing magic, that she decides to fool everyone as to how she became with child. She decides to claim that she created a homunculus because it's the second great act of alchemy and she is THAT GOOD! Excuse me!?! WTF!?! This is so counter intuitive. Antuinet is actually an alchemist and she is resorting to the tricks of charlatans? My mind boggles. I have a real problem with people who have abilities, doesn't matter what kind, artistic, whatever, who resort to "alternative methods" to achieve what they want. Because it isn't fair! It's like plagiarism, you are getting credit for something you didn't do. Nope, nope, nope. Plus, just as an aside, wouldn't people see the baby and be like, nope, not what a homunculus is supposed to look like? No? Just me. As always. But then again... "When a mystery works with nature and not against it, it's hard to distinguish truth from fraud."
July 15, 2018
This book missed the mark for me in so many ways. It just SPRAWLS - it picks up threads from the last two books and runs with them, while also introducing more and not giving a sense of closure to anything.
Really, there are three books in here (and it's long enough for it) - Margerit and Barbara, Antuniet and Jeanne, and Serafina and Luzie. I would rather have read a focussed novella for each to give the plot line justice.
- The "main" couple of this book are Serafina and Luzie. I could almost forgive the fact that their romance was a side plot and they eventually decided to go their separate ways - IF each arc of character development had closure. I applauded Luzie's success as a composer and Serafina finding ways to express control over magic through Luzie's music, buuuuut. What of Serafina's confrontation with her husband and life back in Rome? What of Luzie's sons? Is she the "Mother" of Souls in the title? What place does Serafina have going forward in Alpennian society?
- Margerit and Barbara - this just felt messy. I liked that Iulie's book (a plot thread I was frustrated by in the last book) was picked up, but there are so many people and things going on for this couple, and no sense of where it's all going. Margerit is protrayed as a bit narrowly-focussed and high-handed when it comes to her academy, and Barbara - well, I was enjoying a character who is so gleeful and competent about politics but I started to feel that she doesn't know as much as she thinks she does, especially in her new...friendship(?) with Kaiser and not knowing about international politics. She seems to be manipulated and naieve. Plus I want to see how she ends up dealing with her feelings about Tanit. What's happening with Iulie?
- Antuniet and Jeanne - this could have worked so well as a novella, as their plotline (baby!) is quite self-contained, but it really needed more focus.
Overall, I've lost faith in this series. The things that I so enjoyed about the first book - the "us against the world" vibe, the slow passage of time with attention to detail - has turned into a sprawling meander through Alpennia, hopping forward in time with important events brought up and forgotten (e.g. Serafina's oil breaking - I would have LOVED to see her going to the Strangers Market but then it's mentioned in passing). The scope of the stories (personal, city politics, international politics) is expanding but I don't have faith that the author actually know where it's all going.
Really, there are three books in here (and it's long enough for it) - Margerit and Barbara, Antuniet and Jeanne, and Serafina and Luzie. I would rather have read a focussed novella for each to give the plot line justice.
- The "main" couple of this book are Serafina and Luzie. I could almost forgive the fact that their romance was a side plot and they eventually decided to go their separate ways - IF each arc of character development had closure. I applauded Luzie's success as a composer and Serafina finding ways to express control over magic through Luzie's music, buuuuut. What of Serafina's confrontation with her husband and life back in Rome? What of Luzie's sons? Is she the "Mother" of Souls in the title? What place does Serafina have going forward in Alpennian society?
- Margerit and Barbara - this just felt messy. I liked that Iulie's book (a plot thread I was frustrated by in the last book) was picked up, but there are so many people and things going on for this couple, and no sense of where it's all going. Margerit is protrayed as a bit narrowly-focussed and high-handed when it comes to her academy, and Barbara - well, I was enjoying a character who is so gleeful and competent about politics but I started to feel that she doesn't know as much as she thinks she does, especially in her new...friendship(?) with Kaiser and not knowing about international politics. She seems to be manipulated and naieve. Plus I want to see how she ends up dealing with her feelings about Tanit. What's happening with Iulie?
- Antuniet and Jeanne - this could have worked so well as a novella, as their plotline (baby!) is quite self-contained, but it really needed more focus.
Overall, I've lost faith in this series. The things that I so enjoyed about the first book - the "us against the world" vibe, the slow passage of time with attention to detail - has turned into a sprawling meander through Alpennia, hopping forward in time with important events brought up and forgotten (e.g. Serafina's oil breaking - I would have LOVED to see her going to the Strangers Market but then it's mentioned in passing). The scope of the stories (personal, city politics, international politics) is expanding but I don't have faith that the author actually know where it's all going.
May 22, 2018
Finished the final installment of Heather Rose Jones' Alpennia Series, "Mother of Souls." In this installment, I got to find out more about Serafina, whom I met in the 2nd installment, "Mystic Marriage," my favourite book in the series! I was looking forward to finding out about her African roots, how her mystical powers would manifest. There were a couple of surprises in her back story and current status, which I didn't expect.
Its a well-written story that weaved around Serafina's determination to learn how to perform magic/mystical powers that she was only able to see and identify - visions. She tried very hard to learn from Margerit and her circle of mystical scholars to no avail when she ended up feeling alone, didn't belong, an outsider really, in addition to being seen as an outcast already because of her race. No matter how hard she tried to turn her visions into action, she just couldn't conjure up anything. Also, she realised, to her dismay, that she also lacked in verbalising her visions satisfactorily. Then she met Luzie, whom she was lodging from. Luzie, a widow with 2 kids, was a music teacher and an aspiring composer. Serafina realised Luzie's incredible musical talents one day whilst listening to her playing the piano. Not only was Luzie talented, her music conjured up amazing mystical powers that Serafina sensed right away as Luzie played her composed music, so powerful that Serafina believed it could rival the Mysteries and magic powers in Alpennia!
Luzie and Serafina both shared something in common: both lacked confidence in their powers and ability. So they both found a comfortable connection in each other. Their friendship soon blossomed. Whilst Serafina felt useless for not being able to perform magic powers, she gradually accepted that she could actually help Luzie hone in her natural talenct in performing magic through her music composition by giving her directions in modifying the tempo, lyrics, expressions, notes as Luzie worked on perfecting the music piece. So, Serafina became Luzie's maestro, in musical terms, conducting Luzie's magic powers summoned by her music. Luzie was like Serafina's conduit. So, these two were basically two halves of one, really.
I simply loved that Jones used music as a natural source of mystical powers. I always believed that music is one of the greatest tools in summoning powerful emotions within the soul, hence affecting the energy that surrounds us and the universe. Furthermore, Jones also included art - sketching and painting - as a source of magical powers too! I totally agree! Just like with music. Basically, art, as I always believe, IS magic, IS power. That's why art museums and music concerts (particularly classical music) emit energy that deeply affects their patrons especially those who have the slightest interest in art. It's magical. That's why art is always used as a form of therapy because it restores one's soul, it heals and enriches the human spirit.
Also, "Mother Of Souls" has even more mystical, sorcery action this time, all having to do with the darker side of the plot, especially with the climate of Alpennia and its surrounding areas (in terms of political, geographical, nature), potential foreign threats, the rise in protection charms. Reading it reminded me of Harry Potter! The only thing missing from the action was.....WANDS!!
This book, unlike the 2 previous ones, doesn't have any romance in it (except if you include the couples from the 2 previous books who are heavily featured in this one). It's more sapphic than anything, really. Moreover, Serafina and Luzie 's story was overshadowed by the continuous story of Barbara & Margerit, Antuniet & Jeanne - which I really appreciated because I love those 2 fabulous couples. Some antsy developments about Barbara & Margerit's relationship which used to be dismissed as "eccentric" but the more Barbara was involved in the politics of Alpennia, the more their true relationship was at risk of being exposed, by unsavoury characters who didn't want Barbara's political influence to advance. Furthermore, Margerit's determination to open a school for female scholars keen on learning about and training in magic and mysteries that were not solely restricted to the theology of their religion, caused a bit of a stir and problems, which further threatened to expose her life with Barbara behind closed doors. Jones tried to intertwine their developing stories with the book's heroines' (Serafina & Luzie), but at times I found it to be a little inconvenient and disconnected. In the end, I felt like Serafina and Luzie's story development, character and relationship growth were cut short, thus, making the end a little too abrupt & incomplete for me. I was left wanting to have some kind of closure with these two star-crossed souls even if they weren't meant to be, as far as their story went. *sigh* Perhaps it's the romantic in me that always craves for a HEA, especially in lesfic. However, to be fair, I can't actually categorise "Mother Of Souls" as a proper lesbian fiction. It's more appropriately a general historical fantasy/fiction, imho. So....
But all in all, the shortcomings (for me own taste) in this book didn't diminish the quality of Jones' writing and story progression of all the characters featured in the series as a whole. The darker plot in this installment was solid, very intriguing, especially when it's combined with the magical powers of music, written so eloquently especially when it was described in nitty-gritty detail, how a music piece was actually composed and so forth. I loved it! PLUS, there were a couple of twists as the saga of the Alpennia series continued, one of which, had something to do with someone in Barbara & Margerit's lives, totally delighted me to no end because I was definitely not expecting it all all! So it was a sure-fire welcome for me when it happened! Well done, Jones, thank you! :D The other one was related to Antuniet & Jeanne which I did not see coming at all so I was utterly unprepared for it when it was revealed. I didn't (still don't!) know what to think of it. Oh well... you simply have to read it and judge for yourselves...
Jones is a superb writer. Her rich knowledge in the Regency era, which she could effortless turn into brilliant historical fiction/fantasy, augments the stories she weaves in her books. If you've read the previous 2 installments, you simply must read this book to immerse yourselves deeper into the world of Alpennia and all the glorious mysteries, mystique, magic, sorcery that shape the lives of her inhabitants!
To summarise, the Alpennia series is a remarkable, endlessly intriguing piece of historical fantasy saga, with exquisitely created and moulded characters with extraordinary traits that included my favourite - magic, spells, charms, miracles, thaumaturgy, sorcery, all the supernatural, paranormal activities - with a bit of lesbian romance! I recommend this incredible series to anyone who enjoys historical fantasy and magic!
In Bug's Own Words
Its a well-written story that weaved around Serafina's determination to learn how to perform magic/mystical powers that she was only able to see and identify - visions. She tried very hard to learn from Margerit and her circle of mystical scholars to no avail when she ended up feeling alone, didn't belong, an outsider really, in addition to being seen as an outcast already because of her race. No matter how hard she tried to turn her visions into action, she just couldn't conjure up anything. Also, she realised, to her dismay, that she also lacked in verbalising her visions satisfactorily. Then she met Luzie, whom she was lodging from. Luzie, a widow with 2 kids, was a music teacher and an aspiring composer. Serafina realised Luzie's incredible musical talents one day whilst listening to her playing the piano. Not only was Luzie talented, her music conjured up amazing mystical powers that Serafina sensed right away as Luzie played her composed music, so powerful that Serafina believed it could rival the Mysteries and magic powers in Alpennia!
Luzie and Serafina both shared something in common: both lacked confidence in their powers and ability. So they both found a comfortable connection in each other. Their friendship soon blossomed. Whilst Serafina felt useless for not being able to perform magic powers, she gradually accepted that she could actually help Luzie hone in her natural talenct in performing magic through her music composition by giving her directions in modifying the tempo, lyrics, expressions, notes as Luzie worked on perfecting the music piece. So, Serafina became Luzie's maestro, in musical terms, conducting Luzie's magic powers summoned by her music. Luzie was like Serafina's conduit. So, these two were basically two halves of one, really.
I simply loved that Jones used music as a natural source of mystical powers. I always believed that music is one of the greatest tools in summoning powerful emotions within the soul, hence affecting the energy that surrounds us and the universe. Furthermore, Jones also included art - sketching and painting - as a source of magical powers too! I totally agree! Just like with music. Basically, art, as I always believe, IS magic, IS power. That's why art museums and music concerts (particularly classical music) emit energy that deeply affects their patrons especially those who have the slightest interest in art. It's magical. That's why art is always used as a form of therapy because it restores one's soul, it heals and enriches the human spirit.
Also, "Mother Of Souls" has even more mystical, sorcery action this time, all having to do with the darker side of the plot, especially with the climate of Alpennia and its surrounding areas (in terms of political, geographical, nature), potential foreign threats, the rise in protection charms. Reading it reminded me of Harry Potter! The only thing missing from the action was.....WANDS!!
This book, unlike the 2 previous ones, doesn't have any romance in it (except if you include the couples from the 2 previous books who are heavily featured in this one). It's more sapphic than anything, really. Moreover, Serafina and Luzie 's story was overshadowed by the continuous story of Barbara & Margerit, Antuniet & Jeanne - which I really appreciated because I love those 2 fabulous couples. Some antsy developments about Barbara & Margerit's relationship which used to be dismissed as "eccentric" but the more Barbara was involved in the politics of Alpennia, the more their true relationship was at risk of being exposed, by unsavoury characters who didn't want Barbara's political influence to advance. Furthermore, Margerit's determination to open a school for female scholars keen on learning about and training in magic and mysteries that were not solely restricted to the theology of their religion, caused a bit of a stir and problems, which further threatened to expose her life with Barbara behind closed doors. Jones tried to intertwine their developing stories with the book's heroines' (Serafina & Luzie), but at times I found it to be a little inconvenient and disconnected. In the end, I felt like Serafina and Luzie's story development, character and relationship growth were cut short, thus, making the end a little too abrupt & incomplete for me. I was left wanting to have some kind of closure with these two star-crossed souls even if they weren't meant to be, as far as their story went. *sigh* Perhaps it's the romantic in me that always craves for a HEA, especially in lesfic. However, to be fair, I can't actually categorise "Mother Of Souls" as a proper lesbian fiction. It's more appropriately a general historical fantasy/fiction, imho. So....
But all in all, the shortcomings (for me own taste) in this book didn't diminish the quality of Jones' writing and story progression of all the characters featured in the series as a whole. The darker plot in this installment was solid, very intriguing, especially when it's combined with the magical powers of music, written so eloquently especially when it was described in nitty-gritty detail, how a music piece was actually composed and so forth. I loved it! PLUS, there were a couple of twists as the saga of the Alpennia series continued, one of which, had something to do with someone in Barbara & Margerit's lives, totally delighted me to no end because I was definitely not expecting it all all! So it was a sure-fire welcome for me when it happened! Well done, Jones, thank you! :D The other one was related to Antuniet & Jeanne which I did not see coming at all so I was utterly unprepared for it when it was revealed. I didn't (still don't!) know what to think of it. Oh well... you simply have to read it and judge for yourselves...
Jones is a superb writer. Her rich knowledge in the Regency era, which she could effortless turn into brilliant historical fiction/fantasy, augments the stories she weaves in her books. If you've read the previous 2 installments, you simply must read this book to immerse yourselves deeper into the world of Alpennia and all the glorious mysteries, mystique, magic, sorcery that shape the lives of her inhabitants!
To summarise, the Alpennia series is a remarkable, endlessly intriguing piece of historical fantasy saga, with exquisitely created and moulded characters with extraordinary traits that included my favourite - magic, spells, charms, miracles, thaumaturgy, sorcery, all the supernatural, paranormal activities - with a bit of lesbian romance! I recommend this incredible series to anyone who enjoys historical fantasy and magic!
In Bug's Own Words
July 29, 2017
Every time I read an Alpennia book, I fall more in love with the universe. I'm starting to think that's why I find each one better tha the last, but to be honest, even if MOTHER OF SOULS had been my first dip into Alpennia, it would still have deserved all those stars.
SOULS's new romance comes between Serafina (queer black woman!! first introduced in the previous book) and Luzie, a widowed music teacher and composer. And *somehow* their story manages to be every bit as interesting, if not more, than the continued life if the two pairings from Book 1 and 2. Accomplishing such an exploit in a growing cast of complex, widely varied characters (all the amazing women!!) is the mark of an excellent writer.
The growth of Luzie's confidence and the way this novel exposes the historical pilfering of women's work by men (or the latter erasure, in Tanfrit's case) are especially dear to my heart. This book manages to weave in several threads into a masterful plot, and though if you pay attention you can predict large elements of the end, it executes them in such a glorious and satisfying way that the surprise is totally unneeded.
My one beef with MOTHER OF SOULS is that for everything right and powerful it says about women's narratives, the construction of story, and what is acceptable, it will also tell you TWICE (for an opera and for a novel) that a story isn't worth telling without the romance. Period accuracy? Perhaps, but that didn't stop Heather Rose Jones from clearly establishing transphobia [added note here: the establishing of a character as a trans man relies on some harmful trans reveal tropes, so trans readers, take care] and homophobia were shit in the past. So aro friends: this serie has so much more than romance, and I would recommend them a gazillion times over, but be careful of the microaggressions here.
SOULS's new romance comes between Serafina (queer black woman!! first introduced in the previous book) and Luzie, a widowed music teacher and composer. And *somehow* their story manages to be every bit as interesting, if not more, than the continued life if the two pairings from Book 1 and 2. Accomplishing such an exploit in a growing cast of complex, widely varied characters (all the amazing women!!) is the mark of an excellent writer.
The growth of Luzie's confidence and the way this novel exposes the historical pilfering of women's work by men (or the latter erasure, in Tanfrit's case) are especially dear to my heart. This book manages to weave in several threads into a masterful plot, and though if you pay attention you can predict large elements of the end, it executes them in such a glorious and satisfying way that the surprise is totally unneeded.
My one beef with MOTHER OF SOULS is that for everything right and powerful it says about women's narratives, the construction of story, and what is acceptable, it will also tell you TWICE (for an opera and for a novel) that a story isn't worth telling without the romance. Period accuracy? Perhaps, but that didn't stop Heather Rose Jones from clearly establishing transphobia [added note here: the establishing of a character as a trans man relies on some harmful trans reveal tropes, so trans readers, take care] and homophobia were shit in the past. So aro friends: this serie has so much more than romance, and I would recommend them a gazillion times over, but be careful of the microaggressions here.
February 18, 2018
I enjoyed this marginally less than its two predecessors (reviewed here and here), not because of any problems with the writing, but simply because it felt more like a "middle book" than the second in the series did, and because the subject matter was less interesting to me personally.
On the first point, by "middle book" I mean one where a lot of different plotlines are going on at once and a lot of sections exist to set up things in future books. There were elements of this in the second book, but in general the first two books centred around a pair of main characters and their plotline - this one is split much more evenly. This made for a less overall satisfying read because there was less resolution and the narrative felt more "bitty", though it was good to see some of the elements introduced in the second book come to fruition here (which means the fourth and any subsequent books will probably retroactively make parts of this one more satisfying). On the second, entirely subjective point, I simply found the ritual magic scholarship and alchemy of the first two books more interesting than the focus on music here.
However, this book retains the majority of the series' strengths - interesting female characters with different personalities and relationships, and subtle discussion of issues of identity and equality. The scene I probably found most interesting was the one where .
On the first point, by "middle book" I mean one where a lot of different plotlines are going on at once and a lot of sections exist to set up things in future books. There were elements of this in the second book, but in general the first two books centred around a pair of main characters and their plotline - this one is split much more evenly. This made for a less overall satisfying read because there was less resolution and the narrative felt more "bitty", though it was good to see some of the elements introduced in the second book come to fruition here (which means the fourth and any subsequent books will probably retroactively make parts of this one more satisfying). On the second, entirely subjective point, I simply found the ritual magic scholarship and alchemy of the first two books more interesting than the focus on music here.
However, this book retains the majority of the series' strengths - interesting female characters with different personalities and relationships, and subtle discussion of issues of identity and equality. The scene I probably found most interesting was the one where .
May 26, 2019
I am not going to write an actual review for this one, but I did enjoy it.
December 13, 2016
Man, I love these more than I ever thought I would.
February 5, 2017
Okay, so I just finished Mother of Souls and I have a lot of thoughts AND feelings about this book.
I'm not going to bother recapping it. I will say that I love it in a really complicated way and now everything is going to go into spoilers.
I feel like this series has passed from romantic fantasy candy to 'how often am I allowed to ask HRJ for hints about things on twitter'. And I'm so pleased!
I'm not going to bother recapping it. I will say that I love it in a really complicated way and now everything is going to go into spoilers.
I feel like this series has passed from romantic fantasy candy to 'how often am I allowed to ask HRJ for hints about things on twitter'. And I'm so pleased!
July 11, 2018
The third of Heather Rose Jones’ Alpenna novels, Mother of Souls, continues the story of Margerit Sovitre, wealthy thaumaturge and famed swordswoman Barbara, Countess of Savese.
Their circle of friends and associates has continued to expand, drawing more women from various professions and ways of life. Margerit’s extensive fortune has enabled her to continue being the patron of a number of women, both upper class and working class, who are expanding the scope of the female professions, women’s scholarship, and women’s engagement in the Mysteries - the very real forms of religious magic that can be seen, generated, shaped and directed by ritual, words and music.
The focus of the novel lies in one of the great mystery rituals which is supposed to bring safely to the small country of Alpenna. Margerit has already rewritten it, and yet the new version is not without flaws, a fact brought to her attention one of the new characters in Margerit’s circle, Serafina Talarico, an archivist, born in Rome but of Ethiopian ancestry, who has a rare gift for being able to see in detail the energy flows invoked by rituals. The flaw that reveals itself to Serafina’s vision may have some connection to rumours that have come to Barbara about mysterious, possibly unnatural storms in the mountains along part of Alpennia’s border. Amid the unfolding of this greater plotline lie a number personal stories: Serafina’s unhappy marriage, and her despair at being able to see the great mysteries but not evoke them; Barbara’s engagement in bringing order to a recently inherited title and lands that have been ignored for years by their previous lord; the revelation that Barbara’s armin, Tavit, is a trans man, deeply conflicted in a world that has no place or understanding of his nature; Luzie Valorin, an impoverished widow with a remarkable gift for musical composition and performance that evokes the energies associated with the Mysteries.
While I love the woman to woman relationships that are the backdrop to this series - Margerit and Barbara, Jeanne de Cherdillac and Antuniet - the most fascinating part of the culture in which Margerit’s adventures in ritual magic, and Barbara’s exercises in statecraft, take place is the feeling of watching a renaissance of women’s scholarship. In this novel, one of Margerit’s new projects is the creation of a college for women, with a print shop attached so that the works of the women Margerit has supported through her substantial fortune, and as well as more commercial projects, can be published without having to rely solely on subscriptions - which are harder for women scholars to generate. Interwoven in the major and minor plots are important stories about women struggling to be recognised for their work, intelligence, talent and skill, and the ways in which their efforts are undermined, blocked, trivialised, and even plagarised by men who cannot deal with women who think, and create, and do other such things with serious intent that have been by tradition reserved for men. Jones writes with a fiercely feminist vision, and an unabashed love for the hearts and souls of women making their own ways in the world.
Their circle of friends and associates has continued to expand, drawing more women from various professions and ways of life. Margerit’s extensive fortune has enabled her to continue being the patron of a number of women, both upper class and working class, who are expanding the scope of the female professions, women’s scholarship, and women’s engagement in the Mysteries - the very real forms of religious magic that can be seen, generated, shaped and directed by ritual, words and music.
The focus of the novel lies in one of the great mystery rituals which is supposed to bring safely to the small country of Alpenna. Margerit has already rewritten it, and yet the new version is not without flaws, a fact brought to her attention one of the new characters in Margerit’s circle, Serafina Talarico, an archivist, born in Rome but of Ethiopian ancestry, who has a rare gift for being able to see in detail the energy flows invoked by rituals. The flaw that reveals itself to Serafina’s vision may have some connection to rumours that have come to Barbara about mysterious, possibly unnatural storms in the mountains along part of Alpennia’s border. Amid the unfolding of this greater plotline lie a number personal stories: Serafina’s unhappy marriage, and her despair at being able to see the great mysteries but not evoke them; Barbara’s engagement in bringing order to a recently inherited title and lands that have been ignored for years by their previous lord; the revelation that Barbara’s armin, Tavit, is a trans man, deeply conflicted in a world that has no place or understanding of his nature; Luzie Valorin, an impoverished widow with a remarkable gift for musical composition and performance that evokes the energies associated with the Mysteries.
While I love the woman to woman relationships that are the backdrop to this series - Margerit and Barbara, Jeanne de Cherdillac and Antuniet - the most fascinating part of the culture in which Margerit’s adventures in ritual magic, and Barbara’s exercises in statecraft, take place is the feeling of watching a renaissance of women’s scholarship. In this novel, one of Margerit’s new projects is the creation of a college for women, with a print shop attached so that the works of the women Margerit has supported through her substantial fortune, and as well as more commercial projects, can be published without having to rely solely on subscriptions - which are harder for women scholars to generate. Interwoven in the major and minor plots are important stories about women struggling to be recognised for their work, intelligence, talent and skill, and the ways in which their efforts are undermined, blocked, trivialised, and even plagarised by men who cannot deal with women who think, and create, and do other such things with serious intent that have been by tradition reserved for men. Jones writes with a fiercely feminist vision, and an unabashed love for the hearts and souls of women making their own ways in the world.
July 25, 2017
This is a review of Mother of Souls. I've reviewed Daughter of Mystery and The Mystic Marriage; I'll link to them below.
Serafina Talarico has been looking for a place where she and her magic can fit in. She has felt she might have found a place, with her landlady, Luzie Valorin, with whom she has been collaborating on an opera about the historic woman scholar, Tanfrit. Yet as close as they've become, Luzie can't offer her what she really wants.
Meanwhile, some strange weather magic continues to plague Alpennia, Margarit's young cousin Iulien has arrived unexpectedly, and Barbara, the Baroness Saveze, has been shot and badly wounded.
There are many difficult decisions to make. Margarit's planned Tanfrit University needs a staff. Barbara has no heir. Margarit is reluctant to accept that what Luzie and Serafina have been doing together is not greatly different from the mysteries she works on in a more religious context. And the weather mystery seems to be an attack, but what are they to do when they can't find its source?
Oh, and Jeanne and Antuniet have a little surprise on the way.
This is a Ruritarian fantasy, with a little country occupying an unexpected place in the middle of Europe, in the 1820s. It takes up the threads of the earlier books, Daughter of Mystery and The Mystic Marriage, with the focus on what were in the earlier books more minor characters. The characters are interesting and complex and likable, and the 1820s European politics are well-grounded.
I found it a very satisfying book, and a fitting follow-up to the previous two. I hope to see more in this world. Good fantasy doesn't have to be grimdark, really it doesn't! I'll confess to reading this one slowly, to make it last.
Highly recommended.
I received this book (well, the Alpennia Bundle) as a gift. I'm reviewing it entirely voluntarily.
Daughter of Mystery review
The Mystic Marriage review
Serafina Talarico has been looking for a place where she and her magic can fit in. She has felt she might have found a place, with her landlady, Luzie Valorin, with whom she has been collaborating on an opera about the historic woman scholar, Tanfrit. Yet as close as they've become, Luzie can't offer her what she really wants.
Meanwhile, some strange weather magic continues to plague Alpennia, Margarit's young cousin Iulien has arrived unexpectedly, and Barbara, the Baroness Saveze, has been shot and badly wounded.
There are many difficult decisions to make. Margarit's planned Tanfrit University needs a staff. Barbara has no heir. Margarit is reluctant to accept that what Luzie and Serafina have been doing together is not greatly different from the mysteries she works on in a more religious context. And the weather mystery seems to be an attack, but what are they to do when they can't find its source?
Oh, and Jeanne and Antuniet have a little surprise on the way.
This is a Ruritarian fantasy, with a little country occupying an unexpected place in the middle of Europe, in the 1820s. It takes up the threads of the earlier books, Daughter of Mystery and The Mystic Marriage, with the focus on what were in the earlier books more minor characters. The characters are interesting and complex and likable, and the 1820s European politics are well-grounded.
I found it a very satisfying book, and a fitting follow-up to the previous two. I hope to see more in this world. Good fantasy doesn't have to be grimdark, really it doesn't! I'll confess to reading this one slowly, to make it last.
Highly recommended.
I received this book (well, the Alpennia Bundle) as a gift. I'm reviewing it entirely voluntarily.
Daughter of Mystery review
The Mystic Marriage review
December 22, 2016
This third “Alpennia” book formed a marvelous introduction to this series. Set in the mid-19th Century in an imaginary land somewhere between France and Switzerland, the story has very much the feel of historical fiction in its rich detail and well realized social, economic, religious, and cultural institutions. As in the real world, most women are constrained to be wives and mothers, married for the wealth or political alliances they can bring to their families. Also as in actual history, extraordinary women transcended these boundaries, becoming scholars, artists, writers, scientists, and more. Their lives are often portrayed only in the context of the male-dominated society. In Heather Rose Jones’s Alpennia, however, women’s lives are central: their complex, richly-imagined relationships, their talents and skills, their resourcefulness and strengths. Yet this is not a “domestic” tale in the sense of smallness of scope; the fate of Alpennia (and its European neighbors) is at stake as the land comes under magical attack, and the key to its defeat lies in the gifts of the women and their ability to work cooperatively. With intelligence and insight, Jones spins a tale of international intrigue, suspense, treachery, and loyalty.
June 1, 2021
Widow Luzie Valorin is a music teacher, and secretly a composer (though she's never performed her works publicly, and the famous composer she showed them to damned them with faint praise). She takes in boarders to make ends meet. And one day, one of those boarders is Serafina Talarico, a visitor from Rome. What shape will their association take, and how will it affect Alpennia?
This one wasn't quiiiiiite as good as the first two in the series. The music+magic plot was good, though irritatingly vague at times, but I didn't buy the central romance and it was frustrating. Also the direction Antunient's story took in this book was very strained; it needed more time and attention to be believable for me.
I think overall the impression I took away was that too many story threads had been accumulated over the three books to be woven together evenly, so the result was a bit clumsy and rushed, and many of the threads suffered a bit for it.
I did still enjoy the novel, though, despite the disappointment of the central romance! All my old favorite characters are back, and the worldbuilding and magic system remains fun. :) Hopefully the next book returns to previous heights.
3.5 stars, rounded up.
This one wasn't quiiiiiite as good as the first two in the series. The music+magic plot was good, though irritatingly vague at times, but I didn't buy the central romance and it was frustrating. Also the direction Antunient's story took in this book was very strained; it needed more time and attention to be believable for me.
I think overall the impression I took away was that too many story threads had been accumulated over the three books to be woven together evenly, so the result was a bit clumsy and rushed, and many of the threads suffered a bit for it.
I did still enjoy the novel, though, despite the disappointment of the central romance! All my old favorite characters are back, and the worldbuilding and magic system remains fun. :) Hopefully the next book returns to previous heights.
3.5 stars, rounded up.
Read
October 4, 2017MEMER, I HAVE SO MANY OPINIONS ON YOUR HISTORICAL MAGICAL LOLSBIAN NOVELS. IL EVERYONE AND THE LAST BOOK WAS SO GOOD. ALSO IL THE HINTS OF ANNA AND THE PRINCE HAVING CRUSHES ON EACH OTHER BUT THEIR LOVE IS SO CLEARLY GOING TO BE TRAGIC.
LOL I'M STILL READING THE THIRD ONE SO YOU'RE PAST ME, BUT DD MOAR OPINIONS! I AGREE ABOUT ANNA AND THE PRINCE.
I MAINLY WANT HER TO WRITE MOAR HAPPY LOLSBIANS BECAUSE IT'S RIDICULOUSLY RARE TO FIND THE COMBINATION OF WELL WRITTEN, HAPPY, AND HISTORICAL, EVEN IF INO I'M PROBABLY WILLING TO SUSPEND DISBELIEF FOR PARTS DUE TO SCARCITY, BUT A TINY PART OF ME WANTS MOAR ANNA AND THE PRINCE FLIRTING. JUST A SHORT STORY!
AND IL HOW THE FIRST BOOK DOES GIVE THE MARGERIT AND BARBARA A TRULY HAPPY ENDING, AND IL HOW SHE WEAVES IN NEW CHARACTERS WITHOUT NEGLECTING THE OLD ONES, THOUGH I'M NOT SURE HOW WELL BALANCED SHE'LL BE ABLE TO KEEP IT WITH A FOURTH BOOK. ALSO IL THE SECOND BOOK'S COUPLE FOR HAVING A MOAR NORMAL CONFLICT THAN THE FIRST BOOK, AND ALSO THAT THEY'RE CLEARLY A DIFFERENT COUPLE. SOMETIMES WITH ROMANCES ALL THE COUPLES CAN GET KIND OF SAMEY, BUT THEY HAVE THEIR OWN DISTINCT ISSUES AND STRUGGLES TO WORK OUT.
LOL I'M STILL READING THE THIRD ONE SO YOU'RE PAST ME, BUT DD MOAR OPINIONS! I AGREE ABOUT ANNA AND THE PRINCE.
I MAINLY WANT HER TO WRITE MOAR HAPPY LOLSBIANS BECAUSE IT'S RIDICULOUSLY RARE TO FIND THE COMBINATION OF WELL WRITTEN, HAPPY, AND HISTORICAL, EVEN IF INO I'M PROBABLY WILLING TO SUSPEND DISBELIEF FOR PARTS DUE TO SCARCITY, BUT A TINY PART OF ME WANTS MOAR ANNA AND THE PRINCE FLIRTING. JUST A SHORT STORY!
AND IL HOW THE FIRST BOOK DOES GIVE THE MARGERIT AND BARBARA A TRULY HAPPY ENDING, AND IL HOW SHE WEAVES IN NEW CHARACTERS WITHOUT NEGLECTING THE OLD ONES, THOUGH I'M NOT SURE HOW WELL BALANCED SHE'LL BE ABLE TO KEEP IT WITH A FOURTH BOOK. ALSO IL THE SECOND BOOK'S COUPLE FOR HAVING A MOAR NORMAL CONFLICT THAN THE FIRST BOOK, AND ALSO THAT THEY'RE CLEARLY A DIFFERENT COUPLE. SOMETIMES WITH ROMANCES ALL THE COUPLES CAN GET KIND OF SAMEY, BUT THEY HAVE THEIR OWN DISTINCT ISSUES AND STRUGGLES TO WORK OUT.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews